Exactly 10 years ago, departed to the Lord, his Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexy II. The funeral of the fifteenth Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was held December 9 at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Let’s remember how it was.
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The funeral sermon before the funeral service said the Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad.
In the memorial service was attended by the primates of the local Orthodox Churches — Patriarchs Bartholomew of Constantinople, Elijah Georgian, Romanian Daniel, Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Hieronymus, Archbishop of Tirana and all Albania Anastasios, Metropolitan of the Czech lands and Slovakia Christopher, as well as representatives of local Orthodox Churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Serbian, Bulgarian, Cypriot and Orthodox Church in America.
Next was praying the representatives of non-Orthodox Churches from the Roman Catholic, the Armenian, the Syro-Malankara Church of India, Church of England, Evangelical Church in Germany, the Church of Norway, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the conference of European Churches.
For the repose of the reposed first Hierarch prayed the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church — more than 170 bishops, who arrived in Moscow to participate in the ceremonies.
Among them is now deceased, his Beatitude Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine.
And future Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Onufry.
According to the will of his Holiness Patriarch Alexy, his last rites were performed by priestly rank.
The service was attended by the country’s leaders, foreign heads of state, many officials, religious and public figures, ambassadors.
By tradition and according to the will of his Holiness Patriarch Alexy, his coffin at the hands of the bishops was enclosed around the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour — Cathedral of the capital, which became the visible symbol of the Church of Russia’s revival.
Then the funeral cortege proceeded to the Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhovo, where in the Annunciation chapel of the funeral service was held.
And on the fortieth day after the repose of his Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexy II in all churches of the Russian Orthodox Church was held memorial services, prayers were offered about the deceased Primate. Divine Liturgy and Requiem service at the tomb of Patriarch in the Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhovo was headed by the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad. After the service in the presence of the President of Russia and Head of the Government was proclaiming Eternal memory to his Holiness Patriarch Alexy.
Photo: S. Vlasov, V. Nesterenko, V. Kornyushin, V. Khodakov, K. Nowotarski / Press service of the Moscow Patriarchate, the DECR communication Service