Address of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Address of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr to the participants of the 7th International Cinema and Mass-Media Festival “Pokrov”

Dear organizers, participants and guests of the Festival “Pokrov”!

The Gospel “sower seeds the word” (Mark 4, 14). And the cinema and mass-media are the instruments for the Church by means of which the Divine Word is to reach human hearts. Where it is to flower and bring the fruit of love in the service to God and neighbour.

The Gospel Word is the news about the Savior and the possibility of salvation. And in the hands of the Christians the mass-media are the means of distribution of this news.

God-Word becomes man to communicate the people directly. The same way the word of the church sermon is embodied in various forms: the movies, TV-programs, on the pages of print of electronic issues in order to become heard and understood by everyone. The sermon through modern mass-media is an important and absolutely indispensable ministry of the Church in modern world. It is also important that this ministry was not based on the grounds of “the world”, but had Christ Himself, the Christian way of thinking and life as its foundation.

Therefore I address you together with Apostle Paul: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6, 14-19).

I wish creative inspiration and fruitful work to all the participants of the Festival of Cinema and the Mass-Media “Pokrov”, and I wish the guests of the festival to enjoy and stand to benefit from the meetings and film reviewing.

9.10.2009

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

Snaps: fotolitopys.in.ua

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