Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 15 October (BelTA) – Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia spoke about his special attitude to Belarus and welcomed the country’s achievements in improving living conditions of its people as he met with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on 15 October, BelTA has learned.

The Patriarch said that a big part of his life is connected with Belarus. “I have not lived here but traveled through Belarus a lot. I can compare what was here in the 1990s with what we see today. The changes are immense,” he said.

The Patriarch took note of clean and neat streets of the Belarusian capital. “When you see these huge spaces filled with air and cleanliness, beautiful streets, you understand that the president and the government pay special attention to the quality of people’s life. Life in big cities is always connected with stress. If the city offers a cozy living space, this means that the authorities care about people,” Patriarch Kirill said.

In his words, the modern world has a lot of problems that arise from technological development: “Whether we like it or not, human civilization is developing in such a way that sinful intention to increase consumption prompts the development of industry. This means pollution and many other things that harm people.”

“The authorities’ care about the environment, cultural and spiritual well-being shows that the most important and strategic goals that are key to the future of humanity are on the radar of the authorities. The quality of life determines the success of a politician. This includes not only the level of wages but also everything that surrounds a person and ensures his or her wellbeing,” Patriarch Kirill stressed.

Patriarch Kirill also thanked Alexander Lukashenko for good relations between the country’s authorities and the Belarusian Orthodox Church.