Velehrad, South Moravia, July 5 (CTK) – Prague Archbishop Dominik Duka stressed momentous historical circumstances associated with the celebrations of Byzantine missionaries Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius, who spread Christianity in Great Moravia in the 9th century, at a pilgrimage mass Tuesday.
Cardinal Duka called for the truth, mercy and humility during his sermon.
He said Velehrad was a place in which the power had been encountering the strength of humble spirit since the beginning.
The national pilgrimage was a part of the culminating celebrations of the arrival of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius to the early medieval Great Moravia Empire. The pilgrimage was attended by over 23,000 people.
Duka highlighted the importance of the place where they were.
“Here in Velehrad, decisions were several times made on our being or non-being in the past century,” Duka said.
“Here we learnt what the truth meant, what is false propaganda or tempting promises,” Duka said.
“Here we learnt whom to believe and whom to reject,” he added.
He stressed the importance of the truth itself that is not owned by man, but that is looked for and that is donated to him in the end.
In his sermon, Duka pointed out the major historical milestones associated with Christianity and the personalities of the Slav missionaries, Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius.
Olomouc Archbishop Jan Graubner said the meeting in Velehrad provided an opportunity to be reminded of Christian values.
“Here, at the pilgrimage we want to touch our spiritual roots,” Graubner said.
Saint Cyril (827-869) and Saint Methodius (825-885), “the apostles of the Slavs,” were two Greek brothers from Thessalonica. They translated the Holy Scriptures into the Old Church Slavonic and designed a Slavic alphabet called Glagolithic. Its descendant, called Cyrillic, is still used by all Slavs in the Orthodox Church.
They came to the Great Moravian empire in 863 AD.
The 5th of July is the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius and a national holiday in the Czech Republic.
pv/dr
