WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th July, 2022) The glorification of Russia's last Emperor Nicholas II Romanov and his family is important not only for Russia, but for the entire world, the rector of the All Russian Saints church in Burlingame, California, Archpriest Stefan Pavlenko told Sputnik.
"I believe that the significance of the glorification and understanding of the truth about the royal family is important not only for Orthodox Russians and Russia, but for all Orthodox people, and ultimately, for the whole world," Pavlenko said.
Nicholas II and his family were assassinated by the Bolsheviks on July 17, 1918, in Yekaterinburg. The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) canonized the Romanovs as new martyrs in 1981, while their glorification by the Moscow Patriarchate as passion bearers followed 19 years later.
Emperor Nicholas II was not just a leader but an Orthodox Christian who cared for his nation just as a father would carry for his children, but was misrepresented by the Bolsheviks and even by the entire liberal world, Pavlenko said.
"When the truth was revealed, it turned out that Nicholas II was a magnificent statesman who cared not only for his nation but for the entire world," Pavlenko said.
Those who opposed canonizing Nicholas II tried to link him solely to the relationship he had with his family, yet the leadership he displayed at the helm of Russia showed what a great person he was - an Orthodox Christian and an Orthodox-led decision maker, Pavlenko said.
The Romanovs showed the believers a path to follow just like other saints did, Pavlenko also said.
"If you read the last letter and thoughts of the Empress and children, these are examples to follow by every Orthodox Christian anywhere in the world. That is very, very significant. They have opened the path that regardless of one's position� - whether the richest or most powerful person in the world - one can still be a saint," he added.
