Patriarch Kirill of Moscow

Kirill or Cyril (Russian: Кирилл, Church Slavonic: Ст҃ѣ́йшїй патрїа́рхъ кѷрі́ллъ, secular name Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, Russian: Владимир Михайлович Гундяев; born 20 November 1946) is a Russian Orthodox bishop. He became Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus’ and Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church on 1 February 2009.

Styles of Patriarch Kirill

Reference style	His Holiness
Spoken style	Your Holiness
Religious style	Patriarch

Prior to becoming Patriarch, Kirill was Archbishop (later Metropolitan) of Smolensk and Kaliningrad beginning on 26 December 1984, and also Chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Department for External Church Relations and a permanent member of the Holy Synod beginning in 1989.

In cultural and social affairs, the Church under Kirill has collaborated closely with the Russian state under President Vladimir Putin.^[1] Patriarch Kirill has backed the expansion of Russian power into Crimea and eastern Ukraine.^[2]^[3] During the Ukrainian Orthodox Church autocephaly controversy, Patriarch Kirill was the presiding chairman of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church when the decision was made to break Eucharistic communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate on 15 October 2018.^[4]

Early life[edit source]

Family[edit source]

Kirill was born Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev in Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) on 20 November 1946. His father, Rev. Mikhail Gundyaev, died in 1974. His mother, Raisa Gundyaeva, a teacher of German, died in 1984. His elder brother, Archpriest Nikolay Gundyaev, is a professor at Leningrad Theological Academy and rector of the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in St. Petersburg. His grandfather, Rev. Vasily Gundyaev, a Solovki prisoner, was imprisoned and exiled in the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s for his church activity and struggle against Renovationism.^[5]^[6]

Schooling[edit source]

After finishing the eighth grade (year 9), Vladimir Gundyayev got a job in the Leningrad Geological Expedition and worked for it from 1962 to 1965 as cartographer, combining work with studies at secondary school.^[5] After graduation from school, he entered the Leningrad Seminary and later the Leningrad Theological Academy, from which he graduated cum laude in 1970.^[6]

Life in the Church[edit source]

On 3 April 1969, Metropolitan Nicodemus (Rotov) of Leningrad and Novgorod tonsured him with the name of Kirill after saint Cyril the Philosopher and on 7 April ordained him as hierodeacon and on 1 June as hieromonk.^[5]

From 1970 to 1971, Father Kirill taught Dogmatic Theology and acted as rector’s assistant for students’ affairs at the Leningrad Theological Schools and at the same time worked as personal secretary to Metropolitan Nicodem and supervising instructor of the first-grade seminarians.^[5]

Episcopal Ministry[edit source]

Archimandrite[edit source]

On 12 September 1971, Kirill was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and was posted as a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church to the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva. On 26 December 1974, he was appointed rector of the Leningrad Academy and Seminary. Since December 1975, he has been a member of the WCC Central Committee and Executive Committee.^[5]

In 1971, he was appointed representative of the Moscow Patriarchate at the World Council of Churches and has been actively involved in the ecumenical activity of the Russian Orthodox Church since then.^[5]

Archbishop[edit source]

Kirill I at a conference on nuclear weapons and disarmament in Amsterdam in 1981 Vladimir Putin, Metropolitan Kirill and Xenia Sheremeteva-Yusupova, October 2001

On 14 March 1976, Archimandrite Kirill was consecrated Bishop of Vyborg, Vicar of the Leningrad diocese.
On 2 September 1977, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop.
From 26 December 1984, he was Archbishop of Smolensk and Vyazma.
From 1986 – administrator of the parishes in the Kaliningrad Region.
From 1988, he became Archbishop of Smolensk and Kaliningrad.
On 13 November 1989, he was appointed chairman of the department for external church relations and permanent member of the Holy Synod.
On 25 February 1991, Archbishop Kirill was elevated to the rank of metropolitan.

The Supreme Authority of the Church charged Kirill with the following functions:

from 1975 to 1982 – chairman of the Leningrad Diocesan Council;
from 1975 to 1998 – member of the Central and Executive Committees of the World Council of Churches;
from 1976 to 1978 – deputy Patriarchal Exarch for Western Europe;
from 1976 to 1984 – member of the Holy Synod commission for Christian unity;
from 1978 to 1984 – administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in Finland;
from 1978 to 1988 – member of the Millennium of the Baptism of Russia preparatory commission;
in 1990 – member of the preparatory commission for the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church;
in 1990 – member of the commission for assistance in overcoming the consequences of the Chernobyl accident;
from 1989 to 1996 – administrator of the Hungarian Orthodox deanery;
from 1990 to 1991 – temporary administrator of the diocese of the Hague and Netherlands;
from 1990 to 1993 – temporary administrator of the diocese of Korsun;
from 1990 to 1993 – chairman of the Holy Synod commission for reviving religious and moral.^[5]

Education and charity[edit source]

from 1990 to 2000 – chairman of the Holy Synod commission for amendments to the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Statute was adopted by the Jubilee Bishops’ Council in 2000.
from 1994 to 2002 – member of the public board for restoration of the Church of Christ the Saviour.
from 1994 to 1996 – member of Russian Foreign Ministry council for foreign policy and the prominent importer of alcohol and tobacco into Russia;
from 1995 to 2000 – chairman of the Synodal working group for elaborating a Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church on church-state relations and problems of modern society as a whole.
from 1995 to 1999 – member of the Russian organizing committee for events commemorating the 1941–1945 Great Patriotic War;
from 1996 to 2000 – member of the supervisory board of the 50th Anniversary of the Victory foundation;
from 2006 to 2008 – leader of the working group for elaborating a Basic Teaching of the Russian Orthodox Church on Human Dignity, Freedom and Rights.
since 2008 – chairman of the Economy and Ethics experts council under the department for external church relations (now the Economy and Ethics experts council under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia).
On 27 January 2006, Kirill was given the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky by Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia.^[5]

Communications[edit source]

Since 1994, Kirill has hosted a weekly Orthodox television program “Слово пастыря” on ORT/Channel One.^[5]

Patriarch of Moscow[edit source]

Kirill being presented with the patriarchal koukoulion during his enthronement

On 6 December 2008, the day after the death of Patriarch Alexy II, the Russian Holy Synod elected him locum tenens of the Patriarchal throne. On 9 December, during the funeral service for Alexey II in Christ the Saviour Cathedral (which was broadcast live by Russia’s state TV channels), he was seen and reported to have fainted at one point.^[7]^[8] On 29 December, when talking to journalists, he said he was opposed to any reforms of a liturgical or doctrinal nature in the Church.^[9] On 27 January 2009, the ROC Local Council (the 2009 Pomestny Sobor) elected Kirill I of Moscow as Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus;^[10]^[11] with 508 votes out of 700.^[12]) He was enthroned on 1 February 2009.

Ecumenism[edit source]

Russian religious leaders (Armenian, Judaic, Muslim, Buddhist, Orthodox, Old Believer) during the official celebrations of the National Unity Day, 4 November 2012

The conservative wing in the Russian Orthodox Church criticized Kirill for practicing ecumenism throughout the 1990s. In 2008, breakaway Bishop Diomid of Anadyr and Chukotka criticized him for associating himself with the Catholic Church.^[13] However, in a 2009 statement, Kirill stated that there could be no doctrinal compromise with the Catholic Church, and that discussions with them did not have the goal of seeking unification.^[14]

Still, contact with Benedict XVI was characterized as greatly warm and with mutual respect with relations between the churches following. In 2012, Kirill’s visit to Poland advanced greatly relations with the Roman Catholic hierarchy of Poland. Visits and encounters with Roman Catholics in Russia and abroad continue to enjoy support, if tacit, from many Orthodox clergy and lay people.^{[citation needed]}

On 12 February 2016, Kirill and Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, met at José Martí International Airport near Havana, Cuba, and signed a thirty point joint declaration, prepared in advance, addressing global issues including their hope for re–establishment of full unity, the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, the Syrian Civil War and church organisation in Ukraine.^[15]^[16] This was the first meeting between a pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch.^[17]

On 3 September 2019, Kirill and Paulose II, the head of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, met at the Patriarchal and Synod residence in St. Daniel Monastery, Moscow. Paulose II was accompanied by Malankara representatives, Zachariah Nicholovos (head of the Malankara Church department of ecumenical relations), Yuhanon Diascoros (secretary of the Malankara Church Holy Synod), Abraham Thomas (secretary of the Malankara Church department for external church relations), Aswin Zefrin Fernandis (head of the Malankara Catholicos’ protocol service), Jiss Jonson (personal secretary to the Catholicos), Jacob Mathew (member of the Malankara Church Council), Kevin George Koshi (head of the communication service of the Malankara Church department for external church relations) and Cherian Eapen (representative of the Malankara diaspora in Russia).^[18] Representatives of the Patriarch included Metropolitan Hilarion (head of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations (DECR)), Bishop Dionisy of Voskresensk (deputy chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate), Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov) (DECR vice-chairman), Hieromonk Stephan Igumnov (DECR secretary for inter-Christian relations) and R. Akhtamkhanov (DECR secretariat for inter-Christian relations).^[19] During this meeting, Kirill supported the proposals made by Paulose II for cooperation in academics pertaining to iconography, church choristers, monasticism, pilgrimages, summer institutes and academic conferences.^[20]

Administrative reform[edit source]

Patriarch Kirill introduced significant changes in the administrative structure of the Church. On 31 March 2009, the Holy Synod, at its first meeting under the chairmanship of the newly elected Patriarch Kirill, reformed the DECR, forming new synodal institutions, which were entrusted with certain areas of activity previously dealt with by the DECR.^[21] The Department for Church-Society Relations [ru], independent from the DECR,^[22] was created; this department was responsible for “the implementation of relations with legislative bodies, political parties, professional and creative unions, and other civil society institutions in the canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate.” Dioceses, representative offices [ru], metochions, monasteries and stavropegic parishes far abroad, which were previously under the authority of the DECR, were directly subordinated to the Patriarch of Moscow of All Russia; to manage them, the Moscow Patriarchate’s Secretariat for Institutions Abroad^[a] was created. The Synodal Information Department [ru] was created.^[21] The post-graduate department of the Moscow Theological Academy, which operated under the DECR, was transformed into the All-Church postgraduate and doctoral school named after Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles [ru].^[23]^[24]

On 27 July 2011, the Holy Synod of the Church established the Central Asian Metropolitan District, reorganizing the structure of the Church in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.^[25] Since 6 October 2011, at the request of the Patriarch, the diocesan reform began, in which 2-3 dioceses were created on the territory of one region instead of one with the formation of a metropolis (Russian: митрополия, mitropoliya), administrative structure bringing together neighboring eparchies.^[26]

Foreign relations[edit source]

Kirill and archbishop Józef Michalik signing a joint declaration to the Polish and Russian people at the Royal Castle in Warsaw (2012)Kirill is greeted by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff as he arrives at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, 19 February 2016

On 20 October 2008, while on a tour of Latin America, he had a meeting with First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Fidel Castro. Castro commended Metropolitan Kirill as his ally in combating “American imperialism“.^[27]^[28]^[29] Kirill awarded Fidel and Raúl Castro the Order of St. Daniel of Moscow on behalf of Patriarch Alexy II in recognition of their decision to build the first Russian Orthodox Church in Havana, to serve the Russian expatriates living there.^[30]

He was criticised by some for the ROC’s failures in the Diocese of Sourozh and Ukraine.^[31]^[32]^[33]

Kirill “heartily congratulated”^[34] Alexander Lukashenko for winning the Belarusian presidency in 2010^[35]^[36]^[37] by an apparent 80% majority.^[38]

According to the Financial Times, “Keenly aware that Putin’s actions severely undermined his authority in Ukraine, Kirill refused to absorb Crimea’s parishes and boycotted a ceremony in the Kremlin to celebrate Russia’s annexation.”^[39]

In 2019, he created a working committee with the Malankara Orthodox Church.^[40]

Relations with the State[edit source]

When Kirill was elected Patriarch on 27 January 2009, by the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church by secret vote he gained 508 out of 702 votes and enthroned during liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow on 1 February 2009 the service was attended, among others, by President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev and prime minister Vladimir Putin.^[41]

The following day, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hosted a reception (a formal banquet^[42]^[43]) for the ROC bishops in the Grand Kremlin Palace, where Patriarch Kirill held forth about the Byzantine concept of symphonia as his vision of the ideal of church-state relations, though acknowledging that it was not possible to fully attain to it in Russia today.^[44]^[45]^[46]

On 8 February 2012, at a meeting of religious leaders in Moscow, Kirill contrasted the economic and social chaos of the 90s with the 2000s and said “What were the 2000s then? Through a miracle of God, with the active participation of the country’s leadership, we managed to exit this horrible, systemic crisis,” and likened anti-government protesters’ “demands to “ear-piercing shrieks” and said the protesters represented a minority of Russians.”^[47]

Public controversies[edit source]

Importation of cigarettes[edit source]

Patriarch Kirill at Easter 2011

Journalists of the newspapers Kommersant and Moskovskij Komsomolets accused Kirill of profiteering and abuse of the privilege of duty-free importation of cigarettes granted to the Church in the mid-1990s and dubbed him “Tobacco Metropolitan”.^[48] The Department for External Church Relations was alleged to have acted as the largest supplier of foreign cigarettes in Russia.^[49] The profits of this operation allegedly under Kirill’s direction were estimated to have totaled $1.5 billion by sociologist Nikolai Mitrokhin in 2004, and at $4 billion by The Moscow News in 2006.^[50]^[51] However, Nathaniel Davis said that “… There is no evidence that Metropolitan Kirill has actually embezzled funds. What is more likely is that profits from the importation of tobacco and cigarettes have been used for urgent, pressing Church expenses.”^[49] The duty-free importation of cigarettes ended in 1997.^[49] In his 2002 interview with Izvestia, Metropolitan Kirill called the allegations about his profiteering a political campaign against him.^[52]

Alexander Pochinok, who was the minister of taxes and levies (1999–2000), said in 2009 that Kirill had no involvement in the violations.^[53]^[54]

Pussy Riot[edit source]

Three female members of the feminist group Pussy Riot were arrested in March 2012 for performing a song in the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow during which they called on the Virgin Mary to “chase Putin out”.^[55] The women were arrested for hooliganism^[55] and were later sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.^[56] The song contained swear words offending the Church itself, as well as being performed in the part of church near the altar where no laymen are allowed to enter.^[57]^[58] This act was considered a desecration and offence by many of Orthodox believers in Russia,^[59]^[60]^[61]^[62]^[63] and depicted as such in media.^[58] It was also said that few people had known this feminist group before their act in the Cathedral.^[64] Commenting on the case, Kirill said they were “doing the work of Satan” and should be punished.^[55] This sparked criticism of the Orthodox Church on the Runet for not showing mercy, while Amnesty International described the women as “prisoners of conscience“.^[55] In their closing statements, members of Pussy Riot said that Patriarch Kirill had used the church to support the cultural position of Putin’s government.^[65] Polls by Levada Center showed that a majority of Russians thought the punishment of the punk group was excessive, although only six percent of Russian were sympathetic to the group.^[59]

Pope Benedict XVI, who was the leader of the Catholic Church at the time, has supported the position of the Russian Orthodox Church on this issue.^[66]

Dust of the patriarch flat[edit source]

Patriarch Kirill and Svetlana Medvedeva at the church ceremony in Sestroretsk

In March 2012, the former Russian Health Minister (1999–2004) Yury Shevchenko, pursuant to a court ruling, paid about 20 million rubles ($676,000) in compensation for the dust resultant from the renovation work that had settled in a flat upstairs in the prestigious House on the Embankment privately owned by Patriarch Kirill and occupied by the Patriarch’s long-time friend businesswoman Lidia Leonova.^[67]^[68]^[69] According to the media reports, the former minister is personally acquainted with the then RF prime-minister Vladimir Putin.^[70]

“I sold my apartment in St. Petersburg, and we paid the required sum”, said Shevchenko’s son, also Yury, in early April 2012.^[71]

According to the lawsuit, renovation works in Shevchenko’s apartment stirred up a lot of dust, which settled on a collection of valuable books owned by Kirill. The Patriarch confirmed his ownership of the dusty apartment in a private conversation with journalist Vladimir Solovyov.^[72]

Most of the reports in the media tended to be critical of Patriarch Kirill and laughing at the claims that the dust was harmful, saying that it was just sand and it would have been far more efficient to just hire a maid to vacuum it up.^[68] The Patriarch himself then said he thought it to be inappropriate to forgive Shevchenko.^[73]

The Breguet watch[edit source]

Patriarch Kirill holds a Christmas service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, 6 January 2011 Patriarch Kirill attends a ceremony to unveil the Wall of Grief monument to victims of Stalinist repressions in October 2017

In 2012, Kirill was accused of wearing a Swiss Breguet watch worth over £20,000 (US$30,000). In an interview with Vladimir Solovyov, Kirill said that he owned a Breguet, among other gifts, but he had never worn it.^[74] Concerning a photo which appeared to show him wearing the Breguet at a liturgy, Kirill stated “I was looking at that picture and suddenly I understood – it was a collage! But after that photograph was posted I began examining. As many people come and make presents. And often there are boxes that were never opened and you don’t know what is there. And I found out that in fact there is Breguet watch, so I’ve never given commentaries that the Patriarch doesn’t have it. There is a box with Breguet, but I’ve never worn it.”^[75] This triggered at least one Internet blogger to study the issue and collect images of Kirill’s wristwear.^[76] Some time later, photographs on his official website showed him wearing what appeared to be an expensive watch on his left wrist,^[77] and later one even showed the watch airbrushed out, but with a reflection of it still visible on the table’s glossy surface.^[78] Later, it was stated by the Russian Church officials that it was a 24-year-old employee who “acted out of stupid, unjustifiable and unauthorized initiative” in editing the photo.^[79] It was also stated that “the guilty ones [for the image manipulation] will be punished severely”.^[77]^[78]

A spokesperson added that it was “unethical” to discuss Kirill’s private life, and the Russian Orthodox Church said on 4 April 2012 that foreign forces were taking revenge on it for supporting Putin: “The attacks have become more prominent during the pre-election and post-election period [… This] shows their political and also anti-Russian motives.”^[80]

In June 2012, Kirill was given the 2011 Silver Shoe Award (given in Russia each year “for the most dubious achievements in show business”) for “immaculate disappearance of a watch” in the category “Miracles up to the elbows”. The award found a pained reaction from representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church.^[81]

Same-sex marriage[edit source]

In 2016, Kirill stated that silencing priests that speak against same-sex marriage is similar to censorship, such as those that existed under Soviet totalitarianism. In May 2017, he again likened silencing such priests to totalitarianism seen in Nazi Germany, and referred to same-sex marriage as a threat to family values during a visit to Kyrgyzstan.^[82]

Ban of Jehovah’s Witnesses[edit source]

Since the 1990s, Kirill has advocated for banning Jehovah’s Witnesses.^[83] Under Kirill’s leadership, he remained the chief architect behind the ban of 170,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017.^[84] On 2 May 2017, the Russian Orthodox Church issued a press release stating, “Russian Orthodox Church supports [the] ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia,” and again, on 13 February 2019, it reiterated full support of the ban.^[85] Sam Brownback, a U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, stated, “You may agree or disagree with their [Jehovah’s Witnesses’] ideology, but they are peaceful practitioners of faith, and they are entitled to practice their faith.” Since then, the United Nations and others have accused Russia of human rights abuses.^[86] Kirill has a goal of establishing a global Eastern Orthodox movement in Greece, Cyprus, Ukraine, Belarus, various Balkan states, Georgia, Armenia, and Moldova.^[87]

Honours and awards[edit source]

Church awards[edit source]

Russian Orthodox Church

Order of St. Prince Vladimir 2nd class (16 September 1973)
Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, 1st and 2nd class
Order of the Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow, 1st class
Order of St. Innocent Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, 2nd class
Order of St. Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, 2nd class
Named Panagia (1988) – for active participation in the preparation and conduct of the Jubilee celebrations of the 1000th anniversary of Christianity in Russia
Order of Saint Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves, 1st class (UOC-MP, 2006)
Order of Saint Stephen the Great pious governor, 2nd class (Orthodox Church of Moldova, 2006) – in recognition of diligent service, and the glory of the Orthodox Church in Moldova
Silver Jubilee Medal of St. Apostle Peter (St. Petersburg diocese, 2003)
Order in honour of the 450th anniversary of bringing the land Pochayiv Volyn icons (UOC-MP, 2009)
Order of St. Theodosius of Chernigov (Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 2011)

Awards of local orthodox churches

Order of Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Georgian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Hellenic, Poland, the Czech Lands and Slovakia, Finland and America.
Order of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, I degree (Antiochian Orthodox Church, 2011) [7]
Gold Medal of St. Innocent (2009, The Orthodox Church in America) [8]

Awards of other churches and denominations

The Order of St. Gregory of Parumala (Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, India, 2006)^[88]
Order of St. Gregory the Illuminator (Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenia, 2010) [10]
Order “Sheikh ul-Islam” (Caucasian Muslims Office, 2011) [11]

Awards of the Russian Federation[edit source]

Order of Merit for the Fatherland;
- 2nd class (20 November 2006) – for his great personal contribution to the spiritual and cultural traditions and strengthening friendship between peoples
- 3rd class (11 August 2000) – for outstanding contribution to the strengthening of civil peace and the revival of spiritual and moral traditions
Order of Alexander Nevsky (7 January 2011) – for outstanding personal contribution to the Motherland in the preservation of spiritual and cultural traditions
Order of Friendship (28 December 1995) – for services to the state, the progress made in implementing a comprehensive program of construction, reconstruction and restoration of historic and cultural sites in Moscow
Order of Friendship of Peoples (1988)
Medal “50 Years of Victory in Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.”
Jubilee Medal “300th Anniversary of Russian Navy” (1996)
Medal “In memory of the 850th anniversary of Moscow” (1997)
Gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation (14 August 1995) – for active participation in the preparation and conduct of the 50th anniversary of Victory in Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945
Diploma of the State Duma of the Russian Federation (2001)

Foreign awards[edit source]

Order of Honour (Azerbaijan 2010)
Order of the Republic (Moldova, 2011)
Medal “65th anniversary of Victory in Great Patriotic War” (Transnistria, 2010)
Order of the Republic of Serbia (2021)^[89]

Honorary citizenships[edit source]

Lukoyanovsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (2000), Smolensk Oblast (5 February 2009), Kaliningrad Oblast (5 March 2009), Kemerovo Oblast (2010), Smolensk (2003), the selo of Rizskoye of Smolensk Oblast (2004), Neman of Kaliningrad Oblast (2006), Vyazemsky District of Smolensk Oblast (2006), Kaliningrad (2006), Khoroshyovo-Mnyovniki District of Moscow (2006), Republic of Mordovia (2011 – for outstanding contribution to the preservation and development of domestic spiritual and moral traditions, strengthening of interaction of church and state).

Sport[edit source]

He personally supports bandy.^[90] The traditional national sport is the only one to enjoy the official patronage of the Russian Orthodox Church.^[91]

References[edit source]

^ Bennetts, Marc. “Vladimir Putin, Patriarch Kirill alliance puts atheists at risk in Russia”. The Washington Times. Retrieved 30 November 2016. Mr. Putin, a former KGB officer, attends church services and portrays himself as a staunch defender of “Christian values.” In return, the Orthodox Church frequently issues public statements of support for Kremlin policies. Most recently, a church spokesman described Russia’s military campaign in Syria part of a “holy battle” against international terrorism.
^ Baczynska, Gabriela; Heneghan, Tom (6 October 2016). “How the Russian Orthodox Church answers Putin’s prayers in Ukraine”. Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved 30 November 2016. The ROC’s close ties to the state were on display early in the Ukraine crisis when Kirill and the Russian Foreign Ministry issued nearly identical statements, warning against a confrontation and speaking of the larger Russia’s “brotherly” Ukraine. When Russia sent its troops to Crimea, one of the justifications it used was an alleged threat to parishes there linked to Kirill’s Moscow Patriarchate. Kirill’s full title is “Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus,” a reference to a medieval state in Kiev to which modern Russia traces its roots.
^ Woods, Mark (3 March 2016). “How the Russian Orthodox Church is backing Vladimir Putin’s new world order”. Christian Today. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
^ “Statement of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in connection with the encroachment of the Patriarchate of Constantinople on the canonical territory of the Russian Church”. Official Website of the Press Service of the Moscow Patriarchate. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ “Биография Святейшего Патриарха Московского и всея Руси Кирилла”. Official Website of the Moscow Patriarchate. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b “Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia”. Official Website of the Department of External Church Relations. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
^ “Russians bid farewell to Patriarch at grand funeral”. Moscow: Reuters. 9 December 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2008.
^ Упокоился с миром (in Russian). Moscow: Gazeta.ru. 9 December 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2008.
^ Russia’s prospective church leader says opposed to reforms RIA Novosti 29 December 2008.
^ На Московский Патриарший Престол избран митрополит Смоленский и Калининградский Кирилл MP official web site, 27 January 2009.
^ (in Russian) Имя нового Патриарха названо: Кирилл NEWSru 27 January 2009.
^ Незнакомый патриарх, или Чему нас учит история храма Христа Спасителя Archived 1 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine Izvestia 26 January 2009.
^ Dzyuban, Diomid (19 June 2008). “Problems should be solved” Проблемы надо решать [Problemy nado reshat]. christian-spirit.ru (Interview) (in Russian). [s.l.]: Дух христианина. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008.
^ “Russian Church against compromise on belief-preaching with Catholics – Metropolitan Kirill”. interfax-religion.com. Moscow. Interfax. 21 January 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009.
^ Erasmus (pseud.) (13 February 2016). “From the New World, a pope and a patriarch address old-world fights”. The Economist (blog). London. Archived from the original on 14 February 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
^ “Historic encounter between the Pope and Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia: Orthodox and Catholics are brothers, not competitors”. visnews-en.blogspot.com. Vatican City: Vatican Information Service. 13 February 2016. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016. Includes full text of the Joint Declaration.
^ “Unity call as Pope Francis holds historic talks with Russian Orthodox Patriarch”. bbc.co.uk. BBC. 12 February 2016. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
^ “Patriarch Kirill meets with Primate of Malankara Church / News / Patriarchate.ru”. Patriarchate.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 1 September 2020.
^ “Patriarch Kirill meets with Primate of Malankara Church”. The Orthodox World. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
^ “Russian and Malankara Orthodox churches form working committee”. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b “ЖУРНАЛЫ заседания Священного Синода Русской Православной Церкви от 31 марта 2009 года / Официальные документы / Патриархия.ru”. Патриархия.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 27 November 2019.
^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ “В Русской Православной Церкви создан Секретариат Московской Патриархии по зарубежным учреждениям / Новости / Патриархия.ru”. Патриархия.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 27 November 2019.
^ “Исполнилось 65 лет со дня основания Отдела внешних церковных связей / Православие.Ru”. www.pravoslavie.ru. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
^ “Решением Священного Синода образован Среднеазиатский митрополичий округ / Новости / Патриархия.ru”. Патриархия.ru. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
^ “ЖУРНАЛЫ заседания Священного Синода от 5-6 октября 2011 года”. Патриархия.ru. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
^ Fidel Castro considers Metropolitan Kirill his ally in opposing American imperialism Archived 13 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Interfax 23 October 2008.
^ Митрополит Кирилл встретился с Фиделем Кастро ROC official web site, 21 October 2008
^ Фидель Кастро считает митрополита Кирилла своим союзником в противостоянии американскому империализму ROC official web site, 21 October 2008
^ The Russian Orthodox Church awards the Castro brothers Archived 13 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Interfax 20 October 2008.
^ “Игрок глобального масштаба. 60-летие митрополита Кирилла через призму украинских церковных проблем”. Portal-credo.ru. 27 February 2007. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
^ Митрополит Кирилл после Украины. В минуты «триумфа» не грех вспомнить и о неудачах нынешнего председателя ОВЦС МП Oleg Vladimirov, 1 August 2008
^ Первые киевские итоги: методы церковной внешней политики РПЦ МП и роль одной личности в одной истории portal-credo.ru 24 July 2008
^ Патриаршее поздравление А.Г. Лукашенко с переизбранием на пост Президента Республики Беларусь / Патриарх / Патриархия.ru. Patriarchia.ru (22 December 2010). Retrieved on 1 November 2013.
^ Patriarch Kirill wishes Lukashenko to invariably develop fraternal relations with Russia. Interfax-Religion. 23 December 201.
^ Official Site of the Patriarch of Moscow Патриаршее поздравление А.Г. Лукашенко с переизбранием на пост Президента Республики Беларусь (Patriarchal congratulations to AG Lukashenko on being re-elected as President of the Republic of Belarus), 22 December 2010.
^ Interfax. Patriarch Kirill wishes Lukashenko to invariably develop fraternal relations with Russia, 22 December 2010.
^ “A nasty surprise in Belarus”. The Economist. 29 December 2010.
^ “Putin and the Patriarchs: how geopolitics tore apart the Orthodox church”. Financial Times. 21 August 2019.
^ “Russian and Malankara Orthodox churches form working committee”. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
^ “Orthodox Church enthrones leader”. BBC. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
^ Патриарх Кирилл призвал Церковь и государство к взаимодействию NEWSru 2 February 2009.
^ Miedwiediew: Państwo będzie wspierało Cerkiew Gazeta Wyborcza 2 February 2009.
^ Архипастыри — участники Поместного Собора присутствовали на приеме в Георгиевском зале Большого кремлевского дворца patriarchi.ru 2 February 2009.
^ Приём от имени Президента России в честь архиереев – участников Поместного собора Русской православной церкви Archived 5 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. kremlin.ru. 2 February 2009.
^ Слово Святейшего Патриарха Московского и всея Руси Кирилла после интронизации 1 февраля 2009 года в соборном Храме Христа Спасителя. mospat.ru. 1 February 2009
^ “Russian patriarch calls Putin era “miracle of God””. Reuters. 8 February 2012. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012.
^ Митрополит Смоленский и Калининградский Кирилл portal-credo.ru
^ Jump up to:^a ^b ^c Nathaniel Davis (2000). Tribulations, trials and Troubles for the Russian Orthodox Church. Religion in Eastern Europe 20 (6): 39–50. Archived 5 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
^ (in Russian) Божественные голоса Archived 30 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine The New Times № 50, 15 December 2008.
^ (in Russian) Уходящий год ознаменовался историческим событием: две разделенные части Православной Церкви — Русская Православная Церковь (РПЦ) и Русская Православная Церковь Заграницей (РПЦЗ) — подписали Акт о каноническом общении Archived 3 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine The New Times № 46, 24 December 2007
^ Митрополит Кирилл: «Пусть благословенье Божье пребывает со всеми нами» Archived 4 September 2012 at archive.today Izvestia, 24 December 2002.
^ Бывший глава налоговой службы России опровергает слухи о причастности митрополита Кирилла к торговле алкоголем и табаком (22 January 2009)
^ РПЦ и табачные акцизы: как это было? (21 января 2009)
^ Jump up to:^a ^b ^c ^d Walker, Shaun (5 April 2012). “Plight of punk rockers turns Russians against the Church”. The Independent. London. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
^ Elder, Miriam (17 August 2012) Pussy Riot sentenced to two years in prison colony for hooliganism | Music. theguardian.com. Retrieved on 1 November 2013.
^ “Open letter of Fr. Sergy (Ribko) to Sir Paul McCartney – A Russian Orthodox Church Website”. www.pravmir.com. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b Pussy Riot Were Wrong — by Dennis Sewell at Spectator.co.uk. Retrieved on 10 November 2016
^ Jump up to:^a ^b Pussy? I prefer their old stuff — By Courtney Weaver for The Financial Times. Retrieved on 10 November 2016
^ Pussy Riot: Putin-bashing, punk rock and politics make for a riotous mix — By Geoffrey Macnab for The Independent. Retrieved on 10 November 2016
^ “Slideshow: Russia Remains Divided on The Pussy Riot Case”. Public Radio International. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
^ Punk Riffs Take on God and Putin — By Sophia Kishkovsky for The New York Times. Retrieved on 10 November 2016
^ Ballerina Says Pussy Riot Should Clean Toilets — By Julia Karlysheva for The Moscow Times. Retrieved on 10 November 2016
^ “Pussy Riot”. www.israelshamir.net. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
^ Pussy Riot closing statements (translated into English), n+1 magazine, accessed 19 August 2012.
^ Alessandro Speciale (17 October 2012). “Pope backs Orthodox Church against Pussy Riot desecration”. La Stampa. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
^ Unorthodox behaviour rattles Russian church Financial Times, 14 April 2012 (paper edition).
^ Jump up to:^a ^b The strange case of the Patriarch, some sand, and 20 million rouble lawsuit. Siberianlight.net. 19 April 2012.
^ Ex-Minister Made to Pay Over ‘Toxic Dust’ Moscow Times, 9 April 2012
^ Думали, что однофамилец. Lenta.ru. 5 May 2012.
^ Сын хирурга Шевченко рассказал о конфликте вокруг «квартиры патриарха». Tvrain.ru (27 March 2012). Retrieved on 1 November 2013.
^ Piatakov, Sergei (6 April 2012) Former Minister Pays For ‘Dusting’ Patriarch’s Flat. RIA Novosti.
^ Патриарх Кирилл прокомментировал суд за соседскую квартиру: простить обидчика было бы “некорректно” NEWSru, 30 March 2012.
^ Schwirtz, Michael (5 April 2012). “In Russia, a Watch Vanishes Up Kirill’s Sleeve”. The New York Times. Retrieved 21 November 2016. Sorting through gifts he had received over the years, the patriarch discovered that he did indeed own the Breguet, Mr. Solovyov said. But he insisted that that he had never worn it and said he suspected that any photos of him wearing it had been altered with Photoshop.
^ “Patriarch Kirill found Breguet watch among his presents, but says he never wore it”. Interfax-Religion. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
^ “Часы Патриарха – запятая над i”. Записки бывшего атеиста (in Russian). 30 March 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b Schwirtz, Michael (5 April 2012). “$30,000 Watch Vanishes Up Church Leader’s Sleeve”. The New York Times Co. Retrieved 9 February 2016. Editors doctored a photograph on the church’s Web site of the leader, Patriarch Kirill I, extending a black sleeve where there once appeared to be a Breguet timepiece worth at least $30,000. The church might have gotten away with the ruse if it had not failed to also erase the watch’s reflection, which appeared in the photo on the highly glossed table where the patriarch was seated.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b “Russia’s Patriarch Kirill in furore over luxury watch”. BBC. 5 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
^ “The wristwatch shot seen ’round Russia”. World Now. Los Angeles Times. 6 April 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
^ Walker, Shaun (4 April 2012). “Plight of punk rockers turns Russians against the Church”. Retrieved 9 February 2016. The attacks have become more prominent during the pre-election and post-election period”, said the Supreme Church Council in a statement yesterday, apparently referring to both the performance by Pussy Riot and the scandals. “[This] shows their political and also anti-Russian motives.
^ Patriarch Awarded Shoe, Saint-Petersburg Times, 21 June 2012.
^ Solomon, Feliz (30 May 2017). “Russia’s Highest Religious Authority Just Compared Gay Marriage to Nazi Germany”. The Times. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
^ AsiaNews.it. “Russian Orthodox against Jehovah’s Witnesses”. www.asianews.it. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
^ “Russia: Court Bans Jehovah’s Witnesses”. Human Rights Watch. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
^ “Opposition to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia: Legal measures | IIRF”. www.iirf.eu. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
^ “‘We Liked to Sing. Now We Can Only Whisper.’ How Russia Is Stepping Up Its Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses”. Time. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
^ Zarakhovich, Yuri (17 May 2007). “Putin’s Reunited Russian Church”. Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
^ “Russian Orthodox delegation led by Metropolitan Kirill visit Chinnai and Kerala, India”. Russian Orthodox Church. 11 December 2006. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
^ “Председник Вучић уручио одликовања поводом Дана државности Републике Србије”. Председник Републике Србије. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
^ “Google Translate”. translate.google.co.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
^ “Russian bandy players blessed for victory at world championship in Kazan”. 24 April 2012. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2019.

External links[edit source]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Patriarch Kirill I.

Official web-site “Slovo Patriarcha” (“The Patriarch’s Speech”)(in Russian)
Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad
Patriarch Kirill in the social network VKontakte (official profile)

Eastern Orthodox Church titles
Preceded byAlexy II	Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia 2009–present	Incumbent
Preceded byTheodosius	Metropolitan Bishop of Smolensk 1984–2009	Succeeded byFeofilakt (Kuryanov)