On March 22 His Eminence Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad KYRILL celebrated a Moleben before the Albazin ("The Word was made flesh") icon of Mother of God and the icon of the Holy Chinese Martyrs. Vladika was greeted parish members from the Orthodox communities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. In his sermon after finishing the Moleben, Vladika made a remark on the importance of the concurrence of the Remembrance Day of the Albazin icon of Mother of God (which is historically connected to the fate of Orthodoxy in China) with the date of the official inauguration of the Year of Russia in China. The importance of the Orthodox Church for Russia both in historical perspective and in the present day is an essential reality which is well recognized by the Russian authorities, the very participation of a Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church in the official Russian delegation visiting Beijing yesterday testifying to the fact. After bestowing an archipastoral blessing on the faithful who gathered in prayer, His Eminence Metropolitan KYRILL accompanied by S. S. Rozov, the Ambassador of Russia in PRC, went to the opening of the Russian Chinese business Forum.
Metropolitan KYRILL at the ceremony after the Moleben in the church of Saint Inokenty.
After the service the Metropolitan addressed the parish members with his warm words.
His Eminence Metropolitan KYRILL gave to the Orthodox community of Beijing an icon of the Savior as a remembrance token of the celebrated Moleben.
D. Napara from the Beijing community gave a tea set to Vladika as a return gift.
Having said goodbye to parishioners
The Metropolitan went to the opening of the Russian- Chinese business Forum.
Metropolitan with Russian Ambassador S. Razov