1000th anniversary of the death of St Vladimir (28 July 1015 – 28 July 2015)
18 June 2015
Dear Presidents of the countries of the former Kievan Rus, Vladimir, Peter and Alexander!
At this historic time, You represent three Slavonic nations – Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. All the three of You retain Your national Christian roots and 1000-year Christian tradition which was adopted on this territory thanks to St Vladimir. It is painful that this historic anniversary has been so poorly emphasized in the mass media, culture or education throughout this jubilee year.
Saint Vladimir was a pagan, though his grandmother, St Olga, had accepted Christianity. That was why there were already some priests on the territory of Kievan Rus. Thanks to St Olga, the first temple was erected over the Askold’s grave.
Igor Rurikovich transferred the seat of government from Novgorod to Kiev. There his wife, St Olga, gave birth to their first son Sviatoslav. Sviatoslav Igorevich had three sons – Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir. The large Russian principalities were divided among them. Yaropolk took his seat in Kiev. He carried out a military attack on his brother Oleg and killed him. In fear for his life, Vladimir fled north to Varangians. Yaropolk occupied his principiality too. However, Vladimir returned from Varangians with a large army mobilized from other Russian lands against Yaropolk. He overcame and became the monarch of all the Russian land. He had idols erected in Kiev and ordered the people to worship them and to make sacrifices. The main idol was Perun. If anyone refused to worship this idol, he was killed at the command of the ruler. Another vice of Prince Vladimir apart from idolatry was disordered desire for women. He had several wives and many concubines.
After the victory over Yatwings, Vladimir returned to Kiev and ordered that sacrifices be made for their supposed help. Blessed Theodore and his son John were killed at the time. The idolaters resolved that on whom the lot would fall, they would kill him and offer him to gods as a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Through the working of the devil, the lot fell on the house of Theodore, a Christian. So pagan idolaters told Theodore to give them his son John. Theodore said: “Your gods are no gods but demons. There is only one God, in whom Christians and I believe. He created heaven and earth, the sun and the moon and the stars, and all that is visible on heaven and earth, and He also created man. I will not give my son to demons!” The pagans then killed them both. They were the first martyrs of Kiev and Kievan Rus. Their holy blood and their prayers brought the light of God into the land. Prince Vladimir turned from paganism, his idols and licentiousness. After conversion, he received the sacrament of baptism, and so did all Russian land. The process of his conversion was gradual but profound. He completely changed his way of life. He put away his wives and chose a Christian marriage with one woman, Anne of the royal house in Constantinople. She supported him on the path to the Christianization of Kievan Rus with wise counsel and encouraged him in overcoming all the hardships. He adopted Christianity in present-day Sevastopol, a former Greek fort Khersones, in 988.
In his old age Vladimir showed false mercy even on dangerous criminals and did not punish them. This caused an increase in crime and there were too many thieves, robbers, murderers and other criminals. The Metropolitan and the wise elders said to Vladimir: “Dear Prince, why don’t you punish evil?” He answered: “I fear sin.” The Metropolitan replied: “God has made you ruler to punish the evil and to protect the good. You have a duty to punish the evil after examination. Unless you punish the evil, know that you do wrong to the good. Because if you do nothing, the number of the evil increases to the detriment of the good. The evil must fear a just punishment so that the good may live in peace.”
Dear Presidents, may the Czech President M. Zeman be a motivation for You in the upcoming celebration for making the best of this 1000th anniversary of the death of Saint Vladimir for the sake of Your nations. The Czech President used the 600th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Bohemian priest John Huss for national repentance.
The Czech nation suffered a great injustice, which was the doing of the Catholic hierarchy and the then Emperor Sigismund, who was a Bohemian too. President Zeman visited Pope Francis at the beginning of this year and asked him to make a gesture of rehabilitation of this martyr on behalf of the Catholic Church and to condemn the crime committed. The Pope agreed and decided to make a grand gesture of rehabilitation in Velehrad on the feast of Sts Cyril and Methodius, 5 July 2015, in the presence of Eastern Patriarchs! 30 days before the feast, President Zeman solemnly raised two flags at his residence in Prague. The Czech mass media brought to light the historical crime particularly in a three-part film about John Huss. Politicians, students, universities and the entire nation perceive the need to repent and to return to the truth. John Huss, a preacher of repentance, was unjustly burnt at the stake as an archheretic because he preached the truth. All schoolchildren knew his motto: “Search for truth, hear truth, learn truth, love truth, defend truth till death, for truth will deliver you from sin and from the devil, from the death of the soul and, ultimately, from eternal death!”
The Byzantine Patriarchate made an appeal for completing the 600th anniversary by three days’ penance. In essence, every citizen should start to repent from himself in the spirit of the motto of this Czech martyr. Today many search for half-truths and lies, love lies and defend lies, the fruit of which is death of the soul and, ultimately, eternal death.
Czech people used to light a pyre symbolically on 5 or 6 July in commemoration of Huss’ martyrdom. When the martyr was tied to the stake, his enemies said to humiliate him: “He must not face the east! Turn him to the west!” The baptismal practice involved the renunciation of the evil spirit, which tradition had been brought from Byzantium by Sts Cyril and Methodius. After renouncing the devil, the catechumens spat towards the west. The west symbolized the realm of evil. Our Patriarchate proposed that all citizens, in token of penance, should purge themselves of paganism by burning all books promoting magic, divination and other pagan meditations or practices. They should also burn books which contain heresies or promote immorality, perversion and pornography. These books shall be thrown into the fire as a sign of the nation’s penance! On the day of the martyr John’s death, Christians shall renew their baptism either by being immersed in a river or lake or by pouring water on their heads and reciting the baptismal formula. The nation thus wants to restore its sound Christian roots and it will become an example for all nations of Europe which likewise abandoned these roots and adopted current antilaws denying the essence of Christianity.
During these three days the citizens are invited to watch video lectures which were prepared on the occasion of the jubilee of baptism in Kiev. Unfortunately, they were not used for the purpose at the time. In 2013, the renewal of baptism took place in Kiev on behalf of all the three nations. Symbolic representatives of the Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian nations renounced the devil and holding the flags of the three nations they were immersed in the Dnieper. A few days before, an idol of Perun three metres high was thrown into the river. On the day of the renewal of baptism of these three nations, 6 July 2013, John Milic of Kromeriz, a Bohemian priest and reformer, the spiritual father of the rector of the Charles University John Huss, a martyr, was declared a saint at St Sophia Square.
Furthermore, it is necessary that the mass media, especially television, should be actively involved in the preparation at least one month before the culmination of the anniversary of St Vladimir, i.e. from 28 June 2015. Regrettably, some broadcasts deliberately highlight the pagan past of St Vladimir and conceal the essence of his holiness! Therefore it is necessary to highlight the fruits of his true conversion, namely the fact that he opened the door to Christianity in all Russia. There are whole generations of Russian martyrs and saints, true heroes who sacrificed their lives for the preservation of Christian faith not only during the invasion of the Tartars or Muslims… These material facts should be put into literary, theatrical or cinematic form so as to touch every human heart, especially young generation. Young people today are exposed to the cunning terror of Western pseudo culture. It is connected with pagan Satanism involving the practices of magic, divination, decadent music, drugs and sexual perversion. Such level of demonization has never been seen in history, not even with ancient pagans who offered human sacrifices to demons. Standing up against the pagan system, St Vladimir was involved in a fierce psychological struggle against sorcerers, unconverted boyars and secret traitors. He had to be prepared for premeditated death at all times. Especially today, one ought to view the greatness of Saint Vladimir from this very perspective of the fight against the satanic system of paganism.
How to celebrate the 1000th anniversary?
During the last week, from Friday 24 July, i.e. the feast of St Olga, a programme of intensive repentance would start like in the Czech nation (http://vkpatriarhat.org/en/?p=11109). Many Czech people keep prayer guard, each devoting one hour daily to personal prayer. After watching the baptismal lectures, every citizen should restore his Christian roots in personal repentance (see http://vkpatriarhat.org/en/?category_name=spiritual-preparation-for-the-anniversary-of-baptism-of-kievan-rus&paged=3). On these days, everyone should find at least one hour and take stock of one’s life, write down all evil one has done to neighbours, to oneself and to God. Then burn the list of all these sins by the cross of Christ or simply in His presence. By this gesture of faith you will make it manifest that you renounce them and accept the sacrifice of Christ on the cross where He had already paid for all sins. Thereafter renew your baptism by being immersed in water or pouring water on your head. Then, if possible, compensate for the evil you have done. If you damaged someone’s reputation, make amends for it; if you stole something, make fair restitution or return the thing stolen… Simply, this should touch the life of every citizen of these nations of the former Kievan Rus.
If the nation shows this national repentance before God, God will work a miracle of spiritual resurrection, which will become manifest in reconciliation between neighbours, within families, and between and within the three nations! The adoption of the laws of God will mark the beginning of the restoration of family and nations, and economic blessing too! This is the only way that will bring peace instead of war, harmony instead of defamation and life instead of death.
May the Lord bestow His blessing on the nation and grant to it national spiritual revival through the intercession of St Vladimir!
+ Elijah
Patriarch of the Byzantine Patriarchate
+ Methodius OSBMr + Timothy OSBMr
Secretary Bishops
Cc:
MPs of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus
Mayor of Kiev
Bishops of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus
President of the Czech Republic M. Zeman
Parliament of the Czech Republic
Vatican Secretariat of State
Presidents of the EU Member States
Members of the European Parliament
Mass media
Download: 1000th anniversary of the death of St Vladimir (28 July 1015 – 28 July 2015)
