The connection was organized in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
“This work (of astronauts IF) is necessary for all of us, people of the Earth. It is very important that today there is a space station on orbit where there are people of various nationalities, representing the countries, which sometimes fail to lead effective dialogue on the Earth, but which have wonderful cooperation in space,” the patriarch said.
He wished the friendly space crew was an example for residents of the Earth.
“Your cooperation is based on shared objectives and shared dangers, which you have to fight, to be aware of, which you have to overcome in order to do your work. The same thing is on the Earth. Today, our countries have many shared dangers and we should be together to make the world better,” Patriarch Kirill said.
He congratulated the ISS crew with the words: “Christ is Risen!” in Russian and in English.
The patriarch first congratulated cosmonauts on the church feast through video connection last year. The connection took place at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on Easter that coincided with the Cosmonautics Day. Earlier, the patriarch had congratulated cosmonauts on Easter and Christmas over the phone.