Russia poses no military threat to others, says patriarch
July 22, 2014
Speaking at a concert attended by President Vladimir Putin, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church said that the nation poses “no military threat and no danger to other people.”
“May God [grant] that those who do not understand Russia, understand it today,” said Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, according to an Interfax news agency report.
“The most important thing we should keep and give to [future] generations,” he added, is historical Rus’. “With God’s mercy we will overcome all internecine quarrelling and all disruption at the space of historical Rus’.”
Rus’ extended over much of what is now western Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. Its capital was Kiev, now the capital of Ukraine. Last year, the region’s Catholic and Orthodox leaders, in separate ceremonies, commemorated the 1,025th anniversary of the baptism of Kievan Rus’.
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Further information:
- Russia poses no military threat - Patriarch Kirill (Interfax)
- Ukrainian Catholics mark 1025th anniversary of baptism of Kievan Rus’ (CWN, 8/19/13)
- 1025th anniversary of baptism of Kievan Rus’ (CWN, 7/23/13)
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Posted by: mario.f.leblanc5598 -
Jul. 22, 2014 3:40 PM ET USA
Imagine how an American would feel if Her Majesty the Queen claimed that the future of the English speaking peoples rested in a reunion of the UK and the USA in one big Anglo-Saxon unit. I trust many Ukrainians across the political and religious spectrum are hurt by this kind of discourse.
