Patriarch Kirill of Moscow

Kirill
Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'
Patriarch Kirill in 2023
Native name
Кирилл
ChurchRussian Orthodox Church
SeeMoscow
Installed1 February 2009
PredecessorAlexy II
Orders
Ordination7 April 1969
Consecration14 March 1976
by Nikodim (Rotov)
Personal details
Born
Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev

(1946-11-20) 20 November 1946 (age 77)
Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
DenominationEastern Orthodox Church
Alma materLeningrad Theological Academy
SignatureKirill's signature
Coat of armsKirill's 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 styleHis Holiness
Spoken styleYour Holiness
Religious stylePatriarch

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]

  1. ^ a b Netburn, Deborah (29 March 2022). "A spiritual defense of the war in Ukraine? Putin's patriarch is trying". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  2. ^ Cichowlas, Ola (14 April 2017). "Patriarch Kirill: From Ambitious Reformer to State Hardliner". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b MacFarquhar, Neil; Kishkovsky, Sophia (18 April 2022). "Ukraine War Divides Orthodox Faithful". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference diplomatmagazine was invoked but never defined (see the help page).