Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia...

Kirill held a Divine Liturgy in downtown Moscow"s Christ the Savior Cathedral on Monday, and received congratulations afterwards. Over 100 bishops, including from other countries, came to congratulate the patriarch during festivities also attended by President Dmitry Medvedev and his spouse, as well as by 3,000 believers.

Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad was elected as the 16th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in late January 2009 by the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church that numbers more than 135 million members worldwide, succeeding Patriarch Alexy II, who died in December 2008 at the age of 79. Kirill was enthroned February 1 last year, at a ceremony also held in the Christ the Savior Cathedral.

Kirill, widely seen as a reformist, has won prominence by becoming the first top Orthodox priest to anchor a television show. After becoming patriarch he launched a new practice for the Orthodox leader: meeting large youth audiences at stadiums,

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