Patriarch Kirill meets Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople

ISTANBUL, July 4 (Itar-Tass) — Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople on Saturday.

A service was held at the St. George Cathedral on the occasion of the meeting. The two patriarchs will jointly lead a liturgy at the cathedral on Sunday.

In keeping with the Constantinople tradition, Patriarch Kirill lit a candle at the entrance to the cathedral and placed it on the candlestick. He then proceeded to the patriarch’s place and gave his blessings for the service to begin.

The priests of the Constantinople diocese served in Greek and Russian with Byzantine hymns.

After that the two patriarchs conferred for a meeting.

The Constantinople patriarch is considered “the fist among the equal” primates of the 15 Orthodox Churches of the world. His residence is in Istanbul that was named Constantinople till the 16th century and was the capital of the first Christian empire.

Patriarch Kirill and Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople last met at the enthronisation of the new leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow in February of this year.

Over 30 Turkish mass media are covering Patriarch Kirill’s visit to Istanbul.

One of the major Turkish newspapers Hurriyet frontpaged an article titled “A Historic Meeting in Istanbul”, which says that Patriarch Kirill will be meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

“This meeting is believed to be a historic meeting of the Orthodox families of the two strongest branches of Orthodoxy,” the newspaper said.

In the previous years, relations between the two patriarchs were characterised as an “open war”, it added.

According to the programme published by the Moscow Patriarchate, the July 4-6 trip will begin “with a visit to the Constantinople Patriarchate, where an official reception and negotiations between the primates of the Russian and Constantinople Orthodox Churches are scheduled to take place.”

The two patriarchs will lead a divine liturgy in Fanar, the Greek Quarter of Istanbul. A choir of Moscow’s Sretensky Monastery will sing at Agia Eirini in the presence of the two patriarchs.

During the visit, Patriarch Kirill will sanctify the restored Church of St. Konstantin and Elena on the grounds of the Russian consulate general’s summer residence in Buyukdere outside Istanbul on the Bosporus.

“The programme of the visit also includes a tour of the historical Church of St. Sophia, meetings with secular and religious Turkish leaders, as well as communication with members of the Russian community in the country,” the Patriarchate’s press service said.

“This is the first visit to be made by the newly elected patriarch traditionally in accordance with the diptych, i.e. the order of precedence of the Orthodox Churches,” the head of the department of external church relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archbishop Ilarion of Voloklamsk said after a meeting between Patriarch Kirill and Turkish Ambassador Halil Akinci on Wednesday.

After Turkey, the patriarch will visit the Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem Patriarchates, and Georgian patriarchate, etc.

“Patriarch Kirill is going to Constantinople with the best feelings and intentions. This visit will help the Constantinople patriarchate to solve its problems to some extent,” Ilarion said.

One of the purposes of the visit is to discuss “disputable” problems in relations between the Moscow and Constantinople patriarchates, including the conflict that started in Estonia in 1996 “when Constantinople unilaterally proclaimed its jurisdiction and created a situation that still remains unresolved,” Ilarion said.

“We hope that through fraternal communication the patriarchs of the two great Churches will find a way to agree on a new format of relations,” the archbishop said.

Patriarch Kirill and Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople last met at the enthronisation of the new leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow in February of this year.

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