On July 1, Kirov celebrated Combat Veteran Daytranslated

The head of the diocesan department for interaction with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies, the rector of the Church of the Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, Priest Alexander Kossov, took part in the event dedicated to the Day of Combat Veterans.

On July 1, Russia celebrates Combat Veterans Day. What does the Russian Orthodox Church say on this occasion? How does this fit with the commandment – ​​“Thou shalt not kill”? This topic is not an easy one; faith, history and modern life are intertwined in it.

On Combat Veterans Day, the Church does not glorify the war as such - it honors the people who defended their Motherland with arms in their hands and shows them pastoral care. In churches on this day, funeral litias are often served - they pray for the deceased soldiers who laid down their lives for their neighbors and the Fatherland. At the same time, prayers are offered for the health and preservation of those who are now serving in military service.

In different eras, the Church blessed soldiers for the defense of the Fatherland. You can remember how during the Great Patriotic War, clergy supported the fighters, and many soldiers confessed after heavy battles.

Head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill...