Patr. Kirill Meets Metr. Nektarios of Corfu in Moscow

MOSCOW — In a significant meeting amid the Moscow Patriarchate’s continuing rupture in communion with the Church of Greece, Patr. Kirill of Moscow received Metr. Nektarios of Corfu and a delegation from the Greek metropolis at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

The visit centered on the arrival of the right hand of St. Spyridon of Trimythous, which was brought from Corfu for veneration by Orthodox faithful in Russia. The Greek hierarch presented the reliquary to Patr. Kirill during a formal reception at the cathedral on Aug. 18. The Russian Patriarch venerated the relic before it was carried into the center of the church as the faithful sang the troparion to St. Spyridon.

Metr. Nektarios and the delegation also attended the All-Night Vigil for the Feast of the Transfiguration. In remarks following the service, Patr. Kirill welcomed the Greek delegation and emphasized the common Orthodox faith shared by Russians and Greeks, saying they had prayed to the same Lord despite speaking different languages.

“Today our brothers from Greece were with us — Orthodox hierarchs, clergy and laypeople. Today we prayed, each in our own language, but we addressed the same prayer to the Lord,” Patriarch Kirill said.

The Russian Patriarch also called for faith, unity, and kindness among Orthodox Christians.

“May the Lord help us all to preserve the faith and love for Him, and to treat one another wisely and with kindness,” the Patriarch said, also expressing his hope for the strengthening of Orthodox faith and spiritual life.

After the service, Patr. Kirill met with Metr. Nektarios and members of the Corfu delegation in the cathedral altar. Metr. Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, also received Metr. Nektarios at the department’s headquarters and thanked him for bringing the relic to Russia.

Moscow severed communion with the Church of Greece after its recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) in 2019, making the visit and joint prayer with a Greek hierarch a notable moment of direct contact.

Previously, the UOJ reported that a relic of St. Herman of Alaska will visit South Florida.