President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko has met with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The patriarch was in our country to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the Saint-Euphrosyne Monastery in Polotsk. And the meeting with the Belarusian leader began solemnly: Patriarch Kirill awarded Aleksandr Lukashenko with the Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow of the first degree for his contribution to the development of church-state relations.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that all his awards, including the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, which was presented to him by Vladimir Putin, are kept in the Palace of Independence and are of great interest to its visitors. As you know, the doors of the Palace of Independence are open to ordinary Belarusians. The Head of State assured that the order, received from the hands of the patriarch, would also take an honorable place.

«We are trying not to violate the commandments of the Lord»

Patriarch Kirill thanked Aleksandr Lukashenko first of all for the way Belarus lives. He admitted that our country is close to his heart. «Huge changes in the life of the country, and not only economic, not only the welfare of the people, but also the general atmosphere,» he said. «Being Metropolitan of Smolensk, in my time I often traveled through Belarus, visited Belarus and I can compare what huge changes have taken place during this time. And all this under your leadership. And I think that many things were the result of your creative imagination of how the country, the people, the city should be. And all this is really being realized for the good of Belarus.»

The Patriarch emphasized the fraternal relations between the Belarusian and Russian peoples: «For me this factor of true friendship, mutual assistance is a very important indicator of what is developing in interstate relations. That is why I would like to thank you personally, to express gratitude and appreciation to the Belarusian people in your person.»

Aleksandr Lukashenko, in turn, noted that Belarus has traveled its entire development path before the eyes of Patriarch Kirill, who has seen both the bad and the good. «And your remarks and conclusions that you have just expressed are very valuable to me,» he admitted, thanking the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church for his visit to Belarus. «I am sure that Belarus is really in your heart, I am sure that you pay tribute to the calm and silence in which our country is developing. Although you see (as it happened before, and even in our memory): not everything is calm in Belarus. Someone always wants something, but we try not to violate the commandments of the Lord in Belarus, so we manage to live more or less calmly. I would not say that we are very rich. We earn as much as we can with the help of the Lord. But when you work, the Lord helps — we remember this commandment, so we try to organize our life in this respect. You can be absolutely calm for Belarus.»

«Church is an important factor in the unity of the people»

The President spoke about the initiative to create centers for each religious denomination in Belarus. Zhirovichi Monastery will become such a center for Orthodoxy. The Belarusian leader noted that much has already been done there to make this place a worthy center of pilgrimage. «A pearl,» assessed the patriarch. The Belarusian leader pointed out that not only the monastery has changed positively, but that region in general. «In general, all the lands that are around. Vladika was given — take it, cultivate it there with the people of the monastery,» he said.

«As the Lord said to Adam in paradise: here is the land-take it and cultivate it,» the Patriarch noted. Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that such centers will be created for all religions so that everyone could find their way to the temple. «We are realizing these undertakings. I don’t see any offense on the part of Muslims, Catholics and Jews. I don’t see any problem. They took it well,» he noted.

Patriarch Kirill pointed out that this is the way it should be. According to him, these are traditional religions, from which there has never been any negative action, unlike various sects, which are aimed at dividing the people. He explained that the philosophy of sects is based on division, which is very dangerous for the religious life of the people and the state. «And traditional religions do not have such goals. The Russian Orthodox Church, its Belarusian exarchate is a very important factor of unity of the people, unity of people around high goals and values. And the action of the Church is always devoid of any political goals that would contradict the interests of the people and the state. Some have always criticized us for this, because we have always supported this line. There should not be in the Church any aspirations for the development of centrifugal tendencies in society. On the contrary, only to unite. Therefore, the Orthodox Church, in this case I want to speak about the Belarusian Orthodox Church, is a very important force that unites the Belarusian people and trains people who are ready to hear the word of the Church to do good deeds for the good of the Fatherland, for the good of the people, for the good of their families and for the salvation of their own souls,» Patriarch Kirill emphasized.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also drew attention to the fact that the state is guided by the knowledge of the Church, which will always tell what to do when dealing with sects.

Valeria Stetsko

Photo by BelTA

To the point

Patriarch Kirill: «In Belarus, you feel that you belong among your own»

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia admitted to journalists that it’s very easy for him to answer the question about his impressions of Belarus: «When you come to Belarus, you feel that you are among your own. This is a country that is closer to everyone both by culture and faith. And if we talk about some political components, the strategic direction of the policy of the two states coincides. Therefore, there are no factors that could overshadow the stay in this beautiful land.»

The journalists asked whether the Patriarch and the President of Belarus had discussed the exchange of prisoners with the Ukrainian side, in which Belarus is also helping. Patriarch Kirill noted that they did not talk about it specifically, but called the topic very important, as it concerns the fate of people. «The Church has always stood on the position that if it is possible, if it does not entail dangerous consequences — it is necessary to carry out such actions,» he noted. «War, even if it is for noble purposes, is always accompanied by the sacrifice of people. Therefore, the church can have no other message than that if suffering cannot be reduced, it must be minimized.»