Kirill or Cyril (Russian: Кирилл, Church Slavonic: Ст҃ѣ́йшїй патрїа́рхъ Кѷрі́ллъ, secular name Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, Russian: Владимир Михайлович Гундяев; born 20 November 1946) is a Russian Orthodox bishop. He became Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' and Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church on 1 February 2009.

The real "head" of the Synod and most important clerical figure was the Primus or Prime member, its legal chairman, always a Metropolitan or an Archbishop.

Former Russian Orthodox priest Father Grigory Michnov-Vaytenko, head of the Russian Apostolic Church — a recognized religious organization founded by other dissident priests such as Father Gleb Yakunin — said that "The [Russian Orthodox] church now works like the commissars did in the Soviet Union. And people of course see it.

In 2005, he as head of the Russian Orthodox Church delegation attended the enthronement of Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem. In his capacity of the DECR chairman, he was part of official delegations on visits to all the Local Orthodox Churches.

2025年1月7日 · Why has the Russian Orthodox Church turned its attention to Africa now, and what are we doing there? The TASS Analytical Center posed this question to Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

2023年1月9日 · Born Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, Kirill was enthroned as the 16th patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2009. He has attracted international scrutiny with his open declarations...

2024年12月20日 · Kirill was the first head of the Russian Orthodox Church to be elected after the fall of the Soviet Union. He inherited from his predecessor, Aleksey II (reigned 1990–2008), a church that had experienced revitalization and tremendous growth following the end of official state atheism in Russia.

2024年6月12日 · Paschal Message by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to the archpastors, pastors, deacons, monks and nuns, and all the faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church.

2025年1月8日 · On January 27, 2009, the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, by secret ballot, elected Metropolitan Kirill as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill is a doctor of theology, an honorary professor at a number of religious and secular universities in Russia and in the West, the author of several books and more ...

2023年1月21日 · The mysterious leader wields enormous influence as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, bestowing guidance to more than 100 million believers — about 70 per cent of the country's population.