The Orthodox leader consecrated a new place of worship in Strasbourg on the day of the European elections, stating that the consturction of churches "serves so that the people understand that nothing is obtained without God".
Moscow (AsiaNews) - The patriarch of Moscow Kirill (Gundjaev) has expressed his willingness to continue and relaunch the plan to build new churches in Russia, despite protests from the citizens of Ekaterinburg and other cities, opposed to occupying spaces and public parks to make room for the characteristic golden onion domes. Kirill said he wanted to "build three churches a day: the churches are not built because no one knows where to throw their money, but so that the people understand that without God nothing is obtained".
According to the patriarch, the USSR proved it is impossible "to build a happy life without God", and the new churches are signs of a new hope.
"We have learned a great lesson as a people," said Kirill, consecrating a new Russian church in Strasbourg on the very day of European elections. In 10 years, 10,000 new churches have been built, compared with around 6,000 left at the end of the Soviet period, not to mention the male and female monasteries.
According to the head of the Russian Orthodox, in contemporary civilization people need places "where they can feel God’s the closeness,” and stressed that many people who go to church forget about God "already after lunch", to take care of their humans interests.
Meanwhile, the protests continue in Yekaterinburg, despite vague promises to look for another place for the church under construction in the city park; groups of people take turns demonstrating around the construction site that occupies the disputed part of the park, near the theater for dramatic arts.
Surveys carried out among the population have revealed that more than 70% of the inhabitants of Yekaterinburg is contrary to the construction of the church, considering unnecessary for the city. Those in favor of the construction do not exceed 10%.
The mayor Aleksandr Vysokinskij said that the decision will be taken based on the results of the official polls of the municipality, and the governor of the region, Yevgeny Kujvashev, asked to exclude the park from the ecclesiastical building plans.