His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia prays for the salvation of all those injured as a result of the attack by Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region and calls on the clergy to pray with him for the life and health of all those in danger.
"I pray to the All-merciful Lord for the salvation of all those caught in the center of this tragedy, for the speedy recovery of the wounded, for the consolation of the relatives of the victims, and also urge the clergy to offer prayers for the life and health of all those in danger in this region," Patriarch Kirill said in an address in connection with the fighting in the Kursk region, published on Wednesday on the website of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The primate of the Russian Orthodox Church "received with great heartache and the deepest concern reports of a significantly complicated situation in the Kursk region in connection with the crossing of the state border of the Russian Federation by Ukrainian troops, as a result of which civilians, including women and children, were killed and injured by shelling."
Patriarch Kirill said that the churches and monasteries of the Russian Church in the Kursk region "were targeted." According to the primate, the Gornalsky Nikolaevsky Belogorsky Monastery was severely damaged by the shelling and the brethren were forced to leave it.
Against the background of these tragic events, according to the patriarch, "examples of real heroism and courage are shown by ordinary citizens who strive to help each other in every possible way." The primate of the Russian Orthodox Church thanked "the priests and monastics who support people — all those who sheltered dozens of civilians, children, the elderly and the infirm from shelling in the Holy Trinity Church of Suji, and then organized their evacuation to a safe place."
Patriarch Kirill noted that the staff of the Department for Social Service of the Kursk Diocese "to the best of their abilities and capabilities, taking into account the danger of military operations, provide assistance and spiritual support to civilians." The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church also instructed the Synodal Department for Church Charity to take part in helping the injured people.