Patriarch Kirill given Alexandrian Church’s highest Award
11/04/2010
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church was on Sunday given the highest award of the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria – the star of the Apostle and Evangelist Mark.
St. Mark, the author of the Gospel of Mark, was the founder of the ancient Church of Alexandria. The award is a gold star with a crown. It carries the image of a lion symbolizing St. Mark.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, on a visit to Egypt, received the award from the head of the Alexandrian Church – Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa.
The Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria is officially known as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa to distinguish it from the Coptic Orthodox Church, with which it is not in communion.
The awarding ceremony was attended by the Russian ambassador and Alexandrian consul, clergy and Alexandria’s public figures.
Kirill said Russian nationals living or working in Africa have found a “loving and caring patron” in the person of Patriarch Theodoros and wished Orthodox Christianity to spread on African lands.
Christians in the mainly Muslim Egypt account for six to 20 percent of the country’s population. Most of them belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Patriarch Kirill arrived in Egypt on a three-day visit on Saturday. There are 15 local Orthodox Churches in the world, and when the new head of one of them is elected, he traditionally visits the other 14 in line with the “order of honor.”
Kirill, who was crowned as Russia’s new Church leader in February 2009 replacing the late Patriarch Alexy II, visited the Constantinople Patriarchate last summer, and the Alexandrian Patriarchate in Egypt is the second on his list.
The Constantinople Patriarchate, whose headquarters is in modern-day Turkey, and the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa are part of the bigger Greek Orthodox Church but are considered to be autocephalous churches.
The Russian patriarch is also to present bells cast in Russia to a monastery in the Egyptian capital Cairo.
The two Orthodox patriarchs earlier today held a liturgy in Alexandria’s Annunciation Cathedral.
The churches’ leaders’ discussion agenda was to include increasing the number of Russian parishes in Egypt where many Russians come to spend vacation.
ALEXANDRIA (Egypt), April 11 (RIA Novosti)
Source:
http://en.rian.ru/Religion/20100411/158526237.html
