On July 21, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow performed the rite of consecration of the Cathedral of Transfiguration of Our Savior in Odesa and presided over the Divine Liturgy celebrated in the newly consecrated church.
Concelebrating with the primate were Metropolitan Volodymyr of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Varsonofii of Saransk and Mordova, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokalamsk, Metropolitan Agafangel of Odesa and Izmail, and other hierarchs.
Also present in the church were Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Viktor Tikhonov, head of the State Committee on Nationalities and Religions Yurii Bohutskyi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in Ukraine M. Zurabov, General Consul of the Russian Federation in Odessa A. Hrachev, chairman of the Odesa regional administration Eduard Gurwits, chairman of the Odesa regional council N. Skoryk, people deputies of Ukraine, diplomats, and other officials, reports patriarch.in.ua.
In his sermon during the liturgy, Patriarch Kirill called the believers to remember that the historic tragedies experienced by the one people of the Holy Rus in the recent times were "God's punishment" – God turned away from the people. According to the patriarch, the "overturned crosses was the visible sign of those who wished to completely and unlimitedly rule their lives for the sake of freedom, for us." If we forget the recent history, through which our people lived, we will again trigger a backlash according to the saying. But in the present conditions the consequences can be much worse," said Patriarch Kirill.
After the Gospel readings Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia said a sermon for the faithful.
Upon completion of the Divine service the hierarch was greeted by the ruling bishop of the Diocese of Odessa Metropolitan Agafangel, who offered the patriarch a memorable gift – Patriarchal crosier.
Then Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine delivered a speech.
As a gift to the newly consecrated cathedral the patriarch offered an icon of the Savior, wishing: "May Christ the Savior deliver each of you from evil, may His image be kept in our hearts and make every man strong and invincible, asserting truth of God in the world.”
"And I'd like to give to everyone of you, my dear, this little Icon of the Mother of God ‘Kasperovskaya’ with my patriarchal blessing. I cannot lay my hands on everyone, but each of you is in my heart. May the omophorion of the Heavenly Queen rest on Odesa, on Ukraine and all the Holy Rus, strengthening our pious people in their unfailing standing in the truth of God.”
To that also testifies the text of the memorial inscription on the foundation tablet: "This Holy Altar of the Cathedral of the Holy Transfiguration of Our Savior in Odesa is consecrated by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in concelebration with His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr and His Eminence Agathangel of Odesa and Izmail on July 21, 2010, on commemoration of the Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan, and the relics of the hieromartyr Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kyiv are laid.”
The report says that "Hieromartyr Vladimir is the first new martyr of the Russian Land, the God-pleaser together with the Venerable Fathers of the Kyiv Cave glorifies God in the abodes of the Heavenly Kingdom."