Election of Patriarch Kirill

The Russian Orthodox Church on Tuesday 27 January 2009 elected Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russian, the new spiritual father and head of the Russian Orthodox Church in succession to Patriarch Alexei II, who died in December.

Metropolitan Kirill has been charged in recent years with the Russian Orthodox Church's external relations and ecumenical work towards Christian Unity, especially with the Roman Catholic Church. He is well known in the Catholic world. having met Cardinal Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, as well as Pope Benedict XVI, on many occasions. In the past his studies and interests brought him to England where he was a good friend of Cardinal Hume's and the Beendictine community of Ampleforth.

The Society promises its prayers for Metropolitan Kirill as he assumes the duties of Patriarch, especially trusting that the good relations and friendships of many years can be built on in the pressing search for reconciliation between Catholics and Orthodox, and the realisation of Christian Unity, "that the world may believe."