Select language:

Russkiy Mir Foundation Expresses Condolences on the Death of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II

 / Главная / Russkiy Mir Foundation / Publications / Russkiy Mir Foundation Expresses Condolences on the Death of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II

Russkiy Mir Foundation Expresses Condolences on the Death of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II

05.12.2008

To the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate

Your Eminences!

On behalf of the Russkiy Mir Foundation and from me personally, I would like to express my sincere and deep condolences at the untimely death of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy. His death is a huge loss for us all – not only for the clergy and the laity, but for the multiconfessional, multiethnic and multicultural Russian world in its entirety. Despite its diversity, the Russian world is nevertheless united by its connection to the great Russian civilization, which is inconceivable without the spiritual and ethical direction based in Russian Orthodox tradition. For the past 18 years, His Holiness the Patriarch was the embodiment of this great tradition.

Patriarch Alexy was not only the Church’s Primate and a wise pastor; he was also a spiritual leader for the people during a very difficult times, never forgetting that the task of the Church is to unite society above the social and political divisions that take place. For more than two years the process of signing the Act of Canonical Communion took place. It was an historic event that bridged the divide between Russian Orthodoxy and the Russian world in general. This achievement by the Patriarch allowed us to feel that the spiritual unity of the Russian world was not only a memory of the past and more than a dream of the future, but it also became the fulfillment of years of hopes for millions of compatriots and Russian emigrants.

For the Orthodox person, this is not a peculiar two-dimensional perspective on history. His death during the great church holidays is an act of God’s mercy. The Orthodox Church now continues to celebrate the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple. It is quite obvious that the numbers of people who have found their way into the fold have grown tremendously as a result of thousands of new churches being opened during the Patriarch’s 18-year ministry.

I am convinced that in the future, the Russian Orthodox Church, remaining faithful to the covenant of the late Primate, will work to maintain its children while seeking to promote the spiritual consolidation of Russian society as a whole and responding wisely to the challenges of our time. For our part, I announce that the Russkiy Mir Foundation will do our utmost to perpetuate the memory of the late Patriarch Alexy. May his memory live eternally!


Vyacheslav Nikonov
Executive Director of the Russkiy Mir Foundation

Rubric:
Articles

Subject:
Diaspora
Tags:

New publications

Marco Maggi: ”Russian to the Bone" 20.01.2024
Italian entrepreneur Marco Maggi's book, "Russian to the Bone," is now accessible for purchase in Italy and is scheduled for release in Russia in the upcoming months. In the book, Marco recounts his personal odyssey, narrating each stage of his life as a foreigner in Russia—starting from the initial fascination to the process of cultural assimilation, venturing into business, fostering authentic friendships, and ultimately, reaching a deep sense of identifying as a Russian at his very core.
Chronicles of Dark Decade: Ukraine "abolishes" the Orthodox Church 02.01.2024
Ukrainian authorities have launched a persecution campaign against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the biggest one in the country's modern history. Over the past year, state sanctions were imposed on clergy representatives, searches were conducted in churches, clergymen were arrested, criminal cases were initiated, the activity of the UOC was banned in various regions of the country, and monasteries and churches were seized.
Russian Orthodox Male choir of Australia: We look forward to perform in Russia 28.12.2023
When Nektary Kotlyaroff, a fourth-generation Russian Australian and founder of the Russian Orthodox Choir in Sydney, first visited Russia, the first person he spoke to was a cab driver at the airport. Having heard that Nektariy's ancestors left Russia more than 100 years ago, the driver was astonished, "How come you haven't forgotten the Russian language?" Nektary Kotlyaroff repeated his answer in an interview with the Russkiy Mir. His affinity to the Orthodox Church (many of his ancestors and relatives were priests) and the traditions of a large Russian family brought from Russia helped him to preserve the Russian language.
Russian Pobeda on walls of Santiago 23.12.2023
Russian graffiti artists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, and Nizhnevartovsk took part in an international street art festival in the capital of Chile. They decorated the walls of Santiago with Russian and Chilean symbols, conducted a master class for Russian compatriots, and discussed collaborative projects with colleagues from Latin America.
Proud of Our People! Vladimir Nemirovich- Danchenko, founder of living person’s theater 14.12.2023
Name of Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko is inscribed in the history of Russian theater along with Konstantin Stanislavski, the other founding father of the Moscow Art Theater. Nevertheless, Mr. Nemirovich-Danchenko was a renowned writer, playwright, and theater teacher even before their famous meeting in the Slavic Bazaar restaurant. Furthermore, it was Mr. Nemirovich-Danchenko who came up with the idea of establishing a new "people's" theater believing that the theater could become a "department of public education."
Proud of Our People! Fyodor Tyutchev: Poet, Philosopher, Diplomat 09.12.2023
"Russia is a thing of which the intellect cannot conceive..." by Fyodor Tyutchev are famous among Russians at least. December marks the 220th anniversary of the poet's birth. Yet, he never considered poetry to be his life's mission and was preoccupied with matters of a global scale. Mr.Tyutchev fought his war focusing on relations between Russia and the West, the origins of mutual misunderstanding, and the origins of Russophobia. When you read his works today, it feels as though he saw things coming in a crystal ball...