The residence of the Patriarch of Moscow is in the monastery on a river bank; it is dedicated to Prince St. Daniel, son of Prince St. Alexander Nevsky who inflicted a crushing defeat upon the German Crusaders in the 13th century and ensured the survival of the Christian Orthodox faith in our land.
On September 13, when the Church observes the memory of both princes, the father and the son, Patriarch Kirill celebrated the Liturgy in the Cathedral of St. Daniel's monastery. In his sermon he said:
Today is such a time - a time of anxiety, even a deep anxiety. And we must pray that all dangers will pass over our homeland, that those who dream of crushing Russia as an independent, truly independent state will be frustrated... Unlike many other countries, Russia does not depend on any foreign power. This is our great privilege, but it is also a great challenge: there are too many powerful foes willing to subdue our nation.
Our sovereignty has by and large been hinged upon the strength of our spirit, upon the influence of the Christian Orthodox Church. It was the Church that inspired the soldiers in historic battles that kept the Motherland sovereign and free. We know how the saints prayed for the country, for the army, for the monarch.
And so today the time has come when we must fervently pray for our Fatherland, for our President – it matters little what his title is! - and for or our Armed Forces, so that our nation has the strength to defend her independence from the most powerful forces that now dominate most of the countries of the world.
Please watch the sermon of the Patriarch on video in full, with subtitles in many foreign languages.