The Saturday liturgy at Cathedral of Christ the Savior attended by Putin and Medvedev. Patriarch Kirill prays for peace in the Holy Land.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - More than 4 million Orthodox believers took part in the Easter Vigil liturgy May 4 in Moscow, celebrated in more than 10 thousand churches and monasteries scattered throughout the territory of the Russian capital. Between 4 and 5 May, when the Orthodox Easter fell this year, over 70 thousand police officers and soldiers were deployed in the capital to ensure order and security, it was reported by the Ministry of the Interior.

"Easter gives millions of people joy and hope and inspires good actions and intentions," reads the message to the faithful released by the Kremlin. "It directs people to long-standing spiritual values ​​that have played a special role in Russian history and nourish the national culture," adds the message.

The President, Vladimir Putin, together with Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev, and the mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, participated in the Easter Vigil in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, celebrated by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill. "I want to thank you for your work and the great personal contribution to preserve social peace and harmony among ethnic groups and religions," Interfax news agency reported Putin saying in an address to the Patriarch.

Shortly before Easter, Kirill himself had sent his message to all the dioceses, inviting the faithful to "embrace this feast, which is the celebration of victory and freedom." "Life without Christ is slavery. It is He who has freed us from darkness," said the Orthodox leader in his televised Easter address.

During the Saturday liturgy, the Patriarch also prayed for peace in the Holy Land and urged everyone to intensify their prayers to pray for peace in the Middle East, said the spokesman of the Patriarchate, the proto-deacon Aleksandr Volkov. (N.A.)

 

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