On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, an anniversary edition of the book by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk "Patriarch Kirill. Biography".
The first edition of the book was published in 2009, shortly after the enthronement of His Holiness. The second edition was published in the series "The Lives of wonderful People" in 2018. This, the third edition, prepared by the Publishing House "Cognition" with the assistance of the Foundation "Russian World", has been significantly supplemented compared to the previous two. Russian Russian Orthodox Church statistics have been updated, the sections concerning the activities of His Holiness the Patriarch in the field of the external Church, his Primatial visits to the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church, his activities as Bishop of Moscow have been significantly expanded.
The book begins with a story about the family of the future Patriarch, about his childhood and adolescence, about the years of study, about the diaconal and priestly ordinations, about the work of Archimandrite Kirill as a representative of the Moscow Patriarchate at the World Council of Churches, about his ministry as rector of the Leningrad Theological Academy. Separate chapters are devoted to his activities as the ruling bishop of the Smolensk and Kaliningrad diocese and his work as chairman of the Department for External Church Relations. The book continues with a description of the works of His Holiness the Patriarch from the time of his election to the Moscow Primatial Throne up to the present time.
The book includes many quotes from speeches in which the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church shares memories, thoughts about various aspects of church life, appears as a person, as a hierarch and thinker who is open to communication with people of different faiths and beliefs.
The biography of His Holiness is illustrated with unique photographs from the archives of the press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate, the World Council of Churches, the photo archive of the Orthodox Encyclopedia Church Research Center and other sources. Some photos are published for the first time.
Photo: Website of the photo service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia