The most popular names in the countries of the world. The most common female name is Seonan

The fortune of the Holy Father is estimated at $4 billion.

For me he is just Kirill

—You didn’t ask him why he became a monk?

— Kirill said that Metropolitan Nikodim, his teacher and mentor, pushed him to take this step. Since childhood, Kirill grew up as a believing boy. At school he refused to join the pioneers, and did not become a Komsomol member. Then fate brought him together with Nicodemus. He, in turn, advised him to enter the seminary. And then the mentor said: “If you want to achieve a high position, then you have to be a monk.”

—Have you managed to meet Metropolitan Nikodim?

— Yes, we met in Geneva. He came there as part of a delegation. Kirill warned him that I was a consul, but I was related to the special services. I was afraid of this meeting; I knew that Nicodemus hated organs. But, oddly enough, the first thing the Metropolitan said when they met was: “That’s it, Vadim Alekseevich, you are with us, with us!”
...
— Did Father Kirill always strive for power?

- Yes, and I didn’t hide it. But it's natural! If you are an officer, why not be a general!
...
Melnikov's wife Tamara Konstantinovna.

“He was actually kind, Kirill.” When my husband crashed his car, he gave him a thousand francs to repair it. [mid 1970s. K.Ru]. Moreover, when we tried to repay the debt, Kirill flatly refused! [...]

Irina Bobrova

The Russian Orthodox Church chooses its Patriarch from among former KGB agents

Geneva. 1975

[...] Materials from the KGB archives, studied in 1992 by a parliamentary commission headed by the dissident priest Fr. Gleb Yakunin, revealed that most of the church hierarchy was connected with the secret police.

Metropolitan Filaret, appointed Metropolitan of Minsk in 1978, was the head of the Department for External Church Relations in the eighties. In 1989, this powerful structure was headed by Metropolitan Kirill.

Clement, who graduated in 1974, made official visits to the United States and Canada in the eighties. The editor of the Paris edition of the Orthodox Press Service, Antoine Niviere, remembers him as “a man from the shadows, a man of the system.”

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. [...]

Metropolitan Kirill made a rapid career during the Soviet years. Already at the age of 22, while studying at the Leningrad Theological Academy and serving as secretary of the powerful Metropolitan Nikodim, Kirill began to regularly travel abroad. He took major positions in the leadership of the World Council of Churches, the Conference of European Churches, and peacekeeping organizations. Already at the age of 28 he was the rector of the Leningrad Academy, and at 30 he was the Archbishop of Vyborg.

At the beginning of 1992, a commission of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of Russia officially drew the attention of the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church to the “deep infiltration of intelligence agencies” into the Church, which “represents a serious danger to society and the state.” That same year, meeting with Moscow State University students, Kirill asserted: “The fact of a meeting between the clergy and KGB representatives is morally indifferent.” And indeed, this fact soon became “indifferent”, because the page called “Mikhailov” in Kirill’s biography was replaced by a page called “Tabachny”.

In 1996, DECR, through its Nika Foundation, under the guise of humanitarian aid (without customs duties), forced importers who paid duties out of 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.

Actually, the tobacco kings began the first campaign to expose what they considered an unscrupulous competitor. On nicotine, the media and gossips in the Church itself, Kirill made up the starting capital - several hundred million dollars, after which financial scandals poured on him as if 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 .

Belonging to the elite requires. In 2002, Metropolitan Kirill bought a penthouse in the House on the embankment overlooking the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This, by the way, is the only apartment in Moscow registered specifically in the name of the metropolitan by his secular surname Gundyaev, as there is a corresponding entry in the cadastral register. Information about the Metropolitan’s purchase of a villa in Switzerland also appeared in the media. At the same time, the Metropolitan took up active and in many ways unprecedented educational activities through television for a church hierarch: he hosts programs on various TV channels, appears daily in news releases, and is served by several news agencies and magazines.[...]

Andrey Ofitserov

Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad - Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate

Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyaev, better known as Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, was born in Leningrad on November 20, 1946.

Metropolitan Kirill's father was a Leningrad priest (ordained in 1947), but he also did not escape the fate of a prisoner and went through the Magadan camps. Mother - school teacher German language. Metropolitan Kirill recalls his childhood quite sparingly, but invariably in a pointedly positive and even moralizing manner. He says that from an early age he was sure that he too would have the opportunity to “sit for the faith”; on principle he did not join the Pioneers or the Komsomol, although he still did not become a dissident. Explaining this with his love for the Soviet country and people, Metropolitan Kirill believes that dissidence could destroy the unity of the people, which is why he never spoke out against the authorities. True, he immediately exclaims that “thank God that the Church is called to speak the truth - and in tsarist time, both in the Soviet era and today. And proclamation of the truth always requires courage, a certain readiness, if not to go to prison, then to be unpopular, unknown, disrespected,” which in the past, and especially in our time, does not pose a particular threat to the ruler.

In any case, when jokes and stories are told about a person, this is a sure sign of that special popularity that makes him a legend during his lifetime. Metropolitan Kirill did not escape such popularity. One of these anecdotes, which I heard even from the Metropolitan’s former mentors, is cited by journalist Natalya Babasyan in her article “The Star of Metropolitan Kirill.” It “in particular, tells about the churching of the future metropolitan and looks like this: “Vovka the cat-catcher is running along Nevsky, holding a cat in each hand and suddenly running into someone’s stomach. “Stop, boy,” a huge bearded person, who turns out to be Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov), ​​says in a deep voice, grabbing Vovka by the collar. - "Who are you?" “Vovka the cat-cutter,” he answers. - “What’s your last name?” - the metropolitan is interested. - "Gundyaev." - “Give up your cats, Vovka Gundyaev. From now on you will be a catcher of men.”

However, this sarcastic text, the author of which remains unknown, hardly has a factual background and it was most likely invented in order to express in a form understandable to a wide audience the tough style of work inherent in the metropolitan, “catching people.” The Metropolitan really doesn’t like cats (in various interviews he says that he has dogs that he walks every day), but it is unlikely that the priest’s son was “converted to the faith” by Metropolitan Nikodim. Most likely, the young man who grew up in a traditional church family did not experience any special moment of “conversion.” However, it is reliably known, from the words of Metropolitan Kirill himself, that Metropolitan Nikodim, who is considered the leader and ideologist of the “liberal wing” in the Russian Orthodox Church MP in the 1960s-70s, an active promoter of the ecumenical movement and rapprochement with Catholics, convinced young Volodya Gundyaev to stand on the path of priestly service. In the last grades of school, Vladimir became interested in physics and mathematics and decided to take Metropolitan Nikodim’s blessing to enter the university. However, the Metropolitan answered the young man quite categorically: “There are many good physicists in the USSR, but there are not enough good priests.” The call of Metropolitan Nikodim predetermined the future fate and lightning-fast career of Vladimir Gundyaev, who already at the age of 29 became a suffragan bishop for his “Abba”. True, recalling his childhood games, the chairman of the DECR MP says that he began to “serve” at the age of three, and by school age knew the sequences of individual services by heart.

However, already in school years the future chairman of the DECR MP was very confident in himself and could stand up for himself, even when teachers and the director tried to persuade him to renounce his faith: “I always won,” he recalls, “because in Soviet time our teachers were not ready for such debates [about religion], but I tried to be ready." However, some of those who knew him from an early age said that the boy was quite normal - that is, mischievous, and even received beatings from his parents for the cigarettes found on him.

According to the version of Metropolitan Kirill himself, as a 15-year-old teenager he left his parents’ home, entered evening school and got a job. According to another version, this happened because Volodya, who did not join the Komsomol and had a rather difficult relationship with teachers, was simply not accepted into the 9th grade, and he had to find a job. At the same time, he got the opportunity to get rid of the painful control of his parents and join in all the delights adult life. He gained experience in geological expeditions, in particular, within the structure of the North-Western Geological Department. Four years later, without getting into the Soviet army, Vladimir, under the patronage of Metropolitan Nikodim, was admitted to the Leningrad Theological Seminary, after which he graduated from the Academy.

According to the situation that existed in those years, young men who had already completed urgent training could enter the seminary. military service, which was then at least three years. Thus, Vladimir Gundyaev’s entry into the seminary at the age of 19, and even more so, a deferment or exemption from military service, except due to serious health problems or a criminal record, could only have taken place thanks to the special care of Metropolitan Nikodim. Already on April 3, 1969, Vladimir was tonsured a monk with the name Kirill, four days later he was ordained a hierodeacon, and a couple of months later - a hieromonk. Further, having graduated from the Leningrad Theological Academy in 1970, Hieromonk Kirill became a professorial fellow, teacher of dogmatic theology and assistant inspector. At the same time, he represented the Russian Orthodox Church MP in the international Orthodox youth organization Syndesmos, through which he began to travel abroad. He made his first trip abroad at the age of 23, visiting Prague in the retinue of Metropolitan Nikodim. The recruitment of Fr. also dates back to this time. Kirill by the Soviet intelligence services, in whose documents he goes under the operational intelligence pseudonym "Mikhailov".

Since August 30, 1970, Hieromonk Kirill has been listed as the personal secretary of Metropolitan Nikodim of Leningrad and Novgorod. On September 12, 1971, at the age of 24 (!), he became an archimandrite, and a little later - a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church MP at the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva. On December 26, 1974, at the age of 28, Archimandrite Kirill was appointed rector of the Leningrad Theological Academy and Seminary. In June next year heads the Diocesan Council of the Leningrad Metropolis, and since December 1975 has worked as a member of the Central Committee and the Executive Committee of the WCC. In the same 1975, the future metropolitan was a member of the “Faith and Order” commission of the WCC, and from March 3, 1976 - on the Synodal Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church MP on issues of Christian unity and inter-church relations.

Already a member of the Synodal Commission, on March 14, 1976, Archimandrite Kirill became Bishop of Vyborg, vicar of the Leningrad diocese, and a year later - Deputy Patriarchal Exarch Western Europe with his elevation to the rank of archbishop. Since 1978, Archbishop Kirill has governed the Patriarchal parishes in Finland and became deputy chairman of the Department for External Church Relations. Since 1983 he has been teaching in graduate school at the Moscow Academy of Arts, since December 26, 1984 - Archbishop of Smolensk and Vyazemsky, since 1988 - Archbishop of Smolensk and Kaliningrad. And finally, in 1989, replacing Metropolitan Filaret (Vakhromeev) in this position, he was appointed chairman of the DECR MP, a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church MP. In 1990, he also headed the Holy Synod commission for the revival of religious and moral education and charity and became a member of the Synodal Biblical Commission.

Metropolitan Kirill has been in his current rank since February 25, 1991 - he received this award from when he celebrated his namesake day for the first time in the patriarchal rank. Already a metropolitan, Kirill becomes co-chairman (since 1993) and deputy (since 1995) head of the World Russian People's Council- Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II.

Over the past 10-15 years, due to the growing political activity of the Moscow Patriarchate, the department of Metropolitan Kirill has acquired particular relevance, and the head of the OSCC is beginning to be called the “Minister of Foreign Affairs”, and sometimes even the “Prime Minister” of the Russian Church. It is the DECR that represents the ROC MP in the most representative secular Russian and international organizations and forums. Since 1994, Metropolitan Kirill has become honorary president of the World Conference on Religion and Peace and a member of the Synodal Theological Commission. From 1995 to 2000, he chaired the Synodal working group to develop the concept of the Russian Orthodox Church on issues of church-state relations and problems of modern society. This concept, later called “Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church,” was adopted in 2000 by the Anniversary Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church MP and reflects the “neoconservative” ideology of its main creator. For several years after the adoption of the “Fundamentals,” Metropolitan Kirill actively spoke in various cities of Russia and abroad, in scientific and university audiences, promoting the main ideas of this document.

In addition, Metropolitan Kirill is the author of several books and more than five thousand publications in the Russian and foreign press. TV presenter and honorary member of several foreign theological academies, full member of the Academy of Russian Literature and the Academy of Social Sciences and Humanities. Awarded the Order of St. equal to book Vladimir II degree, teacher. Sergius of Radonezh I and II degrees, St. blgv. book Daniel of Moscow, 1st degree, St. Innocent, Metropolitan Moscow and Kolomna, II degree, orders of other Local Orthodox Churches, state orders of “Friendship of Peoples”, “Friendship”, “For Services to the Fatherland” III degree, medals “50 years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”, “300 years Russian fleet", "In memory of the 850th anniversary of Moscow" and others.

Among the Metropolitan's hobbies there are also activities that are atypical for a hierarch and a monk: alpine skiing, water skiing, high-speed driving and a love of dogs.

This is the official part of the biography of this in many ways extraordinary hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church MP, who is considered in the church community as one of the possible heirs to the patriarchal throne in the Russian Orthodox Church MP.

However, journalistic stories about Metropolitan Kirill are not always limited to the facts of his official biography and quotes from his ceremonial speeches. In the mid-90s, most publications about Metropolitan Kirill were scandalous and “revelatory” in nature; at the beginning of the 3rd millennium, with the advent of the “Putin era,” the percentage of such publications decreased in direct proportion to the narrowing of the general space of freedom of speech in the Russian media as they returning to the “vertical of power”, to its propaganda pool. However, even today one can periodically come across new accusations and “revelations” of Metropolitan Kirill, mainly related to his commercial activities or interfaith contacts. We will not go into assessing the reliability of this information, nor will we reproduce each of the accusations in detail. We will limit ourselves to only a cursory and superficial review of them.

1. Private life. This side of the unofficial biography of Metropolitan Kirill is the least studied - fragmentary information about it appeared mainly in the foreign press and was almost never published in Russian. The Metropolitan himself, when talking about his hobbies, prefers to limit himself to the above list of hobbies, most of which are quite aristocratic in nature and require high level income. It is known, in particular, that, in order to satisfy his passion for alpine skiing, the DECR MP chairman stops at own home in Switzerland. There are suggestions that he has real estate in other countries, but in most cases it is not registered directly in the name of the metropolitan. In Moscow, by his own admission, the hierarch lives in a spacious apartment in one of the “Stalinist” high-rises, but often stays at the DECR dacha in Serebryany Bor - picturesque holiday village in the city.

A couple of times, vague hints about the “family” life of the DECR head were leaked to the press. At first one German magazine called it " an exemplary family man", then one Russian publication tried to suggest what is behind such rumors circulating in the church environment, including within the Department headed by Metropolitan Kirill. According to the Ogonyok version, we may be talking about Metropolitan Kirill’s long-standing acquaintance with Lydia Mikhailovna Leonova , the daughter of a cook of the Leningrad Regional Committee of the CPSU. “For 30 years now they have had the warmest relations,” said a magazine article. Currently, Lidia Mikhailovna lives in Smolensk and a number of commercial enterprises are registered at her home address.

At the same time, among Metropolitan Kirill’s ill-wishers in the Russian Orthodox Church MP and beyond, mainly representing radical conservative church movements, there is a widespread opinion that the head of the DECR MP is no coincidence patronizing church activists of “non-traditional orientation”, including former DECR employees, at the present time occupying various episcopal sees. But, despite the abundance of rumors about the “blue lobby” in the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church MP, practically not a single accusation this kind was not supported by documents and recorded in the court verdict. Many experts also find indirect signs of the existence of this phenomenon quite convincing - for example, the story of the recall from Paris of Bishop Gury (Shalimov), who was accused of “sexual harassment” by his own subdeacons (one of them now heads the unrecognized Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in the rank of metropolitan) and parishioners. Having listened to these accusations and punished the bishop, the DECR and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church MP gave grounds to speak about their justice and validity.

2. Commercial activities. Metropolitan Kirill's first attempts to do business through cooperatives subordinate to the Smolensk diocese took place back in the late 1980s, but they did not bring any significant income. The business of the DECR MP, which is not always possible to separate from the private business of Metropolitan Kirill, reached serious growth by 1994. Taking advantage of tax benefits provided for business structures established by religious organizations or devoting part of their profits to activities religious organizations, DECR MP acted as the founder commercial bank"Peresvet", the charitable foundation "Nika", JSC "International Economic Cooperation" (IEC), JSC "Free People's Television" (SNT) and a number of other structures. The Nika Foundation turned out to be a key link in the famous “tobacco scandal”, which the Metropolitan is still reminded of by his most irreconcilable opponents, who are trying to secure the nickname “Tabachny” for the chairman of the DECR MP. "Nika" carried out the bulk of wholesale sales of cigarettes imported into Russia by the DECR MP under the guise of humanitarian aid and therefore exempt from customs duties. The amount of tobacco products imported by Metropolitan Kirill’s structures amounted to billions of cigarettes, and the net profit amounted to hundreds of millions of US dollars. Having captured a significant part of the market, Metropolitan Kirill’s structures caused serious damage to the business of other tobacco importers, who were forced to pay customs duties and therefore could not compete on equal terms with church cigarette sellers. Most likely, it was the competitors who leaked information to the press about Metropolitan Kirill’s tobacco business, which became the subject of journalistic investigations in dozens of Russian and foreign publications, significantly damaging the reputation of the DECR MP chairman. However, despite the scandal, the turnover of the DECR MP tobacco business continued to grow: 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 domestic tobacco market. This scandal was given piquancy by the fact that traditionally in the church environment, especially Russian, smoking is condemned as a sin, and diseases caused by this bad habit, hundreds of thousands of people die in Russia every year. At the same time, every tenth smoked by Russians in 1994-96. the cigarette was brought into the country through the “humanitarian” corridor of the DECR MP. Direct “customs clearance” and the implementation of “humanitarian aid” were supervised by the deputy chairmen of the DECR MP (now the manager of the affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church MP, a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation) and Archpriest Vladimir Veriga, a kind of commercial director in the team of Metropolitan Kirill.

When the “tobacco scandal” burst into full force, Metropolitan Kirill tried to shift responsibility to the Russian government. In one of his interviews, he stated: “The people who were involved in this (that is, Metropolitan Kirill himself, Archbishop Clement and Archpriest Vladimir Veriga) did not know what to do: burn these cigarettes or send them back? We turned to the government, and they made a decision: to recognize this as a humanitarian cargo and provide the opportunity to implement it." Sources in the Russian government categorically denied this information, which is why Patriarch Alexy II had some difficulties in relations with the authorities. As a result, a Commission on Humanitarian Assistance was created under the Holy Synod, headed by the vicar of the Patriarch, Bishop Alexy (Frolov), and which was granted the exclusive right to contact the government on the subject of humanitarian assistance.

Another, even more profitable business with which Metropolitan Kirill was associated was the export of oil. The Metropolitan’s business partner, Bishop Victor (Pyankov), now living as a private individual in 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. MES petitions to the Russian government for exemption from duties on the next hundreds of thousands of tons of exported oil were often signed by the Patriarch himself, who thus took part in this business. The volume and extent of Metropolitan Kirill’s participation in the oil business is currently unknown, because such information in “Putin’s” Russia has ceased to be available to journalists. However, the voyages of Metropolitan Kirill’s business partners (for example, Bishop Feofan (Ashurkov)) to Iraq on the eve of the operation of the United States and its allies against the Hussein regime give some grounds for assumptions that this business has reached a broader international level than in the mid-90s .

In 2000, information appeared in the press about Metropolitan Kirill’s attempts to penetrate the market of marine biological resources (caviar, crabs, seafood) - the relevant government structures allocated quotas for catching Kamchatka crab and shrimp to the company established by the hierarch (JSC Region) (total volume - more than 4 thousand tons). The profit from this enterprise is estimated at 17 million dollars. Crab meat went mainly to the USA, since half of the company's shares belonged to American partners. Several years ago, in his interviews, Metropolitan Kirill spoke with an ironic grin about how his ill-wishers were so distraught that they even tried to accuse him of trying to destroy several valuable species of crab. It is difficult to disagree with the fact that, compared with financial income from other sources, profits from the crab trade look ridiculously low.

Journalists also found out that the Metropolitan, as the ruling bishop of the ROC MP diocese in the Kaliningrad region, participated in an automobile joint venture in Kaliningrad. In addition to the already mentioned Archbishop Clement and Archpriest Vladimir, the Metropolitan’s business team also includes other people: for example, a former KGB general who personally heads a number of affiliated commercial structures.

DECR MP is the founder of a number of media outlets, but these are predominantly small-circulation church publications. In the mid-90s, Metropolitan Kirill established Free People's Television, which laid claim to the 11th decimeter channel in Moscow, but never appeared on the air. With the participation of the head of the DECR MP, the “Orthodox Information Television Agency” was created, later transformed into the Russian Orthodox Church News Agency, which produces the “Word of the Shepherd” program on Channel One. The department of Metropolitan Kirill controls the main part official information The ROC MP through the DECR MP Communications Service, which regularly issues press releases and bulletins, accredits journalists for church events, arranges press conferences and interviews with Metropolitan Kirill, and maintains the most active of the official Internet sites of the ROC MP. The DECR MP chairman willingly participates in high-rated talk shows on popular TV channels and gives interviews to major Russian and foreign media.

3. Political activity Metropolitan Kirill can be conditionally divided into two parts: church-political (relations with other Churches and personnel policy within the Russian Orthodox Church MP) and secular political (contacts with senior Russian officials, influence on the country's political leaders). Both successes and failures can be identified in both areas.

The main achievements of Metropolitan Kirill in the field of church politics can be considered the “reunification” with the ROCOR(L) on the terms formulated by the DECR MP, the rapid growth in the number of parishes of the ROC MP in foreign countries, including the exotic DPRK, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates , South Africa, Iceland, etc., preventing the transfer of most parishes of the Diocese of Sourozh (Great Britain) to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and curbing the growth of the Russian Exarchate of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the relative stabilization of relations of the Russian Orthodox Church MP with the Vatican after the death of Pope John Paul II. A definite success for Metropolitan Kirill is the preservation of the membership of the ROC MP in the World Council of Churches, from which the ROCOR(L) and some conservative bishops in the ROC MP itself insisted on leaving three or four years ago. This membership is important both in terms of maintaining the general geopolitical positions of the ROC MP, and from a purely practical point of view - the main part of humanitarian programs to support the ROC MP from abroad is carried out through the WCC. Of course, the main direction of the foreign policy of the Russian Orthodox Church MP under Metropolitan Kirill is the struggle with the “pro-American” Patriarchate of Constantinople for leadership in the Orthodox world, where Moscow’s position began to weaken after the collapse of the socialist bloc (within the boundaries of which 8 local Orthodox Churches operated) and after a large-scale church schism in Ukraine. It can be admitted that the Russian Orthodox Church MP still has a tactical advantage in this competition, but the strategic positions look more preferable to Constantinople. The latter won a number of small but symbolically important victories during Metropolitan Kirill’s leadership of external relations of the Moscow Patriarchate: recognition of two “parallel” jurisdictions in Estonia (due to a dispute over jurisdiction over parishes in this country, Moscow and Constantinople even broke canonical communion in 1996) , the acceptance into the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the “fugitive” bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church MP Vasily (Osborne) together with a group of parishes in Great Britain, the beginning of recognition of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church through the acceptance of the hierarchy of this Church in the diaspora into the jurisdiction of Constantinople. Obviously, Ukraine will become the main field for the struggle between the two patriarchates in the coming years, since jurisdiction over this country provides one or the other patriarchate with numerical leadership in the Orthodox world.

Within the ROC MP, Metropolitan Kirill has significantly strengthened his position over the past four years. Firstly, the role played in church life by its Department, the most organized and professional division of the Russian Orthodox Church MP, continues to grow. The department oversees all contacts of the Russian Orthodox Church MP with the outside (for the Church) world: political, economic, cultural. Secondly, in the top leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church MP, a “personnel revolution” occurred in 2003, against the backdrop of the Patriarch’s long-term serious illness, which significantly strengthened the position of Metropolitan Kirill. The influential metropolitans Sergius and Methodius, who were considered fairly equal competitors of Metropolitan Kirill in the struggle for the patriarchal throne, were removed from their posts. The manager of the affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church MP was the former first deputy of Metropolitan Kirill, Metropolitan Kliment (Kapalin), who, however, took a relatively independent position in his new position. Along with improving the image of Metropolitan Kirill within the Russian Orthodox Church MP due to the radicalization of his conservative rhetoric, these factors make him the most likely candidate for Patriarchate if the need arises to elect a new Primate of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The contacts of the head of the DECR MP with the highest authorities in Russia are of a twofold nature: on the one hand, they support the business of the “church oligarch”, and on the other hand, they ideologically support officials, supply them with concepts that serve the policy of “conservative synthesis” and imperial revenge in modern Russia. A striking example of the latter function of these contacts is the popularization among senior officials of the “Fundamentals of the Social Concept” of the Russian Orthodox Church MP, developed under the leadership of the Metropolitan. As the Russian Constitution turns into a decorative declaration, clearly unconstitutional statements by the DECR MP chairman, such as this, become increasingly popular: “We must completely forget this common term: “multi-confessional country.” Russia is an Orthodox country with national and religious minorities.” Although, when excessive interfaith and interethnic tension arises in Russia, Metropolitan Kirill willingly softens such formulations. Supporting radical church-social movements (such as the “Union of Orthodox Citizens” or the “Eurasian Movement”), the head of the DECR MP often makes very radical calls: to restitute church property, introduce the study of Orthodoxy in secular schools, the institution of military clergy, church tax, etc. .P. Often, Metropolitan Kirill’s ideas are formulated or voiced by his deputy in charge of public relations, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin.

The Chairman of the DECR MP has considerable political ambitions - at his insistence, a provision on the possibility of civil disobedience of Orthodox Christians to the authorities was included in the “Fundamentals of the Social Concept”, Orthodox concepts of human rights and economic activity were developed, and the Metropolitan recently admitted that he was thinking about running for office President of the Russian Federation in 1996. However, in the fall of 2005, observers noted some cooling in relations between Metropolitan Kirill and the Kremlin, which was most clearly expressed in the refusal to include him in the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation. However, in recent months these relations have normalized and even intensified.

At the Local Council held in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad was elected 16th Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Here are a few touches to his portrait.

The future Patriarch spoke about his grandfather like this: “My grandfather was a wonderful person. He went through 47 prisons and 7 exiles, lived in prison for almost 30 years and was one of the first Solovki residents. He worked as a driver on the Kazan-direction railway, and was imprisoned only because that he fought against renovationism, which at one time was inspired by the Cheka, and then by the NKVD to destroy the Church.

He and his grandmother had a very interesting fate. After all, when my grandfather was imprisoned, my grandmother remained free. And when he was imprisoned for the second time, and this was in the 30s, when famine was raging in the country, she said: that’s it, now we will die. And they had eight children: seven natural and one adopted daughter. And the grandfather said: since I will, as it were, bear the cross for Christ, you will remain alive. Then my grandmother said that at some point she realized: that’s it, life is over, because there was only a small handful of flour left for everyone. She made some flat cakes from this flour, they ate them, and tomorrow there was nothing to eat. And then at night there was a knock on the window. The grandmother jumps up, and a voice comes from the street: mistress, take the load. I opened the door - there was a bag full of flour, and there was no one around. This bag of flour saved my father and gave me the opportunity to be born."

His father worked as the chief mechanic of a defense enterprise in Leningrad; before the war he was repressed, sat in Kolyma, then built fortifications during the defense of Leningrad. During the war, he was a military representative at the Gorky plant and received T-34 tanks before they were sent to the front.

He received the church name Kirill in 1969, when he was tonsured a monk by Metropolitan Nikodim of Leningrad. Volodya began to “serve” at the age of three and by the age of six or seven he could recite a prayer service or a memorial service by heart. Once, as a child, he accidentally entered the royal gates of the temple, walked along the altar and came out. Mom took him by the hand and led him to the rector of the temple. The priest looked at the frightened mother, smiled and said: “Nothing, he will be a bishop.”

At school, Volodya was one of the best in his class. In the 60s they wrote about him in the newspapers: where should the school look when there is a boy in Leningrad who gets straight A's and believes in God? According to the future Patriarch, it was a difficult time: “I went to school as if I were going to Golgotha.”

He loves to read, he has gotten used to it since childhood. He recalls that it was easier for him, the son of a priest: in the house there was a large collection of works on theology and history, including works by Russian philosophers, most of which became available to a wide range of readers only in last years.

From an early age, the future Patriarch was fond of skiing. I learned to ride in Krasnoe Selo on Voronya Mountain, from which the Germans shelled Leningrad. Later I descended from Mont Blanc. He once explained to journalists who were wondering how church activities and sports could be connected: “Spiritual training, which is given to us by asceticism, fasting, prayer and physical training, which is impossible without volitional efforts, together provide a very important result - the education of the human personality.” .

And more about his hobby: “What does a person usually do when he sees an abyss in front of him? Natural reaction ordinary person- back. Self-preservation reaction. Instinct. And the skier is always forward. And the steeper, the more “forward”. This means going towards danger consciously, in defiance of instincts, in defiance of human weakness."

He also loves to hike and swim. On vacation, every day he swims several kilometers without stopping, and walks the same amount. Unlike the fashion for Labradors (it appeared in the VIP environment after Putin got a Labrador), it contains shepherd dogs. In the evening, upon arriving home, he puts on sports suit and walks his dogs: “For the whole day they sit at home and rush out on the street so much that I can barely keep up with them. I’ll run about five hundred meters after them, then I’ll pull them to me and walk the same distance. So every evening I walk and run about five kilometers- six".

Love for animals is selective. He is attached to dogs, but is completely indifferent to cats.

A Boeing 737-300 flies in Kaliningrad, named after his name: Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad. The plane operates regular flights to Europe, and now it will have to be slightly renamed.

Being a metropolitan, he shocked many with his statement that he saw no reason to fight the desire of some rock musicians to use the theme of Orthodoxy in their work. And he even promised to support modern rock culture, making the reservation: “If we see that it contributes to the moral growth of the individual.” He believes that rock musicians at a concert often “say a few phrases about Orthodoxy, which make a greater impression on young people than a long sermon in church.”

At the same time, I myself never attended rock concerts: “I never heard Kinchev and Shevchuk do this, but I met with them, and the discussion was very interesting, communication with them made a good impression on me. Both of them are sincere people, Orthodox.” .

He advocates for the right to religious education in school. He calls opponents’ objections about the multinationality and multireligiousness of Russia “horror stories” and believes that it is impossible to prohibit the absolute majority of the people from studying the foundations of their religious culture. At the same time, according to Kirill, the Fundamentals of Orthodox culture should not be imposed on everyone without options. There should be an alternative: “If there are Muslims in the class, Basics of Islamic Culture can be taught to them.”

Condemns civil marriages and opposes explicit TV shows. At the same time, he allows women to appear in the temple with their heads uncovered. When asked why women should wear a headscarf in church, he told a story from his life.

“Whether or not to wear a headdress is a matter of our national Orthodox culture and tradition. If you go to church every Sunday, you won’t even notice how you start putting on a headscarf. Like, say, Muslim women do. I remember when I served in Tehran , in our church. I looked, there were women standing in floor-length clothes, in headscarves, quiet, modest, like angels. I was serving, I was in such a blessed mood. It turned out that they were the wives of our diplomats. And in the evening I was invited to a reception. And there I saw the same women, but in a completely different form: so fashionable and elegant that it is impossible to imagine. And just like that there were such modest women in headscarves. Why is a headscarf needed in a church? Because the thoughts of people in a church should be focused on prayer. The appearance of a beautiful women naturally attracts attention - and distracts from worship."

An incident from the life of the elected Patriarch

And after a short time, maybe two or three weeks, another embassy employee, who also occupied a very high position, came to me and asked me to do the same. And he also warned that he was taking a lot of risks. And then he asked me to make sure that the one I married before him never knew about it. Because, from his point of view, this was the most dangerous person who could harm him. And then I thought: Lord, we live in the Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors! Two Orthodox Christians who might have been close friends are separated by ideological fears and prejudices.

Hypocrisy is a sin. And the Lord will punish such people. But if this is some timid, still poorly understood, but still real movement towards God, then thank God! The Church should not condemn anyone. She should open the door to temples for everyone and help everyone stay in this temple.

church in the USSR and Russia

1988 2008

76 dioceses 157 dioceses

74 bishops 203 bishops

6893 parishes 29,263 parishes

6,674 priests 27,216 priests

723 deacons 3454 deacons

The Pope has already renounced the cross,
and Patriarch Kirill improved it!

Earlier we already noticed the strange gesture of Pope Francis... who replaced his Cross with Jesus... with a certain shepherd of the Flock (cattle?)

http://cont.ws/post/212570

However, an equally “strange” fact from the biography of Patriarch Kirill became known - it turns out that he Mom had a maiden name Vekselman! And this means that our patriarch is from the Russian Orthodox Church... - halakhic Jew (!) Well, this then explains a lot (his servile “meeting” with Pope Francis, in particular!)... as well as the “improved” cross on the Head of the Patriarch, as well as the lack of general education and a MORE THAN STRANGE attraction to ecumenism.

Quote: “... Let us at least remember the speech on September 21, 2010 by Metropolitan Kirill - Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyaev, who publicly called the Slavs beasts. And this becomes understandable and explainable if you know the maiden name of Kirill’s mother - Vekselman. Everything comes primarily from the human gene pool. If a person is half-animal by nature, he will behave accordingly...”

http://cont.ws/post/215239

Vladimir Gundyaev - Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church (Stages of the Great Path!)

1) BEFORE you start your church activities graduated from eight grades of high school. He also tried himself in geology - from 1962 he worked as a cartographic technician in the Leningrad Geological Expedition. Three years later fruitful work entered the theological seminary, and upon graduation - the theological academy of the city of Leningrad.

In 1969, Vladimir was tonsured a monk and named Kirill. A year later, he graduated from the academy with honors, having a candidate's degree in theology. In 1971, Hieromonk Kirill was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. A great achievement of his path was the appointment of Kirill as the representative of the Moscow Patriarch in Geneva, where the World Council churches. (more than a strange and dizzying career in 2 years from a simple monk to an archimandrite!!!)

One of the first scandals that arose with the mention of the name of Metropolitan Kirill was the case of the use of tax breaks on the import of alcohol and tobacco products in the early 90s. Novaya Gazeta 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 Russian Federation 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 provocation did not bring any results.

In 2012, a new scandal arose with the name of Patriarch Kirill related to the apartment he owned. His second cousin, registered with the Patriarch, sued her neighbor because, according to her, construction dust from his apartment contained harmful substances and was hazardous to health. The total amount of damage was about 20 million rubles. The Patriarch himself, in response to thorny questions about the vow of non-covetousness replied that he personally had nothing to do with his sister’s lawsuit. He considers all the noise raised on this issue aimed at undermining his authority and humiliating the Russian Orthodox Church as a whole.

Hermogenes(in the world Ermolai) (1530-1612) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. The patriarchate of St. Hermogenes coincided with the difficult times of the Time of Troubles. With special inspiration, His Holiness the Patriarch opposed the traitors and enemies of the Fatherland who wanted to enslave the Russian people, introduce Uniateism and Catholicism in Russia, and eradicate Orthodoxy.
Muscovites, under the leadership of Kozma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, raised an uprising, in response to which the Poles set fire to the city and took refuge in the Kremlin. Together with the Russian traitors, they forcibly removed the holy Patriarch Hermogenes from the Patriarchal Throne and took him into custody in the Miracle Monastery.” Patriarch Hermogenes blessed the Russian people for their liberation feat.
Saint Hermogenes languished in severe captivity for more than nine months. On February 17, 1612, he died a martyr from hunger and thirst. The liberation of Russia, for which Saint Hermogenes stood with such indestructible courage, was successfully completed by the Russian people through his intercession.
The body of the Holy Martyr Hermogenes was buried with due honor in the Chudov Monastery. The holiness of the Patriarchal feat, as well as his personality as a whole, was illuminated from above later - during the opening in 1652 of the shrine containing the relics of the saint. 40 years after his death, Patriarch Hermogenes lay as if alive.
With the blessing of Saint Hermogenes, the service to the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was translated from Greek into Russian and the celebration of his memory was restored in the Assumption Cathedral. Under the supervision of the High Hierarch, new presses were made for printing liturgical books and a new printing house was built, which was damaged during the fire of 1611, when Moscow was set on fire by the Poles.
In 1913, the Russian Orthodox Church glorified Patriarch Hermogenes as a saint. His memory is celebrated on May 12/25 and February 17/March 1.

Filaret(Romanov Fedor Nikitich) (1554-1633) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', father of the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty. Under Tsar Theodore Ioannovich, a noble boyar, under Boris Godunov he fell into disgrace, was exiled to a monastery and tonsured a monk. In 1611, while on an embassy in Poland, he was captured. In 1619 he returned to Russia and until his death he was the de facto ruler of the country under his sick son, Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich.

Joasaph I- Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, notifying the four Ecumenical Patriarchs of the death of his father, also wrote that “Pskov Archbishop Joasaph, a prudent, truthful, reverent man and taught all virtue, was elected and installed Patriarch of the Great Russian Church as Patriarch.” Patriarch Joasaph I was elevated to the chair of the Moscow Patriarch by with the blessing of Patriarch Filaret, who himself designated a successor.
He continued the publishing works of his predecessors, doing a great job of collating and correcting liturgical books. During the relatively short reign of Patriarch Joasaph, 3 monasteries were founded and 5 previous ones were restored.

Joseph- Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Strict adherence to church statutes and laws became a characteristic feature of the ministry of Patriarch Joseph. In 1646, before the onset of Lent, Patriarch Joseph sent out a district order to the entire clergy and all Orthodox Christians to observe the upcoming fast in purity. This district message of Patriarch Joseph, as well as the tsar’s decree of 1647 banning work on Sundays and holidays and limiting trade on these days, contributed to the strengthening of faith among the people.
Patriarch Joseph paid great attention to the cause of spiritual enlightenment. With his blessing, a theological school was founded in Moscow at the St. Andrew's Monastery in 1648. Under Patriarch Joseph, as well as under his predecessors, liturgical and church teaching books were published throughout Russia. In total, under Patriarch Joseph, over 10 years, 36 book titles were published, of which 14 had not been published previously in Rus'. During the years of Patriarchate Joseph, the relics of the holy saints of God were repeatedly discovered and miraculous icons were glorified.
The name of Patriarch Joseph will forever remain on the tablets of history due to the fact that it was this archpastor who managed to take the first steps towards the reunification of Ukraine (Little Russia) with Russia, although the reunification itself took place in 1654 after the death of Joseph under Patriarch Nikon.

Nikon(in the world Nikita Minich Minin) (1605-1681) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' since 1652. The Patriarchate of Nikon constituted an entire era in the history of the Russian Church. Like Patriarch Philaret, he had the title of “Great Sovereign,” which he received in the first years of his Patriarchate due to the special favor of the Tsar towards him. He took part in solving almost all national affairs. In particular, with the active assistance of Patriarch Nikon, the historical reunification of Ukraine with Russia took place in 1654. The lands of Kievan Rus, once seized by Polish-Lithuanian magnates, became part of the Moscow state. This soon led to the return of the original Orthodox dioceses of Southwestern Rus' to the bosom of the Mother - the Russian Church. Soon Belarus was reunited with Russia. To the title of Patriarch of Moscow " Great Sovereign» the name “Patriarch of All Great and Small and White Russia” was added.
But Patriarch Nikon showed himself to be especially zealous as a church reformer. In addition to streamlining the divine service, he replaced the two-fingered sign with the three-fingered one during the sign of the cross, and corrected the liturgical books according to Greek models, which is his immortal, great service to the Russian Church. However, the church reforms of Patriarch Nikon gave rise to the Old Believer schism, the consequences of which darkened the life of the Russian Church for several centuries.
The high priest encouraged church construction in every possible way; he himself was one of the best architects of his time. Under Patriarch Nikon, the richest monasteries of Orthodox Rus' were built: Resurrection Monastery near Moscow, called the “New Jerusalem”, Iversky Svyatoozersky in Valdai and Krestny Kiyostrovsky in Onega Bay. But Patriarch Nikon considered the main foundation of the earthly Church to be the height of the personal life of the clergy and monasticism. Throughout his life, Patriarch Nikon never ceased to strive for knowledge and learn something. He collected a rich library. Patriarch Nikon studied Greek, studied medicine, painted icons, mastered the skill of making tiles... Patriarch Nikon strove to create Holy Rus' - a new Israel. Preserving a living, creative Orthodoxy, he wanted to create an enlightened Orthodox culture and learned it from the Orthodox East. But some of the measures carried out by Patriarch Nikon infringed on the interests of the boyars and they slandered the Patriarch before the Tsar. By the decision of the Council, he was deprived of the Patriarchate and sent to prison: first to Ferapontov, and then, in 1676, to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. At the same time, however, the church reforms he carried out were not only not canceled, but received approval.
The deposed Patriarch Nikon remained in exile for 15 years. Before his death, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich asked Patriarch Nikon for forgiveness in his will. The new Tsar Theodore Alekseevich decided to return Patriarch Nikon to his rank and asked him to return to the Resurrection Monastery he founded. On the way to this monastery, Patriarch Nikon peacefully departed to the Lord, surrounded by manifestations great love people and their students. Patriarch Nikon was buried with due honors in the Resurrection Cathedral of the New Jerusalem Monastery. In September 1682, letters from all four Eastern Patriarchs were delivered to Moscow, releasing Nikon from all punishments and restoring him to the rank of Patriarch of All Rus'.

Joasaph II- Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. The Great Moscow Council of 1666-1667, which condemned and deposed Patriarch Nikon and anathematized the Old Believers as heretics, elected a new Primate of the Russian Church. Archimandrite Joasaph of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra became the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.
Patriarch Joasaph paid very significant attention to missionary activity, especially on the outskirts Russian state, which were just beginning to develop: in the Far North and in Eastern Siberia, especially in Transbaikalia and the Amur basin, along the border with China. In particular, with the blessing of Joasaph II, the Spassky Monastery was founded near the Chinese border in 1671.
The great merit of Patriarch Joasaph in the field of healing and intensifying the pastoral activity of the Russian clergy should be recognized as the decisive actions he took aimed at restoring the tradition of delivering a sermon during the service, which by that time had almost died out in Rus'.
During the patriarchate of Joasaph II, extensive book publishing activities continued in the Russian Church. During the short period of the primacy of Patriarch Joasaph, not only numerous liturgical books were printed, but also many publications of doctrinal content. Already in 1667, “The Tale of the Conciliar Acts” and “The Rod of Government,” written by Simeon of Polotsk to expose the Old Believer schism, were published, then the “Big Catechism” and “Small Catechism” were published.

Pitirim- Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Patriarch Pitirim accepted the rank of Primate already at a very old age and ruled the Russian Church for only about 10 months, until his death in 1673. He was a close associate of Patriarch Nikon and after his deposition became one of the contenders for the Throne, but he was elected only after the death of Patriarch Joasaph II.
On July 7, 1672, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, Metropolitan Pitirim of Novgorod was elevated to the Patriarchal Throne; already very ill, Metropolitan Joachim was called to administrative affairs.
After a ten-month, unremarkable patriarchate, he died on April 19, 1673.

Joachim(Savelov-First Ivan Petrovich) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Due to the illness of Patriarch Pitirim, Metropolitan Joachim was involved in the affairs of the Patriarchal administration, and on July 26, 1674 he was elevated to the Primate See.
His efforts were aimed at fighting against foreign influence on Russian society.
The High Hierarch was distinguished by his zeal for strict fulfillment church canons. He revised the rites of the liturgy of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, and eliminated some inconsistencies in liturgical practice. In addition, Patriarch Joachim corrected and published the Typikon, which is still used in the Russian Orthodox Church almost unchanged.
In 1678, Patriarch Joachim expanded the number of almshouses in Moscow, supported by church funds.
With the blessing of Patriarch Joachim, a theological school was founded in Moscow, which laid the foundation for the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, which in 1814 was transformed into the Moscow Theological Academy.
In area government controlled Patriarch Joachim also showed himself to be an energetic and consistent politician, actively supporting Peter I after the death of Tsar Theodore Alekseevich.

Adrian(in the world? Andrey) (1627-1700) – Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' since 1690. On August 24, 1690, Metropolitan Adrian was elevated to the All-Russian Patriarchal Throne. In his speech during the enthronement, Patriarch Adrian called on the Orthodox to keep the canons intact, maintain peace, and protect the Church from heresies. In the “District Message” and “Admonition” to the flock, consisting of 24 points, Patriarch Adrian gave spiritually useful instructions to each of the classes. He did not like barber shaving, smoking, the abolition of Russian national clothes and other similar everyday innovations of Peter I. The useful and truly important undertakings of the Tsar, aimed at the good dispensation of the Fatherland (building a fleet, military and socio-economic transformations), were understood and supported by Patriarch Adrian.

Stefan Jaworski(Yavorsky Simeon Ivanovich) - Metropolitan of Ryazan and Murom, patriarchal locum tenens of the Moscow throne.
He studied at the famous Kiev-Mohyla Collegium, the center of southern Russian education at that time. In which he studied until 1684. To enter the Jesuit school, Yavorsky, like his other contemporaries, converted to Catholicism. In southwest Russia this was commonplace.
Stefan studied philosophy in Lviv and Lublin, and then theology in Vilna and Poznan. In Polish schools he became thoroughly acquainted with Catholic theology and acquired a hostile attitude towards Protestantism.
In 1689, Stefan returned to Kyiv, repented of his renunciation of the Orthodox Church and was accepted back into its fold.
In the same year he became a monk and underwent monastic obedience at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.
At the Kyiv College he worked his way up from a teacher to a professor of theology.
Stefan became a famous preacher and in 1697 was appointed abbot of the St. Nicholas Desert Monastery, which was then located outside of Kyiv.
After a sermon delivered on the occasion of the death of the royal governor A.S. Shein, which was noted by Peter I, he was ordained a bishop and appointed Metropolitan of Ryazan and Murom.
On December 16, 1701, after the death of Patriarch Adrian, by order of the Tsar, Stefan was appointed locum tenens of the patriarchal throne.
Stephen's church and administrative activities were insignificant; the power of the locum tenens, compared with the patriarch, was limited by Peter I. In spiritual matters, in most cases, Stephen had to confer with the council of bishops.
Peter I kept him with him until his death, carrying out under his sometimes forced blessing all the reforms that were unpleasant for Stephen. Metropolitan Stephen did not have the strength to openly break with the tsar, and at the same time he could not come to terms with what was happening.
In 1718, during the trial of Tsarevich Alexei, Tsar Peter I ordered Metropolitan Stephen to come to St. Petersburg and did not allow him to leave until his death, thereby depriving him of even that insignificant power that he partially enjoyed.
In 1721 the Synod was opened. The Tsar appointed Metropolitan Stefan as President of the Synod, who was least sympathetic to this institution than anyone else. Stefan refused to sign the protocols of the Synod, did not attend its meetings and had no influence on synodal affairs. The Tsar, obviously, kept him only in order, using his name, to give a certain sanction to the new institution. During his entire stay in the Synod, Metropolitan Stephen was under investigation for political matters as a result of constant slander against him.
Metropolitan Stefan died on November 27, 1722 in Moscow, on Lubyanka, in the Ryazan courtyard. On the same day, his body was taken to the Trinity Church at the Ryazan courtyard, where it stood until December 19, that is, until the arrival of Emperor Peter I and members of the Holy Synod in Moscow. On December 20, the funeral service for Metropolitan Stephen took place in the Church of the Assumption of the Most Pure Mother of God, called Grebnevskaya.

Tikhon(Belavin Vasily Ivanovich) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. In 1917, the All-Russian Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church restored the Patriarchate. The most important event in the history of the Russian Church took place: after two centuries of forced headlessness, it again found its Primate and High Hierarch.
Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow and Kolomna (1865-1925) was elected to the Patriarchal Throne.
Patriarch Tikhon was a true defender of Orthodoxy. Despite all his gentleness, goodwill and good nature, he became unshakably firm and unyielding in church affairs, where necessary, and above all in protecting the Church from her enemies. The true Orthodoxy and strength of character of Patriarch Tikhon came to light especially clearly during the time of the “renovationism” schism. He stood as an insurmountable obstacle in the way of the Bolsheviks before their plans to decompose the Church from within.
His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon took the most important steps towards normalizing relations with the state. The messages of Patriarch Tikhon proclaim: “The Russian Orthodox Church... must and will be One Catholic Apostolic Church, and all attempts, no matter from whose side they come, to plunge the Church into a political struggle must be rejected and condemned" (from the Appeal of July 1, 1923)
Patriarch Tikhon aroused the hatred of representatives of the new government, who constantly persecuted him. He was either imprisoned or kept under “house arrest” in the Moscow Donskoy Monastery. The life of His Holiness was always under threat: an attempt was made on his life three times, but he fearlessly went to perform divine services in various temples Moscow and beyond. The entire Patriarchate of His Holiness Tikhon was a continuous feat of martyrdom. When the authorities made him an offer to go abroad for permanent residence, Patriarch Tikhon said: “I will not go anywhere, I will suffer here along with all the people and fulfill my duty to the limit set by God.” All these years he actually lived in prison and died in struggle and sorrow. His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon died on March 25, 1925, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, and was buried in the Moscow Donskoy Monastery.

Peter(Polyansky, in the world Pyotr Fedorovich Polyansky) - bishop, Metropolitan of Krutitsy, patriarchal locum tenens from 1925 until the false report of his death (late 1936).
According to the will of Patriarch Tikhon, Metropolitans Kirill, Agafangel or Peter were to become locum tenens. Since Metropolitans Kirill and Agathangel were in exile, Metropolitan Peter of Krutitsky became the locum tenens. As a locum tenens he provided great help prisoners and exiles, especially clergy. Vladyka Peter resolutely opposed renewal. He refused to make a call for loyalty to the Soviet regime. Endless prisons and concentration camps began. During interrogation in December 1925, he stated that the Church could not approve of the revolution: “The social revolution is built on blood and fratricide, which the Church cannot recognize.”
He refused to relinquish the title of patriarchal locum tenens, despite threats to extend his prison sentence. In 1931, he rejected the offer of the security officer Tuchkov to sign an agreement to cooperate with the authorities as an informant.
At the end of 1936, the Patriarchate received false information about the death of Patriarchal Locum Tenens Peter, as a result of which on December 27, 1936, Metropolitan Sergius assumed the title of Patriarchal Locum Tenens. In 1937, a new criminal case was opened against Metropolitan Peter. On October 2, 1937, the NKVD troika in the Chelyabinsk region sentenced him to death. On October 10 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon he was shot. The burial place remains unknown. Glorified as New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia by the Council of Bishops in 1997.

Sergius(in the world Ivan Nikolaevich Stragorodsky) (1867-1944) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Famous theologian and spiritual writer. Bishop since 1901. After the death of the holy Patriarch Tikhon, he became the patriarchal locum tenens, that is, the actual primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1927, during a difficult time both for the Church and for the entire people, he addressed the clergy and laity with a message in which he called on the Orthodox to be loyal to the Soviet regime. This message caused mixed assessments both in Russia and among emigrants. In 1943, at the turning point of the Great Patriotic War, the government decided to restore the patriarchate, and at the Local Council Sergius was elected Patriarch. He took an active patriotic position, called on all Orthodox Christians to tirelessly pray for victory, and organized a fundraiser to help the army.

Alexy I(Simansky Sergey Vladimirovich) (1877-1970) – Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Born in Moscow, graduated from the Faculty of Law of Moscow University and the Moscow Theological Academy. Bishop since 1913, during the Great Patriotic War he served in Leningrad, and in 1945 he was elected Patriarch at the Local Council.

Pimen(Izvekov Sergey Mikhailovich) (1910-1990) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' since 1971. Participant of the Great Patriotic War. He was persecuted for professing the Orthodox faith. He was imprisoned twice (before the war and after the war). Bishop since 1957. He was buried in the crypt (underground chapel) of the Assumption Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.

Alexy II(Ridiger Alexey Mikhailovich) (1929-2008) – Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Graduated from the Leningrad Theological Academy. Bishop since 1961, since 1986 - Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod, in 1990 elected Patriarch at the Local Council. Honorary member of many foreign theological academies.

Kirill(Gundyaev Vladimir Mikhailovich) (born 1946) – Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Graduated from the Leningrad Theological Academy. In 1974 he was appointed rector of the Leningrad Theological Academy and Seminary. Bishop since 1976. In 1991 he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan. In January 2009, he was elected Patriarch at the Local Council.

In recent years, girls around the world have most often been given the name Sofia. But just recently, 10-20 years ago, this name was not even in the top ten most popular. According to scientists, the reason is that this name is quite easily given to speakers of different cultures and languages. It is most often found in Mexico, Italy and Russia. In the United States, Sofia is the third most popular name; in another 20 countries it is in second or third place. Name Sofia ancient Greek origin, means "wisdom, wisdom, wise."

Anna

According to the most conservative estimates, there are 100 million girls in the world whose name is Anna. This name is found in almost all languages ​​and cultures; it hardly changes its form, it only acquires new elements - Ann, Hannah, Asya, Neta, Anita. Anna - biblical name, translated from Hebrew as “favor, favor, favor.” The Bible also contains male version name - Hanan.

Jack

The name Jack comes from the Old English name "Junkin", which means "God is gracious". It may also be similar to the French name Jacques, which is a derived form of the name Jacob. The female version of the name Jackie is also quite common.

Maria

The name Mary comes from the Hebrew name Miriam, which translates to “bitterness.” For Orthodox Christians, this name means “lady.” Mary is one of the most common names in the world because it was the name of Jesus' mother. In Islam, the Virgin Mary is known as Mariam. Different pronunciations of the name Maria in European languages ​​gave life to this name in various variations: Mary, Mariah, Marion, Mariot.

Muhammad

The most common male name in the world is Muhammad. This is quite normal for Muslim East, but everyone was surprised when a couple of years ago in a number of European countries the name Muhammad became the most popular. The reason is the growing number of migrants. According to rough estimates, approximately 150 million people on the entire planet bear this name.

Emma

Emma is one of the most common names in major European countries and in English-speaking territories in general. This name has several versions of origin: ancient Germanic roots - from the word ermen, “universal”; Arabic - from the meaning “faithful”; Latin - “spiritual”; Jewish - as an abbreviation for male name"Emmanuel" meaning "God with us." Related names- Amalia, Emilia, Irma.

Ivan

The name Ivan itself is not so common, but if you take its derivatives, you can safely rank it among the most popular names in the world. Ivan comes from the Hebrew name "Yochanan" and has grown into countless variations - Janusz, Hans, Jean, John, Sean, Jan, as well as female versions - Jana, Zhanna and others.

Alexander

The name Alexander is also popular due to its derivatives; in different countries it turns into Sandor, Alejandro, Alexander, Alastair. The name Alexander translated from Greek language means “protector”, “protecting husband”, “man”, “man”. The female version of the name is also not inferior in popularity to the male one.

Andrey

The name Andrey has Greek roots and is translated as “courageous”, “brave”. There is also a meaning of “man”, “person”. Andreas, Andre, Andy, Antti, Andrew, Andrea, Andrzej - all these are derivatives of the name Andrey.