The head of the Russian Orthodox Church concluded his first visit in office to Belarus this week, praising the country for the harmony present between different Christian confessions and promising to promote dialogue with Russia.

"I was pleased to notice a very good and positive level of relations between various confessions," Patriarch Kirill I said to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during their meeting in Minsk on Sept. 25. "Belarus is a country with the absolute Orthodox majority. But there are other confessions as well. Good relations with various confessions facilitate the humanization of society."

Unity was high on the agenda for Kirill, who referred to Belarus as his "home" during the meeting with Lukashenko.

"Current development of our brotherly states shows that the potential of the Union between Russia and Belarus is really strong," Kirill reportedly stated. ""Indeed, the will of both peoples has been leading us to it."

Kirill also urged political leaders in both countries to, "value this Union which is created in compliance with the public will and has been blessed by the Orthodox Church."

"If we lose it, we shall lose both economically and politically, not only as peoples and states, but also as individuals," he added. "Perhaps, the justice of Heaven will prosecute us for forgetting the commandments of the Holy Russia."

Alongside his lively meeting with the Belarusian president, Kirill also spent time in mourning during his trip, paying tribute to more than 100,000 people killed in a local Nazi death camp during World War II. Kirill laid flowers on a memorial in the camp site, one of five built by the Nazis in the city of Vitebsk, which held a population of only 118 at the end of its occupation.

The Patriarch gave a hopeful message to the people gathered, saying, "This is a place of sorrow, but your faces are full of joy. This proves that Lord has helped us through hardships in our history, led us our way."

Kirill was elected as the Russian Orthodox head on Feb. 1. His predecessor, Patriarch Alexy II, who died in December at the age of 79, was the first Russian Patriarch of the country's post-Soviet period.