On December 21, 2020, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ spoke by telephone with His Beatitude Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada.
The Primates exchanged greetings in connection with the approaching feast of the Nativity of Christ, which the Orthodox Church in America will celebrate on December 25 according to the Revised Julian calendar.
In the telephone conversation with His Beatitude, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill warmly recalled his visits to America, including his visits to Alaska.
His Holiness particularly noted that the outgoing year is a jubilee: fifty years ago, on April 10, 1970, the ever-memorable Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow and All Rus’ signed the Tomos of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in America.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill invited His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon to visit Russia when the sanitary and epidemiological situation permits.
Expressing condolences on the repose of the former Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor), who reposed in the Lord on October 19, 2020, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill shared memories of his interactions with him over the years. His Holiness also addressed words of condolence to his interlocutor in connection with another loss suffered by the Orthodox Church in America: in November there reposed in the Lord Archbishop David of Sitka and Alaska. His Holiness mentioned in particular that this hierarch had accompanied His Beatitude Tikhon as part of the church delegation during the visit to Moscow in 2019.
For his part, His Beatitude expressed special condolences on the repose of Metropolitan Feofan of Kazan and Tatarstan, whom he knew personally.
During the telephone conversation, His Holiness gratefully noted the position of the Synod of the Orthodox Church in America regarding the situation in Ukraine.
The interlocutors discussed how the Russian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church in America are coping with the restrictions caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Continuing the conversation, they also touched on the completion of the restoration of the Church of the Great Martyr Catherine in Vspolye — the American Representation Church in Moscow.
DECR Communication Service