Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia is expected to visit Mount Athos, in May 2016, on the occasion of festivities marking the 1000th anniversary of Russia’s presence on the Holy Mountain.
“Mount Athos is expected to be in May. The dates have not yet been set,” chief of press service of patriarch Priest Alexander Volkov said at a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday” (24-02-2016).
His statement implied that the patriarch’s trips to Mount Athos and to Crete, the venue of a Pan-Orthodox Council meeting, will not coincide.
It was reported earlier that Patriarch Kirill would travel to Crete in June. The Pan-Orthodox Council is set to convene on June 16-17, for the first time in more than a thousand years.
source: orthodoxpost.com
Thanks to our reader Hadrian. He says: “Because of this visit it is therefore possible that the Pilgrimsbureau soon sets a more stringent quota limitation for number of visitors to Athos, including those for the clergy. His advice is: if you want to visit Athos in May this year and you do not have a Diamonitirion yet: try to get a reservation as quickly as possible”!
Wim Voogd, 26/2
I have contacted the Pilgrim’s bureau two days ago (1st of March) and was told that they were fully booked until the mid-June.