On June 25, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia experienced not only a painful but also an extremely symbolic fall while consecrating the newly built church dedicated to St. Fevronia and St. Peter in Novorossiysk (Krasnodar region). While conducting the service, he slipped on the marble floor of the church, which was splashed with holy water, and fell on his feet, holding the holy symbol – the patriarch’s staff. In Orthodoxy, it is believed that if the head of the church lets go of the baton, it means big changes, and not for the better. According to the holy hierarch, who for understandable reasons many do not consider him as such, Russian television quickly deleted the footage of the “saint’s fall” from the Internet archives, but it was already too late – it had been copied and is now wandering in the depths of the Internet. A person close to church circles revealed to the portal yasnonews.ru: “Church life has its own symbolism and the search for signs. This fall of the patriarch simply cannot help but cause a wave of interpretations. For example, if the bishop drops his staff, then it is perceived with horror – as a sign of imminence, moving to another place. In this case, the situation with the patriarch can be a clear sign from God”.
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