Orthodox Churches

Patriarch Kirill celebrates Divine Liturgy at St. Sergius’s Monastery on the Day of St. Sergius of Radonezh’s Demise

On October 8, 2012, the Day of the Demise of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the Miracle-Worker of All Russia (1392), His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, assisted by a great assembly of bishops and priests, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Dormition in St. Sergius’s Laura of the Holy Trinity.

Metropolitan Hilarion meets with new Russian ambassador to Serbia

On October 3, 2012, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, received the new Russian ambassador to Serbia, Mr. A. Chepurin.

On behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the DECR chairman presented Mr. Chepurin with a letter of commendation in recognition of his services for the good of the Church of Christ and on the occasion of this 60th birthday.

In the course of their talk held in a friendly atmosphere, they discussed various problems involved in Russian-Serbian relations.

Patriarch Kirill Comes out for Russian History

Addressing the 16th World Russian People’s Council, which opened in Moscow on Monday, Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, called for victory in the information war being waged by the West against Russia.

There are moments in history where there is no visible frontline, but still you cannot retreat because otherwise you will lose your country, he said, adding, “This is exactly the moment we are experiencing today. Physical battles have been replaced by information wars. A battle for minds is in progress, in which we must not retreat.”

5 Years of Patriarchal Service

Sunday, 30 September 2012, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania celebrates five years of patriarchal service.

On 30 September 2007, by the will and blessing of God, His Beatitude Daniel was enthroned in the Patriarchal Cathedral as the 6th Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

The thought confessed at the time of enthronement was that: “God called us to this very hard service”, because “it is useful for the Church to serve together with the Holy Synod and all the clergy of the country”. His Beatitude came from Iasi to Bucharest wishing to serve the Romanian Orthodox Church in time and no time, animated by the divine commandment mentioned by Saint Matthew the Evangelist: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16).

Russian Church sanctifies North Pole

A Russian Orthodox bishop has dropped a capsual with a blessing from Patriarch Kirill on the North Pole point.

The capsual includes a small plate with the inscription: “With the blessing of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All of the Rus, the consecration of the North Pole marks the 1150 years of Russian Statehood”, a press release from the Church reads.

The Church consecration took place as part of the major ongoing Arctic-2012 expedition, a mission organized by the Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute. The capsual was dropped to sea by Bishop Iakov of Naryan-Mar in a ceremony attended by both expedition leader Vladimir Sokolov and ship Captain Oleg Shchapin.

90th Anniversary of Ethnic Tragedy in Smyrna

On Sunday, September 23, 2012, His All-Holiness presided over the memorial service on the occasion of the 90th Anniversary since the ethnic tragedy in Smyrna in 1922. The service was held at St. Fokas Church in the Mesachorion Community. In attendance were Metropolitan Germanos of Theodoroupolis, the Hon. Nicholas Matthioudakis, Consul General of Greece in Istanbul with his wife Catherine Varvarigou, Consul of Greece in Adrianople, and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Information in Greece, Mr. I. Panagiotopoulos.