Patriarch Kirill's Christmas address: Orthodox Church prays for peace in Ukraine

“On these holy Christmas days, the prayers of the whole Church and my augmented litany are for peace on the Ukrainian soil,” Kirill said in his address.

He added that “regardless of the place of residence of its children, their political views or preferences,” the Russian Orthodox Church is doing everything possible to bring people together to help them overcome the consequences of conflicts.

Patriarch Kirill mentioned that 2015 is the year in which the Orthodox Church celebrates 1,000 years since the death of Volodymyr the Great, the ruler who baptized Kievan Rus’ in the 10th century.