by Nina Achmatova

In his message to the faithful and religious, the Patriarch of Moscow invites faithful to "turn to the Lord, leaving behind modern selfishness" and see the "light of the Resurrection, the sign that leads to Heaven." Putin and Medvedev attend vigil in the capital.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - "Despite the religious and social freedom in which we live, respect for Christian values today means going against the trend, as in the past." The call to "resist the stereotypes" of a society that "justifies sin" came from the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill on the occasion of Orthodox Easter. After the coincidences of the last two years, when Easter was celebrated by all Christians throughout the world on the same day, the holiday fell this year with the difference of a week from the Catholic one. At the Vigil liturgy, presided by the Patriarch in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, was outgoing president, Dmitri Medvedev, with his wife, along with the future head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin. The latter, in giving his best wishes to Kirill, h promised to "increase collaboration between church and state in Russia."

"May your behavior, in contradiction to the evil spirit of this time, become a visible affirmation of eternal Truth - recites the message of the Patriarch, 30 thousand parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the world - Although today we live in conditions of religious and social freedom, respect for Christian values means going against the trend just like in the past. "


According to Kirill, striving to live a Christian life means "refusing to accept the stereotypes of behavior and the position of those who justify sin, which persistently and systematically work their way into people's lives, through the modern means of influencing people's conscience." Despite this, humanity can still be saved. "When we turn to the Lord, we can leave behind the spiritual emptiness and selfishness that reigns in the world, we can see the light of the Resurrection and perceive it as a sign that guides us on the path to Heaven." The Patriarch then called for a moral and spiritual transformation of the individual as a necessary step before aspiring to build a better society and a country.

More than 13 thousand law enforcement officers provided security during the Easter celebrations in 337 Orthodox churches in the capital. According to unofficial estimates, 500 thousand are the faithful who attended church services in Moscow.

 

• russia
• orthodox
• easter
• patriarch
• Kirill
• cathedral
• putin
• christian
• society
• values