On welcoming the guests, the President thanked them that it was decided to finish solemn events, dedicated to 1,025th anniversary of Christianity coming to Rus, in our country. The words of gratitude were addressed to the whole Russian Orthodox Church for constructive position which helps citizens preserve faith to common historical roots and kind legacy of ancestors. The President defined the preciousness of the mission saying that, “This is powerful support to those integration processes which are developing on the post-Soviet space. The single faith which is the basis for Slavonic cultures brings us closer and makes us understandable to each other. No borders are able to divide that deep unity which originates from our history.”The President assured that the Belarusian nation reverences and preserves the faith of its forefathers during centuries. The number of believers is constantly rising in the country and this is a great value in our difficult time.
Mr. Lukashenko paid attention, “The crisis of the Western civilisation has become more apparent recently. It is not merely a financial or economic instability, but a most profound crisis of moral and religious values. It came in the era when industry and technologies have made an unbelievable breakthrough that promised to bring prosperity to the entire humanity... However, it has become clear now that man shall not live by bread alone and that material values alone cannot ensure a peaceful and prosperous life. We have to make a choice again and again, we have to search for solid moral guidelines and choose our set of values,” the head of state said.
Mr. Lukashenko was happy to say that religious and secular authorities have established really partner relations in Belarus. A decade ago a co-operation agreement was signed between the state and the Belarusian Orthodox Church, which is being constantly filled with definite joint endeavours.
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill noted that the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of Christianity arriving to Rus is a unique event. According to him, the mood of people during the celebration of the 1,000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus was different. He noted that great changes have taken place in Belarus for the past 25 years. “Today, we all are different. Those who 25 years ago could only dream about it can now witness that the Orthodox faith is a spiritual force that has become the foundation of not only personal and family life, but the lives of the nations,” the Patriarch noted.
The Patriarch added that Belarus had also improved over 25 years, “The spiritual foundation that was laid 1025 years ago is common to all the nations — the heirs of Duke Vladimir and of Kievan Rus; this common ground is the most important thing that should be the basis of our co-operation, our integration. We believe that if that foundation is the cornerstone of our integration, if this foundation is the pillar for the ‘building’ of the future, it will not be washed away by showers and destroyed by earthquakes. This ‘building’ will stand the test of time,” he stressed.
The President and clergymen shared opinions about the role of Orthodox faith in contemporary society and its development.
By Dmitry Kryat
