Hierarchs of the Macedonian Church served Patriarch Kirill for the first time at the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra

On the day of the memory of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the hierarchs of the Macedonian Orthodox Church — Archdiocese of Ohrid participated in the Divine Liturgy presided over by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. This was the first joint service of representatives of the two Churches since the Russian Orthodox Church recognized the autocephaly of the Macedonian Church in August 2022. The celebrations took place in the Dormition Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra.

The Divine Liturgy was held in the Assumption Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, founded by St. Sergius at the beginning of the 14th century. His Holiness was served by more than 30 Russian bishops, as well as representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches. The delegation from the Macedonian Orthodox Church included Metropolitan Peter of Prespa-Pelagoni, Bishop Nicholas of Veles, Vicar of the Diocese of Prespa-Pelagoni, and Hieromonk Athanasius (Arsoski), head of the publishing department of the Diocese of Skopje.

The service was also attended by representatives of other local Churches serving in Moscow: Bishop Stefan of Remesia (Serbian Orthodox Church), Archimandrite Seraphim (Shemyatovsky) (Orthodox Church of Czech Lands and Slovakia) and Archpriest Daniel Andriyuk (Orthodox Church in America). At the end of the liturgy, Patriarch Kirill celebrated a prayer service in front of the venerated icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the Assumption Cathedral, and then in the Trinity Cathedral — a glorification at the reliquary with the relics of the saint. Festive archdiocesan services were also held in other churches of the Lavra.

Recall that on September 17, 2025 in Astana (Kazakhstan) the Primates of the Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Moscow held a bilateral meeting. The communication of Patriarchs Theophilus and Kirill became possible, in part, thanks to the «8th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions», in which both First Hierarchs are participating.