“Despite the malice of the enemies of Orthodoxy, we preserve the unity of the Orthodox Church,” said Patriarch Kirill of Moscow today, December 16, 2025, during the annual Episcopal Assembly of the clergy of Moscow, over which he presided.
During the assembly, Patriarch Kirill delivered an extensive address, referring to issues such as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) under Metropolitan Onufriy, the Estonian Orthodox Church, as well as his meetings with other Orthodox Patriarchs and with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Situation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Patriarch Kirill placed particular emphasis on the situation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which he described as being subjected to “severe persecution.” He called on the clergy to pray for hierarchs, priests, monastics, and lay faithful who, as he stated, are facing repression, including imprisonment.
He made specific reference to Metropolitan Arseny of Sviatohirsk, noting that despite serious health problems, he has once again been imprisoned. According to Patriarch Kirill, over the past four years forty clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been sentenced to prison terms, while a total of 208 criminal cases have been initiated against clergy of the Church, which he characterized as “canonical.” At the same time, he claimed that nineteen clerics, including Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, have been stripped of Ukrainian citizenship and residency rights.
Contacts with Primates and the “Unity” of the Church
He did not fail to refer to the unity of the Orthodox Church, stressing that, despite the hostility that, in his view, is being directed against Orthodoxy, “(that unity) remains intact.”
“Despite the malice of the enemies of Orthodoxy, we preserve the unity of the Orthodox Church,” he said, though he did not specify whom he was referring to. Notably, he has suspended Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Church of Cyprus, and the Church of Greece, apart from the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
He cited his meetings with the primates of other Orthodox churches as evidence of this unity. For example, he met with the Patriarch of Serbia, Porfirije, who visited Russia in April, as well as with the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilus III.
He also mentioned his participation alongside the Patriarch of Jerusalem in the 8th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana, which focused on interreligious dialogue and cooperation.
Meetings with Putin and Other Heads of State
Patriarch Kirill referred to his regular meetings with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, during which, he said, issues such as religious education for children and youth, the Church’s social and volunteer work, and military chaplaincy were discussed.
In addition, he mentioned his contacts with heads of state “within the canonical jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church”, including the Presidents of Belarus, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, as well as his meetings with the Mayor of Moscow, during which matters related to church construction and ecclesiastical life in the capital were discussed.
Estonia and Challenges Facing the Russian Church
Reference was also made to the situation in Estonia. “There are individuals who are possessed by a diabolical hatred for Orthodoxy,” he stated. He recalled that the Holy Synod issued a statement regarding actions by the Estonian parliament which, in his assessment, are “directed against the Estonian Orthodox Church.”
Patriarch Kirill expressed concern over “similar developments in other countries” and called for prayer “for the steadfastness and peace” of those who, as he said, “remain faithful to canonical order and church unity.”
