Background
He was born 1910 in village Kobylino, Kaluga Governorate in pius family. Raised in the town of Bogorodsk near Moscow.
He was born 1910 in village Kobylino, Kaluga Governorate in pius family. Raised in the town of Bogorodsk near Moscow.
On December 5, 1925, he became a monk at Sretensky Monastery in Moscow. He also spent years in various Russian monasteries and cathedrals in Murom, Odessa and Pskov. In 1954 Pimen became namestnik (alderman) of Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra.
November 17, 1957 in Odessa he was consecrated bishop of Balta, vicar of the Diocese of Odessa.
Since December 26, 1957 he was bishop of Dmitrov, vicar of the Moscow diocese. From July 1960 to November 14, 1961 he was Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate.
November 23, 1960 he was elevated to the rank of archbishop. Since March 16, 1961 he was archbishop of Tula and Belyov.
On November 14, 1961 he was appointed Metropolitan of Leningrad and Ladoga.
After the death of Patriarch Alexius I in 1970 Metropolitan Pimen was elected the Patriarchal Locum Tenens, but the Communist authorities did not allow the holding of a church council to select a new Patriarch in the same year as the 100th anniversary of Lenin"s birth. Local Council was opened May 30, 1971. The most important act of the Council - the abolition of the "oath" on the old rites of the Great Moscow Council, 1667.
June 2, 1971 on the final day of the Counsil Metropolitan Pimen was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
June 3 of the same year he was enthroned. In his post he worked closely with the authorities: he participated in numerous "peace movement" conferences sponsored by the government.
Pimen was a member of the World Peace Council from 1963 onwards.