Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia Met with Faithful in Rivne

On Monday, August 3, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill called to the Cathedral of the Holy Resurrection of Christ.

The first words which the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed to the faithful of Rivne, who had waited for the Patriarch a day before, was the paschal greeting “Christ is risen!” Some thousand of faithful responded “Indeed He is risen!”.

The Patriarch noted that the Resurrection of Christ “enables one to carry Orthodoxy forward through the centuries”. “It gives one power to overcome scream, noise, divisions”, he declared and called to keep love and unity, because love conquers splits and malice.
Patriarch compared St. Nicholas Church, situated in the basement storey of St. Resurrection Cathedral, captured by the adherents of the Kyivan patriarchate in 90-ties, with the catacombs where the first Christians lived.
“Now I came down to the catacombs and remembered the first Christians”, said the Patriarch. He added that having come out of the catacombs, the Church carried the light of Christian faith to the whole world.

“I bow to all those who sticks to the Orthodox faith”, the patriarch addressed the parishioners. “I invoke God’s blessing upon the town of Rivnе, the Rivne diocese and the people of Ukraine”, he added.
He also gifted the Icon of the Savior to the parish of the Cathedral of Rivne, which for many years located in the basement store.

He thanked heartily the faithful for the possibility of the face-to-face meeting and that the people had been waiting for him, and gave his blessing together with the icons of the Holy Prince Vladimir, the Baptizer of Rus.
The faithful responded to the Patriarch’s speech shouting “Kirill is our Patriarch” and applauding.

At the same time the nationalists, who protested against unity with Moscow kept on squalling “Shame! Moscow pope go away!”

By RIA Novosti

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