Russian Patriarch Kirill visits St. Gregory Palamas Cathedral in Thessaloniki

May 29, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, after a pilgrimage to Mt. Athos, arrived in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, reports Patriarhiya.ru.

Upon arrival in Thessaloniki, Patriarch Kirill went to the Cathedral of St. Gregory Palamas, where he was met by Metropolitan Anthimos of Thessaloniki, Russian Consul General to Thessaloniki A. Popov and local clerics and venerated the relics of the saint.

"It is a great joy for me to visit Thessaloniki and enter under the arches of the Cathedral, where the relics of St. Gregory Palamas are kept. I have been to this holy city many times, and every time I’ve tried to venerate the shrine, to pray. I thank you most sincerely for your fraternal invitation to the Cathedral after my return from Mount Athos," said the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

He also thanked for the opportunity to celebrate the millennium of the Russian presence on Mount Athos together with the brothers of Athos monasteries that "clearly reflect the universal character of Orthodoxy."

"I think that such meetings promote the shared understanding of the common belonging to the One Orthodox Church and stress the importance of the Orthodox factor in Russian-Greek relations," said Patriarch Kirill.

He also donated to the Cathedral an Easter egg and greeted the faithful in Greek "Χριστός Ανέστη!"

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