On July 18, 2019, on the day of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia conveyed words of support and his blessing to the believers of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The video of the appeal was posted on Facebook by the leader of the Opposition Bloc faction Vadim Novinsky.
“Ukraine, the holy land, and the Ukrainian people are every day in my heart and in my prayers,” said His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill. “And when news of sorrows is heard about our faithful people in Ukraine who preserve canonical Orthodoxy, then, of course, my heart is subjected to even greater trials. But I know: not a single sorrow, not a single groan, not a single tear, shed before the Lord for the great work of sanctification of the people and their salvation, which is accomplished by our Church – not a single tear is forgotten by the Lord, and in response to this tear we receive consolation and help in our life, this very tear opening the gates of eternity before us.”
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church supported the faithful of the UOC in the path they chose.
“The only correct way is to be together with the Church of the Lord and God, which He established with His blood! With a genuine church! Not with a quasi-church, not with an organization calling itself “the church”, but with the real Body of Christ! And then communion in this Body of Christ with each other, especially with the Lord Himself, will strengthen us and help us overcome difficulties, which, unfortunately, pave in abundance the historical path of my beloved Ukraine today. But we believe that the night will pass and the day will come. God bless you all!” Patriarch Kirill emphasized.
