Patriarch Kirill to attend funeral of priest killed last Thursday.

MOSCOW, November 23 (Itar-Tass) - Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia
Kirill /Cyril/ is expected to attend the funeral of the Reverend Daniil
Sysoyev, the father superior of St Thomas's Church in southern Moscow who
was killed by an unknown masked gunman right inside his church in the late
hours of Thursday.
His Holiness Kirill is due to come to the St Peter and Paul's Church
in the district of Yasenevo at around noon.
A remembrance service will be chanted prior to his arrival there. It
will be conducted by the Patriarch's aide, Archbishop Arsenius of Istra.
The slain Reverend Sysoyev's father, priest Alexy Sysoyev is one of
the clergymen in St Peter and Paul's Church
The Reverend Daniil Sysoyev will then be buried at Moscow's
Kuntsevskoye cemetery.
Father Daniil was 35 years old, and he has left a wife and three
children.
The raising of money to help his children and the family has begun in
the St Peter and Paul's Church, St Thomas's Church and some other parishes
we he had did his service.
For three days after the murder, Muscovites came to St Thomas' to bid
final farewell to the Reverend Sysoyev Jr. Public admittance to the coffin
with his body that was placed in the church he supervised was open for the
past day and a half.
Mournful people brought literally tons of flowers with them,
practically covering all the approaches to the building with petals.
The Rev Sysoyev Jr. was known as a Russian Orthodox missionary and a
specialist on Islam who took part in numerous disputes and discussions
with representatives of that religion.
Some of the followers of Islam who participated in those discussions
would convert to the Orthodox Christian faith later.
As the remembrance prayers were read in the St Thomas's Church during
the weekend, one could see many representative of Caucasian peoples among
the believers.
The Rev Sysoyev Jr.'s death gave a surprising push to the Russians'
religious feelings, as Moscow priests reported a sharp increase in the
numbers of laymen who attended services over the weekend.
Priests believe Thursday's tragedy impelled the people to recall their
Orthodox Christian identity.
The Rev Sysoyev Jr. was shot and killed at around 23:00 hours Thursday
and the choirmaster of his church, Vladimir Strelbitsky, was severely
wounded. The latter man is still staying in hospital.
Moscow City's best detectives have been drawn into the effort to
investigate the case.
Investigators say religious hatred was the most probable motive behind
the murder.
-0-kle