On February 1, 2012, the third anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of Christ the Saviour.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was assisted by Metropolitans Vladimir of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Vladimir of Kishinev and All Moldavia, Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, Hilarion of the Volokolamsk, head of the department for external church relations; Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Outside Russia; Agafangel of Odessa and Izmail, Gerasim of Zugdidi and Taishi (Georgian Orthodox Church); Bishop Nektarios of Karpasia (Orthodox Church of Cyprus), representatives of Local Orthodox Church to the Moscow Patriarchate including Metropolitan Athanasios of Kyrenia (Orthodox Church of Alexandria), Archbishop Niphon of Philippopolis (Orthodox Church of Antioch), Archimandrite Stephan (Dispirakis) (Orthodox Church of Jerusalem), Archimandrite Feoktist (Dimitrov) (Bulgarian Orthodox Church), Archpriest Alexy Yuschenko, rector of the Moscow Representation of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, as well as high-ranking church officials, abbots of patriarchal monasteries and Moscow clergy.
Among worshippers were Protopresbytor Matfey Stadnyuk, rector of the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Moscow, abbesses of convents, clergy and members of parish councils in Moscow.
Present at the service were Mr. Lupu, acting president of Moldova, Mr. A. Beglov, deputy head of the Presidential Administration, Mr. L. Slutsky, vice-chairman of the State Duma committee for international affairs, and Mr. A. Negutsa, Moldovan ambassador to Russia.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin extended congratulations to His Holiness in the sanctuary.
After the liturgy, Metropolitan Juvenaly led a thanksgiving.
Then Metropolitan Vladimir of St. Petersburg read out a congratulatory address from the Holy Synod and presented Patriarch Kirill with an icon of Our Lady of Kazan, the Patriarchal Press Service reports.
The Primate of the Russian Church delivered a primatial homily.