The enthronement of the elected Patriarch Alexy II was held on Sunday, June 10, 1991, in the week of all Saints, at Epiphany Cathedral. The Church could not accommodate all the Russians, who wished to prayerfully participate in the ordination of a new Primate of the Church.
- Patriarch Alexy. Curriculum vitae
- Patriarch Alexy. The last interview
- Patriarch Alexy II – about yourself
- Patriarch Alexy: the otherness, the “terrible” form and smile
- Patriarch Alexy. The beginning of a journey in photos
Your Holiness, most Reverend hierarchs, representatives of the local Orthodox Churches, members of the Consecrated Cathedral, Reverend fathers, brothers and sisters, distinguished guests and all our beloved congregation!
With a sense of love of Christ thank you for your participation in our Church celebration and fraternal greetings to his Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch of all Georgia Ilia II.
I sincerely thank my colleagues and co-workers, members of the Holy Synod, deeply touched me words of congratulations.
Taking you from the signs of the Patriarchal dignity, I worship based on the Holy scepter of the Primate of the Russian Church of St. Peter of Moscow, the Wonderworker of all Russia.
I thank for the greetings from representatives of the Alexandrian, Antiochian, Jerusalem and Bulgarian Saints Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Churches to the Moscow Patriarchal throne.
We are pleased to see among us the Heads and representatives of Christian Churches of our country, perceiving their participation as a sign of our common desire for unity in Christ and as a testimony of fraternity that unites us.
In this day, aware of the responsibility before God and His Church, with fear and trembling come to the Moscow Patriarchal throne, because aware that not by works and merits of mine dropped me this a lot, but by the will hunted about us pastor of the Lord Jesus Christ. Confessing his weakness, lay all my hope on curing the grace of God given to us in the Holy Spirit. Pray hard and cry out to the Lord for the strengthening of spiritual and bodily forces. I trust in the intercession and the intercession of the most pure mother of God.
Prayer also appeal to all the saints, our intercessors before the Throne of the glory of God, but chiefly to the Holy predecessors of mine, overshadowing our Church their God-pleasing prayers.
I appeal to you, beloved in Christ hierarchs, Reverend fathers, brothers and sisters, to all Bogdanovna I all-Russian flock with a humble request for spiritual help and prayer support in my service to the Holy Orthodox Church.
Joining me on the upcoming field during performed special signs, aware that it imposes on all of us a great responsibility. Recently, we remembered the great service for our Church event: 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus and the 400th anniversary of the establishment of the Patriarchate in the Russian Church. Now we stand on the threshold of the third Millennium, Coming into the world of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In the whirlwind that is taking place in a world of change it is particularly important to us bearing on eternal and immutable.
His Ministry, we will implement, based on Holy Tradition, faithful to the dogmas of faith and canons of the Church, guided by the conciliar mind of the Church.
Its primary aim is primarily to strengthen the internal, spirit-bearing life of the Church.
Diverse tools to revive the proper spiritual condition of our Christian society based on the ancient traditions of our Church. We trust that God, the congregation will be filled with the desire to contribute to the revival of the glory of Christ the Saviour and His Holy Church. Achievement of objectives will also assist in the management of Church life according to our new Charter, which pays great attention to the development of catholicity.
We are facing a great challenge of a broad revival of monasticism, at all times exerted such salutary influence on the spiritual and moral condition of society. A lot of effort will require the restoration of the great and small monasteries of our country. Many restored temples, return to the Church, and built a new one. This important process is still evolving and will require all of us many labors and material costs.
Mindful of her duties to teach the truth of Christ and baptize in His name, we see before us a vast field of the catechetical activities, including the creation of a wide network of Sunday schools for children and adults, ensuring that the congregation and society literature necessary for Christian learning and spiritual growth. With thankfulness to God we celebrate that we open new ways and means for the development of free spiritual enlightenment in various circles of our society.
We recognize that the movement towards these goals will require us to increase the number of theological schools, the deepening of theological education of future pastors, the development of such a glorious past domestic theological science.
Our Church – and we see clear into the path of broader public service. At her as the guardian of the eternal spiritual and moral values, historical memory and cultural heritage, and looks with hope our entire society. To give an adequate response to these expectations is our historical task.
During a difficult and momentous changes in the country Church has not remained an indifferent witness of the events: it supports the good and humane aspirations of our society in meeting the challenges of building a life on principles of justice and equity. In recent decades our Church has made many efforts in external peacekeeping service. Continuing, we see now our duty in the development of the peacekeeping and public service in the characteristic Church forms, among which special attention should be paid to the renewal of mercy ministries and a wide charity.
All these aspects of Church Ministry contact us directly with the adoption of new, more equitable legislation in relation to all the Churches and religions of our country.
Much remains to be done in the establishment of justice in international relations.
Being a multinational, Russian Orthodox Church together with other Christian churches and religious associations of our country is intended to heal the wounds inflicted by ethnic strife.
Bitterly testify to the lawlessness perpetrated in Western Ukraine are Catholics of the Eastern rite. The situation is exacerbated by the split resulting from the illegal Declaration of the so-called Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. We make every effort to eliminate these painful to the body of Christ ailments.
As before, we will develop our relations with local Orthodox churches and thereby strengthen pan-Orthodox unity.
We see our Christian duty to witness to Orthodoxy, in promoting dialogue and cooperation with non-Orthodox confessions.
For execution of these projects within our Church in need of fraternal cooperation of the members of the Holy Synod, all the bishops, clergy, monastics and laity.
Abide on us all the blessing of the Lord. And Yes I will be glorified through us, the Holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him be glory and dominion, honor and worship, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.