Patriarch Kirill of Moscow presented Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu with a medal from the Russian Orthodox Church for “supervision of the construction of the main temple of the Russian Armed Forces.”
The Russian minister was awarded the first-class Order of Glory and Honor, which is the second-order award of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The award ceremony took place on Sunday at the Church of the Resurrection, which is the main temple of the Russian Armed Forces, whose construction was completed a year ago.
On the same day, a Divine Liturgy was held in the Church by Patriarch Kirill, while in addition to Soigu, the Patriarch presented two Deputy Defense Ministers, Andrei Kartapolov and Timur Ivanov, with the first-class Dmitry Donskoy award.
“I am very pleased with the way the Russian Orthodox Church is building relations with the armed forces. Thank you very much, Sergei Kozugetovich, for your decisive contribution to building this new way of interaction between the Church and the Armed Forces,” said the Patriarch, as reported by RIA.
The Patriarch of Moscow, among other things, stated that “keeping of the oath and performing the military duty is a sacred act for the homeland, the neighbor, and God.”
Addressing the soldiers at the church, Patriarch Kirill urged them to remember eternal life while performing their duties. In other words, he told them not to be afraid if they were killed.
“This church is dedicated in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, it is a great symbol of eternal life. The very name of this church is addressed to the military: Christ is Risen, and we also will be resurrected, and life is eternal.
So do not be afraid and perform with valiance your duty. And remember, if you sacrifice your life for the homeland, for your neighbor, you will be with God, in his Kingdom, glory eternal life,” said the Patriarch.
