On June 6, 2026, a meeting of the clergy of the Kaliningrad Archdiocese was held in Kaliningrad under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The meeting took place in the assembly hall of the Orthodox Gymnasium at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
The presidium was attended by Metropolitan Gregory of Voskresensk, Managing Director of the Moscow Patriarchate, and Metropolitan Seraphim of Baltiysk and Svetlogorsk, Patriarchal Vicar of the Kaliningrad Metropolitanate.
Opening the meeting, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. His Holiness noted that he always visits Kaliningrad with a special feeling, since a significant part of his archpastoral ministry was connected with this region. He recalled the formation of Orthodox life in the westernmost region of Russia, where there were no visible manifestations of Orthodoxy after the war, and thanked the clergy for their efforts to strengthen church life.
2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Kaliningrad Archdiocese. It was formed by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on October 21, 2016 within the Kaliningrad region. At the same time, the Holy Synod took note of and approved the request of the residents of the region to leave His Holiness Patriarch Kirill in charge of the Kaliningrad Archdiocese as its head.
Then His Holiness the Patriarch delivered a keynote address on topical issues of ecclesiastical life and the development of the Kaliningrad Archdiocese.
Metropolitan Serafim of Baltiysk and Svetlogorsk presented a report on the activities of the archdiocese for 2025. The Kaliningrad Archdiocese includes the Kaliningrad and Chernyakhovskaya dioceses. There are 202 churches, 43 chapels and prayer rooms, 3 nunneries and 100 parishes on its territory. The parishes are united into 6 deanery districts. 114 priests and 17 deacons serve in the metropolis.
Presentations were also made by M.B. Filkova, Head of the Social Ministry Department of the Kaliningrad Diocese, Priest Vadim Trusov, Chairman of the Board for Religious Education of the Kaliningrad Archdiocese, and Archpriest Georgy Urbanovich, head of the Spiritual and Educational Center of the Kaliningrad Diocese.
Thanking the speakers, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill drew attention to the special mission of the clergy serving in the westernmost region of Russia. The Primate stressed that the pastoral witness of the Church should be calm, responsible and aimed at strengthening the Orthodox faith, the spiritual life of the people and concern for the welfare of the Fatherland.
"You are a border guard unit of the Russian Orthodox Church. Therefore, you have a special responsibility: by serving the Orthodox Church, to serve both your people and your Fatherland, strengthening the spiritual forces of the people," said His Holiness.
Patriarch Kirill noted that the ministry in the Kaliningrad region has a special significance and differs in many ways from the pastoral ministry in the depths of Russia. According to the Primate, it is important for the clergy of the region to strengthen church life, support each other and bear witness to Orthodoxy so that the Kaliningrad land would be an example for those who live to the west of it.
As a gift to each participant of the meeting, His Holiness the Patriarch gave a book about the history of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, and a three—volume edition of the project "Orthodox Culture in World Civilization" to the Orthodox Gymnasium.
At the end of the meeting, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church called on the clergy of the Kaliningrad Archdiocese to zealously serve, strengthen the Orthodox faith and spiritually defend the Fatherland.