RIA-Novosti: Patriarch Kirill is Awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called

Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow and All Russia met with Grand Duchess Maria of Russia at his residence at Danilov Monastery in Moscow, where the Head of the Russian Imperial House awarded him the highest dynastic order of the Imperial House of Romanoff.

Moscow, November 6 – RIA-Novosti. Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow and All Russia met on Tuesday at his residence at Danilov Monastery with Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, the Head of the Russian Imperial House. At this meeting, the Grand Duchess awarded the Patriarch the highest dynastic Order of the Imperial House of Romanoff—the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. She also awarded him the medal “In Commemoration of the 400th Anniversary of the House of Romanoff.”

In the words of Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, the Order was presented to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church “for his many years of tireless work in service to the Holy Orthodox Church and our great Fatherland, as well as a testimony of Our House’s deep respect for the patriarchal office and as an expression of our love and gratitude to His Holiness.” “I am deeply touched because this is the highest Imperial Order,” the patriarch said, “and for me, it is an enormous honor and a significant gesture, which demonstrates the close and friendly relations that exist between the Imperial Family and the Russian Orthodox Church, and our oneness of mind and common understanding of the tasks that lay before our country, and of the many problems that exist in our society.”

Patriarch Kirill is the first to be awarded the commemorative medal, which has been issued for the coming celebration in 2013 of the 400th anniversary of the House of Romanoff.

According to the Patriarch, the Church has in recent years occupied a more and more prominent place in society, and the number of people who support the Church and identify with the Orthodox Church has grown steadily.

“This progress of course produces a response from those who oppose these developments—from those who are the spiritual heirs of Bolshevism, those very people who once thought that religion was all done with, and that at most it was an element of folklore in the life of the people,” the Patriarch said during his meeting with the Grand Duchess. “It is precisely into this Procrustean Bed that they would like to force the Church,” said the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

According to him, the campaign of misinformation against the Church has a long history, dating back to the time of the revolutions at the beginning of the 20th century, and utilizes two fundamental myths: the myth of the union of Church and State, and the so-called “myth of excessive Church wealth.”

“The Church has had wealth, but it was a wealth of churches and monasteries, and so constituted a national wealth; and under the pretext of destroying this wealth, they have destroyed the national cultural heritage. The destruction of national values was, in fact, the destruction of the treasures of the nation,” Patriarch Kirill I said, in part.

According to Patriarch Kirill, these two aforementioned myths have even been exploited in the current year. “But, by the grace of God, the people have become very good at understanding the situation, very good at “discerning the spirit of things”—and they know whence the wind blows,” the Patriarch added.

Speaking about the role of the Church today, the Patriarch noted that it is to bring about “the salvation of the people, the moral strengthening of our Fatherland, and the humanization of social relations.” “The Church can not come out and say that white is black, or that black is white, no matter whom it might offend. The Church is called to speak the truth. And so long as it maintains this role, it will continue to be a necessary institution to the people. But when it begins to change, then the people will lose interest in it,” the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church said.