From the sermon of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on November 18, 2022, the 105th anniversary of the election of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, to the Patriarchal throne and the day of commemoration of the fathers of the Local Council of the Russian Church of 1917–1918, at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University of the Humanities.
…Recalling such events as the enthronement of St. Tikhon, we, even though separated from those times by a multitude of events, cannot help being imbued with the spirit of confession that was literally in the air at that time. And this confession was the lot not only of the clergy but, in a sense, of all Rus’, all Russia, because a harsh and extremely dangerous turn in the course of our national history was taking place at that time.
When His Holiness Tikhon was elected and the period of more than two hundred years without Patriarchs in the Russian land came to an end, the joy was simply enormous. Even looking at the newsreel footage of those times, you understand what great joy people had then! And besides these film sketches, many testimonies remain. People perceived the restoration of the Patriarchal ministry in Holy Rus’ as a great historical event. And what a huge number of people took part in the procession! It was that very procession that frightened the godless clique that had come to power, which saw a danger in the great love the people had for the Church. And we know that very soon the joy of the Orthodox people connected with the enthronement of His Holiness Tikhon and the restoration of the Patriarchate in the Russian land gave way to great sorrow and the most severe trials. It is enough to recall the artificial creation by the authorities of the Renovationist schism, when certain persons, being uncanonical and completely devoid of grace, tried to take over the leadership of the Church. They wanted to put into practice many correct and sensible decisions of the Local Council that had elected His Holiness Tikhon. But since the grace of God had departed from these false leaders, nothing came of it, and the best decisions of the Council, aimed at renewing church life and strengthening the faith, became a reason for Orthodox people to reject Renovationism. No one rejected all that Patriarch Tikhon did and called for, together with the Local Council, to be carried out; but very important, yet deeply ecclesial changes had to take place in the life of Russian Orthodoxy. Then everything would have been accepted without any conflict, without any schisms, without any bewilderment. But when the Renovationists, devoid of grace, tried to seize the legacy of the Council, interpreting its decisions as they saw fit and wishing to bring down upon the Russian Church a great number of insane reforms, from a married episcopate to the complete secularization of church life, our people turned away from them.
But it must be said that even after this dangerous and difficult period, after the repose of His Holiness Tikhon, even crueler times came, connected with the terrible persecutions of the 1930s. Then the war began, and everyone thought that, since the Russian Church had joined so actively in the patriotic and spiritual education of the people, the hand of the persecutors would stop. Indeed, for a while the persecutions were suspended, but then, with Khrushchev’s rise to power, they flared up with new force, and the 1960s were marked by the closing of churches and monasteries, the destruction of holy places and new arrests of clergy — not all of them, but those who posed a danger to the authorities.
Such is the history. And why do we speak of this now? Because, perhaps, were it not for the authority of St. Tikhon — his impeccable authority and the complete trust in him and in all those whom he appointed to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God — it is hard to imagine what might have happened to our Church. Therefore the memory of St. Tikhon at present is no longer merely mental, like the memory of outstanding people of the past, but prayerful. Through the fervent prayers we address to the saint, his memory will never fade from our hearts and minds. For St. Tikhon, by his humility, wisdom and faithfulness to the Lord, in many ways predetermined the further development of our Church, which passed through the crucible of trials and has come to this day, when we here, in the very building and even in the very hall where the Council of 1917–1918 was held, stand in great numbers as a praying Orthodox Russian community, united by one faith and one hope in the Lord.
My word today is especially addressed to our church youth. You will have to bear witness to the Lord, to the Church, to your Christian convictions for most of the 21st century, when none of us of the older generation will be here any longer. You must take up this especially important baton, so that in 10, 20, 30, 50 and even 60 years you remain faithful witnesses to the podvig of the martyrs and confessors, faithful witnesses of the faith. So that, in whatever conditions — it is not yet known which — you always keep faith in your heart, love the Church, and resist all attempts at division, distortion, thoughtless reformism and everything else our Church has gone through while remaining one. I pray to the Lord that the generation to which you belong may be worthy of the great podvigs of your holy predecessors.
None of us has the gift of foresight; no one can say what awaits us. But whatever happens, we believers are called to preserve the Orthodox faith and love for the Fatherland, to be truly a pillar of the spiritual life of our people, heralds and preachers of the word of God. I place great hope in all of you; I believe that in your generation of Russian Orthodox people too — and when I say “Russian,” I mean all who are members of the Russian Orthodox Church, although we belong to different ethnic groups — the Russian Orthodox spirit is present, reflected in your life and your service. And may God’s blessing abide upon us all, especially upon our Orthodox youth, strengthening them in faith, protecting them from temptations and trials, and giving them strength to go through life with humility and confidence in the good will of God. Amen.
Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’