MOSCOW: May 21, 2012
A Ceremony Marking the Fifth Anniversary of the Reestablishment of Canonical Unity Within the Russian Orthodox Church is Held in Christ the Savior Cathedral

On May 20, 2012, a ceremony celebrating the fifth anniversary of the reestablishment of canonical unity within the Russian Orthodox Church was held in the Hall of Church Councils in Christ the Savior Cathedral.

Participating in the celebrations, which were headed by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, were His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and bishops and clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church and members of the ROCOR delegation.

The event opened with the screening of a documentary on the signing of the Act of Canonical Community in May 17, 2007.

The Patriarch of the Russian Church read the keynote address. A congratulatory message from Russian President Vladimir Putin was then read by TV Prokopenko, Deputy Director of the Administration on Internal Policy of the President of the Russian Federation.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York then gave a speech.

A concert was then given, with performances by the Moscow Synodal Choir under the direction of Alexei Puzakov; the choir of the VS Popov Academy of Choral Arts under Alexei Petrov, and the Russian National Orchestra conducted by Alexander Mayorov. The compositions of Modest Mussorgsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Georgy Sviridov, Metropolitan Ilarion (Alfeev) as well as Russian folk songs were performed.

Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia