Patriarch Kirill

Patriarch Kirill (secular Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyaev ) - bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, since February 2009 - Patriarch of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Short biography

Cyril was born on November 20, 1946 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).

From 1974-1984 he was rector of the Leningrad Theological Academy and Seminary.

In 1989 he became head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

In December 2008 he became custodian of the patriarchal throne after the death of Patriarch Alexy II and in February 2009 became his successor.

He is a great admirer of the concept of the "Russian world", the policy of the aggressor president Vladimir Putin. He denied the right to an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church and supported the war against Ukraine.

According to the media, while in the status of metropolitan, Kyrill cooperated with the KGB and was known by the pseudonym "Mikhailov.

He was also repeatedly the subject of media investigations because of his lust for luxury. In particular, it is known about the luxurious dacha of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church near Gelendzhik.