Latvian Church: Russian-speaking believers not responsible for RF’s actions

The Orthodox Church of Latvia does not divide people by their nationality and prays for an end to hostilities in Ukraine, said Metropolitan Alexander of Riga and All Latvia in his address.

He believes it is unacceptable to resolve international relations issues by military means. "Military action is the most ruthless phenomenon, bringing pain and suffering to all involved. Therefore, all temples of the Latvian Orthodox Church are blessed to offer prayers for peace and well-being every day after divine services," Metropolitan Alexander wrote.

The head of the Church of Latvia said that its multinational flock unites Latvians, Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Moldovans, Greeks, Georgians and representatives of other nations. "In the Church, we have never divided people by their nationality. We have never had inter-ethnic quarrels and mutual distrust. Today we all pray together to end the suffering of the Ukrainian, Russian and all other peoples," Metropolitan Alexander said.

He also urged Latvians not to blame the country's Russian-speaking Orthodox for the actions of other countries. "Our task is to strengthen the cohesion of Latvian society, and we fully support the position of the Prime Minister Mr Kariņš, who calls not to incite hatred against Russian-speaking people here in Latvia," the head of the Latvian Church wrote.

As reported, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church believes that the enemy of the human race throws lies into relations between peoples.

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