Patriarch Kirill: Today, the ROC is the only institution uniting Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus
He expressed these and other imperial theses on August 28 during a festive meal at the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
“Despite the emergence of political borders in the so-called post-Soviet space, there are none for the Russian Orthodox Church, for we are the Church of All Russia, and for me, Kyiv, Minsk, and other capitals of the republics are the most important spiritual centers of the one Holy Rus,” Kirill said, addressing the audience.
“This consciousness permeates the majority of our clergy and believers, not only in the Russian Federation but even in places where one can lose one's freedom for expressing such views,” the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church emphasized. ”Therefore, first of all, I think of our bishops and priests, our believing brothers and sisters in Ukraine, many of whom are bravely holding out in this moment of turmoil. I can't find a different word for it. This is a turmoil and not the first to face Rus.”
“You cannot find a compromise between God and the devil, between truth and lies. There is no such thing. Compromises can be made in politics or business, but never in the Church, for the Church is the harbinger of God's truth,” said His Holiness. ”I would like to express my gratitude to our bishops and clergy in all the countries that were formed on the territory of historical Russia for maintaining canonical unity in all difficult circumstances. Those who remain faithful to the spiritual unity of our Church, its mission, which is salvific for the entire space of Holy Rus, will remain on the bright side of history and will eventually be victorious.”
“The danger lies in the fact that any turmoil in Rus has always been supported from the outside. It is the same now - all these problems in the vastness of historical Rus did not arise without the participation of certain political forces hostile to Russia. Still, Russia has withstood all these blows, and moreover, it is moving forward. Despite the sanctions and restrictions, the economy is developing and the political system is strengthening,” Kirill continued, ”Of course, this is a great merit of our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and his team. But behind all this is the powerful support of both the people and our Church. The Church is fully aware of the importance of the transformations that are taking place and prays for our President, for the authorities, and for the solution of all problems on the territory of historical Rus.”
“Today, the Russian Church is the only institution that connects Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries of the so-called post-Soviet space. The Orthodox are everywhere, and the archpastoral responsibility of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus extends to this entire space. That is why there are such attacks on our Church - the opponents of the preservation of the spiritual unity of Holy Rus see the Russian Church as their main enemy. Yet, the Russian Church gives hope to people who recognize themselves as citizens - not in the legal sense, but in the spiritual or, if you like, in the philosophical sense - citizens of the one Holy Rus,” said the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
