Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus Kirill celebrated the first anniversary of his ordination. The celebrations in honour of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church lasted for two days straight and were held on Monday and Tuesday.
The festivities had started with a liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, after which the Patriarch received congratulations from archbishops and the clergy. His subordinates gave him a number of presents such as a mitre (the headdress of a bishop), a koukoulion (the headdress of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church), and a green Patriarch's cloak. The Moscow clergymen presented him with the icon of the Theotokos of Vladimir.
In his turn, the Patriarch thanked the archbishops by elevating the Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate Archbishop of Saransk and Mordovia Varsonofy and Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk to the ranks of metropolitans.
The authorities did not miss the celebrations either. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who attended the liturgy with his spouse, presented Patriarch Kirill with an antique prayer book. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was the second to visit the church to congratulate the Patriarch and gave him a bunch of white roses and a vase. A reception for other representatives of the political and business elite took place the following day at the refectory chamber of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The guests, who came with flowers and presents, were standing in long queues to congratulate the Patriarch; in attendance were Chairman of the Federation Council Sergei Mironov, First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, Deputy Prime Ministers Alexander Zhukov and Sergei Ivanov, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Lyubov Sliska, Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliev, Prosecutor General Yury Chaika, Chairman of the Russian Audit Chamber Sergei Stepashin, Mayor of Moscow Yury Luzhkov, and President of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin.
Before the meal, Patriarch of Moscow Kirill asked God to protect all those present, to help them succeed in work, their personal lives, and service to the Fatherland. Each guest received a calendar, a portrait of the Primate, and a CD titled "The Ordination."
Pavel Korobov