“The hand of God is over our people, over our Church, over our country”translated

On July 26, 2026, on the 8th Sunday after Pentecost, the day of remembrance of the holy fathers of the six Ecumenical Councils, the feast of the Council of the Archangel Gabriel, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the newly consecrated Church of the Prophet Daniel on Kantemirovskaya Moscow. At the end of the service, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed the believers with the First Hierarch’s word.

Your Eminences and Eminences! Father Superior! Dear brothers and sisters!

I have very vivid, not always calm, but still joyful memories associated with this church, with this parish.

There are known tragic events that went down in the history of this parish. In general, the history of the Church consists not only of happy moments. The history of the Church was accompanied by great deeds, joyful spiritual victories, but at the same time by martyrdom, persecution, and the shedding of human blood.

This is how it was at the dawn of Christianity, this is how it was for thousands of years - at a time when power belonged to pagan rulers. This also happened at a time when our country was dominated by forces that did not in any way associate themselves with the Orthodox faith, but, on the contrary, set their task...