In Moscow, Patriarch Kirill Presented an Order to a Hierarch of the Church of Greece
The Greek hierarch called the Patriarch a spiritual magnet for youth.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church awarded Metropolitan Nektarios of Kerkyra with the Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov, Second Degree. Patriarch Kirill presented the award to the Greek hierarch at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord and received the right hand of St. Spyridon of Trimythous, brought from Greece.
At the festal Liturgy, the Patriarch was co-served by hierarchs of the Russian Church and Greek guests, including the rector of the Cathedral of St. Spyridon in Kerkyra, Archpriest Georgios Vlachos, and a cleric of the Metropolis of Kerkyra, Hieromonk Dositheos. Some litanies and exclamations were spoken in Greek.
Patriarch Kirill presented Metropolitan Nektarios with the Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov for his contribution to strengthening friendly ties between the Russian and Greek Churches. In his response, the Greek archpastor thanked the Patriarch and compared him to the late Primate of the Church of Greece, Archbishop Christodoulos. «I had the joy of knowing you even before you became Patriarch — when you were the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, you visited our metropolis and celebrated the Divine Liturgy», the guest recalled.
«And you truly "rightly divide the word of truth": as a spiritual magnet you draw people, and especially the youth, who come to the Russian Orthodox Church, fill the churches, and return from atheism to faith», said Metropolitan Nektarios.
At the request of the Greek hierarch, Patriarch Kirill blessed the faithful present in the church with the right hand of St. Spyridon, which had previously been taken out of the reliquary. In turn, Metropolitan Nektarios presented the Patriarch with the highest award of the Metropolis of Kerkyra — the Order of the Golden Cross with the Star of St. Spyridon.
As the SPJ reported, Patriarch Bartholomew accused the Serbian and Russian Churches of ingratitude.
