On November 4, 2016, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia attended the state reception in the Kremlin on the occasion of the Day of Unity of the People.<\/p>\n
During the grand reception, President Vladimir Putin presented the Orders of Friendship and Pushkin Medals to foreign citizens in recognition of their contribution to the strengthening of peace, friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding among nations.<\/p>\n
The Presidential Award for Contribution to Strengthening Russia\u2019s National Unity was presented for the first time since its establishment in 2016. The\u00a0award is presented for fruitful activities aimed at\u00a0strengthening the\u00a0civil consciousness and\u00a0spiritual unity of\u00a0the\u00a0multiethnic people of\u00a0Russia, harmonizing interethnic relations and\u00a0developing the\u00a0ethnic and\u00a0cultural diversity of\u00a0the\u00a0peoples of\u00a0Russia. The honorary chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Dagestan Magomedali Magomedov became the first winner of the award, the Patriarchal Press Service reports with reference to Kremlin.ru.<\/p>\n
Addressing the gathering, the head of the state said in particular,<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u00a0would like to\u00a0extend my\u00a0warmest wishes to\u00a0you on\u00a0Unity Day.<\/p>\n
\u2018This holiday was established as\u00a0a\u00a0symbol of\u00a0the\u00a0unbreakable bond of\u00a0our people with the\u00a0fate of\u00a0the\u00a0Fatherland, its history full of\u00a0great achievements, severe tests and\u00a0heroic victories.<\/p>\n
\u2018Sincere love of\u00a0the\u00a0Motherland, readiness to\u00a0protect it at\u00a0all times has served as\u00a0a\u00a0reliable basis of\u00a0the\u00a0independence and\u00a0sovereignty of\u00a0our country.<\/p>\n
\u2018More than four centuries ago, people of\u00a0different nationalities and\u00a0classes were united by\u00a0deep, true feelings of\u00a0patriotism. That was when the\u00a0people, amidst all the\u00a0discord, took responsibility to\u00a0prevent the\u00a0enslavement of\u00a0the\u00a0country. And\u00a0this powerful unity made it possible to\u00a0put an\u00a0end to\u00a0the\u00a0tragedy of\u00a0the\u00a0so-called Time of\u00a0Troubles, expel enemies from the\u00a0homeland, stand up for\u00a0the\u00a0right to\u00a0live according to\u00a0one\u2019s own principles and\u00a0traditions, and\u00a0preserve the\u00a0unique Russian state, which was already a\u00a0centre of\u00a0world civilisation then.<\/p>\n
\u2018And\u00a0today, as\u00a0we look back on\u00a0those events centuries later, we feel the\u00a0greatness of\u00a0the\u00a0civic deed of\u00a0our ancestors, which was repeated many times by\u00a0their descendants who defended the\u00a0country, its honour and\u00a0dignity.<\/p>\n
\u2018Our strength lies in\u00a0our loyalty to\u00a0the\u00a0traditions of\u00a0national unity, our loyalty to\u00a0the\u00a0higher freedom an\u00a0individual gains from taking the\u00a0oath to\u00a0the\u00a0Fatherland, and\u00a0our unwavering love of\u00a0country, which cannot be felt on\u00a0command. It is in\u00a0our hearts\u2019.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Among the participants in the event were representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church including Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna; Metropolitan Varsonofy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations; Bishop Pankraty of Troitsk, chairman of the Synodal Commission for Canonization; Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate administrative secretariat; Bishop Tikhon of Yegoryevsk, chairman of the Patriarch Council for Culture; Mr. V. Legoida, head of the Synodal Department for the Church\u2019s Relations with Society and Mass Media, and Archpriest Vladimir Vorobyev, rector of the St. Tikhon Orthodox University of the Humanities.<\/p>\n
DECR Communication Service<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"