Word by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at Sts Anthony and Theodosius (Refectory) Church of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

Today we prayed that God blessed Your entering the office of the President of Ukraine.  The religious understanding of power is related to service. Human authority makes no sense before God, there is only one meaning - the service. That is why the true authority always involves responsibility and feat, including the spiritual feat.  Since serving one's neighbors, serving people is always fully giving up oneself. And in some instances crucifying oneself for the benefit of those to whom one is called to serve.  

That is why serving in authority always requires immense spiritual and physical strength, wisdom, patience, power and humility. Man cannot fulfill to the full extent this commandment of God, relying solely on his physical and mental abilities and will powers. Therefore the believing people, entering the power, always begin this good deed with a prayer, asking for the God's assistance.   

And today we prayed to our Lord and Savior, His Most Blessed Mother, the Holy and Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, Your patron saint Holy Martyr Victor, the Holy Venerable fathers of the Kyiv Caves that they were with You in Your performing of the responsible service to Ukraine.  

The will of God is that man had life and had it more abundantly.  This abundance of human life is predetermined by a number of conditions. And everyone knows that the most important condition is the God's commandments.   

Speaking about the social life, the life of the people, the basic condition of  all well-being is the unity of people, their ability to consolidate facing the most difficult problems.  We know the greatest difficulty and significance of the challenges that the people of Ukraine face today.  Therefore, undoubtedly, the will of God is that the people were united. That the controversies of the political, historical, cultural and religious nature were surmounted, that the common spiritual basis of the common life of the Ukrainian nation was found. We believe that this common spiritual basis may be only those values inscribed in the spiritual tradition of Ukraine.  If these values are made a foundation of the social life - the Lord will sent down His mercy both to the country and the people.   

There is another kind of value - the great heritage of the Kyivan Rus, the great heritage of Prince Vladimir. The heirs of the Holy and Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir are the brother nations unified by the common historical tradition. It is so important that these components of the one Holy Rus were always united by friendship, peace and cooperation.  No doubt it is the will of God, since He would be pleased if the seed sawn here, on the Kyivan hills, gave rise to the powerful tree of the orthodox European Christian civilization.  

We also think it symbolic that you enter the office of the president of Ukraine on the remembrance day of St. Alexius, Metropolitan of Kyiv, Moscow and All Russia, the guardian of the spiritual space of the Holy Rus.  God grant that Your doings were aimed at the prosperity of Ukraine, protection its people, preservation of the spiritual space of the Holy Rus, that Your Motherland You are devoted to and love dearly flowerished.  

I'd like to conclude this greeting word by the wonderful words of the hymn and the prayer of the Ukrainian people: "The One and Mighty God, save our Ukraine, send the light of freedom to our land,
enlighten us with the light of knowledge and truth, grow us, our God, in clear love to our land." May God save You for many blessed years. May God save Rus-Ukraine! May God preserve the heritage of the Holy Rus! Amen.  

 


†Kirill,
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia