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Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias will visit Japan between 14 and 18 September to commemorate the centennial of the death of the saint who established the Local Orthodox Church. In 1970, Moscow granted Japan its autonomous status, recognising its founder, St Nikolai Kasatkin of Japan, as “Equal-to-the-Apostles“. After meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Russia Harada Chikahito, Patriarch Kirill made a formal announcement of his trip. Metropolitan Daniel Nushiro of Tokyo and all Japan, the First Hierarch of the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church (MP), will host the patriarch. After his visit to Japan, Patriarch Kirill will travel to Krasnoyarsk and Vladivostok in Siberia, where he’ll meet local Orthodox believers and governmental figures.
The Orthodox Church of Japan is an autonomous Church within the Orthodox Church. Born Ivan Kasatkin, the Holy Governing Synod sent St Nikolai in 1861 to Hokkaido as a priest at the chapel of the Russian consulate. During his mission, he translated the Holy Scriptures and other religious texts into Japanese and built Tokyo’s Holy Resurrection Cathedral. In 1970, when the MP recognised the autonomy of the Japanese Church, he was proclaimed “Equal-to-the-Apostles,” a title given to saints who distinguish themselves for their great missionary endeavours. At present, there are 30,000 Japanese Orthodox, under three dioceses… Tokyo, led by Metropolitan Daniel Nushiro; Sendai, in the east, led by Bishop Seraphim Tsujie; and Kyoto, in the west, led by Metropolitan Daniel as locum tenens.
30 August 2012
Asia News
