Father Michael took part in the Local Council of Russian Orthodox Church

Representatives of all of the Dioceses of our Church gathered at the Council. The Council worked for three days, during which important matters related to the elections were discussed, as well as the cadidates, proposed by the Episcopal Council. The Local Coucil made the decision not to propose any new cadidates. Mitropolitan Filaret of Minsk and all Belarus decided to withdraw his candidacy. As we know, out of the two remaining candidates, Mitropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad and Mitropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, the delegates of the Local Council by the means of secret ballot elected Mitropolitan Kirill as a new Patriarch. His enthronment took place on the 1st of February at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow an all Russia became the 16th Patriarch of the Russian Church.

(Photo: Father Michael with participants of the Council)