Sergiev Posad, Moscow Province, Russia, April 25, 2025
patriarchia.ru
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church and His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church concelebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra today for the feast of the Life-giving Spring of the Mother of God.
They were joined by hierarchs and clerics of the Russian and Serbian Churches, reports Patriarchia.ru.
The Serbian delegation led by Pat. Porfirije arrived in Moscow on Bright Monday, April 21. It has visited a number of holy sites, including Donskoy Monastery (home to the relics of St. Tikhon of Moscow), New Jerusalem Monastery, St. Savva Monastery, and the Serbian representation church in the Russian capital. The Patriarchs also met together with President Vladimir Putin.
patriarchia.ru
Today’s service was held in the Lavra’s Holy Dormition Cathedral. It was celebrated in Church Slavonic and Serbian. Special prayers for Holy Rus’ were offered during the service.
At the end of the Liturgy, His Grace Bishop Kirill of Sergiev Posad greeted the primates on behalf of the Lavra brotherhood and presented Pat. Kirill with a painting depicting the Lavra. Pat. Porfirije was given an icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
Pat. Kirill also gave his Serbian counterpart a decorative Pascha egg. He said to Pat. Porifirije:
Thank you, Your Holiness, once again for your visit and for our joint prayer, through which we felt and realized even more clearly the closeness of our peoples and our Churches. And since that is the case, we must follow the historical path, which is never simple, preserving our faith, our devotion to the Lord, and if we speak of the horizontal dimension of Christian life, then also canonical unity, unity in love between our Orthodox Churches. And may God grant that the relations between the Russian and Serbian Churches be an example for the entire Orthodox world, which, I think, needs such relations. I sincerely thank you for your visit, for your participation in today’s service, and I ask you to convey my love and blessing to the pious Serbian people. May the Lord preserve you!
patriarchia.ru
The Patriarchs then led the service for the blessing of water and a festive procession around the cathedral.
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