December 5, 2024 – On the 16th anniversary of the repose of the ever-memorable Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ Alexy II, Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan conducted a memorial litany for the departed Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Chapel of Holy and Pious Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, located in the spiritual and cultural center of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District named after Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov).
Praying at the service were:
Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Administrator of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District; Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan; Bishop Benjamin of Talgar, vicars of the Astana Diocese; O.N. Ovchinnikov, Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Artist of Russia, and member of the Patriarchal Council for the Development of Russian Church Singing; Protopriest Valery Zakharov, Dean of Almaty Churches and Rector of St. Nicholas Cathedral; Protopriest Evgeny Vorobyev, Rector of the Church of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in Almaty; Hegumeness Lyubov (Yakushkina), Abbess of the Iveron-Seraphim Women’s Monastery; Protopriest Alexander Suvorov, Sacristan of the Ascension Cathedral and Head of the Public Relations Department of the Metropolitan District; Protopriest Evgeny Ivanov, Acting Rector of Almaty Orthodox Theological Seminary and Head of the Information and Publishing Department of the Metropolitan District; Protopriest Kirill Shklyar, Sacristan of St. Peter and Paul Church; Protopriest Alexander Sokolov; Priest Ioann Livinsky, Vice-Rector for Spiritual Education at the Seminary; Priest Petr Bakhtiyarov, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at the Seminary; Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), Head of the Metropolitan’s Personal Secretariat; Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Administrative Secretariat; Priest Georgy Rublinsky, Sacristan of the Kazan Cathedral in Almaty; Protodeacons Roman Golovin and Vladimir Syrovatsky; Deacon Alexander Piven, and other staff of the diocesan administration.
The singing was performed by the Men’s Choir of the Almaty Diocese.
Patriarch Alexy II passed away on December 5, 2008. The Primate, who led the Russian Orthodox Church for 18 years, is buried in the Annunciation Chapel of the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow.
Biography of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II
Childhood Years (1929 – Late 1930s)
His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus’, the fifteenth Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church since the establishment of the Patriarchate in Rus’ (1589), was born Alexey Mikhailovich Ridiger on February 23, 1929, in the city of Tallinn, Estonia, into a deeply religious family.
The Patriarch’s father, Mikhail Alexandrovich Ridiger (+1962), was a native of Saint Petersburg and descended from an esteemed family known for its distinguished service in the military and state affairs. Among his ancestors was General-Adjutant Count Fyodor Vasilyevich Ridiger, a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812. Mikhail Alexandrovich studied at the School of Jurisprudence and completed high school in exile in Estonia. The Patriarch’s mother, Elena Iosifovna Pisarova (+1959), was a native of Revel (Tallinn).
In pre-war Europe, the life of Russian émigrés was modest, but material hardship did not hinder the flourishing of cultural life. Among the emigrant youth, a profound spiritual ethos was evident. The Russian Orthodox Church played a central role in their lives, displaying a level of activity unmatched even in pre-revolutionary Russia.
The religious community abroad provided invaluable experience in integrating Orthodox spirituality with cultural and social endeavors. One of the active organizations in this sphere was the Russian Student Christian Movement (RSCM). Its primary mission was to unite faithful youth in service to the Orthodox Church, prepare defenders of the faith, and affirm the inseparability of genuine Russian culture from Orthodoxy.
In Estonia, the RSCM thrived, fostering a vibrant parish life. Russian Orthodox people actively participated in its initiatives, including the father of the future Patriarch. From a young age, Mikhail Alexandrovich aspired to the priesthood. After completing theological courses in Revel in 1940, he was ordained a deacon and then a priest. He served as the rector of the Nativity of the Theotokos Kazan Church in Tallinn for 16 years and became a member, later the chairman, of the diocesan council.
The Ridiger family lived in an atmosphere of profound Orthodox piety, where daily life was inseparable from the Church, and the family truly embodied a “domestic church.” For Alyosha Ridiger, the future Patriarch, the choice of life’s path was never in question. His earliest conscious steps were made in the church, where, at the age of six, he performed his first obedience—pouring holy water during Theophany. By the age of eight or nine, he knew the Liturgy by heart, and his favorite game was “playing church.”
Though initially concerned by this precocious interest, his parents sought advice from the elders of the Valaam Monastery. The elders reassured them, saying that if the boy’s actions were serious, no obstacles should be placed before him.
Most Russians living in Estonia at that time were not truly émigrés; being native to the region, they found themselves abroad without leaving their homeland. The unique character of the Russian diaspora in Estonia was shaped by the compact settlement of Russians in the eastern parts of the country. This region became a haven for Russian exiles worldwide. By God’s grace, it contained a spiritual treasure—the Pskov-Caves Monastery, which, being outside the Soviet Union’s borders, remained inaccessible to the atheistic regime.
The future Patriarch’s parents were regular pilgrims to the Pühtitsa Dormition Women’s Monastery and the Pskov-Caves Monastery. They also visited the Valaam Transfiguration Monastery on Lake Ladoga twice in the late 1930s, bringing their son with them. These trips left an indelible impression on the young Alyosha, especially his encounters with the spirit-bearing elders of Valaam: Schema-Hegumen John (Alexeyev, +1958), Hieroschemamonk Ephraim (Khrobostov, +1947), and, most notably, Monk Juvenaly (Krasnoperov, +1957), who established a correspondence with the boy and took him into his heart.
Here is a fragment from one of Monk Juvenaly’s letters to Alyosha:
“My dear child in the Lord, sweet Alyoshenka! I sincerely thank you, my dear, for your greetings on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ and the New Year, as well as for your kind wishes. May the Lord God save you for all these spiritual gifts… If the Lord grants you all the opportunity to visit us for Pascha, it would greatly enhance our Paschal joy. Let us hope that the Lord, in His great mercy, will make this happen. We also lovingly remember all of you: you are like our own, kindred in spirit. Forgive me, dear Alyoshenka! Be well! May the Lord protect you! In your pure childlike prayers, remember me, an unworthy servant. Sincerely yours in the Lord, Monk Juvenaly.”
Thus, from the very beginning of his conscious life, the future Patriarch drew from the pure wellspring of Russian holiness—the wondrous island of Valaam.
Through Monk Juvenaly, a spiritual connection was established between Patriarch Alexy II and the Guardian Angel of Russia—Saint John of Kronstadt. It was by Saint John’s blessing that Monk Juvenaly became a Valaam monk, and he shared stories of this great pastor with the boy he cherished. Decades later, this connection was reaffirmed when the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990, which elected Alexy II as Patriarch, canonized Saint John of Kronstadt.
Youth, Studies, and Early Ministry (Late 1930s – Late 1950s)
The path of pastoral ministry, which Russian saints had walked for centuries—rooted in a childhood steeped in Christ and nurtured within the Church—was forbidden under Soviet rule. However, Divine Providence shaped the life of our current Primate, guiding it from birth in such a way that his childhood and adolescence were spent in a remnant of old Russia (as much as was possible at that time). By the time he encountered Soviet reality, he was a young man in years but a mature and steadfast warrior of Christ in spirit.
From an early age, Alexey Ridiger served in church as an acolyte. His spiritual father was Archpriest Ioann Bogoyavlensky, later Bishop Isidore of Tallinn and Estonia (+1949). At the age of 15, Alexey became a subdeacon to Archbishop Pavel of Tallinn and Estonia (Dmitrovsky; +1946) and later to Bishop Isidore. He attended a Russian secondary school in Tallinn, where he consistently excelled in religious studies, earning the highest grades in the Law of God.
The family was Alexey’s stronghold, offering unwavering support both in his choice of life’s path and throughout his priestly ministry. Beyond familial ties, their relationships were marked by deep emotional friendship. They shared all their joys and sorrows.
In 1936, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn, where the future Patriarch’s parents worshipped, was transferred to the Estonian parish. The cathedral had endured a turbulent history: following Estonia’s declaration of independence in 1918, efforts to demolish it began. Funds for “tearing down the Russian golden onion domes and the booths of Russian gods” (Orthodox chapels) were even collected from schoolchildren.
However, opposition to the destruction of the cathedral arose from both Russian and international communities, as well as the Red Cross. Later, there were renewed calls to remove the cathedral’s domes, replace them with a spire, and turn it into a “Pantheon of Estonian Independence.” Architectural magazines published illustrations showing Tallinn’s skyline without the “Russian domes,” but instead with the “Pantheon of Estonian Independence.”
These illustrations were preserved by the future Patriarch Alexy and later proved instrumental in saving the cathedral when the Soviet authorities considered converting it into a planetarium. The images, showing the earlier plans of the bourgeois government for the cathedral, dissuaded the Soviet officials. In 1936, the domes were stripped of their gold, and the cathedral remained in this condition until the war.
In 1945, Alexey, as a subdeacon, was tasked with preparing the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn for the resumption of worship services (it had been closed during the wartime occupation). From May 1945 to October 1946, he served as a sacristan and altar attendant at the cathedral. Beginning in 1946, he worked as a psalm reader at the Simeon Church and, from 1947, at the Kazan Church in Tallinn.
In 1946, Alexey Ridiger applied to the Leningrad Theological Seminary but was not admitted due to being under the age of 18. However, the following year, in 1947, he was enrolled directly into the third year of the seminary, graduating with top honors in 1949.
While studying at the Leningrad Theological Academy, Alexey was ordained a deacon on April 15, 1950, and a priest two days later on April 17, 1950. He was appointed rector of the Epiphany Church in the town of Johvi in the Diocese of Tallinn.
For more than three years, Father Alexey combined his pastoral duties with part-time studies at the academy. In 1953, he graduated with top honors, earning a candidate’s degree in theology for his thesis titled “Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov) as a Dogmatist.”
On July 15, 1957, Father Alexey was appointed rector of the Dormition Cathedral in the city of Tartu (formerly Yuryev). For a year, he simultaneously served in two parishes. He ministered in Tartu for four years.
Tartu, a university city, was quiet in the summer but came alive during the academic year when students returned. The Patriarch cherished fond memories of the old Yuryev university intelligentsia, who were active in church life. For him, this connection represented a living link to pre-revolutionary Russia.
On August 17, 1958, Father Alexey was elevated to the rank of archpriest. In 1959, on the Feast of the Transfiguration, his mother, Elena Iosifovna, passed away. Her life had been marked by the heavy cross of being a priest’s wife and mother in an atheist state. Prayer was her refuge and consolation—every day, she read the Akathist to the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow.”
She was laid to rest at the Alexander Nevsky Cemetery in Tallinn, where several generations of her ancestors were buried. From then on, Alexey and his father remained together, supporting one another in life’s journey.
Episcopal Ministry
On March 3, 1961, at the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Protopriest Alexey Ridiger took monastic vows. Shortly thereafter, by decree of the Holy Synod dated August 14, 1961, Hieromonk Alexey was designated as the Bishop of Tallinn and Estonia, with the additional responsibility of temporarily managing the Diocese of Riga. On August 21, 1961, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite, and on September 3, 1961, Archimandrite Alexey (Ridiger) was consecrated as the Bishop of Tallinn and Estonia, while continuing to oversee the Diocese of Riga.
This marked the beginning of a challenging era—during the height of Khrushchev’s anti-religious campaigns. The Soviet leader, in an attempt to revive the revolutionary fervor of the 1920s, demanded strict enforcement of the anti-religious legislation of 1929. It seemed as though the pre-war years of militant atheism had returned, with their so-called “Five-Year Plan of Godlessness.” While this wave of persecution against Orthodoxy was not as bloody as before—Church leaders and Orthodox laypeople were no longer executed—the media, including newspapers, radio, and television, unleashed torrents of blasphemy and slander against the faith and the Church. Authorities and “public organizations” subjected Christians to harassment and discrimination. Across the country, numerous churches were closed, and the already limited number of theological schools was further reduced.
In February 1960, Patriarch Alexy I addressed millions of Orthodox Christians during a public conference at the Kremlin, calling them to steadfastness in the face of renewed persecution. Speaking to the faithful, he declared:
“Even in these circumstances, there is much to console the faithful members of the Church. For what can all human efforts against Christianity achieve, when its 2,000-year history speaks for itself? Christ Himself foresaw the attacks against His Church and gave us the promise of its steadfastness, saying, ‘The gates of hell shall not prevail against it!’ (Matthew 16:18).”
During these difficult years for the Russian Orthodox Church, the older generation of bishops—confessors who had begun their ministry in pre-revolutionary Russia, endured the horrors of the Solovki prison camp and the Gulag, or returned from exile abroad after the war—were passing away. Replacing them was a new generation of young bishops, including Bishop Alexey of Tallinn. Unlike their predecessors, who had seen the Church in all its pre-revolutionary splendor, these younger hierarchs chose a path of service to a persecuted Church under the yoke of an atheistic state.
The authorities devised increasingly sophisticated methods of economic and political pressure against the Church. However, the unwavering faith of Orthodox Christians, adhering to Christ’s command to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), proved an unshakable fortress.
On November 14, 1961, Bishop Alexey was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR) of the Moscow Patriarchate. Early in his episcopal ministry, Bishop Alexey faced the decision of local authorities to close the Pühtitsa Dormition Convent and repurpose it as a rest home. However, he successfully persuaded Soviet officials that beginning his ministry with the closure of a convent was unacceptable.
In early 1962, now Deputy Chairman of the DECR, Bishop Alexey brought a delegation from the Evangelical Church of Germany to the convent. At the time, his father was recovering from a heart attack, but Bishop Alexey prioritized accompanying the foreign guests, as their visit was crucial for saving the convent. Enthusiastic articles about the Pühtitsa Convent soon appeared in the German newspaper Neue Zeit. Following additional visits by subsequent delegations, the decision to close the convent was rescinded.
Reflecting on those years, Patriarch Alexy II remarked:
“Only God knows what each clergyman who remained in Soviet Russia, rather than fleeing abroad, had to endure. I began my ecclesiastical ministry at a time when people were no longer executed for their faith, but defending the Church’s interests brought untold hardships. God and history will be the ultimate judges of those struggles.”
Over the course of his 25 years of episcopal service in Estonia, Bishop Alexey, with God’s help, achieved much in defending the Church. At that time, the Church faced a single, well-known enemy, and it had internal means of resisting. Upon ascending to the Patriarchal throne, however, the Holy Patriarch encountered a vastly different reality: in the modern, complex world, with its social, political, and national challenges, the Church found itself confronting many new adversaries.
On June 23, 1964, Bishop Alexey was elevated to the rank of Archbishop. Later that year, he was appointed Managing Director of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administration and became a permanent member of the Holy Synod.
Recalling his years of service under Patriarch Alexy I, the Patriarch said:
*“For nine years, I worked closely with Patriarch Alexy I, whose personality left a profound mark on my soul. At the time, I served as Managing Director of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administration, and the Holy Patriarch entrusted me with resolving numerous internal matters. He endured immense trials: the revolution, persecution, and repression, followed by Khrushchev’s renewed administrative oppression and the closure of churches. His humility, nobility, and profound spirituality had a great influence on me. The last service he celebrated, shortly before his death, was on the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord in 1970.
After his departure, the Gospel left open in his Patriarchal residence in Chisty Lane read: ‘Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word…’ (Luke 2:29).’”
As Metropolitan (February 25, 1968 – June 10, 1990)
On February 25, 1968, Archbishop Alexy was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan.
From March 10, 1970, to September 1, 1986, he oversaw the Pension Committee, tasked with providing pensions to clergy and other Church employees, as well as to their widows and orphans. On June 18, 1971, in recognition of his dedicated efforts in organizing the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1971, Metropolitan Alexy was granted the right to wear a second panagia.
Metropolitan Alexy fulfilled key responsibilities as: A member of the Commission for the Celebration of the 50th (1968) and 60th (1978) Anniversaries of the Restoration of the Patriarchate in the Russian Orthodox Church; A member of the Holy Synod’s Commission for the Preparation of the Local Council of 1971 and Chair of its procedural-organizational group and Secretariat; Deputy Chair of the Commission for the Celebration of the Millennium of the Baptism of Rus’ from December 23, 1980, and later Chair of its organizational group and, from September 1986, its theological group.
On May 25, 1983, he was appointed Chair of the Responsible Commission tasked with receiving the buildings of the Danilov Monastery Ensemble, organizing and overseeing their restoration and reconstruction, and creating a Spiritual and Administrative Center for the Russian Orthodox Church on the monastery grounds. He held this position until his appointment to the St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) See.
In 1984, Metropolitan Alexy was awarded the title of Doctor of Theology. His three-volume work, Essays on the History of Orthodoxy in Estonia, was submitted for a Master of Theology degree, but the Academic Council of the Leningrad Theological Academy unanimously decided that, given the depth and scope of his research, the work deserved a higher academic distinction. The council noted that:
“The dissertation is a comprehensive study on the history of Orthodoxy in Estonia, containing an enormous amount of ecclesiastical and historical material. The presentation and analysis meet the highest standards expected of doctoral dissertations.”
On April 12, 1984, Metropolitan Alexy received the Doctor’s Cross during a formal ceremony.
On the Leningrad See
On June 29, 1986, Metropolitan Alexy was appointed Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod, while continuing to oversee the Diocese of Tallinn. This marked the beginning of a transformative era for the Church in Russia’s northern capital. Initially, his relationship with city authorities was marked by resistance. When he attempted to meet the Chair of the Leningrad City Council, the official response from the Commissioner for Religious Affairs was:
“This has never happened in Leningrad, and it never will.”
However, within a year, the same official told Metropolitan Alexy:
“The doors of the Leningrad Council are open to you day and night.”
This dramatic shift broke down the Soviet-era stereotype of hostility toward the Church. Soon, government officials began visiting Metropolitan Alexy themselves, initiating dialogue and cooperation.
On January 24, 1990, Metropolitan Alexy became a member of the Board of the Soviet Charity and Health Fund, and on February 8, 1990, he joined the Presidium of the Leningrad Cultural Foundation. In 1989, he was elected People’s Deputy of the USSR by the Charity and Health Fund.
During his tenure as Metropolitan of Leningrad, he accomplished many significant achievements: The Chapel of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg at Smolensk Cemetery was restored and consecrated; The Ioannovsky Monastery on the Karpovka River was revived; The canonization of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg took place; Sacred relics, including those of Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky and Saints Zosima, Savvaty, and Herman of Solovki, were returned to the Church; Numerous churches and monasteries were also returned to ecclesiastical control.
Activities on the International Stage
Throughout his years of episcopal service, the future Patriarch Alexy II actively participated in the work of numerous international organizations and conferences. As part of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, he attended the Third Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in New Delhi (1961). He was elected a member of the Central Committee of the WCC (1961–1968) and served as President of the World Conference on Church and Society (Geneva, Switzerland, 1966). Additionally, he was a member of the WCC’s Faith and Order Commission (1964–1968).
As the head of the Russian Orthodox Church’s delegation, he participated in theological dialogues with the delegation of the Evangelical Church in Germany at Arnoldshain-II (Federal Republic of Germany, 1962), with the delegation of the Union of Evangelical Churches in the GDR at Zagorsk-V (Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 1984), and with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland in Leningrad and the Pühtitsa Convent (1989).
For more than 25 years, Archbishop and later Metropolitan Alexy dedicated his efforts to the work of the Conference of European Churches (CEC). Starting in 1964, he served as one of its Presidents (members of the Presidium) and was re-elected at subsequent General Assemblies. From 1971, Metropolitan Alexy became Vice-Chairman of the Presidium and Advisory Committee of the CEC. On March 26, 1987, he was elected Chairman of the Presidium and Advisory Committee of the CEC. At the 8th General Assembly of the CEC in Crete (1979), he delivered a keynote address titled “In the Power of the Holy Spirit – Serving Peace.”
From 1972, Metropolitan Alexy was a member of the Joint Committee of the CEC and the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) of the Roman Catholic Church. From May 15 to May 21, 1989, in Basel, Switzerland, Metropolitan Alexy co-chaired the First European Ecumenical Assembly on the theme “Peace and Justice,” organized by the CEC and the CCEE. In September 1992, at the 10th General Assembly of the CEC, Patriarch Alexy II’s term as CEC Chairman concluded. In 1997, His Holiness participated in the Second European Ecumenical Assembly in Graz, Austria.
Metropolitan Alexy initiated and chaired four seminars of Churches from the Soviet Union—members of the CEC and Churches cooperating with this regional Christian organization. These seminars were held at the Pühtitsa Dormition Convent in 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1989.
Metropolitan Alexy was also actively involved in the work of international and national peace organizations. From 1963, he served as a Board Member of the Soviet Peace Fund. He was a participant in the founding meeting of the Rodina Society (Motherland), where he was elected a member of the Council on December 15, 1975 and re-elected on May 27, 1981, and December 10, 1987. On October 24, 1980, at the Fifth All-Union Conference of the Society for Soviet-Indian Friendship, he was elected Vice-President of the organization.
On March 11, 1989, he became a member of the Council of the Foundation for Slavic Literature and Cultures. He was also a delegate to the World Christian Conference “Life and Peace” (April 20–24, 1983, Uppsala, Sweden), where he was elected one of its Presidents.
Patriarchal Service (June 10, 1990 – December 5, 2008)
The revival of Church life on a nationwide scale became the paramount task for the future First Hierarch during his Patriarchal ministry.
On May 3, 1990, His Holiness Patriarch Pimen of Moscow and All Rus’ reposed in the Lord. To elect a new Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, an extraordinary Local Council was convened. On June 7, 1990, the bells of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra announced the election of the fifteenth Patriarch of All Russia.
The enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy took place on June 10, 1990, at the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow. The Church’s return to wide-ranging public ministry is largely credited to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II. A series of providential events followed: the uncovering of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov and their solemn transfer to Diveyevo, where, as foretold by the saint, Paschal hymns were sung in the middle of summer; the uncovering of the relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod and their return to Belgorod; the uncovering of the relics of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon and their ceremonial transfer to the Great Cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery; the uncovering of the relics of St. Philaret of Moscow and St. Maximus the Greek at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra; and the uncovering of the incorrupt relics of St. Alexander of Svir. These miraculous discoveries marked the beginning of a new and remarkable period in the life of the Church, bearing witness to God’s blessing upon the ministry of Patriarch Alexy II.
As co-chairman, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy served on the Russian Organizing Committee for the preparation of the third millennium and the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of Christianity (1998–2000). At his initiative and with his participation, the interfaith conference “Christian Faith and Human Hostility” (Moscow, 1994) was held. His Holiness presided over the conference of the Christian Interfaith Advisory Committee, “Jesus Christ Is the Same Yesterday and Today and Forever (Heb. 13:8): Christianity on the Threshold of the Third Millennium” (1999) and the Interreligious Peace Forum (Moscow, 2000).
His Holiness Patriarch Alexy chaired the Patriarchal Synodal Bible Commission and served as editor-in-chief of the Orthodox Encyclopedia, heading both its Supervisory and Church-Scientific Councils. He was also the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Charitable Foundation for Reconciliation and Concord and the Board of Trustees of the National Military Foundation.
Throughout his archpastoral ministry as Metropolitan and Patriarch, Alexy II visited many dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church and countries worldwide, participating in numerous Church events. Several hundred of his articles, speeches, and works on theological, church-historical, peacemaking, and other topics were published in ecclesiastical and secular media in Russia and abroad. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy presided over the Bishops’ Councils of 1992, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2008, and consistently chaired the meetings of the Holy Synod.
His Holiness devoted considerable attention to the preparation of clergy for the Russian Orthodox Church, religious education for laity, and the spiritual and moral upbringing of the younger generation. By his blessing, spiritual seminaries, theological schools, and parish schools were established, along with structures for the development of missionary activity and catechetical work.
His Holiness paid great attention to establishing new relations between the Church and the state in Russia. He was firmly committed to the principle of separation between the Church’s mission and the state’s functions, advocating non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. At the same time, he believed that the Church’s mission of saving souls and the state’s service to society required mutually free interaction between ecclesiastical, governmental, and social institutions.
After years of persecution and restrictions, the Church regained the opportunity to carry out not only catechetical, religious-educational, and moral upbringing activities in society but also charitable work for the poor and acts of mercy in hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons.
The pastoral approach of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy alleviated tensions between state cultural preservation institutions and the Church, which had arisen due to unwarranted fears, narrow corporate interests, or personal ambitions. His Holiness signed a number of joint documents with the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the leadership of specific museum complexes located on the grounds of historically and spiritually significant monasteries. These agreements resolved contentious issues and gave new life to the monasteries.
Patriarch Alexy consistently called for close cooperation between representatives of secular and ecclesiastical culture. He regularly emphasized the need to revive morality and spiritual culture and to overcome artificial barriers between secular and religious culture, as well as between secular science and religion.
Several joint documents signed by His Holiness laid the groundwork for cooperation between the Church and systems of healthcare, social services, the Armed Forces, law enforcement agencies, judicial bodies, cultural institutions, and other state structures. By the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, a well-organized ecclesiastical system was created to minister to servicemen and law enforcement officers.
Amid political, social, and economic reforms, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II consistently emphasized the priority of moral goals over all others and the primacy of serving the good of society and individuals in political and economic activities.
Continuing the tradition of Christian peacemaking, during the socio-political crisis in Russia in the fall of 1993, which threatened civil war, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II assumed the mission of quelling political passions, inviting the conflicting parties to negotiations and mediating during these talks.
The Patriarch proposed numerous peace initiatives in connection with the conflicts in the Balkans, the Armenian-Azerbaijani confrontation, military actions in Moldova, events in the North Caucasus, the situation in the Middle East, the military operation against Iraq, and the military conflict in South Ossetia in August 2008, among others.
During his Patriarchal tenure, many new dioceses were established, creating numerous centers of spiritual and ecclesiastical-administrative leadership closer to parishes and promoting the revival of Church life in remote regions.
As the ruling bishop of Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II devoted significant attention to the revival and development of diocesan and parish life. His efforts in this regard served as a model for arranging diocesan and parish life elsewhere. Alongside his tireless efforts in internal Church affairs, where he consistently called for active and responsible participation from all members of the Church based on truly conciliar principles, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church placed great importance on fraternal interaction among all Orthodox Churches to bear joint witness to Christ’s Truth in the world.
Patriarch Alexy regarded cooperation among various Christian denominations for the needs of the contemporary world as a Christian duty and a path to fulfilling Christ’s commandment of unity. Peace and harmony in society, to which the Patriarch tirelessly called, necessarily included benevolent mutual understanding and cooperation among adherents of different religions and worldviews.
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