Address of His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr

Ukrainian Orthodox Church

His Beatitude Volodymyr called the reverend archpastors, pastors and monastics and all faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to intensify prayers for sending down rain and granting freshness to reverend archpastors, pastors, monastics and all faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

It is a feeling of anxiety that fills our hearts because of the heat lasting in out country and in brotherly Russia for a long time.

High temperature became the reason of health impairment for many people, of the death of hundreds of hectares of crops. The heat caused forest fires raging in the European part of the Russian Federation. Thousands of our brothers and sisters lost their homes, household and stay out in the open.

There is testimony of the forest fires in Ukraine. The state authorities do their best in order to prevent new sparkles of fire.

The elements inspire awe and sometimes despair. On these days we address every believer with the words of the Holy Scripture: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth”. (Psalms 124, 8), “…Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” (Ephesians 6, 10).

I call the archpastors and pastors to intensify their prayers and to address all faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church so that they prayed unto All-Merciful God to send down to us the long-awaited freshness, so that He mastered the elements and that the fire lighted and warmed our homes again, not destroying them, leaving people without roof and daily bread.

May everyone having possibility render assistance to the sufferers – the financial, material one or at least support them with a good word.

We believe that our communal prayer will incline God’s mercy to our Country and its God-loving people and “the Lord will give what is good, And our land will yield its produce” (Psalms 85, 13).

† Volodymyr,
Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine,
Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church