On the Defender of the Fatherland Day His Holiness Patriarch Alexy Places a Wreath on the Grave of Unknown Soldier

On 23 February 2005, the Defender of the Fatherland Day, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia placed a wreath on the grave of Unknown Soldier.

Among those who participated in the ceremony were Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, Bishop Savva of Krasnogorsk, Bishop Alexander of Dmitrov, Bishop Veniamin of Lubertsy, Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk, Arkady (Afonin), rectors and clerics of Moscow churches, and Orthodox war veterans.

The participants prayed for the warriors, who gave up their lives for the Fatherland, and sang ‘Memory Eternal’ to the dead heroes. Then guards of honor solemnly marched by the grave.

His Holiness congratulated clerics on this national holiday and thanked everyone present for common prayer for those, who fought during the Great Patriotic War for freedom and independence of our Motherland. ‘Every clergyman, every monk, every church worker, every pious layman has a duty before God to care for the prosperity of our Fatherland, – said the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. – Various unexpected disasters can befall on our Fatherland and people and we are called to strengthen our compatriots spiritually and morally in their confrontation with both outside threat and inner conflicts’.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy congratulated officers and soldiers on the Defender Day and wished them blessed success in their feats of arms. ‘May the example of our fathers and grandfathers, who defended our Motherland in the battles of the Great Patriotic War, inspire you in your responsible ministry’, – said the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.