His Holiness Patriarch Kirill arrived to Dnipropetrovsk
24/7/2010
On July 24 His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, being on archpastoral visit to Ukraine, arrived to Dnipropetrovsk. At the airport His holiness was welcomed by Metropolitan Iriney of Pavlohrad and Dnipropetrovsk, Metropolitan Hoilarion of Donetsk and Mariupol, Archbishop Efrem of Kryvyi Rih and Nikopol, Bishop Metrophanes of Horlivka and Slovyansk, Bishop Yevlohiy of Novomoskovsk, Vicar Bishop of the Diocese of Dnipropetrovsk, clergymen of the Diocese of Dnipropetrovsk.
Among those meeting His Holiness Patriarch Kirill were the authority representatives: head of the regional state administration A.Vilkul, chairman of the local council E.Udod, chairman of the city council I.Kulinichenko, president of the Dnipropetrovsk regional association of the local authorities Yuri Vilkul.
On the delegation accompanying the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church in his visitation of Ukraine are Chancelor of the Moscow Patriarchy Metropolitan Varsonofy of Mordovia and Saransk, chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokalamsk, deputy abbot of the Holy Trinity St Sergius Lavra archbishop Theognost of Sergiev-Posad, head of the administrative secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchy Bishop Sergius of Solnechnogorsk, chairman of the Synodal Department for the church society relation archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, chairman of the Synodal Information Department V.R.Legoyda.
His Holiness was greeted by girls in ethnic Ukrainian clothes the guard of honor was lined up in the landing field.
At the airport His Holiness Patriarch Kirill had a conversation with journalists, saying in particular:
“With a special feeling of joy and satisfaction I set foot on soil of Dnipropetrovsl, glorious by its history and its present. The city of Dnipropetrovsk, the third city of Ukraine is a world-wide known center of high technologies and innovative scientific knowledge. The future of Ukraine as of the highly developed state in technical and scientific relation is connected with it in many aspects. But for ne as pastor the power of people’s faith who live here is of a special importance. For centuries those who lived in this land defended Orthodoxy, were faithful to it, and built their lives on it, as well as their worldview and relations with the world around. I’d like to wish the Dnipropetrovsk residents from all my heart to keep this great tradition so necessary for the human being – the tradition of the strong faith and firm knowledge. God save all of You!”
DECR communication service/press-service of His Holiness the Patriarch
