MOSCOW, May 2. /TASS/. Easter grants Christians hope that the pandemic will soon subside, leaving people with important life lessons, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said in his Easter address.
"This Easter is special and its special nature lies in the hope that the bane of the pandemic will pass and, leaving us with a number of important lessons, will after all abandon us forever," he told the Russia-24 TV channel.
According to the patriarch, these lessons remind of the fragility of life, responsibility and value of live human interaction which the coronavirus pandemic took away. "Such seemingly little things like neglect of sanitary norms can cause a person an irreparable harm. <...> At the same time, epidemic restrictions did not deprive us of an opportunity to help those near and far, to support those who are weaker, to help those affected," he said, praising the labor of doctors and volunteers.
Before the Easter service, he also wished everyone a speedy and complete deliverance from the coronavirus infection. He noted that the coronavirus pandemic is retreating after a joint effort of everyone who learned to live in its conditions. "The epidemic, the terrible infection, indeed has significantly paralyzed people’s lives. And today we hear the clamor, the clamor of people filling up the cathedral and the heart is filled with joy over the events of this year. And, above all, despite the fact that the threat of the infection remains, it is gradually retreating under the onslaught of the joint effort both of doctors, and authorities, and of each one of us who learned to live during the pandemic," he said.
In 2021, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Easter on May 2. Patriarch Kirill leads a divine service and a procession of the cross at the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. The Holy Fire was delivered to the cathedral from Jerusalem.