“Actually, I want to become an Orthodox priest,” Hafiz finally finished off the migration service employee. He widened his eyes: “Are you out of your mind? A black man is an Orthodox priest?! All of Russia will laugh at you!”
Now Hafiz Basi is completing the All-Church postgraduate and doctoral studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius. And also a master's degree in philosophy at the Higher School of Economics. “And that migration officer was wrong, bananas are sold at every turn in Russia!” - he winks at me. Who knows, a crazy thought flies through my head: maybe soon our patriarch will be black? Truly, your deeds are wonderful, Lord!
The Old Testament is calling
There are many plans in the human heart, but only those determined by the Lord will take place.
(Prov. 19:21.)
The queue was a kilometer long. Thousands of people stood in it, talking quietly. “Do they give you free lunch?” — Hafiz cautiously asked the middle-aged man standing last. He looked him up and down: “Move past, this is not your thing.” Hafiz walked along the line. Its beginning ran into the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Out of the corner of his ear he heard that this was the main temple of Yekaterinburg. “So many people want to get into the service! — I was amazed to myself. - Even on an ordinary day! Yes, it’s like Eid al-Adha (Eid al-Adha – Author’s note) in Mecca.”
Having gathered his courage, he stopped a woman leaving the temple: “How long did you stand?” “Seven o’clock,” she answered innocently. - Why do you need it? “You have to stand all day to get into the temple...” Hafiz chuckled. “So this is for the Belt of the Virgin Mary,” the woman smiled. “Do you believe in miracles?” “I would like...” he responded hesitantly. “If you touch the Belt of the Mother of God, you will definitely experience a miracle,” the woman said with conviction, and then, shrugging her shoulders: “But this is of no use to you. Are you a Muslim? Oh, are all blacks Muslims? Are there any Buddhists? So what, you don’t have a single woman in your religion? What about without a mother?”
Hafiz didn't know what to answer. But really: how can you live without a mother? Arriving at the dormitory of the Ural State University, where he was then studying at the Faculty of Management and Management, he went online. I found the Gospel of Matthew, read the first chapter, the second, the third. Between memorizing the theses of the Behaviorist School and constructing a graph, Gantt mastered the Gospel of Luke, Mark, John, and the Old Testament.
“Everything became so clear to me,” Hafiz wonders to himself, sipping strong tea from a large mug. — And about death, and about life, and about myself, and even about Russian people, about their habits, mentality. In general, I think that all foreign students coming to Russia should study Orthodoxy in detail. Better yet, accept it. Although it may be unsafe...
The Holy Trinity Cathedral literally became a home for Kharisim and the foreign students from the seminary. Photo: Photoxpress
Fathers and Sons
Call to Me - and I will answer you, I will show you great and inaccessible things that you do not know.
(Jer. 33:3.)
Is execution better than hanging? Or vice versa? Sudanese citizen and Muslim Hafiz Basi thought about this on the eve of his baptism. At home he was threatened with death for apostasy. And not at the hands of radical Salafists, but quite officially. The article for treason was one of the central ones in the Sudanese Criminal Code.
Hafiz was already fully “bathed” in Orthodoxy, was familiar with all the priests of the Holy Trinity Church, even Metropolitan of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye Kirill (Nakonechny) saw him a couple of times, instructing him, literally and figuratively, on the true path. But it’s one thing to go to church, help clean, talk for hours with the priests about faith and God - and quite another to forget about your God. Cheat on him.
It was unbearable.
“I didn’t sleep at night,” Hafiz admits. — I went to lectures sleep-deprived, scurried back and forth along Bolshakova, the street on which the hostel is located. I kept thinking and thinking. Not only was my path to my homeland closed, but it remains to be seen how my family would react. Mom, dad, two brothers, four sisters. And two million of our Missiri people would also turn away from me. How I would have set my father up!
“I think you were exaggerating then,” I shrug nonchalantly. “And two million of your people didn’t care about you, and how could you frame your father?” Well, I would have been offended and scolded.
“You don’t understand...” Hafiz sighs sadly. “My dad Abdelshafi is the head of these two million. He is the head of our people.
Silent scene.
God doesn't care about color
It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth defiles a person...
(Matt. 15:11, 16-19.)
The baptism took place on May 1, 2012. The newly-made Christian was doused with holy water and a small cross was hung around his neck. The baptismal name was given to Kharisim. Bishop Kirill, who saw him in the church, asked: “Can you read the Gospel in Arabic on Easter?” (On the first day of Easter, the Holy Book is supposed to be read in different languages.) “Yes, easily,” answered Kharisim, slightly taken aback.
A month later he was surprised again. “The Bishop wants to make you his assistant,” the altar boy said enthusiastically. - Serve intelligently and diligently. There is no way to serve a bishop alone. The vestments must be cleaned and everything must be prepared for the liturgy.” So Charisim put on the surplice and became a subdeacon.
“At first everyone was amazed at me,” he smiles. “Wherever we go, they only ask the bishop: “Where does this helper come from?!” But no one called him a demon or an evil spirit,” Kharisim laughs.
“Oh, only once did a parishioner call me a disgusting name,” he remembers. - It became so offensive... But I made it a rule: never, anywhere, to pay attention to those who say something offensive about the color of my skin. Whether in Yekaterinburg, in Moscow, in Kurgan. While under Bishop Kirill, I became acquainted with almost all the bishops of Russia and neighboring countries, and met the patriarch three times at liturgies. And no one dared to humiliate me even with a glance. Yes, I am an Orthodox black African. But do you really think that our Lord cares what skin color his children have?
Spiritual meaning of service
The service of subdeacons symbolizes the angelic service. The orarion, which encircles the body of the subdeacon in a cross shape, depicts the wings with which the Cherubim cover themselves as they stand before the Throne of God. According to John Chrysostom, the cruciform girdle is a sign that the subdeacon is ready to serve during the celebration of the sacraments, which distinguishes him from other clergy. Subdeacons receive communion after deacons, this emphasizes that the subdeacon is at the level preceding the rank of deacon.
Welcome or...
Better is a dish of greens, and with it love, than a fattened bull, and with it, hatred.
(Prov. 15:17.)
Hunger is a terrible thing. And you wouldn’t wish it on your enemy to go hungry when there is an abundance of food around. Harishim's diet after baptism was reduced overnight to one egg a day and one bottle of Coca-Cola. Five kilos in a month and a half is “easy,” to use Hafiz’s language.
And it wasn’t about the post. The father did not forgive his son for leaving Islam. Brothers, sisters, mother understood everything quickly. “I told them honestly: I saw a lot of love in this religion,” says Harisim. — I became a Muslim automatically, from birth. This was not my conscious choice. But he came to Orthodoxy at the call of his heart. It is my decision."
The father strictly forbade sending his son money. And studying at the university was paid, three thousand dollars a year. Plus expenses for living and food. “I quickly became poor,” Hafiz grins. “And then the local priests came to my aid. Some helped with money, some with food. On January 31, 2013, I finally received asylum here. Got a job at a hotel. Left the university. And then I applied to the theological seminary.”
Hieromonk Korniliy (Zaitsev), rector of the seminary, talking about Kharisim, shrugs his shoulders in bewilderment: they say, what’s wrong with that? We have students from Pakistan, China, Austria, other European countries, not only from Africa. Of course, the case of Hafiz is unique in its kind. But I can testify: the flow of former Catholics, Muslims, and Buddhists into the seminary has increased.
—And what attracts them to Orthodoxy? - I am sincerely perplexed. I feel like an easy battle is brewing. But I have an argument in stock: “Only three percent of Russians, judging by statistics, regularly go to church. Which, of course, speaks of a certain disappointment in faith. But it turns out that foreigners are fascinated by her? How long ago?”
“No, recently, but I can also confirm that there are more and more people changing their religion to Orthodoxy,” the seminary’s confessor, Priest Konstantin (Korepanov), enters into the conversation. “And the point is not that their native faith fundamentally dissatisfies them in some way; it is the everyday life, its mentality that causes rejection. It is now quite definite in European countries. They are not too pleased to see men kissing obscenely on the streets, crowds of migrants. And they come to us, to Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Samara, Orenburg. Where there are Orthodox seminaries.
“As for the notorious three percent, in my church in Verkhnyaya Pyshma, where I serve as rector, there are many times more parishioners,” continues Father Korniliy. “I assure you: there is no disappointment in the faith among Russians, nor is there any decline in Orthodoxy. We are now building a new seminary building, much more impressive - why do you think? Yes, the influx of students, including foreign ones, has increased sharply.
Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), secretary of the Department for External Church Relations for Inter-Christian Relations, member of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church, joins the battle: “Are you aware that among the first Christians there were people with dark skin color, real Africans? In the Book of Acts we read how the eunuch of Candace, queen of Ethiopia, was baptized near Jerusalem by the Apostle Philip. Very soon, in 330, Ethiopia, or rather the ancient kingdom of Aksum, which included part of the territory of modern Sudan, became one of the first countries in the world to adopt Christianity. So Harisim is a descendant of the most ancient Orthodox Christians.
In general, a trend is now visible when more and more Europeans and Americans are accepting Orthodoxy and becoming members of Russian Orthodox Church parishes in the West. Despite the fact that our Church does not engage in any kind of proselytism. Many of them will recognize the beauty and saving power of the Orthodox path, first through the works of Russian classics, and then through the works of Russian theologians and the lives of great saints, the most beloved of whom for them is St. Seraphim of Sarov.”
Ordination to subdeacon
Ordination to the subdeacon in practice takes place immediately after the consecration to the reader, without any visible period of time.
After the reader has been vested in the surplice, the subdeacons present the orarion to the Bishop. After the Bishop makes the sign of the cross over the orarion, the dedicatee is baptized, kisses the orarion and the hand of the Bishop, then the subdeacons gird the dedicatee in the shape of a cross. The subdeaconal service represents the service of the Angels, and therefore the cross-shaped encircling of the orarion represents the wings with which the Cherubim cover themselves as they stand before the Divine Throne. Then the Bishop blesses the head of the dedicatee with his hand three times and, laying his hand on him, reads a prayer in which he asks the Lord: “ ...And grant him to love the splendor of Thy house, to stand at the doors of Thy holy temple, to kindle the lamp of the dwelling of Thy glory.”
If the consecration took place before the liturgy, then, through the prayer of the Bishop, the subdeacons give the dedicatee a tub and place an ubrus (towel) on him. The subdeacons pour water on the hands of the Bishop, and the newly ordained subdeacon holds the tub. After washing the hands, the newly ordained one, like other subdeacons, kisses the hand of the Bishop and goes together with the protodeacon to the middle of the church, where they bow to the altar and the Bishop. The initiate stands in the place indicated to him on the sole (or under the sole) in front of the icon of the Savior, where he stands, holding a tub with a lining, until the Cherubic song. While singing the Cherubic Song, he is led to the Royal Doors. Here the Bishop says a prayer, then makes a cross over the water and anoints his eyes, ears, nostrils and lips with consecrated water. After washing, the newly ordained one with the other subdeacons kisses the hand of the Bishop and enters the altar.
If the consecration took place during the all-night vigil, then the initiate makes one prostration to the High Place, then one prostration to the Bishop, but without the sign of the cross, and takes his blessing and goes to his place. At the liturgy, together with other subdeacons, he comes out with ablution during the peaceful litany. Then it proceeds in the same way as described above.
At the Cherubim Song, the initiate, together with the clergy (behind the deacons), approaches the Bishop in the established order at the bishop’s proskomedia and already says: “Remember me, Most Reverend Vladyka, subdeacon (name).”
At the Great Entrance, the newly initiated goes first, with a plate on which is a miter and omophorion. It exits through the northern deacon's door and, walking along the sole, enters through the southern deacon's door. In the altar he stands with a dish at the right corner of the Throne, closer to the Royal Doors. The Bishop approaches him (while the Bishop walks from the altar to the Throne, the protege says “Your Bishop…”) and, having blessed him, puts his hand on the miter; the initiate must kiss the hand only once and then step aside. I must take care that the deacons place the miter on the Throne, and place the omophorion on the vestment table. Then he stands aside.
ORDINATION
The protégé must undergo a protégé commission and a protégé confession with the confessor of the diocese. The protege must remember that upon ordination he receives the Holy Mysteries of Christ, therefore, he must prepare for Communion (read the prescribed rule). Proteges need to remember in detail the rite of ordination and first familiarize themselves with the Missal, and some passages from it, such as entrance prayers, prayers during vestments, litanies (deacon) and exclamations (priest), words before receiving the Holy Body and Holy Blood, prayer dialogues – memorize before ordination. Come to the temple in advance and prepare for the service.
Ordination to the diaconate takes place at the liturgy after the consecration of the Holy Gifts, namely after the Bishop utters the exclamation “And may the mercies of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.” At the end of the protodeacon’s recitation of “And for all and for everything,” the protege and two subdeacons stand at the High Place and, at the same time as the protodeacon, cross themselves and bow to the east and to the Bishop, then go out into the church and stand under the pulpit. Following the bishop’s exclamation “And let there be mercies...” and his blessing, the subdeacon exclaims: “Command,” the one being ordained makes a bow to the east; the three of them go to the solea, and there the henchman makes a bow to the people, and the second subdeacon exclaims on the solea: “Command,” and when the protodeacon proclaims “Command, Most Reverend Master,” he enters the altar through the Royal Doors and makes a prostration with the sign of the cross to the Throne. Then the person being ordained goes around the Throne behind the Protodeacon three times and at each circumambulation he crosses himself, kisses the corners of the Throne indicated by the Protodeacon and reads the Trisagion in a quiet voice - while kissing the first corner: “Holy God”
, when kissing the second corner:
“Saint Mighty”
, when kissing the third corner:
“Holy Immortal”
, when kissing the fourth corner:
“Have mercy on us.”
For each circumambulation of the Throne, the clergy sing special troparia in the altar, followed by the choir.
After the first circumambulation, the protege makes a prostration to the Bishop[15], without rising from his knees, kisses the omophorion and the hand of the Bishop and again bows to the Bishop, without rising, profanely. After the second circumambulation, he bows to the Bishop in the same way, but kisses the club and hand of the Bishop and again bows to the ground to the Bishop. After the third circumambulation, the protege stands with the protodeacon in front of the Throne, makes two bows to the waist to the east and the third to the ground and moves to the right side of the Throne; here he kneels on his right knee, places his hands on the Throne, palms down, in a cross shape - right over left - and places his head on them. After the Bishop reads the prayers, the person being ordained stands up, and the Bishop leads him through the Royal Doors to the pulpit. On the pulpit, the Bishop raises the orarion up and proclaims: “Axios”
, the clergy sings:
“Axios”
, the choir repeats after the clergy, the henchman crosses himself and kisses first the orarion brought to him by the Bishop, and then the hand of the Bishop; In the same way, the protege and ripida are presented to the protege. When the ripida is presented for kissing, the henchman crosses himself, kisses the sacred image in the circle of the ripida and the hand of the Bishop, takes the ripida in his hands, then kisses the right and left shoulders of the Bishop. He follows the protodeacon to the left side of the Throne, where he blows the ripida crosswise over the Gifts, holding the upper end of the ripida with his left hand, and the lower end with his right, and saying the Jesus Prayer. While singing “Our Father...” the protodeacon approaches him, the person being ordained stops fanning the Gifts, crosses himself with the orarion, kisses the ripida, crosses himself again and kisses the Altar, bows to the Bishop and moves to the left side of the altar. The newly ordained one girds himself with an orarion. Before Communion, the ordained person stands at the Throne in the row of deacons immediately behind the first protodeacon. To the kissing and greeting of the protodeacon, “Christ is in our midst,” he replies: “And is, and will be,” and kisses the protodeacon on the shoulder. The same goes for other deacons.
Having followed the protodeacon to the Throne, on the left side, to receive the Holy Body of Christ from the Bishop, he crosses himself, bows, kisses the edge of the Throne with the words “Behold, I come to the Immortal King and our God,” folds his hands crosswise, places his right on his left Throne, and says: “Teach to me, Most Reverend Master, the deacon (name), the Honest and Holy Body of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Having accepted the Gifts from the Bishop, he kisses his hand, his right and left shoulders, then moves away, holding his hands with the Body of Christ above the Throne, to the eastern side of the Throne, stands next to the protodeacon and partakes of the Body of Christ. Approaching from the right side of the Throne behind the protodeacon to receive the life-giving Blood of Christ, he says: “Behold, I come again...” and “Teach me, Most Reverend Master, the deacon (name), the Honest and Holy Blood of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ” - and He partakes of the Chalice of life-giving Blood, holding the lower edge of the chalice with his right hand and the plate, and with his left hand holding the other end of the plate near his mouth. After Communion, he wipes his lips and the edge of the chalice, which he touched with his lips, with a cloth, kisses the chalice, wipes the edge of the chalice again and goes to the altar, but does not accept the antidor and warmth, because at the end of the liturgy the protodeacons will teach him to consume the Holy Gifts and wash Vessels. After Communion of the clergy, everyone comes under the blessing of the Bishop. The henchman, approaching the protodeacon, bows to the ground to the Bishop and takes the blessing. The bishop, blessing, presents him with a prosphora according to tradition and informs him of the location of the magpie. While singing “Let the lips be filled...” the one being ordained, together with the protodeacon, bows to the High Place, bows to the Bishop, exits the altar through the northern door, stands in front of the Royal Doors and pronounces the litany: “Forgive me, I accept...”, at the end of which he enters through the northern door into altar, goes to the Throne, bows his head and receives the Bishop’s blessing for the consumption of the Holy Gifts. After this, he goes to the altar to consume and wash the Vessels.
Ordination to the priesthood takes place after the transfer of the Holy Gifts from the altar to the Throne (Cherubim Song), so that the ordained one can participate in the consecration of the Holy Gifts. During the Cherubic Song, when the Bishop approaches the altar, the one being ordained approaches him and, standing on his right knee, bows his head in front of the Bishop in order to place air on it, which he holds on the head by the front ends with both hands, having at the same time time in the right hand, according to the rank of deacon, the end of the orarion. At the Great Entrance he is the very first, leaves the solea and stands between the pulpit and the central lectern. At the end of the usual commemoration, when all the priests enter the altar, the protodeacon removes the air from his head. Further, the ordination is performed in the same way as the deacon's, but with some peculiarities: the protege is led around the Throne not by protodeacons, but by priests, and he stands before the Throne not on one knee, but on two. After reading the prayers, the Bishop presents the ordained with sacred vestments (epistrachelion, belt, phelonion), Cross and Missal. Accepting what is given by the Bishop, he is baptized, kisses what he receives, and then the Bishop’s hand, after all he kisses both his shoulders and his hand and becomes the third in the row of concelebrating priests (next to the first) and observes the order of service according to the rite of the liturgy prescribed for priests . Says the first exclamation: “Through the generosity of Your only begotten Son...”.
At the suggestion of the Holy Gifts, during the singing of “We sing to you...”, the ordained one approaches the Bishop, listens to the hierarchical instruction: “Receive this pledge...”, is baptized, accepts the paten with the Lamb with both hands, kisses the hand of the Bishop, moves to the eastern side of the Throne, stands at his corner, does not place the paten on the Holy Throne and, bowing his head to the Holy Lamb lying on the paten, and holding the paten with his hands, reads Ps 50 to himself. and the Jesus Prayer. While singing the Lord's Prayer, he returns the paten with the Lamb to the Bishop, crosses himself and kisses the paten and the hand of the Bishop, venerates the Throne, bows to the Bishop and takes his place in his original place. The ordained person is communed according to the same rite, which is set out during the communion of deacons, namely: approaching behind the leading priest from the left side of the Throne to the Bishop to receive the Body of Christ, he says: “Behold, I come to the Immortal King and our God,” bows, venerating to the Throne, says: “Teach to me, Most Reverend Bishop, Priest (name), the Honest and Holy Body of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ,” accepts the Body of the Lord, kisses the right hand of the Bishop and his shoulders. He approaches the Chalice from the right side of the Throne, makes the sign of the cross, saying: “Behold, I come again to the Immortal King and our God” and “Teach me, Most Reverend Master, Priest (name), the Honest and Holy Blood of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ”, he communes, holding one end of the plate with his left hand near his mouth, and in his right hand holding the other end of the plate and holding the lower part of the Chalice. After communion, he goes to the altar and laver. During the bishop's blessing, he also bows to the ground to the Bishop and listens to pastoral instructions. After the Communion of the people, when the Bishop proclaims “For You are our sanctification...”, the ordained person is baptized, kisses the Throne, bows to the Bishop, goes out through the Royal Doors under the sole and reads the prayer behind the pulpit according to the service book, after reading which he goes to the north side of the Throne, crosses himself, kisses the Throne, bows Bishop and becomes the last in the order of serving priests. The usual end of the liturgy. Usually a newly ordained priest gives the people a Cross to kiss upon their dismissal.
AWARD RANKS
Each creature - a pair
But I do not allow a wife to teach, nor to rule over her husband, but to be in silence.
(1 Tim. 2:12.)
A terrible dream for any Orthodox parishioner is to see a woman in a church wearing a vestment with an omophorion, tablets, a miter on her head and a panagia on her chest. A nun is a common thing, but a bishop “in a cap,” a bishop...
I share my thoughts with Harisim. He quickly nods his head. Yes, there will never be two things in the Russian Orthodox Church: women bishops and weddings of same-sex couples. It's taboo. For centuries.
“But there weren’t really any dark-skinned priests in Orthodoxy—before you...” I insert a pin.
Kharisim found the Russian language difficult, let alone Old Church Slavonic... Photo: Oleg Karamaza
Harisim hesitates. “Skin color and gay weddings are two different things...” A rather weak answer, I grin to myself. He continues: “In Orthodoxy, the decisions of the Ecumenical Councils are highly revered, the most significant ones from the 4th to the 8th centuries. And it is clearly stated there: ordination (the elevation of women to the clergy) is prohibited in our faith. And as for the wedding of same-sex couples... The Holy Fathers could not have thought of such a thing... By the way, I do not condemn homosexuals (despite the fact that I myself am not gay). The Lord simply forbade judging someone in Scripture. But the Orthodox Church is absolutely closed to weddings of gays and lesbians.”
“By the way, in our Church there are also women leaders,” Kharisim suddenly jumps up (I am sincerely touched by the phrase “in ours,” but I remain tactfully silent. - Author’s note). — Abbess Ksenia deals with all legal issues in the Russian Orthodox Church. This is a serious post. And in general, ordination in Orthodoxy is not the main issue now. There are no missionaries - that’s the problem. There is no one to preach it to. But such a moment for this! Catholics in Africa and South America also refuse to recognize homosexuality, but Europe is putting pressure on the Vatican. The Pope is against the wedding of same-sex couples, but what will happen in five years, ten? We Orthodox Christians can remain a small island in this matter. And then thousands of disappointed Christians will begin to sail to us in boats and fragile vessels, just as migrants to Europe are now doing. How will we meet them?
Responsibilities
The service of subdeacons is not particularly common in Greece; there the duties of subdeacons are distributed among the clergy. In the Russian Church, each bishop has his own staff of subdeacons.
This is due to the fact that in the tradition of Russian liturgical practice, episcopal service is difficult without the help of subdeacons.
The responsibilities of subdeacons include:
- performing the functions of secretary to the bishop;
- preparing vestments for the bishop;
- assistance in dressing the bishop in liturgical vestments;
- wearing trikiria, dikiria, rapida;
- eagle bedding;
- washing the hands of the bishop;
- maintaining the rites of episcopal service;
- taking photographs during the service.
Usually the bishop is served by 4-6 subdeacons.
You never know how many Solovievs there are in Russia...
The heart of a wise man seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on foolishness.
(Prov. 15:14.)
In the mornings after prayer, Harisim lifts weights. And weights. He eats little and doesn't sleep well either. He reads more and more. But - in Arabic. “It’s difficult in Russian when there are a lot of philosophical terms,” he smiles apologetically. In response to my completely tactless question - what authors does he prefer at this time of day - he calmly begins to list: Anselm of Canterbury, Jean Buridan, Dionysius the Areopagite, Raymond Lull. “I adore Solovyov!” — he suddenly pronounces a painfully familiar surname. I stare: really?! Harisim gets scared: “No, no, not from television. Russian philosopher, mystic...” - “Oh, that same one! - I sigh with relief. “I remember, I remember, he was talking about the “lazy” faith in Russia...”
“He’s right,” Harisim says shortly. — The parishioners here hardly read the Gospel. At most, they will sing an akathist to the Mother of God. I understand that everyone has little time, family, work, children. But this is how you can lose faith. And without faith, without Orthodoxy, the country will fall apart. We have already gone through this in Sudan. Once upon a time, my homeland was the largest country in Africa by territory...
