With a blessing of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and in compliance with the Holy Synod Resolution of June 14, 2018, a pilgrim group of the Russian Orthodox Church visited Holy Mount on August 7-10 to participate in the celebrations held on the day of the patronal feast of the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos.
The group was led by Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye. It included Bishop Seraphim of Bobruisk and Bykhov; Bishop Victor of Baryshevka, vicar of the diocese of Kiev; and D. Petrovsky of the Moscow Patriarchate department for external church relations.
On August 7, at Macedonia airport the delegation was met by the Russian Federation Consul General in Salonika, A. Scherbakov, and V. Potapov, a staff member of the consulate. On the same day the guests arrived in the St. Panteleimon on Athos.
On August 8, the delegation visited the Protos and venerated the shrine of the Monastery of Iveron.
In the evening, the festive All-Night Vigil was celebrated in the main church of the monastery.
On August 9, Metropolitan Kirill presided over the Divine Liturgy, which was celebrated in Greek and Church Slavonic. Among his concelebrants were Bishop Seraphim; Bishop Victor; Archimandrite Alexis, abbot of the Xenophontos Monastery; Archimandrite Yevlogiy, abbot of the St. Panteleimon monastery; brethren of the community and its guests in holy orders. Among the worshippers were S. Gavrilov, chairman of the State Duma committee for public associations and religious organizations; representatives of the Russian general consulate; numerous pilgrims from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Serbia and other countries. After the liturgy and the procession with the cross, Metropolitan Kirill read out a message of greetings from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
On August 9 and 10, Metropolitan Kirill and his party visited the Xenophontos and Vatopedi monasteries and after that left Holy Mount Athos.
