In the course of his archpastoral visit to South-East Asia from November 7 to 9, 2001, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, visited the PRC's Special Administrative District of Siangan (Hong Kong). At the local airport he was met by the vice-consul of the Russian Federation, O. Zuyev.
On November 7, Metropolitan Kirill met with the Russian General Consul K. Vnukov and the consulate staff. His Eminence explained to them the principles and practice of church-state and church-society relations in Russia today, the external work of the Moscow Patriarchate and introduced them to the principal provisions of the Basic Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church. He also answered their questions about the history of Orthodoxy and its role in the new century and the ministry of the Orthodox Church in China.
Metropolitan Kirill visited the Institute for Sino-Christian Studies. In a talk with its director Daniel Young and academic director Richard Jean, he discussed cooperation with the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, especially the possibility for a joint project for preparing and publishing translations to introduce today's Chinese society to the heritage of Russian religious philosophers of the 20th century.
In the evening of the same day, Metropolitan Kirill conducted a thanksgiving with the blessing of water in the presence of several dozens Russian-speaking Orthodox believers in Hong Kong. During his talk to the congregation, Metropolitan Kirill expressed the wish that a church community be established at the Russian Club in Hong Kong, so that believers could attend divine services celebrated by a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church.
On November 8, the Commemoration Day of the Holy Protomartyr and Miracle-worker Dimitrios of Thessaloniki, His Eminence Kirill visited the Colonial Cemetery where many Russian citizens of Hong Kong were buried in the period from the 30s to the 70s. At the grave of Archpriest Dimitry Uspensky, rector of Sts Peter and Paul's Church in Honk Kong and the last priest of the Russian Orthodox Mission to serve in Beijing, he conducted a requiem service for the Orthodox Christians buried there.
In the evening, His Eminence Kirill visited the Greek Church of St. Luke (Patriarchate of Constantinople), in which Orthodox believers of Russian origin received spiritual nourishment at present.
On November 9, Metropolitan Kirill flew out to Vietnam to continue his archpastoral visit to South-East Asia.