Hiero-Archimandrite of the Kyiv Caves Lavra meets Patriarch Kirill at the Monastery
In the evening of July 26, Patriarch Kirill arrived to the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
In the square at the Near Caves of the monastery he was welcomed by its Hiero-Archimandrite Metropolitan Volodymyr, deputy abbot of the monastery Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshgorod and Chornobyl, bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, monastery brethren and God-loving congregation.
Upon entering the Church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross, he prayed at the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God of the Kyivan Caves.
Then Metropolitan Volodymyr, Hiero-Archimandrite of the monastery addressed to him with a speech.
“The Holy Lavra always performs its prayers that are required around the world so that the world ceased to be in its evil, and nobly serves the entire society, all believers of the glory of God. Here the people come to receive delight and consolation, to receive forgiveness of sins, and partake of the Holy and Life-Giving Communion of Christ. So our joy is great today and the hope is great that you will continue to visit us and raise prayers ahead of us, asking God for grace and mercy, “- said His Beatitude.
In the word-response the Patriarch stressed the important role of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in the preservation and development of the Orthodoxy in Russia and shared his impressions of the arrival to the monastery. Finally His Holiness invoked the God’s blessing on the present.
“Every time I step on the soil of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, I have a special feeling and I think all of you, because this place is associated with the beginning of our Church, the beginning of the feat of monastic life in Rus, related with this place is the sacrificial service of many generations of bishops, priests, monks, people of God for preserving the Orthodoxy. It is from here that started the ancient culture of Russia, which became the foundation and the basis for Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian cultures, and which influenced the spiritual and cultural development of many nations. Here the prayerful deeds were performed in a special way, the grace of God was manifested in a special way there. And those who do not believe in it can just go down in the cave and touch the incorruptible relics of the holy pleasers of God, myrrh-bearing heads to see a visible manifestation of God’s grace. I believe that the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, as a great bulwark of Orthodoxy, as the great bulwark of our Church will always bear this blessed ministry, praying and working for the sake of the unity of our Church, in the name of strengthening the Orthodox faith in our nation. May God protect the Holy Orthodox Rus, may God keep our one Church intact, may the Lord strengthen those who bears his good ministry in this holy place for the sake of salvation of the souls of men, in order to preserve faith in the hearts of men “- said the Primate of the Russian Church .
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