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On July 21, 2010, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with a 5-year-old girl Alexandra Klimova at the Monastery of the Dormition in Odessa. Her mother Svetlana and brother Alexander came with her to meet the Patriarch.

Some time ago, Svetlana from Odessa sent a letter to His Holiness by e-mail, asking him to give his blessing to her daughter who suffers from cerebral paralysis. She said in her letter that because of the great concourse of people at the Patriarchal services in Odessa, she and her daughter would not be able to come up to His Holiness for a blessing.

Patriarch Kirill responded to the message, inviting Alexandra and her family to come to the Monastery of the Dormition in Odessa, which has become a Patriarchal residence for the time of his visit to the city.

His Holiness gave his blessing to Alexandra and his brother and gave her a special wheelchair for disabled children. The girl also received from his hands an icon of the Mother of God “Kasperovskaya’ as a token of their meeting.

Talking to the girl’s mother, His Holiness thanked her for the letter and said he would pray for Alexandra’s health. ‘Sometimes we cannot understand it but both good health and illnesses are God’s blessing’, he said.

DECR Communication Service/Patriarchal Press Service