ORTHODOX CHRISTMAS: MESSAGE OF PATRIARCH KIRILL, A PEOPLE WITH “A SINCERE FAITH”

“The past year in the life of the Church has been highlighted by many important events”. In his Christmas message, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia takes stock of the past year. A little more than a year has passed since the death of Patriarch Alexy II, the historic leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, on 5 December 2008. A local Council of the Church was then convoked in Moscow to elect his successor and, on 27 January, the choice fell on Kirill himself, Alexy II’s right-hand man. “Fortified by the prayers and support of the episcopate, clergy and numerous flock, I placed my hopes in the Lord and accepted the lot of the Patriarchal ministry”, said Patriarch Kirill in his Christmas message. Then he went on recalling the meetings, the visits and the voyages he made throughout the year to Russia, Ukraine, Byelorussia and Azerbaijan. “I experienced – he said - the joy of prayerful communion” lived among people. Then he added: “everywhere I saw the radiant faces of people, the sincere expression of deep faith. This was a powerful spiritual experience for me and a visible testimony to the unity of Holy Russia, which through the strength of the faith of its multinational people is overcoming the restrictions of society”.
The Patriarch said it was a “joy” to see that “an ever greater number of our contemporaries are becoming aware of their spiritual roots, are valuing their religious and cultural tradition”. Then he turned his thoughts to “those who find themselves on the path to the discovery of saving faith” expressing the hope that their hearts may respond “to the call of the Gospel”. Unlike Catholics and Protestants, who celebrate Christmas following the Gregorian calendar, Orthodox people in Moscow and in the rest of the Russian Federation celebrate Christmas on 7 January following the Julian calendar. According to some estimates released by the Minister for Home Affairs, more than 3,000,000 Russians have attended the Christmas services held in more than 80,000 churches and monasteries across the country. To this, one should add the religious services held in approximately 30,000 Russian Orthodox churches in 54 countries across the world.

© SIR - Jenuary 7th, 2010