Three primates of Orthodox Churches celebrate Divine Liturgy in Kyiv to mark day of Baptism of Kyivan Rus

On July 28, commemoration of the Holy Prince Volodymyr, Equal to the Apostles, and the 1023rd anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, and Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the square in front of the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Cave Monastery.

Praying at the worship service were the bishops and clergy of the Ukrainian, Russian and Georgian Orthodox churches. Thousands of Kyivans and guests of the city were with their archpastors today.

At the end of worship Metropolitan Volodymyr addressed Patriarch Kirill and Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II with a greeting speech. As a keepsake of the common prayer he offered the patriarch an Icon of the Mother of God of Pochayiv as a present, and gave Catholicos-Patriarchwith a set of Primate's Panagias.

In his turn, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church greeted Metropolitan Volodymy on his Name Day and offered him a set of primate's Panagias and in the memory of the prayer at the Kyiv Cave Monastery he donated to the monastery a copy of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God. Also the patriarch gifted the Georgian Patriarch Catholicos with the icon of the Holy Prince Volodymyr, Baptizer of Rus, and a set of panagias. Then the Primate of the Russian Church gave the faithful little icons of Prince Vladimir as a blessing.

Finally the participants greeted Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II. He gave Patriarch Kirill a mosaic icon of St. George the Great - the patron saint of Georgia, and gave Metropolitan Volodymyr the icon of the Mother of God of Georgia. In commemoration of his first visit to Kyiv and the Kyiv Cave Monastery, the Georgian patriarch donated to the monastery the Pochayiv icon of the Mother of God, made by Georgian artists.