Pope Francis: message to Patriarch Kirill, “my beloved brother in Christ”

“I would like to convey my best wishes to His Holiness, my beloved brother in Christ, together with the assurance of my fervent prayers on the occasion of his 70^th anniversary”. Pope Francis sent this message to Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Church, on the occasion of his 70^th birthday. The message – released in Italian by the Moscow Patriarchate – was personally delivered yesterday by Card. Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, who was received by Patriarch Kirill at his patriarchal residence in St Daniel’s Stavropegial Monastery in Moscow. “I thank the Lord – the Pope wrote in his message – for His generous blessing, and for the gift of Your life and ministry as Pastor of the Russian Orthodox Church. I give thanks for Your personal contribution to the rapprochement of our Churches, and with special warmth I recall our meeting”. The meeting was attended by some representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, namely the head of the Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk; the rector of the Theological Academy of St Petersburg, Archbishop Amvrosij of Peterhof; the vice-president of the DECR, Archimandrite Filaret (Bulekov); and DECR assistant Fr. Aleksej Dikarev. Representing the Catholic Church were the Apostolic Nuncio to the Russian Federation, Archbishop Celestino Migliore; and Mgr. Hyacinthe Destivelle, in charge of the Oriental Department at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Patriarch Kirill welcomed the guests thanking them for their participation in the celebrations for his 70^th birthday. “I see it as a gesture of goodwill on the part of the Roman Catholic Church and as an opportunity for an exchange of views with you on our common agenda”, the Primate of the Russian Church said.