Gundyaev Mikhail Vasilievich (1907). Kirill, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' (Gundyaev Vladimir Mikhailovich)

Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill (secular name - Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyaev) headed the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) on February 1, 2009 after the death of his predecessor Alexy II.

Childhood and family

Vladimir Gundyaev was born in Leningrad on November 20, 1946 into a religious family, despite the anti-church sentiment that reigned in those years.

His grandfather Vasily Stepanovich (b. 1879), a native of Lukoyanovsky district, was a machinist by training, and he himself began to study theological literature. In 1922 he ended up in Solovki following a denunciation by renovationists ( religious movement, in opposition Orthodox Church after the revolution and for some time supported by the Bolsheviks), of which he was an opponent. But even in the camp, Vasily did not abandon his faith, he held secret services, for which he once spent a month in a punishment cell. The Christian remained in exile until 1955.

The father of the future patriarch, Mikhail Vasilyevich Gundyaev (b. 1907), dreamed of becoming a clergyman from a young age. After leaving school, he worked for some time as an assistant in Lukoyanov’s church, and in 1926 he moved to Leningrad, where he entered the Higher Theological Courses. He regularly attended all lectures and wrote them down verbatim.

Two years later the courses were closed, Mikhail went into the army. After serving, he entered a technical school, then an industrial university. Initially, he planned to go to study to become a doctor, but because of the mark on theological courses in his personal file, he was turned away. In 1934, he was arrested in the “Kirov case” for serving in church and singing in the choir - just a few days before the wedding. Mikhail was accused of attempting to kill Joseph Stalin.

His wife, Raisa Vladimirovna Kuchina (born 1909), taught German at school. Also being a religious person, she enjoyed singing in the church choir, where she met her future husband.

Together with his wife, Mikhail spent three years in Kolyma, then returned to Leningrad and worked at a factory. In 1940, the first-born Nikolai was born. During the war years, Mikhail helped strengthen the city during the siege, and in 1943 he went to the front. After the victory, the family began to live in the city, which was recovering from the blockade, and soon their second son, Vladimir, was born. At this time, the state began to establish a dialogue with the church, and therefore Gundyaev, risking losing his high position in society, nevertheless asked for ordination. In 1947, Mikhail was elevated to the rank of deacon and assigned to the Church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God.

Two years later, relations between church and state that had been warming began to deteriorate again. For his service, Mikhail was imposed an unimaginable fine at that time - 120 thousand rubles (for comparison, for the Pobeda car, which cost about 15 thousand, even wealthy people saved for years). Part of the money was collected from Leningrad parishes, but until Mikhail’s death, the large family (besides Nikolai and Vladimir, the couple had a daughter, Elena, born in 1949), was constantly in debt and suffered terrible poverty. Saved by grateful parishioners who helped out with food.

The formation of Vladimir’s views was greatly influenced by his grandfather, who returned home in the mid-50s. He told his grandson that even during the most severe camp trials, which claimed the lives of most people, he never felt fear. “For me it was a living experience and a living image of a person who knew what God’s love is,” the patriarch later recalled.

Every school day was a test for Vladimir. An opponent of the communist regime, he became neither a pioneer nor a Komsomol member. When the school director convinced Gundyaev to wear a pioneer tie, he replied: “Okay. If you don't mind me wearing a red tie to church. Because I will." Constant teacher councils and beatings from the director did not prevent Vova from studying well. The soul of the future patriarch lay in physics and other exact disciplines.

Education

After graduating from eight years of school, Vladimir did not continue his school education. He decided to live an independent life, without burdening his needy parents, who still had his younger sister. Having settled into the “evening”, in 1962 Vladimir began working as a cartographer in the Leningrad complex geological expedition.

In 1965, Gundyaev entered the Leningrad Theological Seminary, and in 1967 he continued his studies at the Theological Academy. According to information found in some sources, he completed the program in an accelerated mode at the request of Metropolitan Nikodim Rotov, whose cell attendant (i.e. secretary) Vladimir became later, in 1970.

Religious activities

In April 1969, Vladimir Gundyaev was tonsured a monk and named Kirill, ordained a hierodeacon, and then a hieromonk. A year later, he graduated from the academy with honors and a candidate of theological sciences degree.

He combined his activities as Nikodim's secretary with teaching at his alma mater. In 1971, Kirill was elevated to the rank of archimandrite, and in October of the same year he became rector Orthodox church in Geneva, Switzerland.

From this moment on, Kirill begins to move up the career ladder, so to speak. In 20 years he went from archimandrite to metropolitan; was chairman of the commission Holy Synod, which deals with current issues of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Interview with the future patriarch (1989)

Social activities

In the 90s, Patriarch Kirill delved deeper into social activities. In 1994, the television program “The Word of the Shepherd” was released with his participation, which covered spiritual and educational issues in a language understandable to the common viewer.

“The Word of the Shepherd” with Metropolitan Kirill (1997)

At the same time, Kirill, as chairman of the Department of External Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church MP, organized work on the creation of the concept of the Russian Orthodox Church in the field of church-state relations. The result of his work was the “Fundamentals” adopted in 2000 at the bishops’ council social concept ROC" is a document that set out the official position of the Orthodox Church in interaction with the state.

Starts in 1995 fruitful work Patriarch Kirill together with the Government Russian Federation. He was repeatedly a member of various advisory bodies, took part in resolving issues related to the Chechen Republic during military campaigns; was involved in organizing various cultural events: celebrating the 2000th anniversary of Christianity, holding the Year of the Russian Federation in a number of countries.

Patriarchate

Patriarch Alexy II died in 2008. Metropolitan Kirill was appointed to the post of Patriarchal Locum Tenens. In 2009, he was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', having received Local Council ROC about 75% of the votes.

Patriarch Kirill did a lot to unite the Russian Orthodox Church abroad. Regular visits to neighboring countries and meetings with religious leaders and representatives of other faiths significantly strengthened the position of the church, and also expanded the boundaries of cooperation between states.

Despite his dedication to the cause, the Patriarch has repeatedly spoken out about radical groups, saying that such preachers must be feared. According to him, false teachers are increasingly appearing among the people and plunging people into confusion, because beautifully designed slogans hide a powerful weapon for destroying the church.

Scandals

One of the first scandals that arose with the mention of the name of then Metropolitan Kirill was the case of the use of tax breaks on the import of alcohol and tobacco products in the early 90s. The Novaya Gazeta publication published an article that spoke of the Metropolitan’s personal interest in transactions for the import of excisable goods. However, the vast majority of religious leaders said that this was nothing more than a provocation; a planned campaign that aims to tarnish the name of an honest man.

Metropolitan Kirill was also accused of having connections with the KGB. In 2003, President Vladimir Putin received a letter that directly stated that Kirill was a KGB agent. The author of the letter was a priest of the Moscow Helsinki Group, but his actions, regarded by society as a provocation, did not bring any results.

In 2010, a new scandal erupted around the name of the patriarch. Kirill’s colleague Lydia Leonova discovered a thick layer of dust in his apartment. The arriving commission decided that the substance came from the apartment below - its owner, academician and clergyman of the UOC-MP Yuriy Shevchenko was doing renovations. The examination showed that the dust contains carcinogenic substances. The damage caused to the property amounted to more than 20 million rubles, which Lydia Leonova eventually sued from Shevchenko.

Patriarch Kirill: “Don’t strive to live better”

However, the press was interested not so much in the damage caused to the patriarch’s property as in the status of Lydia Leonova, who apparently lived in Vladimir Gundyaev’s apartment. Later, on Vladimir Solovyov’s radio program, the owner of the property explained that the apartment was given to him by Yuri Luzhkov’s deputy by order of Boris Yeltsin, while the patriarch himself “did not live in it for even a week,” but gave it to his second cousin, Lydia Leonova, for use.

In 2012, a photograph of the patriarch with an expensive Breguet watch on his wrist was posted on the Russian Orthodox Church website. Later, the clock disappeared from the photo, but remained in the reflection on the table. The press service of the Russian Orthodox Church called this incident “a ridiculous mistake by the photo editor.” Soon returned to the site original version photographs - with a clock.

Journalists believe that in this photo Vladimir Gundyaev was photographed with Lydia Leonova and their son

Despite the fact that the patriarch personally called her his second cousin, in the press she was called “the partner of Kirill Gundyaev,” and he himself was called “an exemplary family man,” and even cited as an example a photograph of them together in 1988. However, the statement about any love affair between them does not stand up to criticism, because Patriarch Kirill completely abandoned his personal life in the name of serving the Lord. Accordingly, he cannot have a wife (let alone a cohabitant) and children.

Patriarch Kirill now

In February 2016, for the first time in history, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church met with the Pope. Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis kissed, took photographs and, having escorted the journalists out of the conference room, began a conversation that lasted more than two hours.

Family

Paternal line Patriarch Mordvin, (surname Gundyaev from the old Mordovian name Gundyay). Grandfather - Vasily Gundyaev– priest - went through 47 prisons and 7 exiles, spent almost 30 years in prison. He served time, including in Solovki. He went to prison because he fought against the renovationism of the church, which at one time was inspired by the Cheka.

Father is a priest Mikhail Vasilievich Gundyaev(January 18, 1907 – October 13, 1974). Graduated from Higher Theological Courses in Leningrad; served for two years in the Red Army, graduated from the Mechanical College in 1933, and entered the Leningrad Industrial Institute. But he did not finish it - he was accused of political disloyalty, arrested and sentenced to 3 years. Served time for Kolyma.

After the war, on March 9, 1947, he was ordained a deacon, and on March 16 of the same year - a priest by Metropolitan Grigory (Chukov) of Leningrad, assigned to the Church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God on Vasilyevsky Island.

In 1951 he was transferred to the Transfiguration Cathedral, where he served as assistant rector. In 1960 he was transferred to the rector of the Alexander Nevsky Church in Krasnoe Selo; then Seraphim Church, in 1972 - became rector of the St. Nicholas Church on Bolshaya Okhta.

Mother - Raisa Vladimirovna Gundyaeva(November 7, 1909 – November 2, 1984); dev. Kuchina, taught German at school.

Elder brother - archpriest Nikolay Gundyaev- worked as rector St. Petersburg Theological Academy, professor, rector of the Transfiguration Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

The younger sister Elena works as the director of an Orthodox gymnasium.

Biography

Born on November 20, 1946 in Leningrad. While still a schoolboy, he worked in the Leningrad complex geological expedition of the North-Western Geological Directorate, from 1962 to 1965 - as a cartographic technician.

In 1965 he entered the Leningrad Theological Seminary, then the Leningrad Theological Academy.

On April 3, 1969, Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) of Leningrad and Novgorod was tonsured a monk with the name Kirill. That same year, on April 7, he was ordained a hierodeacon, and on June 1, a hieromonk.

In 1970 he graduated with honors Leningrad Theological Academy, received a candidate's degree in theology (dissertation on the topic "Formation and development church hierarchy and the teaching of the Orthodox Church about its gracious character"). He remained at the Academy as a professorial fellow, teacher of dogmatic theology and assistant inspector.

From August 30, 1970, he served as personal secretary to the Metropolitan of Leningrad Nicodemus (Rotova).

On September 12, 1971, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. In the same year he became a representative of the Moscow Patriarchate under World Council of Churches in Geneva.

At the age of 28 (December 26, 1974) he was appointed rector of the Leningrad Theological Academy and Seminary. He organized a special regency class for girls and introduced physical education lessons into the program.

In December 1975 he became a member Central Committee and the executive committee World Council of Churches, and since 1975 - a member of the “Faith and Order” commission of the World Council of Churches, and since March 3, 1976, a member of the Synodal Commission on Christian Unity and Inter-Church Relations.

On September 9, 1977, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop, and on October 12, 1978, he was appointed administrator of the patriarchal parishes in Finland. In the same year he was appointed chairman of the Department of External Church Relations.

Since 1983 - taught in graduate school at Moscow Theological Academy.

Since December 26, 1984 - Archbishop of Smolensk and Vyazemsky. The transfer to a provincial see was due to the refusal to vote in 1980 for the resolution of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches, which condemned the introduction Soviet troops to Afghanistan, as well as other anti-religious motives of the USSR authorities.

In April 1989 he became “Archbishop of Smolensk and Kaliningrad.”

On November 14, 1989 he became Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations Moscow Patriarchate, permanent member Holy Synod.

Since 1990 - appointed chairman of the Holy Synod commission for the revival of religious and moral education and charity, member of the Synodal Biblical Commission.

Since 1993 - co-chairman, since 1995 - deputy head of the World Russian People's Council. Since 1994, Honorary President of the World Conference "Religion and Peace". Since February 26, 1994 - member of the Synodal Theological Commission.

Since 1994, he became the host of the spiritual and educational program “The Word of the Shepherd” on Channel One.

In 1995-2000, he headed the Synodal working group to develop the concept of the Russian Orthodox Church on issues of church-state relations and problems modern society.

On December 6, 2008, the day after the death of Patriarch Alexy II, at a meeting of the Holy Synod, Kirill was elected Patriarchal Locum Tenens by secret ballot.

On December 10, 2008, he became chairman of the commission for the preparation created by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Bishop's And Local Councils(scheduled for the end of January 2009) of the Russian Orthodox Church.

On December 29, 2008, he told reporters that he was speaking " categorically against any reforms"in the Church.

On December 30, 2008, at a meeting with students of the Sretensky Theological Seminary, he said that, in his opinion, the huge problem of church life before the revolution was that it was not possible to create a strong Orthodox intelligentsia, which he dreamed of Anthony Khrapovitsky(first hierarch of the ROCOR banned by the Moscow Patriarchate).

On January 27, 2009, at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, he was elected the 16th Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', gaining 508 votes out of 677 (75%).

On February 1, 2009, Metropolitan Kirill was enthroned to the patriarchal rank in Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

On March 11, 2009, during a trip around the country, he said that the main criterion in assessing the activities of the Church should be the moral state of society, and not the occupancy of churches.

On April 16, 2009, on Maundy Thursday, he committed rite of washing feet- "for the first time in modern history."

April 29, 2009, during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Timoshenko, said: " For the Russian Orthodox Church, Kyiv is our Constantinople with its Hagia Sophia; it is the spiritual center and southern capital of Russian Orthodoxy".

On July 4-6, 2009, he made his first official foreign visit as Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church - Istanbul (Patriarchate of Constantinople). Based on the results of his negotiations with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, they started talking about the thawing of traditionally tense relations between the two patriarchates. The Patriarch also met with the head of the Office of Religious Affairs under the Turkish government.

In 2011, he made 21 archpastoral visits to 19 dioceses of Russia, Ukraine and Moldova.

According to the results of a sociological survey conducted at the end of June 2012 by VTsIOM, 46% of respondents treated the Patriarch with respect, 27% aroused hope, trust - 19%, sympathy - 17% of respondents; causes distrust in 4% of respondents, disappointment in 2%, indifference in 13%, antipathy in 1% of survey participants, 1% condemn it or perceive it with skepticism.

In August 2012, information appeared that the Patriarch became a social network user for the first time in history Facebook With account Patriarch Kirill. However, back in May 2012, deacon Alexander Volkov- the deputy head of the press service of the Moscow Patriarchate noted that “this is not the personal page of Patriarch Kirill, but one of the official information resources of the Moscow Patriarchate,” and clarified that “ the resource will not be a source of direct communication with His Holiness the Patriarch".

In September 2012, at the invitation of the Primate Polish Orthodox Church Archbishop Sava of Warsaw made an official visit to Catholic Poland, where he met with both representatives of the Orthodox churches and the Catholic clergy. This visit was not only ecclesiastical, but also political; this trip was an important step towards improving relations with the Holy See. These actions caused a positive response in Vatican.

From June 1 to June 7, 2013, the Patriarch was on his first official visit to Greece, where he met with the Pontic Greeks. Visited from 8 to 9 September Transnistria.

November 11, 2014 at cathedral Moscow opened XVIII World Russian People's Council under the sign "Unity of history, unity of the people, unity of Russia."

Patriarch Kirill, speaking to those gathered, said: " 2014 opened a new chapter in world history - a dramatic one. Those who consider themselves victors in the Cold War inspire everyone that the path of development they define is correct and, moreover, the only possible one for humanity. By dominating the information space, they impose their understanding of economics and government on the world and seek to suppress the determination to defend values ​​and ideals that are different from their values ​​and ideals associated with the idea of ​​a consumer society. The Russian people are the most important subject national relations in Russia and its national interests should not be ignored, but taken into account with maximum attention to achieve harmony with the interests of other national communities".

And in conclusion, the Patriarch addressed the elites: " It is necessary for us to realize at all levels that the interests of the Russian people should not be ignored, but taken into account as much as possible. So that the elites understand that genuine Russian self-awareness does not threaten the integrity of Russia and the interethnic world, but, on the contrary, acts as a guarantor of the unity of the country", concluded the Patriarch.

Social activities

Since January 13, 1995 - member of the Public Council under the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation on issues of resolving the situation in Chechen Republic.

Since May 24, 1995 - member of the presidium of the Commission under the President of the Russian Federation for State Prizes of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art.

From August 2, 1995 to May 28, 2009 - member of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation.

Since February 19, 1996, member of the board of the Russian State Maritime Historical and Cultural Center (Maritime Center).

Since December 4, 1998 - member of the Russian Organizing Committee for preparations for the meeting of the third millennium and the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of Christianity.

Since October 10, 2005 - member of the organizing committee for the Year of the Russian Federation in the People's Republic of China and Years of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation.

Since September 1, 2007 - member of the organizing committee for the Year of the Russian Federation in the Republic of India and the Year of the Republic India in the Russian Federation.

Scandals, rumors

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, newspaper journalist "Moskovsky Komsomolets" Sergei Bychkov accused Metropolitan Kirill of using tax breaks for the import of alcohol (church wine) and tobacco products provided by the government in the early 1990s.

According to the newspaper, imports tobacco products was engaged in the financial and trading group "Nika", the vice-president of which was Archpriest Vladimir Veriga- Commercial Director of the Department of External Church Relations, headed by Kirill. Journalist Sergei Bychkov published a number of articles about this commercial activity.

At that time, Metropolitan Kirill, recognizing the fact of import transactions on behalf of the DECR, repeatedly denied accusations of personal interest; he called such publications “a very specific political order,” and “not newspapers, but one newspaper” wrote about it.

After the collapse of the USSR, the Commission of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of Russia to investigate the causes and circumstances State Emergency Committee from the sources provided to her concluded that the authorities KGB In the USSR, church bodies were used for their own purposes by recruiting and sending KGB agents into them.

That is, some of the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church were agents KGB. Based on a comparison of the known foreign trips of agent “Mikhailov” and Vladika Kirill, the commission formed an opinion about the identity of Vladika Kirill and agent “Mikhailov”. In 2003, member Moscow Helsinki Group priest Yuri Edelstein sent a letter to the President of Russia V.V. Putin, where he also accused Metropolitan Kirill of having connections with the KGB.

In 2005, Kirill supported the position of the Moscow mayor on a ban on holding a parade of sexual minorities in the city. In an interview with Der Spiegel magazine in January 2008, he also confirmed his unconditional condemnation of homosexuality, but spoke out against the persecution of persons of homosexual orientation ( they have the right to live the way they think is right).

Patriarch's visit to Ukraine by invitation Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church(July 27 - August 5, 2009) was accompanied by local unrest in Kyiv, as well as protest actions by Ukrainian non-canonical church jurisdictions.

Speaking on July 29 at Kiev Pechersk Lavra At a meeting with clergy, laity, teachers and students of the Kyiv Theological Academy, the Patriarch criticized " influence on Western Christian theology ideas of the Enlightenment and philosophical ideas of liberalism".

On August 5, the final day of the visit, Kirill said that he was not against spending six months in Moscow, six months in Kyiv, and “would be ready to accept Ukrainian citizenship.” The next day the business manager UOC archbishop Mitrofan(Yurchuk) insisted that the latter statement was a humorous response.

In September of the same year, following the results of the Patriarch’s visit, the Argumenty Nedeli newspaper reported that “a certain circle of so-called security officials” did not like some of the Patriarch’s political actions, in particular, during his visit to Ukraine.

On September 25, 2009, while on a visit to Belarus, during a meeting with the President Alexander Lukashenko, The Patriarch said: " The Church is always ready to support the strengthening and development of the union of fraternal states and to assist in the dialogue between the Belarusian leadership and the Russian authorities".

Addressing the people from the porch of the All Saints Church under construction in Minsk, he said that he recognizes himself " as the Patriarch of the people who emerged from the Kyiv baptismal font"Apparently he meant that the Moscow Patriarchate does not intend to conform the limits of its local church jurisdiction with the new state borders that arose after the collapse of the USSR.

Kirill with this statement questioned the “reality” of the sovereignty of many states: “ there are many countries in the world that consider themselves sovereign, but which are not able to act, including in the international arena, in full accordance with their national interests"This statement had a great negative resonance.

On February 25, 2010, on the day the fourth President of Ukraine took office, together with Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Vladimir (Sabodan), he addressed the new head of state - for the first time in the history of Ukraine.

The Patriarch's participation in the event in connection with the inauguration of the president of a foreign state (the first such act in the history of the Moscow Patriarchate) caused criticism from a number of Ukrainian politicians. Portal-Credo.Ru has disseminated officially unconfirmed information that the Moscow Patriarchate is considering the possibility of Patriarch Kirill replacing the Kyiv See along with the Moscow See after the departure of Metropolitan Vladimir.

At Christmas 2012, Patriarch Kirill called on the authorities to listen to popular protests and adjust the political course, emphasizing that in terms of the development of democracy in Russia, almost nothing has changed since the days of Soviet rule or has only changed for the worse, since the grassroots level of power, which is in close contact with the people , causes persistent rejection among the people. But at the same time, he called on people “not to succumb to provocations,” “to be able to express disagreement,” and “not to destroy the country.”

At the beginning of 2012, a loud scandal arose around a court case for compensation for damage to an apartment belonging to the Patriarch, in which the defendant was a resident of the neighborhood Yuri Shevchenko. According to the position of the plaintiff, registered and living in the patriarchal apartment Lidia Leonova and a court decision, based on an examination carried out by experts from the Institute of Social Sciences, dust from renovations in Shevchenko’s apartment contained components hazardous to health, including nanoparticles, and caused damage to the Patriarch’s apartment, furniture and book collection.

The amount of the claim was about 19.7 million rubles. Such a large amount of the claim and Leonova’s unclear status caused numerous critical articles in the media and discussion in the blogosphere. In a conversation with a journalist, the Patriarch explained that he has nothing to do with the lawsuit filed by his second cousin Leonova, registered in his apartment.

At the same time, Kirill claimed that the money that ex-Minister of Health Shevchenko paid Leonova according to the lawsuit would be used to clean the library and charity.

In 2011 on its pages "Novaya Gazeta" reported that the protection of the Patriarch is carried out by employees of the Federal Security Service ( FSO), despite the fact that the Patriarch is not a civil servant. In December 2011, a special amendment was made to the federal law “On Protection”. In accordance with it, taxpayers now pay not only for the security of officials, but also for “other persons.” The state included the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church among these “other persons,” providing him with security due to the allegedly large number of threats received against Kirill from “militant atheists.”

The fact that the Patriarch has state security was confirmed to Gazeta.Ru by the head of the Patriarch’s press service, Archpriest Vladimir Vigilyansky, who emphasized that “this decision was made by President Yeltsin.” However, Patriarch Alexy was guarded much more modestly, according to scheme number three - “just our car plus accompanying employees.” Now the protection of the Patriarch is carried out according to the “presidential scheme”. This scheme includes “work along the route, at the place of stay, at departure. Plus escort. In total, more than 300 employees are involved in the protection of the Patriarch,” a source in the FSO press service clarified.

In 2012, Patriarch Kirill at a meeting with the Minister of Justice Alexander Konovalov once again “showed off” his Breguet watch for 20 thousand dollars. Servants of the press service of the Patriarchate erased the clock in Photoshop, but forgot about its reflection on the table. This fact has not escaped the attention of bloggers who as soon as possible made it news #1. Further, at the instigation of Patriarch Kirill himself, the story with the clock received an even more unexpected continuation. First, the Patriarch called the photo with Breguet a photoshop, and then unexpectedly recognized the watch as a “gift.”

In the same year, the Patriarch made an appeal not to ignore the action committed by the punk group Pussy Riot in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Largely thanks to the irreconcilable position of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Patriarch personally, on August 17, 2012, 3 members of the group were sentenced under the article of hooliganism, condemning them to 2 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony.

In response to criticism in connection with this, as well as a number of scandalous cases, the Moscow Patriarchate, the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation and some politicians announced an organized campaign to discredit the Patriarch and the Russian Orthodox Church. On June 16, 2012, Patriarch Kirill himself, on the air of the “Word of the Shepherd” program on Channel One, called people “who criticize the church” “demanding spiritual healing.”

2014 Another scandal broke out in connection with Patriarch Kirill’s congratulations on his victory in the presidential elections in Ukraine. Moreover, Kirill did this earlier than the President of the Russian Federation.

"Together with many people, I hope that the powers that are in your hands today will serve the good of the east, and the west, and the north, and the south of Ukraine", said Patriarch Kirill.

Many considered Poroshenko’s congratulations on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church as an insult to the residents of eastern Ukraine, against whom the war was waged, as well as an insult to the Russian people, against whom, thanks to the efforts of the new Ukrainian government, a propaganda war is being waged.

At the end of September 2015, the Public Network Movement, funded by, published on the Internet a photo report allegedly from the vacation of the Russian Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill on luxury yacht Azimut costing about 680 thousand euros.

• Date of birth: January 5, 1907
• Place of birth:
• Floor: man
• Profession/place of work: priest, archpriest
• Place of residence: Leningrad, Tuchkov Lane

• Date of death: October 13, 1974
• Place of death: Leningrad (St. Petersburg)

• Where and by whom was he arrested? Leningrad
• Date of arrest: December 1933
• Charge: "hostile to Soviet power, preparing a terrorist attack against Comrade Stalin"
• Condemnation: February 25, 1934
• Judging authority: troika under the NKVD in the Leningrad Military District
• Sentence: 3 years ITL
• Place of departure: Leningrad, House of Pre-trial Detention (12.1933-02.1934)

• Data sources: DB "New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church of the 20th Century"; DB “New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church of the 20th Century”

Places of residence

Leningrad, Tuchkov Lane
End date: 12.1933
After the courses were closed, in 1929, Mikhail Gundyaev was drafted into the army.
In 1929-1930 he served in the Red Army in the 4th Turkestan Division.
Subsequently, after his arrest in 1934, during interrogation by the OGPU, he testified:

• "... While in the Red Army, I remained a believer. I was called to the Special Department
• under the 4th Turkestan Division. After the interrogation, he was soon released from the Red Army
• expelled without the right to be a platoon commander. . . ".

After demobilization, Mikhail Gundyaev returned to Leningrad and got a job
design technician at plant No. 4 named after. M.I. Kalinina.
In 1931 he became part of the church twenty of the Assumption Church.
Mikhail Gundyaev intended to enter a medical institute, but he was not allowed to attend
accepted due to the fact that in his personal file there was a record that he was studying
at the Higher Theological Courses.
He entered the Leningrad Mechanical College, where he studied without interruption.
production.
After graduating from college in 1933. he entered the Leningrad Industrial
institute
In December 1933 Mikhail Gundyaev proposed to Raisa Vladimirovna Kuchina.
They were getting ready to get married, and the wedding had already been scheduled, but a few days later
before the wedding he was arrested
Leningrad (St. Petersburg)
Start date: 1937
In the pre-war years, Mikhail Vasilyevich Gundyaev worked at Leningrad enterprises, having gone through
from turner to process technician, designer and workshop manager.
Graduated from the Correspondence Mechanical Engineering Institute.
In the Spaso-Pereobrazhensky Cathedral he married his chosen one
Raisa Vladimirovna Kuchina.
In 1940 the eldest son was born into their family - Nikolai (later archpriest,
Professor of SPbDA, rector of the Transfiguration Cathedral in St. Petersburg).
The beginning of the war found Mikhail Vasilyevich in the position of chief mechanic on one of the military
factories in Leningrad.
September 8, 1941 The siege of Leningrad began.
The Gundyaevs did not evacuate from the besieged city. Mikhail Vasilievich worked
at the plant, which continued to operate even during the blockade.
In the first months of the blockade, Mikhail participated in the construction of defensive fortifications
around the city and as a result of hard work quickly reached complete exhaustion.
He was picked up on the street as if dead and brought to the morgue.
Since the morgue was full, they laid him in the corridor. Nurse passing by
accidentally touched the sheet with which he was covered, and, looking at the face of the dead man,
I saw that the pupil shrank when the sheet came off. The woman screamed
and this saved the dying man. Publicity about sending a living person to the morgue could
lead to disastrous consequences. The hospital management was scared.
They began to feed Mikhail intensively so that no noise would happen
Gorky (Nizhny Novgorod)
End date: 1945
After breaking the blockade, he, as a military specialist, was sent to Nizhny Novgorod,
where he was a military representative at the Gorky plant and was involved in the acceptance of T-34 tanks
before sending them to the front.
Until Victory Day, Mikhail Gundyaev worked in this post
Leningrad (St. Petersburg)
1945-1947
After the end of the war, Mikhail Vasilyevich returned to Leningrad and continued his work
in civil specialty.
November 20, 1946 a second son was born in the Gundyaev family - Vladimir (future
Patriarch Kirill).
In 1947 Mikhail Vasilyevich decided to devote his life to service
Church and gave it to Metropolitan Grigory (Chukov) of Leningrad and Novgorod,
to his former rector for Higher Theological Courses, a petition for ordination.
The Metropolitan was puzzled by this, since Mikhail Vasilyevich’s official position
was quite noticeable, and this step of his seemed quite extraordinary.
Wanting to test the firmness of his former student’s intentions, Bishop Gregory declared
Mikhail Vasilievich:

• "If you really want to change your Leningrad apartment
• for accommodation in the most remote parish of the Leningrad diocese,
• in the village of Petrova Gorka on the border with the Pskov region, then I will ordain you.
• But don’t count on serving in the city of Leningrad.
• So go and consult with your wife."

At the family council it was decided to go to a remote parish

Ordination

deacon
03/09/1947
Who ordained
priest
03/16/1947
Place Leningrad, St. Nicholas Cathedral
Who ordained Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod Gregory (Chukov)
After the ordination of Fr. Mikhail was not assigned to the outskirts of Leningradskaya
diocese, and to the recently opened (in January 1947) cemetery Smolensk church
on Vasilyevsky Island
archpriest
1957
Who ordained Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod Eleutherius (Vorontsov)

Service

Nizhny Novgorod province, Lukoyanov
Job title subdeacon of Bishop Polycarp (Tikhonravov) of Lukoyanovsky
1921-1926
Beginning in 1921, Mikhail Gundyaev was a subdeacon with Bishop Lukoyanovsky
Polycarp (Tikhonravova)
Leningrad (St. Petersburg), 15th Line of Vasilyevsky Island, 2/ Lieutenant Schmidt embankment, Assumption Church of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra courtyard
Job title church choir singer
Start date: 1926
While studying at the Higher Theological Courses, Mikhail Gundyaev simultaneously sang
(tenor) on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays in the choir of the Assumption Church of the former metochion
Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and actively participated in the parish life of the temple.
There he met his future wife Raisa Vladimirovna Kuchina,
who also sang in the church choir.
Raisa Vladimirovna was born in St. Petersburg, into an Orthodox family, in 1926.
graduated from school, but for several years could not go to college due to
because of their social origin.
(In 1930, she still managed to enter the Leningrad Institute of Foreign Languages).
In August 1928 Higher theological courses were closed
Leningradskaya island, Kamenka village
Job title acolyte
End date: 1929
Simultaneously with singing in the choir of the Assumption Church of the Kyiv Metochion, Mikhail Gundyaev
worked as a psalm-reader in the rural church of the village of Kamenka
Leningrad (St. Petersburg), cemetery church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God on Vasilievsky Island
priest
03/16/1947-1951
Rector of the newly revived Smolensk Church and the Chapel of Blessed Xenia
Petersburg was appointed Fr. Vasily Raevsky. The consecration of the chapel took place
On February 1, 1947, and on March 8, the consecration of the throne and the first Divine
Liturgy in the Smolensk Church. March 16, 1947 this is where he began his ministry
priest Fr. Mikhail Gundyaev.
In post-war Leningrad, which survived the siege, thousands of people filled the few
open churches, praying to the Lord for the dead and missing, looking for support
in your difficult life.
At the end of 1947 at the request of the rector Fr. Vasily Raevsky, who applied
to Metropolitan Gregory, to the Smolensk Church was returned from the Vladimir Cathedral
the revered icon of the Mother of God “Merciful” that belonged to their temple, and after it
Since the return, the number of parishioners in this temple has increased significantly.
Doctors strongly recommended that mother Raisa, pregnant with her third child,
refuse childbirth, which could be life-threatening.
Then, together with her husband, they went to Vyritsa for spiritual advice and prayer.
support to Elder Seraphim Vyritsky, who accepted the young family and strengthened them
them, and soon (in 1949) their daughter Elena was born (later she became the leader
St. Petersburg Diocesan Church and Theological School).
In those years, the authorities adopted a course of struggle against the Church, using financial mechanisms,
imposing unaffordable taxes on the clergy.
From the memoirs of Patriarch Kirill:

• "My father was invited to Raifo and was told that he had earned
• some fantastic money, and therefore must pay about 120 thousand
• rubles of tax: at that time it was an unthinkable amount. No real
• The father did not have the opportunity to pay this amount. There were trials, my father was sentenced
• to repay debt; all our property was described, and we practically lived on
• what people brought to us: some - bread, some - flour, some - herring,
• someone is sugar. They could have treated my father very badly, just gotten rid of him,
• if he had not paid this money. And then his friends and acquaintances - including
• Leningrad intelligentsia, some professors, academicians, scientists, some
• from the clergy - they began to collect funds to pay this tax.
• And they were collected. But throughout the rest of his life, my father paid off his debts,
• and then I paid off my father’s debts. We finished paying only then
• when - already in the rank of archimandrite - I went to Geneva as a representative
• Moscow Patriarchate".

Patriarch Kirill’s sister Elena recalls:

• "... There was absolutely nothing left to describe. Books, thank God, were not described.
• All we had left was the library. . . But despite all the poverty, mom always
• gave us tea from cups and saucers. No matter what! She raised us like this
• that even in difficult years a person should not lose the appearance and likeness of God. . .
• I don’t understand how we lived. As a child, I went out to the front door, and
• There was always a string bag with groceries hanging from the handle. They were brought by ordinary parishioners -
• people of very modest means. Most often it contained a herring and a loaf of bread."

In 1951 O. Mikhail was transferred to the Transfiguration Cathedral

priest
1951-1957
Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Transfiguration Cathedral
archpriest
Job title assistant dean (since 1959)
1957-1960
The responsibilities of Fr. Michael, in addition to statutory services, included reading on Thursdays
Akathist to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker before his venerated image. After each
Akathist, which, according to tradition, was accompanied by the singing of the people, Fr. Mikhail definitely
preached a sermon. Many people gathered for these weekly services, and
The Transfiguration Cathedral could not accommodate all the worshipers. Such popularity
O. Mikhail as a shepherd and preacher received the approval of the diocesan authorities,
but irritated the secular authorities.
Fr. Mikhail raised him in faith and piety. From my daughter's memories
Elena Mikhailovna:

• “Dad told us from early childhood: if you are believers, remain so
• in everything, and if you give up at least something, everything, and in the rest of your life you will
• seek compromises with conscience and circumstances. And we, looking at our father,
• They never hid their faith, they were not Octoberists. nor pioneers.
• Moreover, our peers respected us very much. But I got it from the teachers, especially
• brother He studied brilliantly, but he was regularly called to the director's office. . . "

In 1960 by decree of Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod Pitirim (Sviridov)
Archpriest Mikhail Gundyaev was unexpectedly transferred from the Transfiguration Cathedral
to the Leningrad region as rector of the Alexander Nevsky Church in Krasnoe Selo.
For the Divine Liturgy, which last time served Fr. Michael
in the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral, more than three thousand people gathered who wanted
receive the blessing of your beloved shepherd. City officials were frightened and alarmed
such a demonstration of popular recognition
Leningradskaya island, Krasnoe Selo (now within the city of St. Petersburg), Alexander Nevsky Church
archpriest
Job title rector
Start date: 1960
Alexander Nevsky Church in Krasnoe Selo was built in 1890. on the initiative
Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and with funds from private benefactors.
The church was closed in 1932. During the war, Krasnoye Selo found itself in the zone
German occupation, early 1942 the German command allowed the opening of the temple,
and for about a year worship services took place there, performed by
priest of the Pskov Mission Fr. John Pirkin. After the war, at the request of local
residents, in July 1947 the repaired church was consecrated, and the first
Archpriest Nikolai Ilyashenko was appointed its rector.
During the abbotship of Fr. Mikhail Gundyaev, in the 1960s, from the south side
An extension was made to the Alexander Nevsky Church in the form of a closed gallery, where
Later they began to hold funeral services.
Father Michael served in the Alexander Nevsky Church for 10 years
Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Seraphim Church at the Seraphim Cemetery
archpriest
Job title rector
1970-01/12/1972
In 1970 O. Mikhail Gundyaev, by decree of the Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod
Nicodemus (Rotov) was appointed rector of the cemetery church of St. St. Seraphim
Sarovsky in Leningrad. It was one of the few
churches that escaped the fate of closure and desecration after 1917. Shrine of the temple
there was an icon of the Mother of God "Tenderness", which is a copy from the cell icon,
before which St. died. St. Seraphim of Sarov. Another shrine of the temple was
17th century icon of the Mother of God "Smolensk". Before these revered shrines
Archpriest Mikhail always served prayer services and read akathists. To the cemetery where
this temple was located, over 100 thousand people who died in the days were buried
siege of Leningrad, and about. Michael also always performed funeral services there
and funeral services.
In 1972 Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) appointed Archpriest Michael as rector
St. Nicholas Church on Bolshaya Okhta
Leningrad (St. Petersburg), St. Nicholas Church on Bolshaya Okhta
archpriest
Job title rector, member of the Diocesan Council
01/13/1972-01/13/1974
St. Nicholas Church on Bolshaya Okhta is also one of the few that has not been subjected to
closure and desecration.
About Archpriest Michael in his personal file, which is kept in the diocesan archive
St. Petersburg Diocese, says:

• "... A convinced, disciplined and deeply respected shepherd and man.
• He is distinguished by his modest character. A wonderful and sympathetic colleague.
• A good preacher. Performs divine services and religious services earnestly and soulfully
• with excellent diction. Reliably fulfills all spiritual requests of believers
• outside the territory of the cathedral, without any selfish motives, based solely on
• for pastoral reasons. . . "

Applicants

Kondratovich Igor Vyacheslavovich

Publications

1. Synodik of persecuted, martyred, innocently victimized Orthodox clergy and laity of the St. Petersburg diocese. XX century. St. Petersburg, 1999.
P. 44.
2. Synodik of persecuted, martyred, innocently victimized Orthodox clergy and laity of the St. Petersburg diocese: 20th century. 2nd edition expanded. St. Petersburg, 2002. 280 p.
P. 92.
3. St. Petersburg martyrology. St. Petersburg : Publishing house "Mir", "Society of St. Basil the Great", 2002. 416 p.
P. 92.
4. Eternal memory of the deceased // ZhMP. 1976. N 6.
pp. 23-24.
5. To the centenary of Archpriest Mikhail Gundyaev // ZhMP. 2008. N 5.
6. Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill and his historical roots in Nizhny Novgorod. Photo album. / Comp. archim. Tikhon (Zatekin) and others. Ed. dept. Nizhny Novgorod diocese, Nizhny Novgorod: NPPC "Glagol", 2011. 360 pp., illus.
pp. 60-92.
7. http://drevo_info. ru/articles/14113. html (Tree - Open Orthodox Encyclopedia. Archpriest Gundyaev Mikhail Vasilievich).
8. http://www. tayninskoye. ru/voskresnye-besedy/besedy-2010-god/svyateish-ii-patriarh-kirill. html (Mytishchi deanery. Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Taininsky. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill).

Date of birth: November 20, 1946 Country: Russia Biography:

His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill (in the world Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyaev) was born on November 20, 1946 in Leningrad.

Father - Gundyaev Mikhail Vasilyevich, a priest, died in 1974. Mother - Gundyaeva Raisa Vladimirovna, a teacher of German at school, in recent years a housewife, died in 1984. Elder brother - Archpriest Nikolai Gundyaev, professor, rector of the Transfiguration Cathedral in the city. St. Petersburg. Grandfather - Priest Vasily Stepanovich Gundyaev, prisoner of Solovki, for church activities and the fight against renovationism in the 20s, 30s and 40s. XX century subjected to imprisonment and exile.

After graduating from the 8th grade of high school, Vladimir Gundyaev joined the Leningrad Complex Geological Expedition of the North-Western Geological Directorate, where he worked from 1962 to 1965 as a cartographic technician, combining work with studying in high school.

After graduating from high school in 1965, he entered the Leningrad Theological Seminary, and then the Leningrad Theological Academy, from which he graduated with honors in 1970.

As chairman of the DECR, as part of official delegations, he visited all Local Orthodox Churches, including accompanying them on their trips abroad.

As the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, he officially visited the Local Orthodox Churches: Constantinople (2009), Alexandria (2010), Antioch (2011), Jerusalem (2012), Bulgarian (2012), Cyprus (2012) g.), Polish (2012), Hellas (2013).

Inter-Christian relations and cooperation

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill took part in the work of inter-Christian organizations. As a delegate, he participated in the IV (Uppsala, Sweden, 1968), V (Nairobi, Kenya, 1975), VI (Vancouver, Canada, 1983) and VII (Canberra, Australia, 1991) General Assemblies of the WCC and as a guest of honor at the IX General Assembly of the WCC (Porto Alegre, Brazil, 2006); at the World Missionary Conference "Salvation Today" (Bangkok, 1973); was president of the World Conference on Faith, Science and the Future (Boston, 1979) and the World Convocation on Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation (Seoul, 1990); participated in the assemblies of the Commission “Faith and Order” of the WCC in Accra (Ghana, 1974), in Lima (Peru, 1982), in Budapest (Hungary, 1989). Was the keynote speaker at the World Missionary Conference in San Salvador, Brazil, November 1996.

He was a delegate to the XI General Assembly of the Conference of European Churches (Stirling, Scotland, 1986) and the XII General Assembly of the CEC (Prague, 1992), as well as one of the main speakers at the European Assembly of the CEC “Peace and Justice” (Basel, 6- May 21, 1989).

He participated in the Second European Assembly of the CEC in Graz, Austria (23-29 June 1997) and the Third in Sibiu, Romania (5-9 September 2007).

He took part in four rounds of bilateral interviews between theologians of the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches (Leningrad, 1967, Bari, Italy, 1969, Zagorsk, 1972, Trento, Italy, 1975).

Since 1977 - Secretary of the International Technical Commission for the Preparation of Dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. Since 1980 - member of the International Theological Commission for Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue. In this capacity, he took part in four plenary meetings of this commission: (Patmos-Rhodes, Greece, 1980; Munich, Germany, 1982; Crete, 1984; Valaam, Finland, 1988) and in the work of its Coordination Committee committee.

He was a co-chairman of the second round of the Orthodox-Reformed dialogue (Debrecen II) in 1976 in Leningrad and a participant in the Evangelical Kirchentags in Wittenberg (GDR, 1983) in Dortmund (1991) in Hamburg (1995).

Participant in dialogue with the delegation of the Old Catholic Church in connection with the 100th anniversary of the Rotterdam-Petersburg Commission, Moscow, 1996.

As Chairman of the DECR, on behalf of the Hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, he took part in contacts with the Churches of the USA, Japan, East Germany, Germany, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Great Britain, Belgium, Holland, France, Spain, Norway, Iceland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ethiopia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Laos, Jamaica, Canada, Congo, Zaire, Argentina, Chile, Cyprus, China, South Africa, Greece.

As the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, he held a number of meetings with the heads and representatives of non-Orthodox Churches and Christian organizations.

In 2012, the signing took place by the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church and the chairman of the Polish Catholic Bishops' Conference.

Participation in Councils of the Russian Orthodox Church

He was a member of the Local Jubilee Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (June 1988, Zagorsk), chairman of its Editorial Commission and the author of the draft Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, adopted by the Jubilee Council.

He was a participant in the Council of Bishops dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the restoration of the Patriarchate (October 1989) and the extraordinary Council of Bishops on January 30-31, 1990, as well as the Local Council on June 6-10, 1990, and the Council of Bishops on October 25-26, 1991. ; March 31 - April 4, 1992; June 11, 1992; November 29 - December 2, 1994; February 18-23, 1997; August 13-16, 2000; October 3-6, 2004, June 24-29, 2008

He presided at the Bishops' Councils (2009, 2011, 2013) and Local Councils (2009), and at the other indicated Councils of the Russian Orthodox Church he was the chairman of the Editorial Commission.

As chairman of the DECR, he made reports on the work of the DECR. At the Jubilee Council in 2000, as chairman of the relevant Synodal Working Group and Synodal Commission, he presented the Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church.

At the Council of Bishops on October 3-6, 2004, he also made a report “On the relationship with the Russian Church Abroad and the Old Believers.”

Management of the Smolensk-Kaliningrad diocese (1984-2009)

During the tenure of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the Smolensk-Kaliningrad See, 166 parishes were opened (94 in Smolensk and the region, 72 in Kaliningrad and the region). 52 Orthodox churches were restored and 71 were rebuilt.

In 1989, the Smolensk Theological School was opened, which was transformed in 1995 into the Smolensk Theological Seminary.

Since 1998, the Interdiocesan Theological School has been operating, training church choir directors, catechists, icon painters and sisters of mercy. Most parishes in the diocese operate Sunday schools. There are Orthodox gymnasiums and kindergartens.

Since 1992, the Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture have been taught in public schools in the Smolensk and Kaliningrad regions.

Serving as DECR Chairman (1989-2009)

Represented the Russian Orthodox Church in the commissions for the development of the USSR Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” dated October 1, 1990, the RSFSR Law “On Freedom of Religion” dated October 25, 1990 and the Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations”. associations" dated September 26, 1997.

As chairman of the DECR, he took part in many international public and peacekeeping initiatives.

He took part in developing the church position and peacekeeping actions during the events of August 1991 and October 1993.

He was one of the initiators of the creation of the World Russian People's Council in 1993. He took part and delivered keynote speeches at the Councils (1993-2008). Since his election to the Patriarchal Throne, he has been the Chairman of the VRNS (since 2009).

As chairman of the Holy Synod's Commission for the Revival of Religious and Moral Education and Charity, he initiated the creation of synodal departments for religious education, social service and charity, and interaction with the armed forces and law enforcement agencies. He was the author of the Concept for the revival of charity and religious education, adopted by the Holy Synod on January 30, 1991.

Developed and submitted for approval to the Holy Synod the “Concept of interaction of the Russian Orthodox Church with the armed forces” in 1994.

From 1996 to 2000 — led the development and presented to the Anniversary Council of Bishops in 2000 “Fundamentals of the social concept of the Russian Orthodox Church.”

He took an active part in normalizing the church situation in Estonia. In this regard, he visited the Patriarchates of Antioch and Jerusalem (trips to Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel in 1996), and also participated in negotiations with representatives of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Zurich (Switzerland) in March and twice in April 1996. , in Thessaloniki, Tallinn and Athens (1996), in Odessa (1997), in Geneva (1998), in Moscow, Geneva and Zurich (2000), in Vienna, Berlin and Zurich (2001 .), in Moscow and Istanbul (2003); He also visited Estonia several times, where he negotiated with government representatives, members of parliament and the business community of this country.

He took an active part in peacekeeping actions in Yugoslavia. Repeatedly during the war he visited Belgrade, negotiated with the leadership of this country, initiated the creation of an informal international Christian peacekeeping group on Yugoslavia (Vienna, May 1999) and the convening of an international inter-Christian conference on the topic: “Europe after the Kosovo crisis: further actions of the Churches” in Oslo (Norway) in November 1999.

He was the main speaker at the Parliamentary hearings on the “Fundamentals of the social concept of the Russian Orthodox Church” (Moscow, 2001), and the topics “Religion and Health” (Moscow, 2003), “Improving legislation on freedom of conscience and on religious organizations: practice of application, problems and solutions" (Moscow, 2004).

He initiated a dialogue with European organizations in Brussels and the creation in 2002.

As DECR Chairman, he visited Estonia (multiple), Switzerland (multiple), France (multiple), Spain (multiple), Italy (multiple), Belgium (multiple), Holland (multiple), Germany (multiple), Israel (multiple), Finland (multiple), Ukraine (multiple), Japan (multiple), Canada (multiple), China (multiple), Hungary (multiple), Moldova (multiple), Norway (multiple), Lebanon and Syria (multiple), Serbia (multiple) ), USA (multiple), Turkey (multiple), Brazil (multiple), Australia (1991), Austria (multiple), Latvia (1992), Chile (1992), Bulgaria (1994, 1998, 2005 gg.), Czech Republic (1996, 2004, 2007), Slovakia (1996), Iran (1996), Lithuania (1997), Denmark (1997), Morocco (1997), Argentina (1997, 2006), Mexico (1998), Panama (1998), Peru (1998), Cuba (1998, 2004, 2008), Luxembourg (1999), Nepal ( 2000), Slovenia (2001), Malta (2001), Tunisia (2001), Mongolia (2001), Croatia (2001), Vietnam (2001), Kampuchea (2001) ), Thailand (2001), Ireland (2001), Iraq (2002), Liechtenstein (2002), Philippines (2002), special areas of the PRC - Hong Kong (2001, 2002). ), Macau (2002), South Africa (2003, 2008), Malaysia (2003), Indonesia (2003), Singapore (2003), UAE (2004), Poland (2004 .), the Netherlands (2004), the Dominican Republic (2004), Yemen (2005), North Korea (2006), India (2006), Romania (2007), Turkmenistan (2008). ), Costa Rica (2008), Venezuela (2008), Colombia (2008), Ecuador (2008), Angola (2008), Namibia (2008). He made official visits to Hungary, Mongolia, Slovenia, Iran, Iraq and Yemen at the invitation of the governments of these countries.

Patriarchal service. Administration of the Russian Orthodox Church

In 2009, a reform of the central bodies of church government was undertaken. The activities of the Department of External Church Relations were fundamentally reorganized, the scope of activity of the Department for External Church Relations was clarified, new synodal departments were created, the functions of the Russian Orthodox Church were separated, and analytical work was carried out to formulate the necessary changes in the structure of the Holy Synod and in the system of theological education in general. Activities have been intensified.

In 2012-2013 The formation of metropolises and the increase in the number of bishops and dioceses continue. The implementation of the instructions of the Councils of Bishops in 2011 and 2013 is monitored. On the basis of accepted documents on social, missionary, youth work, religious-educational and catechetical service in the Russian Orthodox Church, a detailed database of documents was developed, as well as partially provisions regulating the special training of ministers in these areas. Transformations are spreading from the central apparatus of the Church to the level of dioceses. The subject “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” is included in the curriculum of secondary schools in all regions of Russia.

During the Patriarchal ministry the following were formed:

— Inter-conciliar presence of the Russian Orthodox Church (2009)

— Church executive authorities:

• Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (2011)
• Synodal Department for Relations between Church and Society (2009)
• Synodal information department(2009)
• Financial and economic management (2009)
• Synodal Committee for Interaction with the Cossacks (2010)
• Synodal Department on Prison Ministry (2010)
• Patriarchal Council for Culture (2010)
• Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism (2012), transformed from the Synodal Commission for Monasteries (2010)

— Church-wide collegial bodies:

• Patriarchal Commission for Family Issues and Motherhood Protection (2012), former name - Patriarchal Council for Family Issues and Motherhood Protection (2011)

— Church-wide postgraduate and doctoral studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius (2009)

— Interdepartmental coordination group for teaching theology in universities (2012)

— Church and Public Council under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' for perpetuating the memory of new martyrs and confessors of the Russian Church (2013), former name — Church and Public Council for perpetuating the memory of new martyrs and confessors of the Russian Church (2012)

As the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, in 2009-2013. visited the countries: Azerbaijan (2009, 2010), Armenia (2010, 2011), Belarus (2009, 2012, 2013), Bulgaria (2012), Greece (2013 d.) Egypt (2010), Israel (2012), Jordan (2012), Kazakhstan (2010, 2012), Cyprus (2012), China (2013), Lebanon (2011), Moldova (2011, 2013), Palestinian Authority (2012), Poland (2012), Syria (2011), Serbia (2013), Turkey (2009 .), Ukraine (2009, 2010 - 3 times, 2011 - 5 times, 2012, 2013), Montenegro (2013), Estonia (2013), Japan (2012 .).

By February 2014, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill made 124 trips to 67 dioceses, 156 trips to 26 stauropegic monasteries, 21 of them more than once. Visited 7 farmsteads of stauropegial monasteries. Made 432 trips to 105 churches in Moscow (data as of January 31, 2014).

During the ministry of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill the following were formed:

• 46 metropolises of the Russian Orthodox Church;
• 113 dioceses, including 95 dioceses in Russia*;
• Central Asian Metropolitan District (2011);
• vicariate in the Moscow diocese (2011).

The number of dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church increased from 159 at the beginning of 2009 to 273 at the beginning of 2014 (in Russia - from 69 to 164).

At the beginning of 2009, there were 200 bishops in the Russian Orthodox Church, at the beginning of 2014 - 312*.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill led 109 episcopal consecrations, including: in 2009 - 5; in 2010 - 9; in 2011 - 31; in 2012 - 41; in 2013 - 22; in 2014 - 1*.

Also, during the 5 years of Patriarchal service, he performed 144 ordinations as deacon and presbyter (18 as deacon and 126 as presbyter)*.

Awards

Awards of the Russian Orthodox Church

Church-wide awards

• 1973 - Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir (II degree)
• 1986 - Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh (II degree)
• 1996 - Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow (I degree)
• 2001 - Order of St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna (II degree)
• 2004 - Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh (I degree)
• 2006 - Order of St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus' (II degree)

Orders of Self-Governing and Autonomous Churches of the Russian Orthodox Church

• 2006 - Order of Saints Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk (I degree) (Ukrainian Orthodox Church)
• 2006 - Order of “Blessed Governor Stephen the Great and Holy” (II degree) (Orthodox Church of Moldova)
• 2009 - Order of the Hieromartyr Isidore Yuryevsky (I degree) (Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate)
• 2009 - Order in honor of the 450th anniversary of the bringing of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God to the land of Volyn (Ukrainian Orthodox Church)
• 2011 - Order of St. Theodosius of Chernigov (Ukrainian Orthodox Church)

Awards of Local Orthodox Churches

• 2007 - Order of St. Sava the Sanctified (II degree) (Alexandrian Orthodox Church)
• 2009 - St. Innocent Gold Medal (Orthodox Church in America)
• 2010 — Commemorative medal of St. Vladimir’s Theological Seminary (Orthodox Church in America)
• 2010 - Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark (Alexandrian Orthodox Church)
• 2011 - Order of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (I degree) (Antiochian Orthodox Church)
• 2012 - Order of the Holy Tsar Boris (Bulgarian Orthodox Church)
• 2012 - Golden Order of the Apostle Barnabas (Cypriot Orthodox Church)
• 2012 - Order of St. Mary Magdalene Equal-to-the-Apostles (I degree) (Polish Orthodox Church)
• 2012 - Order of the Life-Giving Sepulcher “Grand Cross of the Holy Sepulcher Brotherhood” (Jerusalem Orthodox Church)

Awards from other religious organizations and Christian denominations

• 2006 - Order of St. Gregory of Parumal (Malankara Church, India)
• 2010 - Order of St. Gregory the Illuminator (Armenian Apostolic Church)
• 2011 - Order of “Sheikh-ul-Islam” (Office of Caucasian Muslims)
• 2012 - Order for services to the Ummah, 1st degree ( Coordination center Muslims of the North Caucasus)

State awards of the Russian Federation

• 1988 - Order of Friendship of Peoples
• 1995 - Order of Friendship
• 1996 - Jubilee medal “300 years of the Russian Navy”
• 1997 - Medal “In memory of the 850th anniversary of Moscow”
• 2001 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland (III degree)
• 2006 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland (II degree)
• 2011 - Order of Alexander Nevsky

State awards of foreign countries

• 2009 - Order of Friendship of Peoples (Republic of Belarus)
• 2010 — Medal “65 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.” (Transnistrian Moldavian Republic)
• 2010 - Order of “Sharaf” (Republic of Azerbaijan)
• 2011 - Order of the Republic (“OrdinulRepublicii”) (Republic of Moldova)
• 2011 - Order of St. Mesrop Mashtots (Republic of Armenia)
• 2012 - Order of the Star of Bethlehem (Palestinian National Authority)

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill was also awarded a number of other federal, departmental and regional state awards; has more than 120 awards from Russian and foreign public organizations; is an honorary citizen of the cities of Smolensk, Kaliningrad, Neman (Kaliningrad region), Murom (Vladimir region), Smolensk, Kaliningrad, Kemerovo regions, the Republic of Mordovia and other regions and settlements of the Russian Federation.

Publications on the portal Patriarchia.ru

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: It is impossible to stop wars in a world of unlove [Patriarch: Interview]

"Religious education in the postmodern era." Speech by the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad at the XV Christmas Readings [Documents]

KIRILL (in the world Vladimir Mikhailovich GUNDYAEV) Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' (2009-), former Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Head of the World Russian People's Council.

Grandfather - Priest Vasily Stepanovich Gundyaev - a railway mechanic by profession, one of the active fighters against renovationism in the Nizhny Novgorod region under the leadership of Metropolitan Sergius (Stargorodsky, later Patriarch), was arrested in 1922, served time in Solovki; Having returned from prison, he became a priest in the mid-50s.

Father - Gundyaev Mikhail Vasilyevich (January 18, 1907 - October 13, 1974), priest. In 1933 he graduated from the Mechanical College and entered the Leningrad Industrial Institute; was arrested, accused of political disloyalty, and on February 25, 1934, sentenced to 3 years in a labor camp (in Kolyma). On March 9, 1947, he was ordained a deacon, and on March 16 of the same year, a priest by Metropolitan Grigory (Chukov) of Leningrad, and assigned to the Church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God on Vasilievsky Island. In 1951, he was transferred to the Transfiguration Cathedral, where he soon began to serve as assistant rector for liturgical services. In 1960, he was transferred to the position of rector of the Alexander Nevsky Church in Krasnoe Selo; subsequently the Seraphim Church, in 1972 - rector of the St. Nicholas Church on Bolshaya Okhta.

Mother - Raisa Vladimirovna Gundyaeva (November 7, 1909 - November 2, 1984; nee Kuchina), a German language teacher at school, in the last years of her life she was a housewife.

Both parents are buried at the Bolsheokhtinsky cemetery in St. Petersburg.

Brother, Archpriest Nikolai Mikhailovich Gundyaev, since 1977, rector of the Transfiguration Cathedral in St. Petersburg, professor of St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.

The younger sister Elena is the director of an Orthodox gymnasium.

After graduating from the 8th grade of high school, Vladimir Gundyaev joined the Leningrad Complex Geological Expedition of the North-Western Geological Directorate, where he worked from 1962 to 1965 as a cartographic technician, combining work with studying in high school.

After graduating from high school in 1965, he entered the Leningrad Theological Seminary, and then the Leningrad Theological Academy, from which he graduated with honors in 1970.

On April 3, 1969, Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) of Leningrad and Novgorod was tonsured a monk with the name Kirill. On April 7 he was ordained a hierodeacon, and on June 1 of the same year - a hieromonk.

After graduating from the academy, he remained at the LDA as a professorial fellow, teacher of dogmatic theology and assistant inspector of the LDA and S.

Since 1970 - Candidate of Theology at the Leningrad Theological Academy.

In 1970-1971 - teacher of dogmatic theology and assistant inspector of Leningrad theological schools; at the same time - personal secretary of Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) of Leningrad and Novgorod, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR), and class teacher of the 1st class of the seminary.

In 1971, he represented the theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church at the General Assembly of the world Orthodox youth organization SINDESMOS (at this assembly the theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church became members of SINDESMOS) and was elected a member of its executive committee.

In 1972, he accompanied Patriarch Pimen on his trip to the countries of the Middle East, as well as to Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Greece and Romania.

In 1971-1974. - representative of the Moscow Patriarchate at the World Council of Churches in Geneva, rector of the parish of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

From December 26, 1974 to December 26, 1984 - rector of the Leningrad Theological Academy and Seminary. In 1974-1984. - Associate Professor of the Department of Patrolology of the Leningrad Theological Academy.

From November 18, 1976 to October 12, 1978 - Deputy Patriarchal Exarch Western Europe(according to a report dated November 4, 1976, from Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov), ​​Patriarchal Exarch of Western Europe, about the need, in connection with the fifth heart attack, to appoint a deputy for him - with the proposal of the candidacy of Kirill).

Since 1986 - manager of parishes in the Kaliningrad region.

Since 1988 - Archbishop of Smolensk and Kaliningrad.

From November 13, 1989 to 2009 - Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations (since August 2000 - Department for External Church Relations), permanent member of the Holy Synod.

Over the 19 years of leading the Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Kirill turned it, according to experts, into one of the most efficient management structures of the Russian Orthodox Church. Without his “ministry,” virtually no important issue is resolved. In recent years, since talk began about the possible resignation of Patriarch Alexy, Bishop Kirill has been called one of the main contenders for the patriarchal throne.

At the beginning of 1993, with the sanction of Patriarch Alexy II, he joined the International Preparatory Committee for the convocation of the World Russian Council in Moscow (initiated by the “World Russian Congress” of Igor Kolchenko, the RAU-Corporation of Alexei Podberezkin, the “Roman-Gazeta” of Valery Ganichev, as well as magazines "Our Contemporary" and "Moscow"). Having become one of the five co-chairs of the preparatory committee, he held the First World Russian Council on May 26-28, 1993 at the St. Danilov Monastery.

On December 6, 2008, the day after the death of Patriarch Alexy II, at a meeting of the Holy Synod chaired by Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Vladimir (Kotlyarov), he was elected Patriarchal Locum Tenens by secret ballot.

On the same day, at the end of the all-night vigil in the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior, he led a memorial service for Patriarch Alexy II, co-served by bishops - permanent members of the Holy Synod.

To discuss candidates for the Patriarchal Throne, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church met in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on January 25, to which 198 delegates from 202 bishops of the Russian Church arrived (four bishops - Archbishop of Chicago and Detroit Alipius (ROCOR), Bishop Daniel of Iria (ROCOR), Metropolitan Nikodim of Kharkov and Bogodukhov and Bishop of Kirovograd and Novomirgorod Panteleimon were absent from the Council).

During the counting of votes, one ballot was declared invalid. Following the meeting, the Council of Bishops proposed to the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church the candidacies of three bishops who received the largest number of votes: Kirill (Gundyaev), Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne; Clement (Kapalin), Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk, manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate; Filaret (Vakhromeev), Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus. Metropolitan Kirill received 97 votes, Metropolitan Clement - 32 votes, Metropolitan Philaret - 16 votes.

On January 27, the Local Council met in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior to elect the 16th Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. At 12 o'clock the first plenary meeting of the Council began, at which the election of the Presidium of the Local Council, the announcement of greetings to the Council, and the presentation of the Patriarchal Locum Tenens with a report took place. At the meeting, a welcoming message from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was read out.

At the second plenary meeting, which began at 15:30, the approval of the agenda, program and regulations of the meetings of the Local Council, the election of the working bodies of the Local Council, and the approval of the procedure for electing the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' took place. At the meeting, one of the three candidates, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk Filaret, withdrew his candidacy for the election of Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', calling for votes for Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad. Metropolitan Kirill in his response said that he bows his head to Metropolitan Philaret, whom he deeply reveres, and recalls with deep satisfaction the two decades during which they worked together as part of the Holy Synod under the leadership of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy. After Metropolitan Philaret withdrew his candidacy, Bishop of Polotsk and Glubokoe Theodosius (Bilchenko) proposed electing the Patriarch by lot. However, his proposal did not find support from other bishops. The Council did not approve other candidates for participation in the vote. As a result, the participants of the Local Council chose a new Primate from two candidates by secret ballot.

At 17.30 the third plenary session began, at which voting took place, after which the counting of votes began. At 22:00, members of the counting commission came to the participants of the Council, and the chairman of the commission, Metropolitan Isidor of Krasnodar and Kuban, announced the voting results. According to the protocol, 702 delegates of the Council took part in the secret ballot. The number of ballots after voting was 700, of which 677 were valid ballots, 23 were invalid. Of the 677 votes, 508 cathedral members voted for Metropolitan Kirill, and 169 for Metropolitan Clement.

On January 27, 2009, the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church elected Metropolitan Kirill as the 16th Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. To the question of Metropolitan Vladimir of Kyiv whether Metropolitan Kirill accepted his election as Primate of the Church, Bishop Kirill replied: “I accept the election of me as Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', I thank him and not at all contrary to the verb” and bowed.

On February 1, 2009, the enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill took place in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (Moscow).

Since 1990 - Chairman of the Holy Synod Commission for the Revival of Religious and Moral Education and Charity, member of the Synodal Biblical Commission.

In 1991 he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan. Since 1993 - co-chairman, since 1995 - deputy head of the World Russian People's Council.

In February 1995 he led the Second World Russian Council. Shortly before this, President Yeltsin, during an informal conversation with Kirill, promised him to return to the Church the lands confiscated from it after the revolution, and then (under pressure from Anatoly Chubais) took the promise back. At the Council, Kirill made thinly veiled criticism of the authorities for immoral and anti-national policies. The establishment of the “World Russian Council” was declared as a “permanent supra-party forum” under the auspices of the Church, and four co-chairs of the Council were elected (Metropolitan Kirill, I. Kolchenko, V. Ganichev, Natalya Narochnitskaya). Under the influence of radicals (Mikhail Astafiev, Ksenia Myalo, N. Narochnitskaya, I. Kolchenko), the Council adopted a number of purely political rather radical anti-Western declarations, the adoption of which by the church hierarchy led by Kirill did not interfere.

Between February and December 1995, Kirill moderated the opposition of the “supra-party forum” he headed, and at the Third World Russian Council in early December 1995, he did not allow any harsh political statements to be made. The organization was renamed the World Russian People's Council, the Head of which was unanimously elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, and Metropolitan Kirill was one of his deputies.

Since 1994 - Honorary President of the World Conference on Religion and Peace and member of the Synodal Theological Commission.

Since 1994, he has been the host of the spiritual and educational program “The Word of the Shepherd” on Channel One. In 1995 - 2000 was the chairman of the Synodal working group to develop the concept of the Russian Orthodox Church on issues of church-state relations and problems of modern society.

Since 1995 - member of the Public Council under the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation on issues of resolving the situation in the Chechen Republic, member of the presidium of the Commission under the President of the Russian Federation for State Prizes of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art.

Since August 2, 1995 until 2009 - Member of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation (reappointed to the council in 1996, 2001 and 2004).

In 1996 - member of the Joint Commission of the Constantinople and Moscow Patriarchates on the “Estonian issue”.

Since June 6, 1996 - Chairman of the working group of the Holy Synod to develop a draft concept reflecting a church-wide view on issues of church-state relations and problems of modern society as a whole.

In 1996, he joined the board of directors of Peresvet Bank.

Since 1996 - member of the board of the Russian State Maritime Historical and Cultural Center (Maritime Center).

Since 1998 - member of the Russian Organizing Committee for preparations for the meeting of the third millennium and the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of Christianity

Fulfilling the obediences of the Hierarchy, His Eminence Kirill was:

from 1975 to 1982 - Chairman of the Diocesan Council of the Leningrad Metropolis;

from 1975 to 1998 - Member of the Central Committee and the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches;

(in November 1975, at the ecumenical assembly in Nairobi, he condemned the letter of Father Gleb Yakunin about the persecution of believers in the USSR and denied the facts of violation of the rights of believers).

from 1976 to 1978 - Deputy Patriarchal Exarch of Western Europe;

from 1976 to 1984 - Member of the Holy Synod Commission on Christian Unity;

from 1978 to 1984 - Manager of the Patriarchal parishes in Finland;

from 1978 to 1984 — Deputy Chairman of the branch of the Department for External Church Relations in Leningrad;

from 1980 to 1988 — member of the commission for the preparation and holding of the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus';

in 1990 - member of the commission for the preparation of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church;

in 1990 - member of the commission to promote efforts to overcome the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant;

from 1989 to 1996 - manager of the Orthodox Hungarian deanery;

from 1990 to 1991 — temporary administrator of the Hague-Netherlands diocese;

from 1990 to 1993 - temporary manager of the Korsun diocese;

from 1990 to 1993 - Chairman of the Holy Synod Commission for the Revival of Religious and Moral Education and Charity;

from 1990 to 2000 - Chairman of the Holy Synod commission on amending the Charter on the governance of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Charter was adopted at the Jubilee Council of Bishops in 2000;

from 1994 to 2002 — Member of the Public Council for the Revival of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow;

from 1994 to 1996 — Member of the Foreign Policy Council of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

from 1995 to 2000 - Chairman of the Synodal Working Group for the development of the Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church on issues of church-state relations and problems of modern society as a whole;

from 1995 to 1999 - Member of the Russian Organizing Committee for the preparation and holding of events in connection with the celebration of memorable dates of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945;

from 1996 to 2000 - Member of the Supervisory Board of the 50th Anniversary of the Victory Foundation.

At the time of his election to the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan Kirill appeared:

permanent member of the Holy Synod (since 1989);

Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations (since 1989);

manager of the Patriarchal parishes in Finland (since 1990);

member of the Patriarchal and Synodal Biblical Commission (since 1990);

co-chairman (since 1993) and deputy head (since 1995) of the World Russian People's Council, chairman of the Smolensk (since 1996) and Kaliningrad (since 1997) branches of the VRNS;

member of the Council of the Zemstvo Movement (since 1993);

member of the Russian Palestinian Society;

honorary president of the World Conference on Religion and Peace (since 1994);

member of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation (since 1995);

member of the Commission under the President of the Russian Federation for State Prizes in the field of literature and art (since 1995);

honorary member of the Moscow Intellectual and Business Club (since 1995);

co-chair of the Christian Interfaith Advisory Committee (since 1996);

member of the presidium of the Interreligious Council of Russia (since 1998);

editor-in-chief of the magazines “Church and Time” (since 1991), “Smolensk Diocesan Gazette” (since 1993), “Orthodox Pilgrim” (since 2001);

Member of the Church Scientific Council for the publication " Orthodox Encyclopedia"(since 1999);

member of the Supervisory Board of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow (since 2002);

co-chairman of the Council of European Religious Leaders (since 2002);

Chairman of the organizing committee of the exhibition “Orthodox Rus'” (since 2003);

co-chairman of the Working Group on interaction of the Russian Orthodox Church with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (since 2003);

chairman Executive Committee Interreligious Council of the CIS (since 2004);

member of the presidium of the CIS Interreligious Council (since 2004);

member of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation (since 2004);

Chairman of the Commission for the Affairs of Old Believer Parishes and for Interaction with the Old Believers (since 2005);

chairman of the working group to draw up a conceptual document outlining the position of the Russian Orthodox Church in the field of interreligious relations (since 2005);

Chairman of the working group for the preparation of a document expressing the position of the Russian Orthodox Church on the problems of globalization (since 2005);

member of the Joint Commission on National Policy and Relations between the State and Religious Associations (since 2006);

co-chairman of the World Conference of Religions for Peace (since 2006);

head of the working group for the development of the “Fundamentals of the teaching of the Russian Orthodox Church on dignity, freedom and human rights”;

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill has the following academic degrees and titles:

since 1986 - honorary member of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy;

since 1987 - honorary doctor of theology from the Theological Academy in Budapest;

since 1992 - member of the Academy of Creativity;

since 1994 - honorary member of the International Academy of Eurasia;

since 1996 - honorary professor of the Military Academy (now University) of Air Defense of the Ground Forces;

since 1997 - full member of the Academy of Russian Literature;

since 2002 - full member of the Academy of Social Sciences and Humanities (since 2003 - Public Russian Academy of Social Sciences);

since 2002 - Honorary Doctor of Political Science from the State University of Perugia (Italy);

since 2004 - honorary doctor of theology from the Christian Academy of Warsaw (Poland);

since 2004 - honorary professor of Smolensk Humanitarian University;

since 2005 - honorary professor at Astrakhan University;

since 2005 - honorary doctor of the Russian State Social University;

since 2006 - honorary professor at the Baltic Naval Institute named after Admiral Fyodor Ushakov;

since 2007 - honorary president of the Academy of Russian Literature;

since 2007 - honorary doctor of the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University;

since 2009 - honorary doctor of theology of the Kyiv Theological Academy;

since 2009 - honorary doctor of theology from the Institute of Theology. St. Methodius and Kirill Belarusian State University;

since 2009 - honorary doctor of theology of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy;

since 2009 - honorary member of the Russian Academy of Education;

since 2009 - honorary doctor of the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation;

since 2010 - honorary doctor of the National Research Nuclear University "MEPhI";

since 2010 - Honorary Professor of the Military Academy Missile Forces strategic purpose named after Peter the Great;

since 2010 - honorary doctor of Petrozavodsk State University;

since 2010 - honorary doctor of Yerevan State University;

since 2010 - honorary doctor of the Odessa National Law Academy;

since 2010 - honorary doctor of Dnepropetrovsk National University named after. Olesya Gonchar;

since 2010 - honorary doctor of theology of the Moscow Theological Academy;

since 2011 - honorary doctor of the Pridnestrovian State University named after. T.G. Shevchenko;

since 2011 - honorary doctor of Voronezh State University;

since 2011 - honorary doctor of Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov;

since 2012 - honorary doctor of the Sofia University of Cultural Heritage;

since 2012 - honorary doctor of the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Humanitarian University.

As a metropolitan, he was invited to give lectures in Rome (1972), at the University of Helsinki, at the Abu Academy in Turku, at the Orthodox Seminary in Kuopio (Finland, 1975), at the Ecumenical Institute in Bosse (Switzerland, 1972, 1973), to the University of Münster (Germany, 1988), to the University of Udine (Italy, 1988), to the State University of Perugia (Italy, 2002), to the Christian Academy of Warsaw (Poland, 2004) . He has made presentations at many Russian and foreign conferences, symposiums and forums.

The formation and development of the church hierarchy and the teaching of the Orthodox Church about its gracious character. - L.: 1971;

Challenges modern civilization. How does the Orthodox Church respond to them? - M.: 2002;

Word of the Shepherd. God and man. The story of salvation. - M.: 2004;

L'Evangile et la liberte. Les valeurs de la Tradition dans la société laique. — Paris: 2006;

Freedom and responsibility: in search of harmony. - M.: 2008;

Patriarch and youth: conversation without diplomacy. - M.: 2009;

Holy Rus' - together or apart? Patriarch in Ukraine. - M.: 2009;

Vanguard of the Church. — Tver: 2009;

Words. Sermons. Performances. — Kyiv: 2009;

Be faithful to God. Book of conversations with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. — Minsk: 2009;

The strength of a nation lies in the strength of its spirit. — Minsk: 2009;

The Church calls for unity. — Minsk: 2010;

Sermons 2009-2010. — Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, 2010;

Keep faith in your hearts. — Minsk: 2011;

Sermons 2010-2011. — Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, 2012;

The mystery of repentance. Lenten sermons (2001-2011). - M.: 2012;

Word of the Primate. Collection of works. Series I. T. 1 (2009-2011). - M.: 2012;

The word of the shepherd. Collection of works. Series II. T. 1 (1991-2011). - M.: 2013;

Overcoming turmoil. // Series “Word of His Holiness the Patriarch”. - M.: 2013. - Issue. 1;

The word of the shepherd. Collection of works. Series II. T. 2 (1991-2011). - M.: 2014;

Holy Land. // Series “Word of His Holiness the Patriarch”. - M.: 2014. - Issue. 2,

as well as about 2340 publications, including in domestic and foreign periodicals (data as of March 2013).

A series of television programs with speeches by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill have been published: “The Word of the Shepherd” - Introduction to Orthodox doctrine; “Word-Sacrament-Church” - History of the early Christian Church and doctrine of the Church; “Anniversary Council of Bishops” - Fundamentals of the social concept - Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church - Acts on canonization, “Attitude towards heterodoxy”; “The Word of the Shepherd” - Church, state, politics (part 1), Church, personality, society (part 2), About faith and salvation (part 3), Does Russia have a future (part 4).

Dozens of videos dedicated to the life and work of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the election and enthronement of His Holiness, with recordings of divine services, sermons, meetings and live speeches that took place during visits to Russian dioceses, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia have been created and released on discs. and Armenia, as well as speeches by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on Russian television. Series of sermons by His Holiness and recordings of a number of meetings with young people have also been published on audio media.

Interaction with Local Orthodox Churches

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill has worked and is working in the field of inter-Orthodox relations. He was the first representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Syndesmos - the World Brotherhood of Orthodox youth organizations. From 1971 to 1977 - Member of the Syndesmos Executive Committee; participant of the VIII (Boston, 1971), IX (Geneva, 1977), X (Finland, 1980) and XIV (Moscow, 1992) General Assemblies of this organization; participant of the first Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference (Chambesy, 1976) and the Inter-Orthodox Commission for the preparation of the Holy and Great Council of the Eastern Orthodox Church (Chambesy, 1993, 1999); main speaker at the Orthodox consultation “Common Understanding and Vision of the WCC” (Chambesy, 1995); participant in the Pan-Orthodox Consultation on Ecumenism (Thessaloniki, 1998) and the Meeting of the Heads of Local Orthodox Churches on healing the Bulgarian church schism (Sofia, 1998); participant in the Pan-Orthodox celebration of 2000 years of Christianity in Bethlehem on January 7, 2000; participant in negotiations between the Moscow and Constantinople Patriarchates (Istanbul, 1977, Geneva, 1978, Istanbul 1990, Moscow, 1991, Istanbul, 1993) and regular consultations on current problems between the two Churches; conducted negotiations with the Orthodox Church of Constantinople on Estonia and with the Romanian Orthodox Church on the problem of the Bessarabian Metropolis in Moldova (twice in 1997 in Geneva, Chisinau, 1999).

In 2005, as the head of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, he took part in the enthronement of Patriarch Theophilus III of Jerusalem.

As chairman of the DECR, as part of official delegations, he visited all Local Orthodox Churches, including accompanying His Holiness Patriarch Pimen and His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II on their trips abroad.

As the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, he officially visited the Local Orthodox Churches: Constantinople (2009), Alexandria (2010), Antioch (2011), Jerusalem (2012), Bulgarian (2012), Cyprus (2012) g.), Polish (2012), Hellas (2013).

Inter-Christian relations and cooperation

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill took part in the work of inter-Christian organizations. As a delegate, he participated in the IV (Uppsala, Sweden, 1968), V (Nairobi, Kenya, 1975), VI (Vancouver, Canada, 1983) and VII (Canberra, Australia, 1991) General Assemblies of the WCC and as a guest of honor at the IX General Assembly of the WCC (Porto Alegre, Brazil, 2006); at the World Missionary Conference "Salvation Today" (Bangkok, 1973); was president of the World Conference on Faith, Science and the Future (Boston, 1979) and the World Convocation on Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation (Seoul, 1990); participated in the assemblies of the Commission “Faith and Order” of the WCC in Accra (Ghana, 1974), in Lima (Peru, 1982), in Budapest (Hungary, 1989). Was the keynote speaker at the World Missionary Conference in San Salvador, Brazil, November 1996.

He was a delegate to the XI General Assembly of the Conference of European Churches (Stirling, Scotland, 1986) and the XII General Assembly of the CEC (Prague, 1992), as well as one of the main speakers at the European Assembly of the CEC “Peace and Justice” (Basel, 6- May 21, 1989).

He participated in the Second European Assembly of the CEC in Graz, Austria (23-29 June 1997) and the Third in Sibiu, Romania (5-9 September 2007).

He took part in four rounds of bilateral interviews between theologians of the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches (Leningrad, 1967, Bari, Italy, 1969, Zagorsk, 1972, Trento, Italy, 1975).

Since 1977 - Secretary of the International Technical Commission for the Preparation of Dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. Since 1980 - member of the International Theological Commission for Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue. In this capacity, he took part in four plenary meetings of this commission: (Patmos-Rhodes, Greece, 1980; Munich, Germany, 1982; Crete, 1984; Valaam, Finland, 1988) and in the work of its Coordination Committee committee.

He was a co-chairman of the second round of the Orthodox-Reformed dialogue (Debrecen II) in 1976 in Leningrad and a participant in the Evangelical Kirchentags in Wittenberg (GDR, 1983) in Dortmund (1991) in Hamburg (1995).

Participant in dialogue with the delegation of the Old Catholic Church in connection with the 100th anniversary of the Rotterdam-Petersburg Commission, Moscow, 1996.

As Chairman of the DECR, on behalf of the Hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, he took part in contacts with the Churches of the USA, Japan, East Germany, Germany, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Great Britain, Belgium, Holland, France, Spain, Norway, Iceland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ethiopia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Laos, Jamaica, Canada, Congo, Zaire, Argentina, Chile, Cyprus, China, South Africa, Greece.

As the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, he held a number of meetings with the heads and representatives of non-Orthodox Churches and Christian organizations.

In 2012, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Chairman of the Polish Catholic Episcopal Conference signed a Joint Message to the peoples of Russia and Poland.

Participation in Councils of the Russian Orthodox Church

He was a member of the Local Jubilee Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (June 1988, Zagorsk), chairman of its Editorial Commission and the author of the draft Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, adopted by the Jubilee Council.

He was a participant in the Council of Bishops dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the restoration of the Patriarchate (October 1989) and the extraordinary Council of Bishops on January 30-31, 1990, as well as the Local Council on June 6-10, 1990, and the Council of Bishops on October 25-26, 1991. ; March 31 - April 4, 1992; June 11, 1992; November 29 - December 2, 1994; February 18-23, 1997; August 13-16, 2000; October 3-6, 2004, June 24-29, 2008

He presided at the Bishops' Councils (2009, 2011, 2013) and Local Councils (2009), and at the other indicated Councils of the Russian Orthodox Church he was the chairman of the Editorial Commission.

As chairman of the DECR, he made reports on the work of the DECR. At the Jubilee Council in 2000, as chairman of the relevant Synodal Working Group and Synodal Commission, he presented the Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church.

At the Council of Bishops on October 3-6, 2004, he also made a report “On the relationship with the Russian Church Abroad and the Old Believers.”

Management of the Smolensk-Kaliningrad diocese (1984-2009)

During the tenure of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the Smolensk-Kaliningrad See, 166 parishes were opened (94 in Smolensk and the region, 72 in Kaliningrad and the region). 52 Orthodox churches were restored and 71 were rebuilt.

In 1989, the Smolensk Theological School was opened, which was transformed in 1995 into the Smolensk Theological Seminary.

Since 1998, the Interdiocesan Theological School has been operating, training church choir directors, catechists, icon painters and sisters of mercy. Most parishes in the diocese operate Sunday schools. There are Orthodox gymnasiums and kindergartens.

Since 1992, the Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture have been taught in public schools in the Smolensk and Kaliningrad regions.

Serving as DECR Chairman (1989-2009)

Represented the Russian Orthodox Church in the commissions for the development of the USSR Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” dated October 1, 1990, the RSFSR Law “On Freedom of Religion” dated October 25, 1990 and the Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations”. associations" dated September 26, 1997.

As chairman of the DECR, he took part in many international public and peacekeeping initiatives.

He took part in developing the church position and peacekeeping actions during the events of August 1991 and October 1993.

He was one of the initiators of the creation of the World Russian People's Council in 1993. He took part and delivered keynote speeches at the Councils (1993-2008). Since his election to the Patriarchal Throne, he has been the Chairman of the VRNS (since 2009).

As chairman of the Holy Synod's Commission for the Revival of Religious and Moral Education and Charity, he initiated the creation of synodal departments for religious education, social service and charity, and interaction with the armed forces and law enforcement agencies. He was the author of the Concept for the revival of charity and religious education, adopted by the Holy Synod on January 30, 1991.

Developed and submitted for approval to the Holy Synod the “Concept of interaction of the Russian Orthodox Church with the armed forces” in 1994.

From 1996 to 2000 — led the development and presented to the Anniversary Council of Bishops in 2000 “Fundamentals of the social concept of the Russian Orthodox Church.”

He took an active part in normalizing the church situation in Estonia. In this regard, he visited the Patriarchates of Antioch and Jerusalem (trips to Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel in 1996), and also participated in negotiations with representatives of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Zurich (Switzerland) in March and twice in April 1996. , in Thessaloniki, Tallinn and Athens (1996), in Odessa (1997), in Geneva (1998), in Moscow, Geneva and Zurich (2000), in Vienna, Berlin and Zurich (2001 .), in Moscow and Istanbul (2003); He also visited Estonia several times, where he negotiated with government representatives, members of parliament and the business community of this country.

He took an active part in peacekeeping actions in Yugoslavia. Repeatedly during the war he visited Belgrade, negotiated with the leadership of this country, initiated the creation of an informal international Christian peacekeeping group on Yugoslavia (Vienna, May 1999) and the convening of an international inter-Christian conference on the topic: “Europe after the Kosovo crisis: further actions of the Churches” in Oslo (Norway) in November 1999.

He was the main speaker at the Parliamentary hearings on the “Fundamentals of the social concept of the Russian Orthodox Church” (Moscow, 2001), and the topics “Religion and Health” (Moscow, 2003), “Improving legislation on freedom of conscience and on religious organizations: practice of application, problems and solutions" (Moscow, 2004).

He initiated a dialogue with European organizations in Brussels and the creation in 2002 of the Representative Office of the Russian Orthodox Church at European international organizations.

As DECR Chairman, he visited Estonia (multiple), Switzerland (multiple), France (multiple), Spain (multiple), Italy (multiple), Belgium (multiple), Holland (multiple), Germany (multiple), Israel (multiple), Finland (multiple), Ukraine (multiple), Japan (multiple), Canada (multiple), China (multiple), Hungary (multiple), Moldova (multiple), Norway (multiple), Lebanon and Syria (multiple), Serbia (multiple) ), USA (multiple), Turkey (multiple), Brazil (multiple), Australia (1991), Austria (multiple), Latvia (1992), Chile (1992), Bulgaria (1994, 1998, 2005 gg.), Czech Republic (1996, 2004, 2007), Slovakia (1996), Iran (1996), Lithuania (1997), Denmark (1997), Morocco (1997), Argentina (1997, 2006), Mexico (1998), Panama (1998), Peru (1998), Cuba (1998, 2004, 2008), Luxembourg (1999), Nepal ( 2000), Slovenia (2001), Malta (2001), Tunisia (2001), Mongolia (2001), Croatia (2001), Vietnam (2001), Kampuchea (2001) ), Thailand (2001), Ireland (2001), Iraq (2002), Liechtenstein (2002), Philippines (2002), special areas of the PRC - Hong Kong (2001, 2002). ), Macau (2002), South Africa (2003, 2008), Malaysia (2003), Indonesia (2003), Singapore (2003), UAE (2004), Poland (2004 .), the Netherlands (2004), the Dominican Republic (2004), Yemen (2005), North Korea (2006), India (2006), Romania (2007), Turkmenistan (2008). ), Costa Rica (2008), Venezuela (2008), Colombia (2008), Ecuador (2008), Angola (2008), Namibia (2008). He made official visits to Hungary, Mongolia, Slovenia, Iran, Iraq and Yemen at the invitation of the governments of these countries.

Patriarchal service. Administration of the Russian Orthodox Church

In 2009, a reform of the central bodies of church government was undertaken. The activities of the Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate were fundamentally reorganized, the scope of activity of the Department for External Church Relations was clarified, new synodal departments were created, the functions of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate were separated, analytical work was carried out to formulate the necessary changes in the structure of the Educational Committee at the Holy Synod and in general in the system of spiritual education. Activities intensified General church court.

In 2010, the charter of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service was updated, the powers and structures of the Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Synodal Commission for Monasteries were clarified, the Secretariat for Foreign Institutions was transformed into the Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate. The activities of the Metropolitan District in the Republic of Kazakhstan have been intensified: its Charter and Internal Regulations have been adopted, and new dioceses have been formed in this country.

In 2011, the Central Asian Metropolitan District was formed. A number of documents have been adopted on social, missionary work, religious, educational and catechetical service in the Russian Orthodox Church. The meeting of heads of synodal institutions was transformed into the Supreme Church Council with the subordination of this body to the Patriarch and the Holy Synod. To coordinate the activities of dioceses located in the same subject of the Russian Federation, metropolises were formed. Vicariates have been created in the Moscow diocese.

In 2012-2013 The formation of metropolises and the increase in the number of bishops and dioceses continue. The implementation of the instructions of the Councils of Bishops in 2011 and 2013 is monitored. On the basis of accepted documents on social, missionary, youth work, religious-educational and catechetical service in the Russian Orthodox Church, a detailed database of documents was developed, as well as partially provisions regulating the special training of ministers in these areas. Transformations are spreading from the central apparatus of the Church to the level of dioceses. The subject “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” is included in the curriculum of secondary schools in all regions of Russia.

During the Patriarchal ministry the following were formed:

— Inter-conciliar presence of the Russian Orthodox Church (2009)

— Church executive authorities:

Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (2011)

Synodal Department for Relations between Church and Society (2009)

Synodal Information Department (2009)

Financial and economic management (2009)

Synodal Committee for Interaction with the Cossacks (2010)

Synodal Department on Prison Ministry (2010)

Patriarchal Council for Culture (2010)

Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism (2012), transformed from the Synodal Commission for Monasteries (2010)

— Church-wide collegial bodies:

Patriarchal Commission for Family Issues and Motherhood Protection (2012), former name - Patriarchal Council for Family Issues and Motherhood Protection (2011)

— Church-wide postgraduate and doctoral studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius (2009)

— Interdepartmental coordination group for teaching theology in universities (2012)

— Church and Public Council under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' for perpetuating the memory of new martyrs and confessors of the Russian Church (2013), former name — Church and Public Council for perpetuating the memory of new martyrs and confessors of the Russian Church (2012)

As the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, in 2009-2013. visited the countries: Azerbaijan (2009, 2010), Armenia (2010, 2011), Belarus (2009, 2012, 2013), Bulgaria (2012), Greece (2013 d.) Egypt (2010), Israel (2012), Jordan (2012), Kazakhstan (2010, 2012), Cyprus (2012), China (2013), Lebanon (2011), Moldova (2011, 2013), Palestinian Authority (2012), Poland (2012), Syria (2011), Serbia (2013), Turkey (2009 .), Ukraine (2009, 2010 - 3 times, 2011 - 5 times, 2012, 2013), Montenegro (2013), Estonia (2013), Japan (2012 .).

By February 2014, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill made 124 trips to 67 dioceses, 156 trips to 26 stauropegic monasteries, 21 of them more than once. Visited 7 farmsteads of stauropegial monasteries. Made 432 trips to 105 churches in Moscow (data as of January 31, 2014).

During the ministry of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill the following were formed:

46 metropolises of the Russian Orthodox Church;

113 dioceses, including 95 dioceses in Russia*;

Central Asian Metropolitan District (2011);

vicariate in the Moscow diocese (2011).

The number of dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church increased from 159 at the beginning of 2009 to 273 at the beginning of 2014 (in Russia - from 69 to 164).

At the beginning of 2009, there were 200 bishops in the Russian Orthodox Church, at the beginning of 2014 - 312 (as of 02/01/2014)..

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill led 109 episcopal consecrations, including: in 2009 - 5; in 2010 - 9; in 2011 - 31; in 2012 - 41; in 2013 - 22; in 2014 - 1 (as of 02/01/2014).

Also, during the 5 years of Patriarchal service, he performed 144 ordinations as deacon and presbyter (18 as deacon and 126 as presbyter)*.

Awards of the Russian Orthodox Church

Church-wide awards

1973 - Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir (II degree)

1986 - Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh (II degree)

1996 - Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow (I degree)

2001 - Order of St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna (II degree)

2004 - Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh (I degree)

2006 - Order of St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus' (II degree)

Orders of Self-Governing and Autonomous Churches of the Russian Orthodox Church

2006 - Order of Saints Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk (I degree) (Ukrainian Orthodox Church)

2006 - Order of “Blessed Governor Stephen the Great and Holy” (II degree) (Orthodox Church of Moldova)

2009 - Order of the Hieromartyr Isidore Yuryevsky (I degree) (Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate)

2009 - Order in honor of the 450th anniversary of the bringing of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God to the land of Volyn (Ukrainian Orthodox Church)

2011 - Order of St. Theodosius of Chernigov (Ukrainian Orthodox Church)

Awards of Local Orthodox Churches

2007 - Order of St. Sava the Sanctified (II degree) (Alexandrian Orthodox Church)

2009 - St. Innocent Gold Medal (Orthodox Church in America)

2010 — Commemorative medal of St. Vladimir’s Theological Seminary (Orthodox Church in America)

2010 - Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark (Alexandrian Orthodox Church)

2011 - Order of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (I degree) (Antiochian Orthodox Church)

2012 - Order of the Holy Tsar Boris (Bulgarian Orthodox Church)

2012 - Golden Order of the Apostle Barnabas (Cypriot Orthodox Church)

2012 - Order of St. Mary Magdalene Equal-to-the-Apostles (I degree) (Polish Orthodox Church)

2012 - Order of the Life-Giving Sepulcher “Grand Cross of the Holy Sepulcher Brotherhood” (Jerusalem Orthodox Church)

Awards from other religious organizations and Christian denominations

2006 - Order of St. Gregory of Parumal (Malankara Church, India)

2010 - Order of St. Gregory the Illuminator (Armenian Apostolic Church)

2011 - Order of “Sheikh-ul-Islam” (Office of Caucasian Muslims)

2012 - Order for services to the Ummah, 1st degree (Coordination Center for Muslims of the North Caucasus)

State awards of the Russian Federation

1988 - Order of Friendship of Peoples

1995 - Order of Friendship

1996 - Jubilee medal “300 years of the Russian Navy”

1997 - Medal “In memory of the 850th anniversary of Moscow”

2001 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland (III degree)

2006 - Order of Merit for the Fatherland (II degree)

2011 - Order of Alexander Nevsky

He was also awarded the medals “In Memory of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow” and “300 Years of the Russian Fleet.”

State awards of foreign countries

2009 - Order of Friendship of Peoples (Republic of Belarus)

2010 — Medal “65 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.” (Transnistrian Moldavian Republic)

2010 - Order of “Sharaf” (Republic of Azerbaijan)

2011 - Order of the Republic (“OrdinulRepublicii”) (Republic of Moldova)

2011 - Order of St. Mesrop Mashtots (Republic of Armenia)

2012 - Order of the Star of Bethlehem (Palestinian National Authority)

The departmental and public insignia of Metropolitan Kirill testify to the great “secular” attention paid to this religious figure. In particular, he was awarded:

Medal of the Soviet Peace Foundation (1988);

A certificate certifying participation in a test flight on a MIG-29 aircraft and a watch from the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation; medal and memorial sign of the Department of Execution of Punishments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia; Certificate of honor from the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Russian Federation (all - 1999);

Medal "150 years of formation of Transbaikal Cossack army"(2001);

Medal "200 years of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia"; insignia of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation "Chief Marshal of Artillery Nedelin", departmental medal Railway troops Russian Federation "For Distinction in Service" (2002);

Order "For Merit in Development" Olympic movement in Russia" from the executive committee of the Russian Olympic Committee; Order of Kuzbass "Key of Friendship"; Order of the World Sambo Federation; badge "300 years of the Baltic Fleet" (2003);

Order of M.V. Lomonosov and the Order of Peter the Great, 1st degree ("for outstanding merits and great personal contribution to the development and strengthening of the Russian State") from the Russian Academy of Security, Defense and Law Enforcement; medal named after Marshal of Aviation, three times Hero of the Soviet Union I. N. Kozhedub from the Foundation for Assistance to Aviators and Cosmonauts, the General Staff of the Russian Air Force, the Russian Cosmonautics Federation, the Association of Heroes of the Soviet Union; honorary badge "For contribution to international cooperation" from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; insignia "For impeccable service to the city of Moscow. 20 years" of the Moscow city administration (2004);

Medal of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation "300 years of the Baltic Fleet"; award cross of the "Holy Righteous Theodore Ushakov - Admiral of the Russian Fleet" II degree for long service, conscientious activity in the revival of the Cossacks (2005);

Honorary Badge "Submariner" Navy"; Gold medal of academician A. N. Bakulev - the highest award Science Center Cardiovascular Surgery named after. A. N. Bakuleva RAMS; medal "For Merit in Strengthening International Security" of the Security Council of the Russian Federation; the title of hereditary nobleman - from the head of the Russian Imperial House Vel. Book Maria Vladimirovna (2006);

Badge of honor and certificate of honor "For services to the development of the Dynamo movement"; silver medal of the St. Petersburg Society for the Protection of Russian Culture "From Understanding to Unity"; diploma "For real spiritual help to talented children" from the All-Russian social movement"Gifted children are the future of Russia"; medal "60 years of Miner's Day" from the administration of the Kemerovo region (2007).

This is not a complete list of non-ecclesiastical insignia received by Metropolitan Kirill over the past 20 years. Moreover, the wave of awards grew as rumors intensified that it was Cyril who would become Alexy II’s successor.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill was also awarded a number of other federal, departmental and regional state awards; has more than 120 awards from Russian and foreign public organizations; is an honorary citizen of the cities of Smolensk, Kaliningrad, Neman (Kaliningrad region), Murom (Vladimir region), Smolensk, Kaliningrad, Kemerovo regions, the Republic of Mordovia and other regions and settlements of the Russian Federation.

He was the first of the church hierarchs to enter into dialogue with the funds mass media. One of the themes he constantly raised at that time was the need for democratization of the Church, its greater openness to society. Metropolitan Kirill became the creator and host of the weekly television program “The Word of the Shepherd” (ORT television channel), which has been airing since the early 2000s, and took part in the creation of a number of other religious and educational television programs.

It was he who was the first in the Russian Orthodox Church to begin to build new relations with secular authorities in all its guises. In 1994-1996 was a member of the Foreign Policy Council of the Russian Foreign Ministry. He also came up with the idea of ​​organizing a department in the Russian Orthodox Church for interaction with the Ministry of Defense and law enforcement agencies. In 1994, Bishop Kirill developed and submitted for approval to the Holy Synod the “Concept of interaction of the Russian Orthodox Church with the armed forces.” Among the numerous academic degrees and titles of the Metropolitan, there are the following: honorary professor of the Military Academy (now University) of the Air Defense of the Ground Forces, full member of the Academy of Security and Law and Order of the Russian Federation, honorary professor of the Baltic Naval Institute named after Admiral Fyodor Ushakov.

He established himself as a successful lobbyist for church interests. One of the striking results of this lobbying policy was the adoption in 1997 of a new law “On Freedom of Conscience.” Others are customs benefits, which the Metropolitan managed to achieve in the first half of the 90s. This allowed the Russian Orthodox Church long time trade alcohol and tobacco received in the form of humanitarian aid with great profit. True, then a loud scandal broke out in the press about church tobacco and alcohol commerce and the benefits were eliminated.

Among the main intra-church “organizational” achievements of Metropolitan Kirill is the reunification of the Russian Orthodox Church with the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad on the conditions that were formulated by the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, as well as the rapid growth in the number of parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in foreign countries.

The head of the DECR is known as a principled “statist” and a promoter of the idea of ​​active participation of the Church in solving problems facing society. Over the course of four years, he developed the “Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church” and, after the approval of the “Fundamentals” by the Council of Bishops, he initiated Parliamentary hearings dedicated to this document (2001). In 2003, he was the main speaker at another “social” Parliamentary hearing - “Religion and Health”.

For many years, he has consistently pursued the idea that Orthodoxy, as the largest denomination in Russia, should become the state religion.

On his initiative, the World Russian People's Council was created in 1993. It was planned that he would oppose the then rising wave of obscurantist nationalism with a more civilized power. True, the idea was not crowned with great success. Liberals criticized the Council for being openly nationalistic, nationalists for insufficient nationalism; no historical decisions were made at the Council.

In June 2008, the Council of Bishops adopted the “Fundamentals of the Teaching of the Russian Orthodox Church on Dignity, Freedom and Human Rights,” developed under the leadership of Metropolitan Kirill.

According to the "Fundamentals", it is recognized as "unacceptable and dangerous the interpretation of human rights as the highest and universal basis of social life, to which religious views and practices must be subordinated." In addition, the Russian Orthodox Church "sees a huge danger in legislative and public support for various vices - for example, sexual promiscuity and perversion, the cult of profit and violence." From this thesis, the Fundamentals drew absolutely practical conclusions: “...it is unacceptable to normalize immoral and inhumane actions towards humans, such as abortion, euthanasia, the use of human embryos in medicine, experiments that change human nature, and the like.” . “No reference to freedom of speech and creativity can justify the desecration in the public sphere of objects, symbols or concepts that are revered by religious people,” the document also says.

The declaration of the primacy of “religious views and practices” over human rights caused loud protests from human rights activists. After this, the deputy chairman of the Department of External Church Relations, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, had to explain himself to the press. “We cannot and should not impose on the secular world the understanding of human rights that exists in the Church, but we offer this understanding for discussion,” he said conciliatoryly at a press conference.

In May 1992, the American priest of the ROCOR, Fr. Viktor Potapov, in his brochure “God is Betrayed in Silence,” for the first time publicly accused Kirill of direct collaboration in Soviet times with the KGB and called his operational pseudonym “Mikhailov” (“At a meeting of students of Moscow State University, the head of the department For External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (aka agent “Mikhailov”) stated that the fact of the meeting of the clergy with representatives of the KGB was “morally indifferent” (Bulletin “Straight Path”, No. 1-2, 1992).

In September 1996, the Moscow News newspaper (N34) published a report that the DECR, headed by Metropolitan Kirill, in 1994-96. organized in 1994-96 the import of excisable goods (primarily cigarettes) bypassing customs duties, under the guise of humanitarian aid, in amounts of tens of millions of dollars and in quantities of tens of thousands of tons. The accusations were supported by other popular secular newspapers (in particular, Moskovsky Komsomolets - journalist Sergei Bychkov). It is believed that the secret initiator of these accusations was the then manager of the affairs of the MP, Archbishop of Solnechnogorsk Sergius (Fomin). To investigate these reports, an internal church commission was created headed by Archbishop Sergius (Fomin).

However, the position of Metropolitan Kirill, who denied the deliberate importation of cigarettes into the country and said that the church could not refuse the gift imposed on it, was supported by the 1997 Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church.

He actively participated in the preparation of the law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations,” approved by President Yeltsin on September 26, 1997.

In March 2001 he made a proposal to transfer part of income tax Russians to the budget of religious organizations, including the Russian Orthodox Church.

In May 2001, Moskovsky Komsomolets journalist Sergei Bychkov published an article “Metropolitan from a snuffbox,” in which he repeated previous accusations against Metropolitan Kirill regarding the import of tobacco, and also for the first time publicly identified Kirill with the WCC figure “agent Mikhailov”, mentioned earlier published materials of the Supreme Council commission (“Yakunin-Ponomarev commission”) on connections between the KGB and the Russian Orthodox Church in Soviet times.

Sergey Bychkov:

In 1992, the Council of Bishops formed its own commission, headed by Bishop Alexander of Kostroma and Galich. While priest Gleb Yakunin and Lev Ponomarev, then deputies of the Supreme Council, were sorting out nicknames and tasks, Bishop Gundyaev (nickname - agent Mikhailov) showed remarkable ingenuity and began buying up archival documents. Having concentrated a powerful base of incriminating evidence, including on the patriarch, over the past 10 years he has been cleverly manipulating documents, silencing overzealous bishops. When the patriarch tries to reason with him, suddenly some papers appear in the media, tarnishing the reputation of His Holiness. Unfortunately, the work of the deputy commission ended in nothing. And the Synodal did not start work at all.

http://www.mk.ru/blogs/idmk/2001/05/25/mk-daily/34819/

In 1992, a former KGB officer named Shushpanov admitted that most employees of the Department for External Church Relations were agents, and were required to report contacts with foreigners, both at home and abroad.

In 2003, a member of the Moscow Helsinki Group, priest Yuri Edelstein, sent a letter to Russian President V.V. Putin, where he also accused Metropolitan Kirill of having connections with the KGB.

According to Novaya Gazeta, the import of tobacco products was carried out by the Nika financial and trading group, whose vice-president was Archpriest Vladimir Veriga, commercial director of the Department for External Church Relations, which was headed by Kirill. According to the newspaper, Sergei Bychkov published a number of articles about this commercial activity.

According to The New Times:

“In 1996, DECR, through its Nika Fund, under the guise of humanitarian aid (without customs duties), imported more than 8 billion cigarettes into Russia, ousting importers who paid duties from the market. The first to unearth this story was a soon-closed and forgotten small business newspaper, and then there was a whole wave of publications in Moskovsky Komsomolets and Moskovskie Novosti.
In fact, the tobacco kings began the first campaign to expose what they considered an unscrupulous competitor. On nicotine, the media and evil tongues in the Church itself claimed, Kirill made up his start-up capital - several hundred million dollars, after which financial scandals poured on him like from a cornucopia. He was involved in duty-free oil exports, Kamchatka crab fishing, Ural gem mining, the establishment of banks, and the purchase of shares and real estate. Specific (with a touch of “pastoralism”) connections in the political leadership and business community quickly brought Kirill to first place in terms of personal assets among the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church MP. In 2004, Nikolai Mitrokhin, a researcher at the Center for Shadow Economy Research at the Russian State University for the Humanities, published a monograph on the shadow economic activities of the Russian Orthodox Church. The fortune of Metropolitan Kirill was estimated in this work at $1.5 billion. Two years later, journalists from Moscow News tried to count the assets of the head of the Church Ministry of Foreign Affairs and came to the conclusion that they already totaled $4 billion. Neither the Metropolitan himself nor the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church commented on these data "

Metropolitan Kirill, indirectly admitting the fact of import transactions on behalf of the DECR, repeatedly denied accusations of personal interest; during an online conversation with the public, he called such publications “a very specific political order”, which is carried out “with tenacity worthy of other uses,” and “not newspapers, but one newspaper” write about it. He noted that “unfortunately, in our society it is very common to use the press to settle personal scores or achieve political, career and other goals. In this case, we are dealing with a custom campaign aimed at achieving at least one or two of the above-mentioned goals.”

Alexander Pochinok, who was the head of the Russian tax service in 1999-2000, stated on the eve of the Local Council in 2009:

“...the government decided to help by allocating quotas to the Russian Orthodox Church for the import of excisable goods, providing appropriate permission through the government commission for humanitarian aid for their import. At the same time, the Russian Orthodox Church—more precisely, companies close to it—was exempt from paying customs duties. “All this ended sadly for everyone - both for those importers, because many of them suffered, and for the budget.”

Hobby: alpine skiing.

Lives in the official residence of the DECR in Serebryany Bor (Moscow).

In 2002, I bought a penthouse in a House on the embankment overlooking the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (the apartment is registered to Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyaev, “about which there is a corresponding entry in the cadastral register” (The New Times. No. 50 of December 15, 2008). Appeared in the media " information about the Metropolitan’s purchase of a villa in Switzerland." (ibid.).

At the beginning of 2012, the situation surrounding a court case regarding compensation for damage to an apartment belonging to the patriarch, in which the defendant was Yuriy Shevchenko, who lived next door, received wide public attention. According to the position of plaintiff Lidia Leonova, registered and living in the patriarch’s apartment, and the court decision, based on an examination performed by experts from the Institute of Insulation and Chemistry, dust from renovations in Shevchenko’s apartment contained components hazardous to health, including nanoparticles, and caused damage to the patriarch’s apartment, furniture and collection of almost 1,600 books. The total amount of the claim was about 19.7 million rubles. The amount of the claim and Leonova’s unclear status have caused numerous critical discussions in the media and blogosphere. In a conversation with journalist V. Solovyov, the patriarch explained that he has nothing to do with the lawsuit filed by his second cousin Leonova, registered in the patriarch’s apartment. At the same time, Kirill assured journalist Solovyov that the money that ex-Minister of Health Shevchenko paid Leonova according to the lawsuit would be used to clean the library and charity.

According to the journalist of the radio station “Echo of Moscow” Saken Aimurzaev, which was repeated by a number of publications, the very fact of owning an apartment contradicts the vow of non-covetousness that every monk takes when taking monastic vows. Lawyers interviewed by Rosbalt news agency (Vladimir Zherebenkov, Maxim Stolyarov, Igor Trunov) confirmed that, in their opinion, for the first time in Russian practice, contamination of an apartment with nanoparticles was declared the basis for compensation for damage, and also announced an unprecedented amount recovered for causing damage to one apartment. According to Trunov, there was a bias of the court, and according to Zherebenkov, there were possibly elements of lobbying. Lawyers interviewed by RAPSI expressed different opinions regarding the amount of the claim and do not point to lobbying: lawyer Konstantin Trapaidze believes that the plaintiff won the trial justifiably, as she was well prepared for the upcoming process. Lawyer Natalya Salnikova called the amount colossal, but justified, since antique furniture and valuable property were damaged as a result of the incident, and lawyer Oleg Frolov expressed the opinion that the cost of the apartment and items in it could be determined by high price damage.

In response to criticism in connection with this, as well as a number of other scandalous cases, the Moscow Patriarchate, the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation and some politicians announced an organized campaign to discredit the Patriarch and the Russian Orthodox Church. On June 16, 2012, Patriarch Kirill himself, on the air of the “Word of the Shepherd” program on Channel One, called people “who criticize the church” “demanding spiritual healing.”

Dossier

CONDUCTOR OF THE SYMPHONY OF POWERS
At the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church at the end of last year, it can be said that the issue of the next patriarch was finally resolved. The church “vertical of power” is already subordinate to Metropolitan Kirill. Who is he - the next most likely primate of the Russian Orthodox Church?

The image of Metropolitan Kirill is very contradictory, and it is impossible to choose just one color for him. Cyril's inconsistency is not the fruit of his complex character and peculiarities of worldview - several historical eras ground the bright and strong personality of the metropolitan in their millstones.

On the one hand, Kirill is the most scandalous figure in the Russian Orthodox Church of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. On the other hand, his authority is recognized, or at least his strength and power is considered by everyone in the Church: liberals, conservatives, modernists, and orthodoxies. “High” justifications are found for his “weaknesses”: for example, his passion for business, which until recently shocked the church community, is now declared to be the only way to preserve the independence of the Church in the conditions of building a rigid “vertical of power” that seeks to embrace and subjugate all public institutions. modern Russia. However, it is not only Kirill’s flock that shows flexibility - the Metropolitan himself is constantly “restructuring himself on the march”: he is either a zealous ecumenist, or a notorious fighter against globalization; sometimes a liberal-Westerner, sometimes a leavened patriot-soiler; sometimes a supporter of Voloshin and the oligarchs, sometimes the confessor of the “siloviki”. Almost according to the words of the Apostle Paul, he tries to “be all things to everyone,” but not in order to “save at least some,” but in order to be unsinkable with any changes in “environmental parameters.” Someone will say that this is normal: the Church must survive in any conditions, for, according to the word of Christ, it will endure “until the end of the age.” Someone will see in Cyril's flexibility the apotheosis of Sergianism - a policy of limitless church opportunism and conformism, guaranteeing the preservation of legal church administration even under the reign of the Antichrist.

Who is this man - sharp, impetuous, passionate, but dressed in a cassock and a monastic hood? How is Metropolitan Kirill useful and dangerous to the Church and secular society? Is he really the only candidate for the patriarchal throne?

Volodya Gundyaev - that was his name in the short worldly life-- was born during late Stalinism and grew up during the “thaw” in the family of a priest. True, his parent is Fr. Mikhail was not rich and often fell into disgrace with his church authorities. Despite this, he was a convinced Sergianist: he believed that the Church must be saved at any cost and that the hierarchs have no other way but meek submission to the “godless authorities.” This line of his father was rejected by young Volodya - his choleric temperament, coupled with constant clashes with “militant atheism” at school, led to the fact that Volodya was not accepted into the 9th grade of high school, and he got a job on a geological expedition.

At that time, a bright star rose on the church horizon of Leningrad, which illuminated the entire further life path of the believing young man - Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov), ​​who over the course of several years made a sparkling church career and by the mid-thirties of his life held key church positions. Subsequently - albeit not so quickly - Kirill himself will repeat the path of his teacher. In one of his interviews, he will share his memories of how he initially greeted Nikodim’s appointment to St. Petersburg with hostility, seeing in the successful church careerist an obvious protege of the authorities. Who would have known that from the radical rejection of Nicodemus to the enthusiastic admiration of him, the young man was only one step away. Volodya made it when he crossed the threshold of Nikodim’s office in 1965 to receive his blessing to enter the seminary. Nicodemus was very sensitive to talent and immediately brought Volodya closer to him, who thanks to this, in less than five years, completed an eight-year course at the seminary and academy.

At the age of 21, he accepted monasticism from the hands of Nicodemus with the name Cyril and became a hieromonk. Then his “external church activity” begins - in the retinue of Nicodemus he travels to Prague. At the age of 23, Kirill graduated from the academy, became a candidate of theology and began teaching dogma to students who were older than him. At the age of 24, he was already an archimandrite and representative of the Russian Orthodox Church at the World Council of Churches in Geneva (this position was held before him by the venerable protopresbyter Vitaly Borovoy). At the age of 27, Kirill was returned to St. Petersburg and made the rector of the Leningrad Theological Academy - the youngest in the entire 200-year history of this educational institution. Joining the Soviet elite, " beautiful life“, constant trips abroad corrected the simultaneously romantic and ascetic ideal to which young Volodya probably aspired when taking monasticism. None of his official biographies will ever include the story of his acquaintance with Lydia Mikhailovna Leonova, the young and pretty daughter of the cook of the Leningrad Regional Committee of the CPSU. For 30 years now, they have had the warmest relations, which, by the way, gave rise to some Western journalists, poorly versed in Orthodox canons, to call Bishop Kirill an “exemplary family man.” They say that now a number of commercial enterprises are registered at Lidia Mikhailovna’s home address in Smolensk, one way or another connected with the business of the metropolitan himself.

At the age of 29, Kirill becomes the Bishop of Vyborg, although according to Orthodox canons, even the rank of priest can be received only at 30. The next year he is elevated to the rank of archbishop, at the same time he holds many different positions in international religious organizations. What kind of trust did a young man in the mid-Brezhnev 70s have to enjoy from the party and government in order to reach such heights and almost continuously travel abroad, and even to the “capital countries”! The first reports to the KGB date back to that period, signed under the pseudonym “Mikhailov,” which, as the Yakunin-Ponomarev parliamentary commission found out, was taken by Bishop Kirill, thus perpetuating the name of his parent, Fr. Mikhail.

But here came thunder from a clear sky. Under mysterious circumstances, in the arms of Pope John Paul I (who reigned for only a month and also died mysteriously), the still relatively young Metropolitan Nicodemus dies. The career rise of Archbishop Kirill slowed down slightly, and in 1984 he was transferred to the provincial See of Smolensk. Formally, he still occupies it, although, of course, he spends much more time in Moscow and on all sorts of foreign trips.

The administrative revolution, which Metropolitan Kirill carried out last year, is directly related to the illness of Patriarch Alexy II; this illness was its indispensable condition. In the fall of 2002, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, struck by a mysterious illness, was forced to retire for a long time. Within nine months, the shaky “system of checks and balances” in the highest church administration that he had created in the early 1990s collapsed. The mystery of the patriarchal illness will only increase if we remember that the gradual replacement of important departments of the Russian Orthodox Church by people of Metropolitan Kirill began just on the eve of this illness.

But even a year ago, in January 2003, when the patriarch had not appeared in public for three months, in addition to Kirill, Metropolitans Sergius (Fomina) and Methodius (Nemtsov) were expected to be his successors. Moreover, it was believed that their chances were approximately equal. Sergius held the key position of managing the affairs of the patriarchate, and Methodius headed the richest - Voronezh - diocese, led a number of church projects in Moscow and was a member of the Presidential Administration. It is not yet known for certain what political and administrative levers Metropolitan Kirill used in the period from January to May, but already at the first meeting of the Synod, which was headed by the recovering patriarch, on May 7, a completely sensational decision was made: to release Metropolitan Methodius from the management of the Voronezh diocese and from all positions in Moscow and sent to distant Kazakhstan, and Metropolitan Sergius was appointed to replace Methodius, in Voronezh, having previously been separated from Voronezh diocese its main financial appendage is the Lipetsk region. So, overnight, Methodius lost his real chance of becoming a patriarch, and Sergius was removed from Moscow and deprived of a financial base, which also significantly weakened his position. However, the final move of this personnel gambit was still ahead: at the Synod meeting on December 26, Sergius was relieved of the post of manager of the patriarchate, which was taken by Kirill’s long-time first deputy.

Only the commercial activity of Metropolitan Kirill formed his scandalous reputation in the media. The hierarch discovered the corresponding talents back in the early 90s, at the dawn of market reforms in Russia. However, his business reached a serious level only in 1994. Through his Department, the Metropolitan became the founder of the commercial bank "Peresvet", the charitable foundation "Nika", JSC "International Economic Cooperation" (IEC), JSC "Free People's Television" (SNT) and a number of other structures. “Nika,” which was originally created by Sergius, after coming under the control of Kirill, began actively selling cigarettes, imported into Russia by the DECR MP under the guise of humanitarian aid and therefore exempt from customs duties. Metropolitan Kirill's tobacco business had reached completely outrageous proportions, so it was impossible to avoid a scandal. In just 8 months of 1996, the DECR MP imported approximately 8 billion duty-free cigarettes into Russia (these data were published by the Russian Government Commission on International Humanitarian and Technical Assistance), which amounted to 10% of the tobacco market and brought in profits of several hundred million dollars. Kirill was “surrendered”, in all likelihood, by alarmed competitors, for whom the metropolitan suddenly entered the market on a white horse of duty-free trade and confused all the cards.

When the “tobacco scandal” broke out in full force, Kirill tried to shift responsibility to the government. In one of his interviews, he stated: “The people who were doing this (that is, Kirill himself and his wards - Archbishop Clement and Archpriest Vladimir Veriga - A.S.) did not know what to do: burn these cigarettes or send them back? We turned to the government, and it made a decision: recognize this as a humanitarian cargo and provide the opportunity to implement it.” The government, of course, was offended by Kirill, because it was he who convinced the authorities of the “humanitarian” nature of the deadly product, and not the other way around, for which there is a lot of documentary evidence. But the Metropolitan already realized that he would have to end the tobacco business, and therefore did not particularly care about his reputation in tobacco circles.

Oil has become a new and more promising business - this time, naturally, not import, but export. Bishop Victor (Pyankov), close to Metropolitan Kirill, who has now moved to the United States, was on the Board of Directors of JSC MES, which in the mid-90s exported several million tons of oil per year from Russia. The company's annual turnover was about $2 billion. At times, MES was forced to act under the cover of the patriarch himself, whose signature on petitions to the government for exemption from duties on the next hundreds of thousands of tons of exported oil was apparently worth a lot, given the volumes financial flows in this business.

Any business of Kirill began with an appeal to the authorities - sometimes signed by the patriarch - which spoke of “destroyed” churches and some abstract “revival programs”, for the financing of which tax benefits, customs duties, etc. .p. Among the oddities is the Metropolitan’s attempt to penetrate the market of marine biological resources - the relevant government structures allocated huge quotas for catching Kamchatka crab and shrimp to the company founded by Kirill (JSC Region) in 2000 (total volume - more than 4 thousand tons). The profit from this enterprise is estimated at $17 million. Crab meat went mainly to the USA, since half of the company's shares belonged to American partners. Now in his interviews, Metropolitan Kirill speaks with an ironic grin about how his ill-wishers were so mad that they even tried to accuse him of trying to destroy several valuable species of crab. The breadth of the hierarch’s “commercial interests” is also evidenced by his participation in an automobile joint venture in Kaliningrad, in a cheese production plant in the Ryazan region, in the creation of a supermarket on the outskirts of Moscow... Kirill’s close-knit business team, in addition to the already mentioned Archbishop Clement and Archpriest Vladimir, includes and other people: for example, former general The KGB, which personally heads a number of affiliated commercial structures.

Kirill even tried to create his own influential media, but Free People's Television, which laid claim to the 11-decimeter channel in Moscow, owing a lot of money, sank into oblivion without ever appearing on the air. The “Orthodox Information Television Agency” works at the very least, which produces the “Word of the Shepherd” program on Saturdays and distributes it on video cassettes.

Meanwhile, in the foreign policy of our church, for which Kirill is responsible, not everything is good. Church policy failed in Estonia, where half of the parishes went to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, in Ukraine, where the Moscow Patriarchate is squeezed by Greek Catholics and Orthodox independents, in Abkhazia, which found itself in an “ownerless” position between the Georgian and Russian churches, in the far abroad. The most striking church foreign policy project of the past year - the unification of the Russian Orthodox Church with the Russian Church Abroad - was developed and partly implemented not by Metropolitan Kirill, but by Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), who is called the unofficial confessor of President Putin.

Under Metropolitan Kirill, a radical rethinking of the DECR role in church life took place. Previously, it was believed that this Department should deal only with relations with foreign countries. According to the Metropolitan, “external relations” are generally all contacts of the Russian Orthodox Church with the outside world: political, economic, cultural. When some forces took the initiative to create a Ministry of Religious Affairs, Kirill began an irreconcilable fight against this idea. Following a tradition dating back to Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) and based on Catholic experience, Kirill believes that secular power and ecclesiastical power should have approximately equal weight in society and respect each other’s interests. The ideological basis for this theory of a “new symphony of powers” ​​is the doctrine developed by Kirill of “Orthodox by birth,” to which 85-90% of the country’s population supposedly belongs. The essence of the theory is that a person may not go to church, not believe in God, be unbaptized, but since he is Russian or even because he was born in an “Orthodox cultural environment,” he is “Orthodox by birth,” that is, regardless of his beliefs, but only for some genetic and demographic reasons was “assigned” to the Russian Orthodox Church. One far-reaching conclusion follows from this essentially materialistic doctrine. I will quote it as edited by Kirill himself: “We should completely forget this common term: “multi-religious country.” Russia is an Orthodox country with national and religious minorities.” The Constitution is at rest!

The teaching of Metropolitan Kirill is the theory of “priesthood above the kingdom” set out in the materialistic language of modern times, which Patriarch Nikon preached to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. And if Kirill is destined to become a patriarch, then the current acting tsar will also have to hear a lot of interesting things: that the Constitution is a fiction; and that the Russian state was created by the Russian Orthodox Church, the head of which should be its co-governor; and that the Church is completely economically independent of the state, and therefore may not particularly take into account the “royal will.” This is the political ideal of Metropolitan Kirill. It seems that this ideal is aimed at strengthening the Russian state, but in reality it turns out that its goal is a new redistribution of power (and the resources behind it).

Does modern Russia need all this?

Alexander SOLDATOV, ogoniok.com

On the website of the Russian Orthodox Church, the photo with Patriarch Kirill’s watch was “blurred out”, but its reflection remained

After Patriarch Kirill’s statement about edited photographs in which he was allegedly given a Breguet watch worth $30 thousand, bloggers found a photo on the Russian Orthodox Church website where there is no watch on the patriarch’s hand, but it is reflected on a lacquered table, Gazeta.Ru writes.

“What a disgrace. This is the campaign against the patriarch,” blogger Alexei Navalny wrote on Wednesday, posting a link to the Patriarchia.Ru website with a photo.

About an hour after the discussion began on the Internet, the opportunity to view an enlarged version of the photograph was removed from the Russian Orthodox Church website, but Gazeta.Ru still had a screenshot of it.

As explained on the Russian Orthodox Church website, the photo was taken on July 3, 2009 during a meeting with Russian Minister of Justice Alexander Konovalov.

Also on Wednesday, bloggers drew attention to a photo from the state agency RIA Novosti from the February meeting of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin with representatives of religious denominations. In this photo, the patriarch is sitting next to Putin, and the primate is wearing a Breguet watch.

Last week, Patriarch Kirill, in a conversation with TV journalist Vladimir Solovyov, called resonant photographs of the patriarch wearing an expensive Breguet watch on his right hand a “collage.” The Patriarch explained that in the patriarchal attire for service, in which he is in the photo, “it is impossible to wear a watch.”

At the same time, the patriarch explained that he really does have Breguets worth $30 thousand, but they lie among the boxes with gifts for the patriarch, and he never wore them. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church added that he wears a watch that was given to him by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev - “Russian, inexpensive.”

A scandal surrounding the patriarch's watch broke out last year in Ukraine, where the patriarch came on a visit. Local journalists took photographs of the patriarch with a Breguet watch. And on one of the photographs, which Kirill called a “collage,” the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in patriarchal attire carefully examines his wrist, on which a watch is visible.

zvezda.ru, 04.04.2012

The Church has explained itself about the “anti-vampire watch” on the wrist of Patriarch Kirill: this is a “ridiculous mistake”

The press service of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' issued an official statement regarding photographs of His Holiness with an expensive watch on his hand. The fact that in the photos posted on the website of the Moscow Patriarchate, the clock disappears and appears, was called a “mistake” by the Russian Orthodox Church.

“Employees of the photo editor of the press service made an absurd mistake when working with the photo archive posted on the site,” says a statement from the press service, which was received by the editors of NEWSru.com. The original photograph has now been returned to its original location. The cache memory of the site server has been cleared of the processed photo, the press service reported. However, another photo, from which the watch was removed, still remains on the site.

The photo on the website of the Russian Orthodox Church, which shows the reflection of the watch on the patriarch’s hand, but the watch itself is not there, was processed by a 24-year-old inexperienced employee, a girl “secular, not a nun,” the deputy head of the press service of the Patriarchate told the Russian News Service. “The person showed a stupid, unjustified initiative that was not coordinated with the leadership. It is clear that this is a misunderstanding. We do not want to hide anything, we have nothing to be ashamed of,” the press service emphasized.

“We value our employees, and even when they make mistakes, we strive first of all to correct them, to explain them to the person,” a representative of the Patriarchate told RSN. At the same time, the press service said in a statement that “the perpetrators will be severely punished.”

Meanwhile, journalists asked not to punish the build editor of the Patriarchate website, believing that he was not to blame for what happened. As Slon.ru reminds, if you believe the beliefs, any evil spirits like vampires are not reflected in the mirror, so the opposite situation is very logical - it turns out that the patriarch’s watch in the picture is “anti-vampire”.

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin also commented indirectly on the situation, not failing to hint that the scandal surrounding the patriarch’s watch was apparently overblown. “I’ve never been interested in what kind of watch he has, moreover, I don’t really remember what kind of watch I have on my wrist, I need to look. This side of life interests me little,” Chaplin told Slon.ru.

The head of the patriarch's press service, Archpriest Vladimir Vigilyansky, spoke more sharply the day before. “I think it is indecent, shameful to look at items of personal clothing or gifts, or other things that another person wears,” he said in an interview with the Kommersant FM radio station. “Regardless of whether it is a patriarch, or a journalist, or some other person.” some public figure. I think this is indecent. There is some personal territory of a person, which is considered complete incivility. Therefore, of course, I will not comment on this.”

"Miracle" with a clock

The day before, a heated discussion took place in the blogosphere about a mysterious phenomenon, which bloggers dubbed nothing less than a “miracle.” Having carefully looked at the photographs posted on the official website of the Moscow Patriarchate, where the head of the Russian Orthodox Church is captured together with the Minister of Justice Alexander Konovalov, bloggers discovered that there was no watch on the patriarch’s hand, but there was a reflection of it on the shiny surface of the table.

It is not easy to determine from this photo what kind of watch the clergyman is wearing, but it does not look too much like the “small, neat” watch with the coat of arms donated by Dmitry Medvedev. Let us recall that on the sixth day, journalist Vladimir Solovyov published excerpts from his interview with Kirill, in which the patriarch, in particular, explained the long-standing scandal with Breguet watches, photographed by Ukrainian journalists.

“When we put on clothes for service, it is impossible to put on a watch, it is impossible to wear a watch. And I looked at this photograph and suddenly realized - but this is a collage! - the patriarch said to Solovyov. - Yes, I wear a watch. Dmitry gave me this watch Anatolyevich. This is our Russian watch, an inexpensive watch with a coat of arms - a small, neat watch."

“One of the main principles of our work is the fundamental refusal to use photo editing programs to change the appearance of images. Photo processing always concerns only color and other technical indicators. On what basis in this situation there was a gross violation of our internal ethics is a question that will be examined very carefully, the perpetrators will be severely punished,” the patriarch’s press service said in a statement today.

The press service apologized to all site users for the “technical oversight.” The scale of the oversight is truly impressive. The fact is that from the website of the Moscow Patriarchate, not only the original photo with the watch was initially removed, but also a number of other photographs in which the patriarch was depicted with the watch, notes the Ukrainian portal “Glavnoe”.

For example, at a meeting with the former US ambassador, Kirill wore the same watch, and at a meeting with the Turkish ambassador, and during a rendezvous with the Minister of Defense. True, these photographs are now again present on the Patriarchate website in the list of illustrations for relevant news (meeting with the US Ambassador, the Turkish Ambassador, the Minister of Defense).

NEWSru.com, April 5, 2012

Housing response from Patriarch Kirill

Representatives of Vladimir Gundyaev, the owner of an apartment in the famous Moscow "House on the Embankment", secured the seizure of the apartment of his neighbor below.

Twenty million rubles; This is exactly the amount, according to the decision of the Moscow courts, that the former Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, cardiologist and priest Yuri Shevchenko must pay to compensate for the damage caused to the home of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill in the “House on the Embankment” (Moscow, Serafimovicha Street, 2). 15 million rubles; That’s how much, according to the judicial authorities, the apartment owned by Shevchenko in the “House on the Embankment” costs (the market value of living space in the famous building fluctuates around 50 million rubles). The seizure of living space belonging to the Shevchenko family is a measure aimed at securing claims.

The communal history associated with the patriarchal monastery began in 2010. A certain Lydia Leonova, registered in the apartment of Vladimir Gundyaev, accused Yuri Shevchenko, a neighbor below, of the fact that construction dust from the renovation that was going on in the doctor’s apartment damaged the primate’s property. The claims, according to the Rosbalt agency, included: “transportation of items from the apartment and back - 376 thousand rubles, renovation of the apartment - 7.3 million rubles, rental of similar living space during the renovation - 2.1 million rubles, damaged furniture and interior items - 2.6 million rubles, special cleaning of 970 books - 6.3 million rubles, cleaning of property - 151 thousand rubles." Vladimir Gundyaev himself did not take part in either the conflict or attempts to resolve it.

And Patriarch Kirill did not file any lawsuits either, he emphasizes editor-in-chief independent network resource Portal-Credo.Ru Alexander Soldatov. - The plaintiff is a certain Mrs. Lydia Leonova, who in lately the press presents her as the sister of the patriarch. But we do not know for sure to what degree of relationship she is with him. We only know that it is registered in this apartment, and the sole owner of the living space is Vladimir Gundyaev, aka Patriarch Kirill. This data is publicly available, in cadastral records of various kinds: he bought this apartment about 7-8 years ago.

Publicist Vladimir Golyshev in his blog provides links to the official biography of the patriarch: he has a sister, but her name is Elena, she strives in the spiritual field - she is the director of an Orthodox gymnasium. Sister Lydia is not listed in the available materials.

The name of Lydia Leonova first surfaced in the late 90s - when it turned out that several commercial structures were registered in her name in Smolensk, where the current Patriarch Kirill was the diocesan bishop. These structures, in particular, were involved in the notorious tobacco business - they controlled some kind of tobacco trade there and were involved in various types of investments. There is reason to believe that Lydia Leonova, whom the future patriarch brought with him to Smolensk from Leningrad, is his financial agent of some kind, at least and a fairly close person, since they live in the same apartment.

This story became known because the lawyers of Mr. Shevchenko - the former Minister of Health of Russia, who is also a priest of the Moscow Patriarchate for several years - attracted the attention of the press to this situation after two courts, the district and the Moscow City Court, made completely inadequate decisions. In the absence of Ms. Leonova having any powers of attorney from the owner of this apartment - and this despite the fact that Leonova’s lawyer did not have proper documents to represent their interests - these absurd decisions were made to collect 20 million rubles from Mr. Shevchenko. At the same time, I note that Patriarch Kirill’s apartment, where Leonova lives, is located on a floor higher than Shevchenko’s apartment. And the claim is that when Shevchenko was renovating his apartment, the dust flew not down, but up and caused such enormous damage to the patriarch’s property. In fact, in church circles they say that this apartment has simply become too cramped for two such important people - it is only 144 square meters. m., so they decided to make it two-level. Why is it necessary to evict Mr. Shevchenko, who lives exactly under Patriarch Kirill, at any cost?

But since Yuri Shevchenko is also a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, was it not possible to somehow resolve the issue in line with church subordination, without involving a secular court?

That is, to deprive him of his dignity and send him to a monastery? Any radical disciplinary measures?

No, why? Something like this: “Here’s an apartment in another place, let’s make an agreement.”

No, it’s not interesting to look at an apartment anywhere else. This apartment has a view of the Kremlin and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Therefore, the patriarch will not leave there for any reason.

Actually, I’m not talking about him, but about Mr. Shevchenko.

But Mr. Shevchenko has a more complicated situation. Yuri Shevchenko's priesthood is not as simple as that of other clerics. The fact is that the late Alexy II advised him to become a priest. Mr. Shevchenko graduated from the Tashkent Seminary while living in Moscow, and was ordained in Kyiv as part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Therefore, Shevchenko does not seem to be a cleric directly subordinate to Kirill.

And what will happen to him now?

Since the court ordered Shevchenko to vacate one of the two apartments that he owns in this building, plus pay compensation, it is possible that some kind of enforcement proceedings will soon follow, during which he will be forcibly evicted from there. It should be noted that in his absence and in the absence of his relatives, local authorities and law enforcement agencies already broke into his apartment once, which is a gross violation of the law. But the court did not take this into account. And as a result of this invasion, the fact of repairs was recorded, which was considered in court.

Let us add that the document distributed by the lawyers, with which they are going to go to the Supreme Court, states that the patriarch cannot possess such property. In particular, the document says: “the owner of the apartment, V. M. Gundyaev, who was not involved in the case, being His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' and at the same time a monk, according to the Charter of Basil the Great, in accordance with the 6th rule of the Double Council and the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church may not own any property."

It is believed that all the bishop's property belongs to the church. Any bishop, including the patriarch, when dying, cannot bequeath this property to any specific individuals. It all goes into the general church treasury. This is the canonical law. Therefore, the very fact that the patriarch owns such an apartment contradicts the canonical rules. But let me note once again that formally it is not the patriarch who is involved in the case, but Mrs. Leonova, whose status is not entirely clear.

The option with the sister was discussed above. Is there a more or less official explanation of who Lidia Leonova is related to monk Kirill? Except for the communal neighbor, of course.

Official historiography is silent about Mrs. Leonova. Therefore, its status is unclear to us: so we could at least refer to some official document. There is an unofficial historiography that dates back to the publication of the German magazine Stern around 1993-1994, where Metropolitan Kirill is described as an “exemplary family man.” And it is even stated that he has children. Below is our portal with a link to different sources- in particular, on Sergei Bychkov from Moskovsky Komsomolets, who conducted various investigations concerning the life of the future patriarch - for several years he wrote that this Mrs. Leonova is the daughter of a certain official from the Leningrad regional party committee. The future patriarch met her back in the early 70s, when he was a student at the Leningrad Theological Academy. And supposedly, ever since then, she has accompanied him everywhere - she lived in Smolensk, and now in Moscow. Therefore, the word “sister” should perhaps be understood in a spiritual sense, and not in a physiological one.

Vladimir Gundyaev is the first person in the post of Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' who owns this kind of property? Or did Kirill’s predecessors in office also differ in something similar?

Some predecessors were different, although Kirill’s property probably exceeds that of any other patriarch in the entire post-revolutionary period. Russian history. For example, Patriarch Alexy I did not have any personal property. He lived at a dacha in Peredelkino or in Odessa, or in Chisty Lane in general church premises, where he was simply provided with free housing. Patriarch Alexy II already had some personal property - for example, an apartment in the Golden Keys residential complex in the Matveevskoye district. In the 70s, at the request of the Council for Religious Affairs, the highest hierarchs were allocated apartments in a cooperative building near the Yugo-Zapadnaya metro station. But there was a cooperative form of ownership. Perhaps these apartments were privatized. For example, Metropolitan Yuvenaly still lives there - who once described in his official journal how on the staircase near his apartment some criminals with a knife attacked him and seriously injured him...

Alexy II had property in Switzerland. There is even a short film on Youtube about how he visits his cottage, his foreign residence. But it seems that Patriarch Kirill has much more such property. They say that he has houses in Switzerland, Spain, and somewhere else. All this is quite difficult to investigate. Some of the property is registered in the name of other persons. But this apartment in the House on the Embankment - in one of the most expensive buildings in Moscow - is officially registered in the name of Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyaev. So we can talk about her. It, of course, is significantly more expensive than the apartment that belonged to Alexy II. Kirill is not the founder of this tradition, but he achieved maximum heights acquisitions.

What does the congregation think about this? Riches are riches, but "House on the Embankment" is a bit of a show.

It is probably no secret to anyone that among his flock and ordinary clergy, Kirill evokes various painful emotions. Over the past 3 years, how many collective or private letters of protest, denunciations, and something else have appeared? Even before the elections of the patriarch, in 2008-2009, a lot was said about the fact that Kirill was too worldly, too political, that he did not fit in with the traditional benevolent image of the Russian patriarch. If you remember, during this campaign, Clement and Cyril, the two main candidates, were opposed on the principle of “prayer man and manager.” Kirill's supporters especially emphasized that he has unique administrative abilities, including the ability to raise money and invest it. This is exactly the kind of patriarch the church needs in this period such wild state capitalism.

For greater independence of the church?

Perhaps, yes, in order to bargain more or less equally with the authorities. Because Clement, being a non-covetous man and a man of prayer, would be forced to mechanically and stupidly carry out all the orders of the authorities. And Kirill, who has some kind of power of his own, including financial, can demand a more respectful attitude towards himself, so that the church is perceived as some kind of equal subject in political life, in economic life, etc. Indeed, the majority of the flock and clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate Kirill is not perceived as a traditional patriarch; he evokes a lot of negative emotions, and there is criticism within the church. But the vertical structure there is too rigid. It provides very little opportunity for effective criticism. There are no conciliar institutions like the church parliament, where there could be factions, criticism, and something else. There are no control or audit bodies. No normal operation church court. All this mute discontent cannot acquire any organized forms. Therefore, for now it remains somewhat suppressed and appears on the sly. When, over time, perhaps, the tools of some kind of competitive struggle within the church appear, then all this will spill out. But so far all this is in such a depressed state.

And even information about such an act of acquisitiveness is not able to change the situation, to upset the balance of this kind?

I wouldn't talk about balance. This is still a kind of forced depression. The energy of a very large protest force is accumulating in the Moscow Patriarchate. At the slightest weakening of the political bonds and guarantors that ensure the unity of the Moscow Patriarchate, all this power will spill out - in perhaps a very bright form. At least in Moscow, most clergy knew that the patriarch had this apartment and that he also owned a number of expensive real estate properties. This confuses some and causes a dull murmur, while others, on the contrary, see in this proof that Kirill is a truly effective manager, that he can acquire property and manage it: “if he did this for himself, then so will the church.” it may fall over." Let's take the program for the construction of 200 new churches in Moscow. After all, Moscow clergy are claiming that, thanks to these churches, they will occupy some new places and find a new flock. So, there is some overlap between the interests of the patriarch himself and part of the Moscow clergy.

However, with the departure of Yuri Luzhkov, they began to talk about this program much less.

Just the day before yesterday there was a meeting of the board of trustees. In fact, the program was taken over by Mr. Resin, Luzhkov’s closest assistant. We can say that through Vladimir Resin there was a certain translation of the situation that existed under Luzhkov into current realities. Resin, being officially a Judaist, became the patriarch's assistant on the construction of new temples. And he acts with his characteristic pressure and strength in order to obtain more and more new sites for this construction. True, this year construction will begin on only 11 sites, which can, of course, be considered somewhat of a defeat for Kirill. However, Resin guarantees that he will continue to push for new areas and seek their allocation...

But that’s not what we’re talking about now. And that among the Moscow clergy there is a layer that hopes to replenish their income after these churches appear - and therefore supports the efforts of the patriarch aimed at this. But the provincial clergy mostly complain. We hear groans from everywhere. Collective letters are coming to our editorial office saying that the rural clergy are subject to some kind of exorbitant church taxes, which, by the way, do not have a legal status: just unofficial extortions into the black treasury, a tax crime, in fact. However, the bishops mercilessly fire those who do not meet these financial requirements. The amounts increased significantly compared to what they paid before Patriarch Kirill. Therefore, Cyril’s position within the church is precarious. He holds on as long as his alliance with Vladimir Putin lasts. Putin is the guarantor of the inviolability of Kirill and his property. If something happened to Putin, of course, Kirill wouldn’t be able to resist either