On Friday, December 1, the Primate of the Orthodox Church in American, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada arrived in Moscow to take part in the comemorative events surrounding the centennial anniversary of the election of St. Tikhon (Bellavin) as Patriarch of Moscow and the restoration of the Patriarchate.

His Beatitude was greeted by Metropolitan Pavel of Khanty-Mansysk (Met. Pavel served as rector of St Nicholas Cathedral in San Francisco while an Archimandrite for many years); Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA; Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for Inter-Orthodox relations; and Mr. Dmitry Petrovsky, DECR staff member.