Patriarch Kirill congratulates Ukrainians on the Rus Baptism Day

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus, Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. Photo: video screenshot on YouTube "112 Ukraine" channel.

On July 28, 2020, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus, congratulated the Ukrainians on the Day of the Baptism of Rus and stressed that on this day the Church remembers the greatest event in the history of the peoples of Eastern Europe.

“Prince Vladimir did not just baptise people. He was a conductor of Christian truths, he was a teacher. The once violent and sin-mired ruler turned into a wise mentor of his nation, into a preacher of the Word of Divine Truth,” the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church siad on the air of the “112 Ukraine” channel. 

According to him, the holy Prince Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles is called "the red sun" not for his physical attractiveness but for the beauty of his soul.

“He became so beautiful in soul that he illuminated the life path of other people like the sun,” upheld Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church also drew the attention of the faithful to the fact that sin is at the heart of all the heinous disorders, calamities and adversities that occur in the world.

“We must all be closer to God so that we are not party to any disorder, so that no evil force and wickedness destroy peace, tranquility, silence and disturb the course of our life. Our faith should be not just a declared idea but an actual basis of our life,” Patriarch Kirill emphasized. “The actualization of faith, the implementation of those great truths, which we have been taught through the Gospel, bodes for a real and genuine well-being of humans, which I would like to wish everyone.”

On July 28, the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Prince Vladimir and the Day of Christianization of Rus'.

Read also

MP: Rada to introduce Day of Old Rus fleet’s campaign against Constantinople

Maksym Buzhanskyi announced the preparation of a new list of state and "religious" holidays.

In Israel, synagogues and mosques closed due to military conflict

Israeli authorities have banned mass gatherings, including services during Ramadan and before Purim.

Romanian Patriarchate calls for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine

The Romanian Orthodox Church has stated the need for urgent solutions to restore peace and called for prayer for those in the world's military conflict zones.

Kyiv City Council deputy: We aim to ensure no UOC communities in Kyiv region

Tytykalo stated that the deputies set the task of "cleansing the Kyiv region of the UOC".

395 UOC churches damaged by shelling since start of war – report

An updated report on damaged religious sites over four years of war in Ukraine includes data on 395 affected UOC churches, as well as hundreds of destroyed or damaged facilities belonging to other denominations.

GOC opens fundraising drive for Sinai Monastery and Holy Sepulchre Church

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece has called on Greece’s metropolises and parishes to collect donations to support the ancient shrines on Sinai and in Jerusalem.