Visit to Transfiguration Church in Kopys, Orsha District

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko lit a candle at the Transfiguration Church in the village of Kopys, Orsha District, on Easter, 24 April.

Unlike Christmas holidays, Aleksandr Lukashenko usually visits small churches outside the Belarusian capital on Easter. The head of state arrived at the church with his youngest son Nikolai. Archbishop Dimitriy of Vitebsk and Orsha and Father Sergiy, archpriest, met the President at the church.

Aleksandr Lukashenko lit a candle in the church and congratulated the Orthodox believers on Easter. The President presented the church with an icon, and the clergy gave the head of state a festive souvenir - Easter eggs. Aleksandr Lukashenko also talked to the parishioners.

“I noticed from your faces that today indeed is the kindest and most beloved day. It has always been so. Easter has always given people hope. Hope for justice and happiness. Hope lives in our hearts to this day, in every person. Not only in Belarus,” the President said.

The head of state emphasized that this great holiday of Easter and the secular holiday of Victory Day, which he considers to be equal, are always in the heart of every Belarusian. “It is a custom to celebrate this holiday together with one’s loved ones and close friends. That is the reason why I have come today to this holy, native land, where I was once born. Many times I and my friends used to come to the temple that stood here to watch our mothers celebrating this holy holiday,” Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled his childhood years.

“I want to tell Belarusians: our happiness is in our country - we need to preserve our land. Today in this temple, addressing my fellow countrymen, the Belarusians, I would like to ask them, demand, as the President if you like: take care of Belarus. If you lose your land - you will have neither health nor happiness. You will have neither money, nor salt, nor your children,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The head of state noted that not everyone understands it: “It is of high importance to take care of Belarus. We all understand when we lose something in our home. Belarus is a big home of ours. Remember: if we do not have our big home, we will not have our small one, either. If we fall to our knees, our Orthodox churches won't exist either, as has always been the case in the history of our country.”

The President added that Christ sacrificed himself for people. “It is a lesson to us. We must learn to sacrifice for what is most important to us - for the sake of people. I would like you to always appreciate these sacrificers as we appreciate Him. Unfortunately, we don't have many people who know how to sacrifice not just themselves but their own. But there are more and more of them today. If we appreciate these people, there will be many. We need to appreciate, love and respect them. This is the philosophy of life,” Aleksandr Lukashenko concluded.