A meeting of the Council for Cooperation with Religious Organizations under the Governor was held in the government of the Ulyanovsk region.
Alexey Russkikh headed the work of the Council and addressed its participants with a welcoming speech, stressing the need to preserve interfaith peace and cooperation, and work together to affirm the traditional values of the Russian peoples.
Metropolitan Longinus asked the head of the region to consider declaring Radonitsa — Memorial Day — a day off in the Ulyanovsk region. He explained that the custom of celebrating Easter in the cemetery originated in Soviet times, when there were practically no temples, that it contradicts church teaching and common sense.
"Easter is a day of joy about the Risen Christ. Prayers for the dead are not performed in the Church not only on Easter day, but also during the whole Bright Week. A special commemoration of the deceased is established on the 9th day after Easter, that is, on the Tuesday of the second week after the Bright Resurrection of Christ. It is on this day that Christians visit the graves of their relatives. Radonitsa is already a day off in many regions of Russia," the Bishop noted.