OCA delegation takes part in Enthronement of His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia
On Sunday, February 1, 2009, a delegation representing the Orthodox Church in America took part in the enthronement of His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow.
Service of Prayer at the Kremlin’s Cathedral of the Dormition, celebrated by His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. |
The OCA delegation consisted of His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania; His Grace, Bishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West; Archimandrite Zacchaeus, Representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Moscow Patriarchate; and Archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky, Director of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations.
On Monday, February 2, 2009, His Grace, Bishop Tikhon and His Grace, Bishop Benjamin, joined primates and representatives of other autocephalous Orthodox churches at the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral for Service of Thanksgiving celebrated by His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill.
The following day, Tuesday, February 3, His Holiness received the OCA’s delegation at his working residence. During their meeting, Bishop Tikhon presented Patriarch Kirill with a letter of greeting from His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah.
“Your Holiness’ election brings us great joy in knowing that the special relationship between the Russian Church and the Orthodox Church in America will continue,” Metropolitan Jonah wrote. “The support and encouragement of the Mother Church to her American Daughter is of utmost value to us. As we move toward greater maturity as a Church and assume the full responsibilities of Autocephaly, which your predecessors endowed us with, we will look to Your Holiness as a collaborator in our common mission to establish the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
At the banquet following the Enthronement services on Sunday, February 1, His Grace, Bishop Tikhon, the leader of the OCA delegation, offers greetings to His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill. |
Metropolitan Jonah’s letter of greeting continued by stating that, “throughout the difficult years of Godless persecution and following the collapse of Soviet power, the Orthodox Church in America stood as a strong support and friend of the Russian Church. We remain that constant friend and look to working together in addressing the many troubling issues that affect our world. In particular, our friendship may indeed help to overcome the strained relationship between our two countries. The tremendous experience of Your Holiness in international and inter-church affairs will give tremendous insight into the inner workings of the events which we mutually face.”
At their Tuesday meeting Patriarch Kirill thanked the delegation for their participation in his Enthronement ceremonies and expressed his strong desire to work closely with Metropolitan Jonah in strengthening unity among the Orthodox Churches. His Holiness also shared his eagerness in welcoming Metropolitan Jonah to Moscow.
In addition to the events associated with the Patriarchal Enthronement, Bishops Tikhon and Benjamin also took part in services for the Sunday of Zaccheus at the Church of St. Catherine, the OCA representation church in Moscow, and visited the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. Moscow’s Church of the Resurrection is home to the wonderworking “Rescuer of the Perishing” icon of the Theotokos. Bishop Benjamin’s cathedral in Los Angeles, CA, is the only church in North America dedicated to this icon.