Home page News
Patriarch Kirill chairs a meeting of the Chur…

Patriarch Kirill chairs a meeting of the Church-Public Organizing Committee for the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia

On March 27, 2013, the Church-Public Organizing Committee for the 1025th Anniversary of the Baptism of Russia met at the patriarchal residence in the St. Daniel Monastery. It was chaired by His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

 

Along with hierarchs and clergy of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, the committee includes high governmental officials in the three countries.

 

Opening the meeting, Patriarch Kirill said that the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia is a date of great importance for the peoples of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine and for all the countries of the historical Rus’. ‘The celebration is called to help people sense the breathing of history, to feel their spiritual kinship and to contemplate their free distinctive path to the future. It is to the Baptism of Russia that we owe the formation of our unique civilization. Faithfulness to spiritual foundations is a guarantee that we will remain what we are. It means that we will be truly happy because those who betray themselves or who are dependent cannot be happy’, he said.

 

Patriarch Kirill also pointed to a large-scale religious revival that has happened in the last 25 years. ‘The 25 years which began with the Millennium of the Baptism of Russia have been marked with radical changes in the life of our nations and the Church. These transformations are manifested in a fundamental change in people’s attitude to the significance of Christian values in the life of our peoples’, he said.

 

‘We have to fix these years of church revival in people’s historical memory’, he continued, ‘From the point of view of ecclesial and religious life, these 25 years is a phenomenon which has no equal in the world history. Never and in no part of the globe so many churches have been built and so many Christian communities have been established for such a short period of time. Nowhere is there such a powerful breakthrough in church life and religious life in general as in the vast lands of the Holy Russia. What is the force that has moved our nations to the achievement of such a grandiose transformation? There is something to think about’.

 

His Holiness expressed the conviction that it was the development of people’s religious life that became the engine of the transformations in people’s life. ‘Indeed, the point is not only new churches and monastery, a new constellation of clergy and episcopate but results of cooperation which the Church has maintained with society and the world, a real initiation of millions to the Church, a change in their psychology, life guidelines and personal and hence public ethics’. All this happens at a time when we speak of a world economic crisis, which, analysts believe, is caused by a crisis of the human personality’, he reminded the audience.

 

‘In connection with celebrations to mark the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, we should make this path and its importance visible and understandable for our people and the whole world. The forthcoming celebrations should become an incentive for further spiritual, cultural and comprehensive development of our nations’, he concluded.

 

The patriarchal introduction was followed by a discussion on the program of main events and public initiatives made for the celebrations marking the 1025the anniversary of the Baptism of Russia.

DECR Communication Service

Photos by Patriarchal Press Service

Share:
Telephone conversation held between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the Primate of the Malankara Church of India

01.11.2024

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the VIII World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad

30.10.2024

Order of Right-Believing Prince Daniel of Moscow presented to Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk by Patriarch Kirill

24.10.2024

Primate of the Russian Church celebrates Divine Liturgy in the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius Lavra on the commemoration day of St. Sergius of Radonezh

09.10.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates Little Vespers and Akathistos hymn to St. Sergius in the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius

07.10.2024

Message from the Primate of the Russian Church to His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia in connection with blasphemous act on the ruins of ancient Ulpiana

14.09.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates on the feast of the 300th anniversary of the transfer of relics of St.Alexander Nevsky to St. Petersburg

12.09.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates All-night Vigil at the Christ the Savior Cathedral on the eve of Transfiguration

18.08.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' met with the Ambassador of India to Russia

30.07.2024

Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Awa III: Ukrainian government’s support for schism and persecution of the major canonical Church is a religious pogrom against the faithful Orthodox Christians of that country

24.07.2024

Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church consecrates the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in the city of Tver.

21.07.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates Liturgy at the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius on the commemoration day of the saint

18.07.2024

The Primate of the Russian Church celebrates All-night Vigil at the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius

17.07.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates Little Vespers at the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius and reads akathist to the saint

17.07.2024

Patriarchal condolences on the death of Boris A. Nelyubov

14.07.2024

Telephone conversation held between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the Primate of the Malankara Church of India

01.11.2024

DECR Chairman has begun his visit to India

31.10.2024

Work of the Commission for Dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is declared successful

24.10.2024

Synod acknowledges importance of bilateral projects carried out in collaboration with Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

24.10.2024

Order of Right-Believing Prince Daniel of Moscow presented to Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk by Patriarch Kirill

24.10.2024

DECR Chairman heads celebrations for the fifteenth anniversary of the consecration of the Dormition Church at the Russian embassy in Beijing.

19.10.2024

Saint Petersburg Theological Academy hosts conference on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) entitled ‘The Person of Metropolitan Nikodim in the History of the Church’.

16.10.2024

DECR Chairman meets with President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference

15.10.2024

Participants of the Divine Service at the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in Presnya congratulated the DECR Chairman on his 40th birthday.

12.10.2024

Russian diplomat given Patriarchal award.

10.10.2024

DECR Chairman delivered a lecture to students of the Russian Orthodox University

09.10.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates Little Vespers and Akathistos hymn to St. Sergius in the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius

07.10.2024

DECR Chairman takes part in festivities for the beginning of the academic year at the Saints Cyril and Methodius Postgraduate Institute.

03.10.2024

DECR chairman attends reception given by Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation

22.09.2024

Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk meets with delegation of Orthodox Church in America

16.09.2024

Metropolitan Hilarion: Many things in a person's life depend on faith

29.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Holy Spirit is the main treasure of the Christian soul

01.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: Holiness is a constant striving to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ

27.06.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: God does not want to condemn, but to save us

07.03.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord always grants to us the opportunity to display our talents

24.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord has imbued the waters of Jordan with his divine presence to wash away human sins

19.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: to repent means to change your way of life

17.01.2021

On commemoration day of St. Catherine, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk officiated at the Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr In-the-Fields  the representation of the Orthodox Church in America

07.12.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We can always show compassion for people

29.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates on commemoration day of St. Varlaam of Khutyn at the church of ‘Joy to All the Afflicted’ icon of the Mother of God

19.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We should remember that the life of each human being is in the hands of God

06.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: For God there is nothing impossible

25.10.2020

Metropoplitan Hilarion: The cross which was an instrument of dishonourable execution becomes the symbol of salvation for millions of people

27.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Eucharist is the wedding feast, to which Lord Jesus Christ invites each of us

13.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Faith alone is not enough for salvation

30.08.2020

Page is available in the following languages
Feedback

Fields marked by * are mandatory required

Send a message
Рус Укр Eng Deu Ελλ Fra Ita Бълг ქარ Срп Rom عرب