It is with hope that I have received news of the beginning of the negotiation process in Ukraine, the goal of which is to put an end to the bloody strife and to ensure lasting and just peace.
May God grant that the military confrontation be stopped forever, that fratricide not be renewed, and that the parties reach mutually acceptable solutions as soon as possible, ensuring the rights and freedoms of all citizens of Ukraine, regardless of their political views and value preferences.
The call to prayer for Ukraine was heard by the entire expanse of historical Rus’. The multimillion flock of the Russian Orthodox Church in all churches and monasteries cried out to the Lord with fervent supplication for the termination of fratricide. Performing this prayer this past Sunday in Western Siberia, in the Tobolsk Cathedral, I felt just how strongly and anxiously people prayed for peace in Ukraine, separated from them by thousands of kilometers, but close to them in heart.
I believe that this common prayer – performed in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and elsewhere – has reached God’s throne. Therefore I call upon everyone to multiply their prayerful efforts, and from day to day and from all our soul and thoughts to ask the Lord that shoots of peace send forth deep roots and culminate in fraternal agreement in Ukrainian society.
May God’s blessing be with everyone who sets forth on the path of overcoming the fraternal strife and attaining peace.
+KIRILL, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA.
