Department for External Church Relations
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His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: May the Girdle of the Most Holy Theotokos help Russian people comprehend the power of the Divine Grace
The bringing of the great Christian shrines to the Russian Orthodox Church is a main area of activity of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation. The relics of St. Andrew the First-Called and of St. Luke, the right hand of St. John the Baptist, and the relics of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and nun Barbara were brought to Russia and to the neighboring countries during the last ten years.
Upon the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Foundation will arrange the Girdle of the Most Holy Theotokos to be brought to Russia on October 20. The Holy Girdle, kept at the Vatopedi Monastery on the Holy Mount Athos, will be brought to our country for the first time and remain here for veneration till November 23.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill told “Russia-1” TV channel of the spiritual significance of the event:
“Thousands of pilgrims come to the Vatopedi Monastery to pray before this holy relic, to kiss a part of the Most Holy Theotokos’ garment. People pray before the Holy Girdle for healing. Many incurable diseases, including cancer, are in remission through ardent prayers at the shrine. Small copies of the Girdle are made in the monastery. It is known that many women suffering of barrenness wear these small belts. In many cases, they firmly believed, prayed, and gave birth to children as their prayer reached the throne of the Heavenly Queen.
“This is a serious and important topic in our country. I do hope that men and women will ardently pray at the holy relic, kiss it and ask the Heavenly Queen to help them, also in bearing children. May the Girdle of the Most Holy Theotokos help many people comprehend the power of the Divine Grace and the closeness of the heavenly world.”
Certain events will take place in the cities to which the Holy Girdle is due to be brought as a part of the programme sponsored by the St. Andrew Foundation and the “The Sanctity of Motherhood” Centre of National Glory. The objective of the programme is to defend traditional family values and to overcome the demographical crisis. In some cities, the Holy Girdle will be brought to the Centers of Motherhood and Childhood that render real material, psychological and legal aid to the pregnant women.
The Girdle of the Most Holy Theotokos will be brought to St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Norilsk, Vladivostok, Krasnoyarsk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Diveyevo, Saransk, Samara, Rostov-on-Don, Kaliningrad, and Moscow.
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