« Bishop Matthew of Sourozh presented a Patriarchal award to an American public figure »

On December 9, 2025, at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Seattle, Washington, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Interim Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the United States and Canada, with the blessing of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', met with American public figure and publicist Peter Anderson. For his significant contribution to interchurch cooperation and humanitarian work, and to strengthening peace and friendship among peoples, His Holiness awarded him the Order of Glory and Honor, Second Class, a high award of the Russian Orthodox Church.

After presenting the award, Bishop Matthew conveyed to Mr. Anderson the best wishes of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and wished him God's help in his future endeavors to develop inter-Christian dialogue. In turn, Peter Anderson asked to convey to His Holiness his heartfelt gratitude for the high recognition of his work and his best wishes for success in his high and responsible service as Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

During the post-award ceremony, Mr. Anderson admitted that the news of the Bishop of Sourozh presenting him with this high award was a pleasant surprise: he recalls with great warmth his meeting and conversation with Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh in London in 1985.

Also present at the Patriarchal award ceremony were Archpriest Vyacheslav Davidenko, Senior Priest of St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in Seattle, Peter Anderson's wife, and the bishop's personal secretary, Nikolai Trubnikov.

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