MOSCOW: February 1, 2019
Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad led by Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York attend the 10th-anniversary celebrations of the Patriarch’s enthronement

On February 1, 2019, the 10th anniversary of his enthronement, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, along with primates and representatives of Local, autonomous and self-governing Orthodox Churches affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate, officiated at Divine Liturgy at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, Russia.

Leading the service were His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East; Patкiarch Kirill; His Holiness Patriarch Irenej of Serbia; His Beatitude Metropolitan Rostislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, and His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of America and Canada of the Orthodox Church in America.

Among the other primates serving were His Beatitude Metropolitan Onouphry of Kiev and All Ukraine and His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Representatives of the Churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Georgia, Serbia, Romania; Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Lands and Slovakia; the Orthodox Church in America; the Japanese Autonomous Church also served, while a representative of the Jerusalem Patriarchate prayed in the altar. Delegates from the Armenian Apostolic Church, the World Council of Churches and the Chinese People’s Republic were present, as were numerous government officials and representatives of social organizations in Russia.

Abbots and abbesses of monasteries, officials of Synodal institutions, clergymen, representatives of Orthodox Youth groups and a multitude of believers were also in attendance.

Ilya Tolkachev led the Patriarchal Choir, while Archimandrite Gle (Kozhevnikov) led the choir of Holy Trinity-St Sergius Lavra.

The television stations Spas and Soyuz live-streamed the event, and was simultaneously streamed on Patriarchia.ru.

During the augmented litany, special petitions for the unity of the Orthodox Church and the deliverance of the Church from divisions and schisms were intoned. Special petitions for Patriarch Kirill were also read. His Eminence Metropolitan Yuvenaly read a prayer for the Patriarch of the Russian Church, after which Patriarch Kirill read a prayer for peace in Ukraine. The services were conducted in Church Slavonic, Arabic and English. His Eminence Archbishop Antony of Vienna and Budapest delivered the sermon.

At the end of Liturgy, Patriarch John congratulated Patriarch Kirill and gave him a gift of a patriarchal staff made in Damascus.

Metropolitan Onouphry read a congratulatory message from the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and gave him a memorial cross and a panaghia and pectoral cross set. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill then addressed the worshipers with a sermon.

Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.