Patriarch Kirill Arrives in Belarus on Official Visit

On June 4, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill, embarked on a visit to Belarus, as announced by the Patriarchate's press service.

At Minsk National Airport, His Holiness was warmly received by the Patriarchal Exarch for all Belarus, Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Bishop Pavel of Mlodechno and Stolbtsy, Bishop Ambrosiy of Borisov, Bishop Avksenty of Nesvizh, along with clergy of the Belarusian Orthodox Church. Among the distinguished guests welcoming him there were Boris Gryzlov, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Belarus; Natalia Petkevich, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus; and Alexander Rumak, the Commissioner for Religious Affairs and Nationalities.

According to the scheduled program, His Holiness will today participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Victory Monument, and will also officiate a divine service at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk.

On June 5th, the Patriarch will visit the Spaso-Evfrosiniyevsky Women’s Monastery in Polotsk, where he will take part in solemn events commemorating the monastery’s 900th anniversary.

The visit will conclude on June 6th with high-level meetings between Patriarch Kirill and Belarusian officials, marking the final chapter of this significant ecclesiastical and diplomatic journey.