On Friday of Bright Week, April 25, 2025, the day when the Church celebrates the icon of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Spring”, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia visited the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
During the visit, following the greeting address of Patriarch Porfirije, Patriarch Kirill expressed deep gratitude and emphasized the profound connection between the two Churches and peoples.
“I thank you, Your Holiness, once again for your visit and for this joint prayer, through which we recognize and feel even more deeply the kinship of our peoples and our Churches. Since this is the case, we must walk the historical path—which is never easy—preserving our faith and loyalty to the Lord,” Patriarch Kirill said.
Speaking about the Christian life, he continued: “If we speak about the horizontal dimension of Christian life, then we must also preserve the canonical unity, the unity of love between our Orthodox Churches.”
Patriarch Kirill further expressed his hope that the relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church would become a model for the entire Orthodox world, emphasizing that such close relations are needed today more than ever.
“I thank you once again for your visit, for being a communicant at today’s Divine Liturgy, and I ask you to convey my love and blessings to the pious Serbian people! May God protect you!” he concluded.
Patriarch Kirill awards Patriarch Porfirije at Trinity-Sergius Lavra
After the Divine Liturgy at the Dormition Cathedral of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow awarded Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia the Order of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, First Class, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to strengthening relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church.
In addition, Patriarch Kirill presented Archbishop of Novi Sad and Metropolitan of Bačka Irinej with the Order of Glory and Honor, Second Class, also as a sign of appreciation for his efforts in fostering the bonds between the two Orthodox Churches.
Following the ceremony, Patriarch Kirill and Patriarch Porfirije visited the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the monastery, where they offered prayers and venerated the relics of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, the icon of the Holy Trinity, as well as the sacred sites of the Chapel of Nikon and the Palace of Serapion.
It is recalled that on the evening of April 21, 2025, Patriarch Porfirije arrived in Moscow for an official visit during the Bright Week following Pascha.
Source: Patriarchate of Serbia / Photos: foto.patriarchia.ru
