Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill consecrated the new cathedral of the Mother of God in Kazan, which has been rebuilt after having been demolished in the Stalin era. The cathedral houses the cherished icon of Our Lady of Kazan, which was presented to the Russian Orthodox Church as gift by Pope John Paul II; that icon has also disappeared from Russia at the time of the Communist revolution.

Patriarch Kirill was making his first public appearance since the outbreak of the Covid epidemic. Only about 300 people were allowed into the cathedral, but several thousand gathered outside for the ceremony.