Prayers for peace offered in all temples of Belarusian Church

With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslawye, Patriarchal Exarch of Belarus, prayers are offered in every church and monastery of the Belarusian Orthodox Church for peace in the nation that has been embroiled in protests and riots since the presidential elections on August 9.

In a message addressed to all diocesan hierarchs, Met. Pavel instructs them to add three petitions to the Litany of Fervent Supplication at every Divine Liturgy, reports the official site of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.

“With a feeling of sincere pain and anxiety for the dear to my heart people of Belarus, who are going through a difficult time now, I appeal to all of you, archpastors of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, and I ask you, starting from today, to do the following:

1. In all churches and monasteries of your dioceses, after each Divine Liturgy, offer fervent prayers to the Lord for granting peace and prosperity to the Belarusian people.

2. At the Augmented Litany, offer the following petitions: That Thou might look down with a merciful eye upon the people of the Belarusian land and make them invincible against strife and division, we pray Thee Merciful Lord, hearken and have mercy. That Thou might enlighten with the light of Thy Divine Wisdom the bitterness of those darkened, heal the wounded, and grant peace to our country, we pray Thee, All-Powerful Creator, hearken and have mercy. Having given us Thy commandment to love Thee our God and our neighbor, grant that hatred, enmity, resentment, and all iniquities might cease, and that true love might reign in the people of the Belarusian land, we pray Thee, our Savior, quickly hearken and have mercy.

3. After the exclamation, a special prayer is to be offered for the Belarusian people, the text of which in Church Slavonic and Belarusian languages is attached,” reads a circular letter sent to the diocesan bishops of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.

The text of a special prayer for the Belarusian people (in Church Slavonic):

O Lord of Heaven and earth, Pre-Eternal God! Thou didst create the whole world by Thy wisdom and by Thy Holy Spirit Thou enlighten, enliven, and strengthen all. Thou didst so love the human race that Thou didst sent Thine Only-Begotten Son to Earth, so that all who believed in Him might become Thy children and heirs of Thy Heavenly Kingdom.

We humbly pray to Thee, Lord Almighty, to protect our Belarusian land and people, and, having forgiven all our transgressions, both voluntary and involuntary, save us from misfortunes, sorrows, and temptations. Grant us, O Lord, the spirit of wisdom and the fear of God, the spirit of strength and godliness, and the gift of humility and reason.

Send, O Lord, Thy peace upon the powers of our land and upon all who live in it. Grant that we might not serve the vanity and unrighteousness of this evil world, but that strengthened in faith and hope in Thee, we might learn to do Thy will and to strive to fulfill all Thy commandments, for in Thee is the source of life, and in Thy light shall we see light.

Grant us, O Lord, grace and zeal for Thy Name and Thy truth, and all necessities for this temporal life by the intercession and protection of our Most Pure and Most Blessed Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, by the prayers of all the saints who have shone forth in the Belarusian land and of all Thy saints, with whom we offer Thee glory, thanksgiving, and praise, to the unoriginated Father, together with Thine Only-Begotten Son and Thy All-Holy, and Good, and Life-creating Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

As reported, on August 9, mass protests of those who disagree with the results of the presidential elections began in Belarus. Law enforcers use force against demonstrators, as a result of clashes hundreds of people – both among the protesters and among the security forces – were injured. The head of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslawye, called on the opposing sides to stop hostility and hatred and to look altogether for a way out of this situation.