His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia has strongly condemned the murder of an Orthodox priest

HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH ALEXY II OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA HAS STRONGLY CONDEMNED THE MURDER OF AN ORTHODOX PRIEST

Shocked by the murder of Archpriest Boris Ponomarev at the town of Mozhaisk, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia sent the following message of condolences to His Eminence Juvenaly, Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna:

“Your Eminence,

The Orthodox people have been immeasurably saddened and grieved by the report about the murder of Archpriest Boris Ponomarev, rector of the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet at Mozhaisk.

Considering this vicious act to be a grave crime against law, both divine and human, at the same time we express our serious concern for the use of terrorist methods against our Church and her servants in order to destabilize our society, to provoke discord and divisions and to create in it an atmosphere of confusion and fear.

Sharing with Your Eminence, with the whole Church and all good people the bitterness of this loss, we trust together with you in the coming triumph of God’s justice and truth which will call to account the godless people who spill innocent blood. ‘No murderer has eternal life abiding in him’ (I Jn. 3:15).”