His Holiness the Patriarch meets children of the dead Kursk submariners

HIS HOLINESS THE PATRIARCH MEETS CHILDREN OF THE DEAD KURSK SUBMARINERS

On November 17 at St. Daniel’s monastery in Moscow, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia met with children of the dead Kursk sumariners. They who came to Moscow to take part in a charity action “Children of Independent Russia” devoted to the families of servicemen who died in peaceful time while performing their duty. His Holiness addressed the children with words of consolation and edification and gave them icons of the Mother of God and copies of the Children’s Bible published by the Russian Bible Society. “There is no such thing as other people’s grief as your grief is shared by the whole country. I believe that you will prove worthy of the memory of your heroic fathers who gave their lives in the performance of their duty. I would like to give you icons of the Mother of God and Children’s Bibles as a blessing for your life. May the Mother of God warm up your souls with motherly love. Reading Holy Scriptures, you will open up for yourselves the wondrous world of the World of God, the world of time-honoured wisdom and culture”, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church said. He also noted that the prayer for the dead submariners and their families would never cease. St. Daniel’s monastery maintained relations with the North Fleet for several years. That was why one of the North Fleet’s submarines was named after the holy Prince Daniel of Moscow.

During their stay in Moscow, 25 children from the Vidyaevo garrison, accompanied by Irina Shubina, the widow of the Kursk deputy commander Cap. A. Shubin, will take part in the charity event at Bolshoi Theatre and will visit the Kremlin and St. Sergius Laura of the Trinity.