The All-Belarusian Procession of Faith "Church and Army" has arrived in Vitebsk
With the blessing of Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, the III All-Belarusian Procession of the Cross "Church and Army" is proceeding through the country's memorial sites and military burial grounds. Dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory, it started in Brest. Its purpose is to pay Christian honors to the fallen soldiers who defended the Fatherland from the German-fascist invaders.
Last Sunday, the Procession of the Cross arrived in Vitebsk. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Holy Assumption Cathedral. A rally was held at the military cemetery on Uspenskaya Hill, opened by the head of the diocesan department for cooperation with the Armed Forces, Archimandrite Sergius Konstantinov, who is leading the Procession of the Cross through the Vitebsk region. Here, participants honored veterans of the Great Patriotic War and the Armed Forces. Airborne soldiers marched in a solemn procession, paying tribute to the fallen heroes.
Soil was taken from the burial site in Vitebsk and placed in a consecrated capsule, which is passed from region to region with the memorial procession.
On April 26, the Procession of the Cross proceeded from Vitebsk to Gorodok, and then to Chashniki and Novolukoml. Today, the procession was met in Orsha.
The III All-Belarusian Procession of the Cross "Church and Army" will conclude on May 5 in Minsk.
Nataliya KRUPITSA, "Vitbichi"