Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk attends opening of an exhibition “In memory of those who laid down their lives for the faith of Christ”

On 18 February 2017, he conference ‘February. Tragedy. The Lessons of History. 1917”  being over, an exhibition “In memory of those who laid down their lives for the faith of Christ’ was opened at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, welcomed the viewers on behalf of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church and said in his address: “The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour testifies to the long and tragic history of our country and our Church, to all events that had happened in our Fatherland in the difficult 20^th century.

“We talked about them at the conference, and we see at the exhibition the tranquil faces of people from the past whom we do not want to forget because they had laid down their lives for Russia and for the faith.

“When talking about reconciliation today one must understand that it is very important for stability in society, but we should not cross out certain names from history or stonewall certain events. There were repressions, and millions of innocent people were killed. The Church gave her opinion of the 20^th century in the year of 2000 by canonizing over 1,700 new martyrs and confessors whose names were known and also many thousands whose names are unknown.

“I want us to never see events like those that happened one hundred years ago and wish you God’s help.

“We said at the conference today that Russia has had two buttresses during centuries: strong power and the strong Church. I would like to tell those who are trying to shake these two pillars: do not do it and add for their sympathizers: do not think that consequences will differ from those of the events that happened one hundred years ago.”