All Saints Memorial Church in Minsk hosts Prayer for Belarus ceremony, involving President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko

Tribute of gratitude toward generation who defended peace

All Saints Memorial Church in Minsk hosts Prayer for Belarus ceremony, involving President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. The inextricable connection between the past, present and future was the common thread throughout.


During Prayer for Belarus solemn ceremony

The church was erected ‘in memory of victims who served our Fatherland’, paying tribute to past generations, who fought to ensure peace. Arriving at the church, Alexander Lukashenko went to the crypt, where the Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavl, Pavel, read a prayer. Capsules containing soil from graves of Belarusian soldiers who died far from their native land were then buried in specially prepared niches, with soil brought from Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Italy.

The glorious yet tragic fate of our warriors, who fought in Europe with the noble goal of ridding the world of the ‘brown plague’, is worthy of honour. We have inherited calm skies thanks to their sacrifice. It is a legacy we are now tasked with passing to coming generations.

Can we preserve this legacy? The answer to this question lies in the meeting between the President and heads of major religious confessions, alongside heads of national public associations of Russians, Lithuanians, Poles, Ukrainians, Jews, Kazakhs, Armenians, Azerbaijani, Germans and Koreans. These are diverse in faith and origin, yet are all part of the Belarusian nation.

The atmosphere was friendly and constructive, noted the Chairman of the Muslim Association of Belarus (Mufti), Abu-Bekir Shabanovich. Asked how many Muslims live in Belarus, he answered approximately 10 million together with the whole Belarusian nation. His view is that we’ve lived and developed together for many years that understanding of one another is in our blood, and that nothing can divide us.

The heads of each religious confession agreed that members of various faiths and ethnicities do more than just co-exist peacefully; they constructively co-operate, assist and support each other. It’s a priceless asset and pays a tribute of gratitude to the generation who fought for peace. We aim to preserve this for the future.

Chatting to leaders of national and religious associations, and then speaking from the church steps, the President reminded everyone of which treasures are most valuable. Wars bring tragedy and the suffering of the innocent but, sooner or later, even the most destructive wars end. Over time, wounds heal, but never without leaving a scar. The Great Patriotic War, and the Second World War show this to be true.

Danger lies in diluting traditional moral principles, as Mr. Lukashenko underlined at the UN GA meeting recently; he repeated the sentiment at All Saints Memorial Church.

The Prayer for Belarus stirred emotions not only among the faithful but among all who love their nation and harbour warm feelings of kinship with fellow Belarusians. We share a home and its welfare is in our hands.

Many gathered at All Saints Memorial Church, while others watched the live TV broadcast. The prayer certainly resounded in our hearts, reminding us that the future of our children lies in our hands. As long as we remain united, it’s in reliable hands.
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