PATRIARCH KIRILL HOPES THAT HIS VISIT TO UKRAINE FIVE YEARS AGO WILL NOT BE HIS LAST
Interfax-Religiia, 26 July 2018
On the eve of the 1030th anniversary of the baptism of Rus, Patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus Kirill expressed the hope that he will again be able to visit Ukraine and its spiritual center, the Kiev lavra.
"The Kiev caves lavra today remains the stronghold of canonical Orthodoxy in the Ukrainian land. I hope very much that these times will pass and we will again be able to all pray together at this great shrine," the patriarch said in an interview, which will be shown on Ukrainian television Inter on Friday.
The tradition of celebrating the Day of the Baptism of Rus in Kiev was established back in 2008 by Patriarch Kirill's predecessor, Alexis II. Since then, annually on 28 July the basic celebration has been conducted in the Ukrainian capital. Patriarch Kirill made his last visit to Kiev for this moment in July 2013.
This year the primate of the Russian church will lead the celebrations on the occasion of the anniversary of the baptism in the Russian capital. First, the liturgy will be performed for the first time under the open sky on Cathedral Square in the Kremlin, after which believers led by Patriarch Kirill and Patriarch of Alexandria Theodore, who will come specially to Moscow, will move in a procession of the cross to Borovitsky Square at the monument of Prince Vladimir the Baptizer, where a holiday prayer service will be held.
Yesterday Patriarch Kirill expressed the hope that the celebration of the 1030th anniversary of the baptism of Rus "will facilitate the overcoming of divisions, schisms, and disagreements in the Ukrainian land," and he expressed the wish that the Lord will preserve "all peoples who emanated from the Kievan baptismal font." (tr. by PDS, posted 26 July 2018)
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