Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will visit the UK on October 15-18.The patriarch's visit has been timed to coincide with celebrations to mark the 300 years of the Russian Orthodox Church's presence in the British Isles, Patriarchate spokesman Priest Alexander Volkov told Interfax-Religion on Tuesday.
"A religious service to be conducted by the patriarch at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God in London will become a key event of the visit. During the visit, special attention will be given to the personality of the memorable Metropolitan Anthony [Bloom], who made a significant contribution to the establishment of the Russian community in the United Kingdom in the middle of the 20th century and who made great effort in the development of the Diocese of Sourozh, established in 1962," he said.
The history of the Russian parish and subsequently the Diocese of Sourozh on British territory began with the ambassadorial church, which was founded under the decree of Tsar Peter the Great in 1716, he said.