Patriarch Kirill meets with the public in Odessa

On July 22, 2010, during his stay in the diocese of Odessa, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with the public in Odessa and other Ukrainian cities at the National Opera House.

Mr. V. Legoida, head of the Synodal Information Department, addressed His Holiness on behalf of the audiene, saying, ‘In this hall, there are people not only from Odessa but also many other Ukrainian cities, and dozens of thousands people in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus can see this meeting broadcast live by the First Ukrainian National TV Channel. Your Holiness, everybody is waiting to hear your Primatial word’.

In the beginning of his talk, His Holiness shared impressions of his visit to Odessa and its architectural and cultural appearance and stressed that the backbone of this city of many faces is supported by the powerful cultural layer rooted in the Russian antiquity, in Kievan Rus’.

Among the issues touched upon by His Holiness were the relationship and balance between things national and universal, local and global, temporal and eternal. He also spoke about the spiritual values of Orthodoxy, multiculturalism as an attempt to build a society without conflict by cutting off religious characteristics. His Holiness stressed that the human community should be based on the law of love.

After his speech, His Holiness answered questions from the audience. He was asked about his opinion concerning the moral state of the modern man, communication through the Internet, limits of what is admissible in art, and about his attitude to opera and ballet and what he though about the sense of humour.

In conclusion, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill invoked God’s blessing upon the city of Odessa and its people.

DECR Communication Service/Patriarchal Press Service

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