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On the Christmas night, January the 7th, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, celebrated the festive Divine Liturgy at the church of Our Lady the Joy to All the Afflicted-on-Bolshaya Ordynka in Moscow.

During the service, Metropolitan Hilarion lifted up a prayer for peace in Ukraine.

Patriarch Kirill’s Christmas Message to Archpastors, Pastors and All the Faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church was read out.

After the service, Metropolitan Hilarion addressed the numerous worshippers, speaking about the Nativity of Christ. “Having once come to this world, He never leaves it. He remains with us. He wanted to be with us not because we are worthy of it or asked Him to come but because He was pleased to come… He will never leave either this world or our human family. He has created the Church so that there will always be people on this earth who remember His coming to this world, who will know that He is in this world, even if others do not know or deny it”.

In conclusion of his homily, Metropolitan Hilarion said, “Let us ask the Lord for peace, so that human malice, hatred, enmity or misunderstanding may not lead to catastrophic consequences but that the truth of God may triumph as it triumphed that night in Bethlehem, which we remember today, worshipping the Divine Infant Christ Who was born for us and for our salvation”.

DECR Communication Service