His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, encouraged Orthodox believers to humbly treat the restrictive measures that were introduced against the spread of the pandemic, reports Interfax.
“Dear brothers and sisters, let us bear temporary deprivation for the sake of preserving life and health of our neighbors. Let us patiently endure the sorrow that has fallen upon us in the firm hope that the Almighty Lord, who accepted suffering and death on the cross for the human race and opened for us the way to salvation by His Resurrection, in good time will change this sorrow into joy of gathering together in praising Him in common prayer at church services,” said the Patriarch in his message to the clergy and flock in Russia.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church also encouraged the faithful to pray particularly for those who “selflessly put their strength in order to end the contagion” and who work for the life support of our cities and villages. “We will be grateful to them and give them all possible support,” the patriarchal message says.
The Patriarch urges believers to strengthen their prayer “to protect people from the harmful infection,” and the clergy to continue to perform services, especially Holy Communion, even in the absence of the flock.
“Today, many of us are forced to accept the feat of staying at our homes. I tell these people: let your place of solitude become for you a desert of personal and family prayer work,” Patriarch Kirill addressed those who have to be in self-isolation.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill noted that these days people are deprived of the opportunity to be together at the beloved divine services of Lent. “But we know that even the gates of hell cannot prevail over the Church of Christ,” he stressed.
