Patriarch Kirill warns people against rallies and urges not to listen to populists
Moscow, February 1, Interfax – Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia urges believers to share his prayers about Russia as the country “is going through a very responsible and difficult stage of its development.”
“Let’s unite our forces. Orthodox people can’t go to demonstrations, they stand in queues to venerate the Belt of the Mother of God, and if the Belt had spent more not a month (in Russia – IF), but half a year, then not three, but 40-50 million of people would have stood in this queue. We know it for sure as we live in an Orthodox in its majority country,” the Patriarch said after the Liturgy he celebrated at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow on Wednesday, the third anniversary of his enthronement.
According to him, Orthodox believers “don’t go to rallies, their voices are not heard, they pray in silence of monasteries, in monastic cells, but their hearts ache for the things happening with our people today.”
He urged people to be vigilant.
“Remember that the loudest cry and the sharpest word are not always correct, true and fair. Thus our nation was seduced twice, or even more frequently, for the last hundred and something years,” Patriarch Kirill reminded.
“And we know that God punished all seducers, instigators, provokers. Where are they in the history?” he said.
