Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia during a meeting in MinskMINSK, 6 Jun.< /strong> Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia at a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarus is a truly sovereign state that defends its national interests and the identity of its people. Lukashenka's meeting with Patriarch Kirill takes place on Monday in Minsk at the official residence of the Belarusian leader. 
Patriarch Kirill laid flowers at the Victory Monument in Minsk»Today, sovereignty is more than political sovereignty. This is the freedom of people, and I am glad to testify that Belarus is one of those states that can be said to be a sovereign state. God grant that it was so,» the patriarch said. He noted that the President of Belarus assumed «an enormous responsibility for maintaining the security of his people, for preserving the identity of his people», in the context of globalization, «the struggle for identity is a struggle for the survival of the nation.» «Because Woe will be to the human race if everyone is cut with the same brush, and when they are controlled by standards that will be developed outside of their participation, in some centers, and politics, and culture, and people's lives will be faked under these standards, «- said the Patriarch. avdanThe Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church arrived in Minsk on June 4 for a three-day visit timed to coincide with the celebration of the 1030th anniversary of Orthodoxy in the Belarusian lands, which is celebrated in 2022. The day before, the patriarch led the service at the Exaltation of the Cross Cathedral of the Savior Euphrosyne Monastery in Polotsk. The patriarch last visited Belarus four years ago in 2018. The meeting of the patriarch with the Belarusian flock was timed to coincide with the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia and the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.
