Patriarch Kirill and Metropolitan Volodymyr honored the deceased liquidators of the consequences of Chornobyl Accident

26/4/2011

On the night of April 26, when Ukraine remembers the 25th anniversary of the Chonobyl disaster, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr performed a pannikhida service for the deceased liquidators of the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear station in the church complex of St Michael the Archangel in Darnytsia region of Kyiv (prospect Myru, 16).

Praying at the worship service were the hierarchs of the Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox Churches and the clergymen of Kyiv.

Attending the pannikhida service also were the Prima-Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov, chairman of the Kyiv City State Administration Olexander Popov, governor of the Kyiv region Anatoly Prysiazhnyuk, members of the government and relatives of the liquidators of the accident.

Upon completion of the pannikhida service the Primates of the churches addressed to the assembly with their speeches. Thus, His Beatitude Volodymyr said:

“Thank You, Your Holiness, for Your prayers in which you remember the true heroes – the Chronobyl cleanup veterans. We address to the Christ Resurrected, Who said: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”. And we believe that the Lord will have mercy and won’t send us other trials. We pray and ask that the Lord gave rest to their souls with the righteous”, said His Beatitude Volodymyr.

At 01-23 am (the time of explosion at the Chornobyl nuclear power station) the memorial bell tolled 25 times according to the number of years that passed since the day of the tragedy. It opened the memorial arrangements in Ukraine.

Also the ceremony participants laid flowers to the commemorative token situated in the territory of the complex.

In completion the first hierarchs together with the representatives of the authorities called to the church of Entry of the lord to Jerusalem in the territory of the complex, where they lit the candles for the deceased. Also Patriarch Kirill gifted the icon of Resurrection of Christ to the community.

Snap:

Source: