His Holiness Patriarch Kirill sends letter to His Majesty King Harald V of Norway

His Majesty King Harald V of Norway

Your Majesty!

With sorrow I learned of the terrible terrorist attacks in the capital of Norway, as well as on the island of Utoeya. Please accept my sincere condolences on behalf of all the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church, who in these tragic days, prayerfully share in the suffering of the Norwegian people. I ask you to convey our sympathy and support to all subjects of the Kingdom of Norway, with whom we have for centuries a shared tradition of good neighborliness.

For the first time a victim of terror, which in recent years has swept the entire world, became Norway. I am convinced that this ordeal will not shake the Norwegians, but only unite their resolve to resist the new challenge of evil.

The terrorists managed to carry out their monstrous plan, resulting in killing innocent people. Whatever motivated killers, this shameful crime can have no excuses. They committed iniquity went against the will of God and the rights of man.

I pray to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25), that he will grant rest in the Kingdom of Heaven to the souls of those killed and comfort to You, to the families of victims of the terrorist attacks, and to the entire Norwegian people.

With deepest sympathy,
+ KIRILL, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia

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