Metropolitan Kirill celebrates Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Khoroshevo

On 12 January 2006, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, celebrated a Divine Liturgy in Moscow Church of the Holy Trinity in Khoroshevo. Concelebrating were his deputies Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk and Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin and ordained staff members of the Department.

Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk addressed Metropolitan Kirill on behalf of DECR MP staff members and parishioners of the church.

Metropolitan Kirill thanked Bishop Mark for kind words and best wishes and congratulated all the present on the joyful feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In his archpastoral word Metropolitan Kirill said that human freedom could not be separated from the faith in Christ: ‘The Lord incarnated to save and to release us. The theme of the freedom is at core of the event. Modern world evaluates freedom extremely high. Philosophers, scientists, and politicians speak about freedom. Contemporary legislation is based on the idea of freedom. However, people often forget that only God is a source of freedom. The Lord has come to the world to grant us freedom, which develops internal potential and power of human thought. He came to release us from sin and make us capable of leading an independent creative life’.

‘It is impossible to build a prospering just and free society without faith in God’, Metropolitan Krill said.

His Eminence told about historic experience of the 20^th century and called modern Christians to follow the example of the new martyrs who preserved inner freedom and appeared to be stronger than the most powerful state system: ‘They were stronger than slavery, stronger than pain of death – such strength is granted to a person who adopts the Truth of Christ, follows the Lord and gains real freedom of spirit in his great pilgrimage after Christ’.

Metropolitan Kirill expressed his gratitude to the DECR MP staff members for their work for the sake of peace and understanding between representatives of different confessions, dialogue between Church and society and cooperation with mass media.

Also present were Archbishop Yukka Paarma of Turku and Finland, head of the Evangelic Lutheran Church of Finland, pastor Dr. Risto Cantell, executive director of the Department fro International Relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and pastor Timo Roskvist.

Metropolitan Kirill greeted the guests and pointed to the traditionally high level of mutual understanding and cooperation between the two Churches. The conversation with representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church was continued at the festive dinner in a parochial house of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Khoroshevo. The participants underscored the need to adhere to traditional Christian values in the face of serious challenges of the modern secular world.