On Christmas Eve, Archbishop Dimitri met with journalists and answered a number of pressing questions

On the eve of the Nativity of Christ, a press conference was held by Archbishop Dmitry of Vitebsk and Orsha. The head of the diocese, in particular, answered questions from a correspondent of "Vitebskiye Vesti". One of them concerned the opening of a representation of the Belarusian Exarchate in Moscow at the end of last year, headed by Vladyka Dmitry. It is located at the church of the Great Martyr Irene (Life-Giving Trinity) in Pokrovskoye, near the "Baumanskaya" metro station.

– The primary task of the Belarusian mission is to take care of those people who live in Moscow, to spiritually shepherd them. The diaspora there is quite large. Our compatriots should not feel abandoned; we are always ready to provide them with feasible assistance. The opening of the representation is also of great importance for our pilgrims visiting Russia to venerate Orthodox shrines. After all, the history of the Fatherland is inseparable from the history of shrines, and every Christian should know it. It would be good, I think, to have our own representations in Kyiv, Bialystok…

– Was there no church "embassy" in Moscow before?

– There was no church, but there were always church representatives at the Belarusian Embassy in Russia. Now we have to undertake the restoration of the church, starting from the floor and ending with the restoration of frescoes. It is also necessary to repair two buildings that were transferred to us for the needs of the representation. They suffered during the Soviet era, refrigeration units were installed there, windows were bricked up, so there will be a lot of work. One of the representation buildings houses the Orthodox institute "Sodeystvie". We will seek help from Belarusians living in Moscow. I recently attended a Cossack congress, where representatives from Novorossiysk approached me and said they were originally from Belarus. Many of our compatriots live in Novorossiysk, some are wealthy people, they built the Church of Euphrosyne of Polotsk at their own expense and want to make a cross. Not bad, right? I think there will be people willing to contribute to making our representation, and especially the church in honor of the martyr Irene, look presentable. We will bring Belarusian relics to the church: the Zhirovichi Icon of the Mother of God, the Efess Icon of the Mother of God, formerly located in Polotsk, and others.

– You initiated the revival of the women's theological school in Vitebsk. Tell us, who will study there, in what specialties, and when will the first enrollment be announced?

– One of the tasks we set for the school is to raise worthy life companions for the seminary graduates. I hope that among them will be highly educated, primarily spiritually, future wives of priests. But this is not the only or main goal. The main thing is to provide a normal Christian education, the fullness of church knowledge. Here one can get a specialty of a Sunday school teacher, learn the skills of icon painting, gold embroidery, etc. By the way, at one time the Vitebsk school was the first of the women's theological schools in Belarus. The modern institution will be located within the walls of the Holy Spirit Convent (initially it was also located in the cells of the Holy Spirit Monastery, and then a building was constructed, which now houses the regional executive committee) at the address: Tolstoy Street, 15. Girls and women aged 17 to 35 with secondary or higher education will be able to enroll here. The full term of study is 3 years. Enrollment will begin this year.

– You also made a proposal to build St. Sophia Cathedral in Vitebsk, which will be modeled after the church built in the 11th century in Polotsk. The Synod approved this idea. When is it planned to start the construction of the cathedral and where?

– I would like to quote His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, who, during his visit to Vitebsk, visited a children's colony. He said: "If we do not build churches, we will have to build prisons." This means that the state and society should be interested in the revival of churches. Today, in Polotsk, only in the basement of St. Sophia Cathedral can one see the remains of the old church. The modern appearance also has cultural and historical value, but if there is an opportunity to restore the former one, even in another city on the same river, why not do it? Every Orthodox believer will be able to contribute – to purchase plinfa, from which churches were previously built, and lay it in the foundation of the church. Seven locations are being considered where St. Sophia Cathedral could stand, but I see it on the main square of the city. The size of the church is small: 26 by 26 meters.

– Are there any plans to restore St. Nicholas Cathedral on Freedom Square?

– Such plans exist, but it is difficult to say when they will be implemented. Already now, from the side of the Vitba River, the preserved foundations could be opened. Or at least a commemorative stone could be placed, indicating that a temple stood here. If we do not remember our history, then we will not exist as individuals. Is it really better when the square in the historical center of the city has turned into a parking lot?

– 2014 is associated with significant events in spiritual life. What is planned in this regard in the Vitebsk Diocese?– In 2014, we celebrate the 700th anniversary of the birth of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the founder of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius and Sergiyev Posad. Two meetings were held in Moscow dedicated to the preparation for the celebrations of the 1000th anniversary of the repose of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, which will be celebrated in July 2015. This is a very important event for all Orthodox people. We will hold meetings and trips to holy places.

– The new Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus was appointed on the eve. Are you familiar with him?

– Yes, he is a very worthy person.

P. S. When the material was being prepared, it became known that the Exarch, Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Slutsk, accompanied by Archbishop Dmitry, visited the representation of the Belarusian Exarchate in Moscow.

Tatyana Pasternak, "Vitebskiye Vesti"