PATRIARCH: RUSSIA'S WELL-BEING DEPENDS ON ENDING WAR IN SYRIA
Russia's military operation in the Middle East could prevent a larger war and remove the danger from our country, Patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus Kirill said at the conclusion of a divine liturgy in the Saint Sergius Holy Trinity lavra on the day of commemoration of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
"We see what horrible and dangerous signs the present day shows us. Right next door, at our borders, a war is going on, on whose results depends, among other things, the well-being of Russia. Sometimes the most dangerous and fearsome bloodshed has begun far from the borders of our motherland, and then it turned out that we bore the most dire consequences of those wars," the RPTs primate noted.
He recalled the history of the conflicts in the 20th century and emphasized that "the current war, which is going on beyond the southern borders of Russia, could turn into a greater war if it is not halted right away."
"We are praying to Saint Sergius that he would help to halt the bloodshed and, most important, remove the danger from our fatherland and help us realize the importance of the present moment and overcome our distresses, miseries, conflicts, and divisions, which weaken the life of the people," Patriarch Kirill said.
He emphasized that "we have entered a special epoch," and that "has already happened in the past, when we entered some yet unknown but frightening experience and then often the resolution of that experience was accompanied by much suffering." "Let us beseech God that our fatherland, as a result of those military actions that are now happening, will be shielded from the attacks of enemies, from death, and from all evil," the head of the Russian Orthodox Church concluded. (tr. by PDS, posted 9 October 2015)
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