His Holiness Patriarch Kirill Made Archpastoral Visit to Horlivka
On July 30 His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia made archpastoral visit to Horlivka. For the first time in its 230-year history the city received the guest of such a rank.
His Holiness the Patriarch was met by religious and secular authorities, as well as thousands of residents of Horlivka and the guests of the city. The city mayor of Horlivka Ivan Sakharchuk presented the Patriarch with a specially manufactured key – the symbol of openness of the city of Horlivka, and of the hearts of its residents to their Archpastor.
His Holiness the Patriarch performed the prayer service at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas, following which His Grace Mytrofan, Bishop of Horlivka and Slovyansk greeted the Primate of our Church on the part of all clergymen and parishioners of our city. His Holiness the Patriarch addressed all those present with words of instruction and spiritual encouragement: “I’d like to greet the residents both of Horlivka, and of Donbass on the whole. Both Horlivka and all Donbass is the land where the people earn their living by the sweat of their brow. It it’s the land of miners, metallurgists, machine-builders and chemists. Your labor produces factual values. If the whole world worked as the miners’ Donbass does, there would be no crisis. The crisis is a result of sin, which penetrated modern economy. The people of honest labor pay for those who acquired milliards from the air. And the Church speaks only about it: “the workman is worthy of his meat”. Therefore we are not to despond. And when the temporary difficulties arise, one should keep in mind that every workman performs the deed, worthy to be rewarded from God and people.”
His Holiness the Patriarch presented the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Icon of the savior and asked all those who gathered for the prayers of their Primate.
