With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the vicar of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, Bishop Kirill of Sergiev Posad and Dmitrov, from June 1 to 4, 2024, took part in the jubilee celebrations in memory of St. Justin (Popovich), as well as on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the episcopal ministry of Metropolitan John of Montenegro and Primorye (Serbian Orthodox Church), the Lavra's website reports.
Upon arrival in Montenegro, Bishop Kirill visited the Ostrog Monastery and venerated the relics of St. Basil of Ostrog.
Official events began on June 2. The bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as the clergy, monastics and laity took part in them.
On the memorial day of St. Stephen of Pipersky, an ascetic of the XVII century, Bishop Kirill concelebrated with Metropolitan John at the monastery of Chelia Piperska, where the relics of the saint rest. After the service, Metropolitan Ioanniky thanked Bishop Kirill for praying together and for coming to Montenegro to share the joy of this important holiday with the Serbian Church.
On the same day, solemn events were held in the crypt of the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica in honor of the 130th anniversary of the birth, the 45th anniversary of the repose and the 10th anniversary of the finding of the holy relics of St. Justin (Popovich), as well as the 25th anniversary of the episcopal ministry of Metropolitan John.
Bishop Kirill made a welcoming speech. In his address, Vladyka recalled the precepts of St. Justin (Popovich) on the unity of the Slavic peoples in the testimony of Christ, on the conciliarity of the Orthodox Church and the need for live communication with each other, and also emphasized the scale of the saint's labors: "St. Justin was unable to complete a course of study at the Theological Academy in St. Petersburg only because of political events. Both the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and the Moscow Theological Academy have already defended several works on the theology of St. Justin. I think that the number of such works will grow, because the legacy of this saint is truly huge."
On June 3, the day of remembrance of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and his mother Queen Elena, the anniversary of the episcopal consecration of Metropolitan John of Montenegro and Primorye, a conciliar Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica. After the service, Metropolitan Ioanniky thanked his fellow archpastors and clergy for their joint prayer, wishing everyone joy and God's help. He also particularly welcomed Bishop Kirill.
On June 4, Bishop Kirill concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with Metropolitan John at the Cathedral of the Martyr John Vladimir in the city of Bar. On this day, the Church honored the memory of the martyr John Vladimir, Prince of Serbia. The saint ruled in Montenegro in the 10th century and is considered the patron saint of the city of Bar.
At the end of the Liturgy, Bishop Kirill addressed the worshippers with words of greeting. Vladyka stressed that the centuries—old communication between the Russian and Serbian peoples and spiritual unity is a great blessing from God. He also noted that the lives of St. John Vladimir and the faithful princes Boris and Gleb are similar: "Both John Vladimir and brothers Boris and Gleb suffered from envy, but the highest manifestation of the greatest power and wisdom is to overcome evil with good."
On the evening of the same day, Bishop Kirill concelebrated with Metropolitan John at the evening divine service and took part in the national procession that followed. The prayer procession took place as part of the events of the Days of St. John Vladimir - it brought together residents of the city and believers from different parts of Montenegro.