Patriarch’s visit to Kazan: the second try
The details of the Russian Orthodox Church’s head visit: the opening of the monument to Derzhavin, the excursion to Sviyazhsk and the stone laying in the foundation of the restored Kazan Cathedral
On 20 July in the midday, the plane of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' Kirill lands in the airport of Kazan. This event was expected three years ago, but then his visit to Tatarstan was cancelled without explanation. However, there were the reasons. The details of the not-visit of the Patriarch in the autumn of 2013 and the programme of his current visit – in the report of Realnoe Vremya.
The merit of the Metropolitan-diplomat
Three years ago, everything was prepared in Tatarstan Metropolis for the meeting with the Patriarch. Even his protocol service came. However, the day before the visit it was reported that His Holiness would not come in Kazan. Evil tongues attributed this to the scandals that shook Tatarstan Metropolitan. In Kazan the Patriarch was supposed to pretend he did not notice that 'something was rotten in the state of Denmark'.
A year ago, in the Kazan Cathedra there was appointed Metropolitan Feofan, who earlier headed Simbirsk Metropolis, and the former Tatarstan Metropolitan Anastassy came to the native land of Lenin. Almost immediately after the appointment of Feofan they began to say that the Patriarch's visit will take place in the near future. His Grace, who a lot of time and effort payed to Church diplomacy, managed to convince His Holiness to come to the capital of Tatarstan. Since the situation in the Metropolis has changed dramatically.
So, on 20 July at midday, the plane with the Patriarch lands in Kazan. Almost immediately, the Patriarch goes to Laishevsky district to service a prayer at the tomb of the parents of Gavrila Derzhavin and sanctifies the monument to the poet and public figure. It happens not by chance. First, on 20 July of this year it is 200 years since the death of Derzhavin. Secondly, the Patriarch Kirill is the Chairman of the Society of Russian Literature.
Then, His Holiness visits the building of Tatarstan Metropolis, where he rests a little, and then he goes to the island of Sviyazhsk, with its shrines. Of course, the tours of the restored shrines will be held by the first President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev, whose contribution in the revival of Sviyazhsk cannot be overemphasized.
However, in the programme of the first day of the visit may be one more point: if time permits, His Holiness will visit one of the sessions of the international conference dedicated to the wonderworking Kazan image of the virgin and its influence on the fate of Russia.
The second day of the visit of the Patriarch in Kazan begins with a liturgy in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin. 21 July — it is the day when, in 1579, the girl Matron took the miraculous image in Kazan, the so-called 'summer Kazan'. After the liturgy, the believers, the clergy of the Metropolis and the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus Kirill will go in a procession through the streets of Kazan to the Mother of God Monastery. Here, after the service, there will be the laying of the first stone in the foundation of the restored Kazan Cathedral.
The Patriarch leaves Kazan in the second half of 21 July.
The first patriarch born in the USSR
Patriarch Kirill is the first Patriarch born in the USSR. He was born in 1946 in Leningrad in a religious family. He graduated from the Theological Academy in his hometown. In 1969, he became a monk and became a priest. In 1976, it was his episcopal laying-on of hands.
His Holiness devoted many years to the Church diplomacy, this is his similarity with the Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan Feofan. From 1989 to 2009, he was the head of the Synodal Department for External Church relations. On 1 February of 2009, the then Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad was elected as the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus.
Patriarch Kirill is a public person. For many years, he presents on the television the program, and his sermons brought to the Church many new converts. 'Our main thing is prayer, but we need to create the active field of life around prayer, to educate people, show examples of good relation to people through social activities,' this is the credo of the Patriarch.
In 2008, he participated in the project 'The figure of Russia' and presented to the audience his candidate — Alexander Nevsky. And in the result the life of the noble Prince won in the project. 'The meaning of life — in the co-work with God,' says the Patriarch.
His visit to Kazan — the first for the seven years of his patriarchal office.
'An example of how to restore the monasteries'
The predecessor of Patriarch Kirill, Patriarch Alexy II, visited Kazan twice. His first visit took place in the autumn of 1997. In the afternoon of 31 August of 1997 the aircraft of Patriarch Alexy II landed at the Kazan airport. His Holiness immediately went to the oldest Cathedral of Kazan, St. Nicholas Cathedral. Then the cortege went to the Church of John of Kronstadt, where the Patriarch served a moleben and visited the recently opened the Kazan Theological Seminary.
The second day of the visit was intense. His Holiness served the liturgy at the Peter and Paul Cathedral, blessed the tank school cadets and on a speed boat 'Linda' sailed to Sviyazhsk. Assumption Monastery of Sviyazhsk a few days before his visit was returned to the ROC.
After going around the island and talking to the long-standing inhabitants, the Patriarch visited the churches of Sviyazhsk. Then by 'Linda' went to Zelenodolsk, from where he went to Raifa Monastery. There was a solemn meeting: the path, on which the Patriarch went, was strewn with flowers. His Holiness inspected the monastery, spoke with its vice-rector, Archimandrite Vsevolod and brethren, held a service in the Georgian Cathedral. Then in the refectory of the monastery it was held a solemn dinner.
The next morning began with a liturgy in St. Barbara Church, during the sermon the Patriarch Alexy II recalled the visit to Raifa and said: 'Raifa Monastery is a model of how to restore the monasteries'. After the liturgy in St. Barbara Church there was the warm meeting with the Muslims of the Republic in the Nurulla mosque. Arriving at the airport, the Patriarch gave a big press conference.
The second visit took place in July of 2005. The Patriarch arrived in Kazan for a very good reason — he brought a gift to the city, which was celebrating its millennium, the miraculous Kazan icon of the mother of God, a gift to the Russian Orthodox Church from the Pontiff.
The Patriarch then celebrated the divine Liturgy in the Annunciation Cathedral, walked in procession with the miraculous icon, and in the courtyard of Our Lady monastery celebrated a prayer service before the wonderworking icon, and handed it to the vice-rector of the monastery, the hegumen Pitirim.
And now it is a new procession, now led by Patriarch Kirill, and again a good occasion — the laying of the first stone in the foundation of the future Kazan Cathedral. Its restoration became a priority project for Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan Feofan, supported by the government of the Republic.