Kirill | |
---|---|
Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' | |
Native name | Кирилл |
Church | Russian Orthodox Church |
See | Moscow |
Installed | 1 February 2009 |
Predecessor | Alexy II |
Orders | |
Ordination | 7 April 1969 |
Consecration | 14 March 1976 by Nikodim (Rotov) |
Personal details | |
Born | Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev 20 November 1946 Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
Denomination | Eastern Orthodox Church |
Alma mater | Leningrad Theological Academy |
Signature | |
Coat of arms |
Kirill or Cyril (Russian: Кирилл, Church Slavonic: Ст҃ѣ́йшїй патрїа́рхъ Кѷрі́ллъ, secular name Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, Russian: Владимир Михайлович Гундяев; born 20 November 1946) is a Russian Orthodox bishop. He became Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' and Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church on 1 February 2009.
Styles of Patriarch Kirill | |
---|---|
Reference style | His Holiness |
Spoken style | Your Holiness |
Religious style | Patriarch |
Prior to becoming Patriarch, Kirill was Archbishop (later Metropolitan) of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, and also Chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church's Department for External Church Relations. He has been a permanent member of the Holy Synod since 1989.
A close ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Kirill has described Putin's rule as "a miracle of God".[1] According to Putin, Kirill's father baptized him.[1] During his tenure as Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', Kirill has brought the Russian Orthodox Church closer to the Russian state.[2] Kirill's relationship with Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch and the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide, has been tense.[3]
Kirill has lauded the Russian invasion of Ukraine, justifying the war as a struggle against "forces of evil". The World Russian People's Council under his leadership described the conflict as a "Holy War". Clergy in other Orthodox Churches have condemned his remarks, with Bartholomew I saying that Kirill's support for Putin and the war were "damaging to the prestige of the whole of Orthodoxy".[4][3]
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