The priest spoke about the possibility of seeking help and support from deceased relatives.

It is a common practice among believers to seek help from higher powers: the Lord, the guardian angel, and the saints. Nevertheless, often, in addition to higher powers, people turn to their deceased relatives, for example, to their grandmother, mother, husband. Is it possible to do this and what is the position of the church, the priest, the head of the Youth Department of the Stavropol Diocese, Alvian Tkhelidze, told Izvestia.

"Of course, from birth we have a very close relationship with our parents, with mothers, with grandmothers, with fathers, with grandfathers. And of course, when our parents pass into eternity, the connection with them is not interrupted, and we seek communion with them," explains the priest.

The church's position on this issue is ambiguous. On the one hand, if a person has lived on earth, he is a sinner. On the other hand, addressing deceased loved ones can give moral strength, which will help a person solve their problem.

"There is no man who will pass by and not sin. Both our parents and our grandmothers had some sins. Some have more, some have less. And we do not know until the end whether they have been cleansed of these sins or whether they still need to pray for them. We don't know if they can help us or if they need help themselves, in our prayer for God to forgive them some sins," the confessor said.

At the same time, the church does not veto appeals to its deceased loved ones. When contacting them, it is necessary to take into account one nuance.

"We can also contact our deceased relatives, but until we are completely sure what their fate after death is, it is better for us to pray for them, because perhaps they need our prayer much more," the priest concluded.

According to the traditions of the church, grieving relatives pray for the soul of the deceased, appealing to God to forgive them their sins and calm their souls. They turn to the saints and the Almighty for help.

"Saints are those people who have lived a special pious life, they are close to God, and the church has informed us with her conciliar mind that these people, who have reached paradise, pray before the throne of the Most High. Therefore, we turn to the saints, in whom we are sure that they are definitely in paradise, that they help and perform miracles, in our prayers," said Alvian Tkhelidze.

On Tuesday, April 21, Christians of the Eastern Rite celebrate Radonitsa. On this day, churches serve a full memorial service, which includes Easter hymns. Believers place candles, present memorial notes with the names of deceased loved ones and pray for them. Prayer is given priority on this day, because from the point of view of the Orthodox faith, this is the only way to communicate with the deceased.

Read more about the holiday, its traditions and prohibitions in the Izvestia article:

Radonitsa is the day when souls hear the living: how to remember the dead at home and in the cemetery

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