Kirill Patriarch of Moscow

His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Mr. Cyril was born on November 20, 1946 in Leningrad. Michael's Father was a Priest and passed away in 1974, while his mother Raisa was a German teacher in a school and passed away in 1984. He graduated from High School in 1965 and soon after entered the Theological Seminary and then the Theological Academy of Leningrad. In March and April 1968 he participated in the Third Pan-Christian Peace Conference in Prague and in July of the same year in the Fourth Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Uppsala. At the annual meetings of the Central Committee of the PSE he was a new adviser and at the meetings of the youth committee he was vice-president. On April 3, 1969, a monk named Cyril was ordained in honor of Saint Cyril the Apostle by Metropolitan Nikodimos of Leningrad and Novgorod. On April 7, he became a Hierodeacon. A year later, in June 1970, he graduated with honors from the Leningrad Theological Academy and was awarded the title of Doctor of Theology. After defending his Doctoral Thesis he stayed at the Academy as Lecturer of Dogmatic Theology and assistant inspector of the Theological Academy. On September 12, 1971 he became an Archimandrite and was appointed representative of the Moscow Patriarchate to the World Council of Churches in Geneva and Superior of the Nativity of the Virgin Cross Parish in Geneva. On December 26, 1974 he was appointed Rector of the Leningrad Theological Academy and Seminary and in 1975 he was appointed President of the Provincial Council of the Leningrad Metropolis. On March 14, 1976, in the Church of the Holy Trinity in the Lavra of St. Alexander Nevsky, he was ordained a bishop with the title of Vyborg (assistant bishop of the Leningrad Province). On September 2, 1977, he rose to the rank of Archbishop. On November 14 of the same year, by decision of the Holy Synod, he was appointed President of the Department of External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and a permanent member of the Holy Synod. On January 27, 2009 he was elected 16th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia