The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Associations sent an appeal to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill as Honorary Chairman of the Interreligious Council of Russia, calling upon him to facilitate the release of the Ukrainian sailors detained on 25th November 2018, as well as the release of "hostages and captives in eastern Ukraine." The Interreligious Council of Russia took a decision to issue a statement in response to this appeal at its session on 25th March 2019. The text of the st…

On 3rd May 2019, Friday of the Bright Week, after the Divine Liturgy His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with a group of pilgrims from the Roman Catholic Church led by Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Vicar General of Rome. The meeting took place in the Patriarchal Chambers of the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius. The group also includes six hierarchs and 75 priests from Italy. Accompanying the pilgrims in Russia is Hieromonk Grigory (Matrusov), a cleric of the Cathed…

Die Russische Orthodoxe Kirche (ROK) bemüht sich um die Übergabe des historischen Andronikov-Klosters in Moskau, in dem sich heute das Museum für altrussische Kultur und Kunst befindet. Patriarch Kirill hat sich mit einer entsprechenden Bitte an Rosimuschestvo, die föderale Behörde für die Verwaltung staatlichen Eigentums, gewandt. Die Leitung des Museums, das nach dem berühmten Ikonenmaler Andrej Rubljov benannt ist, ist informiert und steht nach eigenen Angaben in einem ständigen Dialog mit d…

On 6 April 2019, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, rector of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute of Postgraduate Studies, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Moscow Church of Beheading of St. John the Baptist in-the-Woods. This church is a part of the Patriarchal Metochion of Chernigov Wonder-Workers, where the Theological Institute of Postgraduate Studies, celebrating the 10th anniversary of its…

Preservation work on ancient and unique frescoes in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Theotokos at the former Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery in Ferapontovo, Vologda Province, has been completed, ensuing that the spiritual treasures will be enjoyed for generations to come. The frescoes, dating to 1502, are the only ensemble of the great Russian master Dionysius the Wise (c. 1440-1502) that have survived to our day in their original form, according to the site of the Ministry of Culture o…

Der zukünftige Status der Isaakskathedrale in St. Petersburg ist weiterhin unklar. Das russische Medienunternehmen RBC hatte Ende März berichtet, die Behörden hätten sich gegen die Übergabe der Isaakskathedrale an die Russische Orthodoxe Kirche (ROK) entschieden. Dabei berief sich RBC auf eine dem russischen Kulturministerium nahestehende Quelle, laut der das Thema vom Tisch sei. Gründe des angeblichen Entscheids seien die Proteste der St. Petersburger Bevölkerung angesichts der im September an…

2,300 trays with hundreds of thousands of broken fragments of wall paintings from the Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyin in Veliky Novgorod are currently being stored in the Novgorod Museum. And now researchers are planning to restore the frescoes. “It’s an unthinkable number—almost 260,000 fragments. And all of it is Theophanes the Greek!” the head of the Center for the Restoration of Monumental Paintings, Tamara Anisimova commented on the project to RIA-Novosti. The frescoes of St. Theop…

On 22 March 2019, a round table conference on Church, Power, People: New Challenges to Brotherly Peoples and to Global World took place at the President Hotel in Moscow. The meeting was organized under the auspices of the Civic Chamber of the Union State of Russia and Belarus. The conference brought together various scholars, writers and cultural figures from both countries. Taking part in the meeting were also representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church: Archpriest Sergy Zvonarev, secretary…

Ein Auftritt des St. Petersburger Konzertchors in der Isaakskathedrale hat aufgrund seiner Liedauswahl verbreitet Protest hervorgerufen. Zum Tag des Vaterlandverteidigers am 23. Februar präsentierte der Chor ein Lied des sowjetischen Chansonniers Andrej Koslovskij, in dem ein U-Boot mit Atombomben Kurs auf Washington nimmt. Erzpriester Andrej Kurjajev wies darauf hin, dass das Lied in sowjetischen Zeiten als „Satire auf die sowjetische Propaganda“ verstanden wurde. Heute aber sei es – insbesond…

On February 28, 2019, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with the head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, Archbishop Luoma of Turku and Finland, at the Patriarchal and Synodal Residence in the St. Daniel Monastery in Moscow. Participating in the meeting from the Russian Orthodox Church were Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR); Archbishop Amvrosy of Vereya, rector of Moscow theol…

His Eminence Metropolitan Panteleimon of Krasnoyarsk and Achinsk celebrated the rite of consecration of the tallest memorial cross in Russia on Drokino Mountain at the border of Krasnoyarsk with the Emelianovsky Region, reports the press service of the Krasnoyarsk Diocese. At a height of 154 ft., the stainless steel cross is the tallest in Russia and the third tallest in the world. It was designed to become the new symbol of Krasnoyarsk. Located at the symbolic “gate” to the city, it is perfect…

Four dioceses were created for the Patriarchal Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in Southeast Asia at today’s meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, reports the Synodal Department for Relations with Society and the Media. The Exarchate itself was established by the Holy Synod on December 28, with the sphere of pastoral responsibility including: Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea, People’s Democratic Republic of Laos, Mala…

Einer der angesehensten Hierarchen der russischen Auslandskirche (ROCOR), Erzbischof Mark (Arndt) von Berlin, hat in einem "Offenen Brief" an die Mitglieder der "Orthodoxen Bischofskonferenz in Deutschland" zur Krise um die Ukraine Stellung genommen. Darin übt er heftige Kritik an der neuen unabhängigen orthodoxen Kirche in der Ukraine, an der ukrainischen Regierung wie auch am Patriarchat von Konstantinopel. Zugleich zeigt er sich davon überzeugt, dass die Zusammenarbeit zwischen den orthodoxe…

On 13 February 2019, an annual session of the Joint Working Group for Cultural Cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church took place at the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. Representing the Russian Orthodox Church were Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, DECR chairman; Metropolitan Tikhon of Pskov and Porkhov, chairman of the Patriarchal Council for Culture; Hieromonk Pavel (Scherbachev), vice-chairman of the Patriarchal C…

Anlässlich seines zehnjährigen Amtsjubiläums als Patriarch hat der russische Präsident Vladimir Putin Kirills Leistungen gelobt und die „gemeinsamen Pflichten“ von Staat und Kirche hervorgehoben. Beide müssten die „spirituell-ethische und Wertegrundlage bewahren und stärken sowie an die Jugend weitergeben“. Zudem würdigte Putin die soziale und Bildungsarbeit der Russischen Orthodoxen Kirche (ROK), die in den letzten Jahren ausgeweitet worden sei, als „unschätzbar“.

On 24 January 2019, a multimedia round table ‘Violation of Believers’ Rights in Ukraine’ organized by the Russian Association for the Defense of Religious Freedom took place at the International multimedia press centre MIA ‘Russia Today.” Among those attending were Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, and Mr. Vakhtang Kipshidze, deputy chairman of the Synodal Department for Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Me…

Passend zu der bis am 25. Januar dauernden "Ökumenewoche" (Weltgebetswoche für die Einheit der Christen) ist erstmals von der Diözese Rom ein orthodoxer Heiliger in ihrer Kathedrale geehrt worden. Es handelt sich um den großen russischen Ikonographen Andrej Rubljow (gestorben 1430), dem am 20. Januar in der Kathedral-Basilika San Giovanni in Laterano ein Festkonzert gewidmet wurde. Der Moskauer Synodalchor, der römische Diözesanchor und das Symphonieorchester "Fideles et Amati" brachte dabei ei…

A new Orthodox pilgrimage service has launched, offering prayerful English-language tours to some of Russia’s holiest sites. “Way of a Pilgrim” was developed by two faithful Russian Orthodox women who initially met by chance at a remote skete and realized they had a common goal and vision of providing English-language pilgrimage resource tools. The abbot of the skete supported and blessed their endeavor. According to the site, “Our vision is to become a Christian missionary guide and an Orthod…

Radio Free Europe: Following an outcry from its academics, the Russian Academy of Sciences has decided to retract its decision to name the head of the Russian Orthodox Church an honorary professor. Patriarch Kirill was due to formally accept the award at the academy's headquarters in Moscow on January 22 along with Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko. The decision to bestow the title on the speaker of the upper house was also reversed. "The question of awarding the title of hono…

Die Russische Orthodoxe Kirche hat die Verleihung der Autokephalie an die Orthodoxe Kirche der Ukraine verurteilt. Vladimir Legojda, der Vorsitzende der Synodalabteilung für Kirche, Gesellschaft und Medien, erklärte, der Tomos sei ein Stück Papier ohne kanonische Bedeutung. Mit einem offenen Brief an Patriarch Bartholomaios zum Jahreswechsel hatte Patriarch Kirill diesen noch von der Anerkennung der Autokephalie abzuhalten versucht. Zuvor hatte Bartholomaios in einem Brief an alle Oberhäupter d…