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The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church sends a message to the 2nd All-Church Conference on Orthodox Pilgrimage: The Past and the Present
(28-29 November 2005, Moscow)

28.11.2005 · Архив 2005-2009, Документы  

Most Reverend Archpastors,

Dear Fathers, Brothers and Sisters:

I cordially greet the participants in the 2nd All-Church Conference on Orthodox Pilgrimage: The Past and the Present and in your persons all those who work in church pilgrimage services and organizations. This conference is held for the second time and gathers together an increasing number of pilgrimage organizers from Russian Orthodox dioceses.

In the time between the conferences, new pilgrim services have appeared in dioceses, monasteries and parishes. The work of pilgrimage organizations is becoming more and more noticeable, and the forms of their work have become more diverse. Among the important areas of pilgrim movement is youth pilgrimage. The number of publications devoted to pilgrimage is growing.

Holy places located in the canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate continue to be the principal places of pilgrimage for the faithful of our Church. At the same time, a considerable number of believers seek to venerate the shrines which belong to Universal Orthodoxy. This year, the leader of the Russian State, Vladimir Putin, visited the Holy Land for the first time in the history of our country. During the Passion Week, the visited the Church of the Resurrection of Christ and venerated the Lord’s Sepulchre. This year Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has also visited Holy Mount Athos.

It is gratifying to see that in our time pilgrimage has increasingly developed as a church service.

It is my conviction that the work of this, now traditional, conference on pilgrimage will promote the mission of the Holy Church to renew and strengthen the spiritual foundation of the life of our people.

I wish success to all the participants in the conference. May God’s blessing be with you all.

+ Alexy
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia