Traditional mass in Velehrad marks Cyril and Methodius Day

Traditional celebrations of Cyril and Methodius Day in the Moravian municipality of Velehrad, one of the most important religious sites in the Czech Republic, culminated on Tuesday with a mass held by Cardinal Michael Czerny. The Brno-born Canadian prefect of the Catholic Church’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development spoke about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which he called a “criminal conflict” against the “whole civilized world”, and praised the amount of support in the Czech Republic for refugees fleeing the conflict.

July 5 is a public holiday in the Czech Republic, marking the arrival of Orthodox missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia in 863. The event is being marked by municipalities across the country flying the Czech flag. In Moravia, hundreds of local councils and public buildings are also flying the flag of Moravia, the Czech News Agency reports.

The two Orthodox monks from the Byzantine Empire were invited by the then Duke of Moravia Rostislav, who, historians believe, was trying to limit the influence of neighboring East Frankia.