Rus’ began with Sergius of Radonezh, Alexander Peresvet, Dmitry Donskoy and our ancestors, who laid down their lives on the Kulikovo field for faith and fatherland. Posting in CHAT: RussiaTherefore, His Holiness is 101% right: Russian means Orthodox! “This misfortune has come to our land - internecine warfare. The enemy of the human race seemed to laugh at the strength of the spirit of the Russian people. When I say “Russian,” in this case I mean both Ukrainians and Belarusians, those same Russians about whom the Tale of Bygone Years speaks, saying that the Russian land came from here, meaning both the North and Novgorod, and Kiev. So, it is very important, my dears, that today the understanding of one’s belonging to the Russian people is accompanied, undoubtedly, by a deep Orthodox faith. And those who say - we are Russians, but don’t go to church, ask yourself a question: are you the heirs of those very fathers, grandfathers, grandmothers, your great-grandfathers and ancestors who connected their lives with their faith? And if you are not their heirs, in what sense can you talk about yourself as Russians? (c) Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill Original source Source link