The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church calls for stopping military operations in Yugoslavia from April 2 on the eve of the Holy Week

THE HOLY SYNOD OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH CALLS FOR STOPPING MILITARY OPERATIONS IN YUGOSLAVIA FROM APRIL 2 ON THE EVE OF THE HOLY WEEK

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church meeting in Moscow under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia today issued an appeal in connection with the situation around Kosovo. The full text is given below:

Just as was expected, the continuing missile and air-strikes by the NATO armed forces on the territory of the Union Republic of Yugoslavia brought tremendous bloodshed with numerous victims among civilian population. At the same time this action shattered all efforts undertaken earlier for peaceful solution of the Kosovo problem. Thousands of refugees cross the borders of Yugoslavia every day seeking to save their life and the life of their children. Many civilian objects the Orthodox holy place were destroyed.

Generally recognized principles of international law were outraged and the authority of the United Nations Organization was greatly damaged. With the connivance of the world community the most dangerous precedent is constituted for using the brutal force to impose solutions on one of the countries unacceptable to the majority of its people. Hence the green light is actually given to destruction of a just world order and to further escalation of ethnic hatred, religious strife and war hysteria.
On behalf of the fullness of the Russian Orthodox Church we address the fraternal Serbian people, all those living in the Union Republic of Yugoslavia, the public of the countries comprising canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate and all world community, and state that what is happening now in Yugoslavia, where ‘the dying groan, and the soul of the wounded cries for help’ (Job 24:12), is the sin before God and a crime against humanity.

Under the circumstances it is impossible to find ways to real reconciliation of the conflict. Only in the situation of peace, relying on all parties concerned and all those seeking the nonviolent solution of problems would it be possible to achieve a true settlement of the conflict. Therefore, we resolutely call upon the leaders of the NATO countries, the leadership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, President of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic and other statesmen of the country to stop the strikes against Yugoslavia and all military actions on its territory on April 2, Great Friday according to Western paschal circle, and to refrain from military actions in connection with the celebration of Easter according to Eastern paschal circle. We hope that this period of time could be used for consultations and negotiations which are necessary for reaching a compromise agreement.
We make this appeal in the hope that the moral valued given by God and the commitment to Christian tradition are still alive in our darkened by sin civilization in the very end of the 20th century.

We are convinced that the potential for peace actions has not been exhausted. Appealing to the leaders of the United Nations Organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, state leaders of Russia and other countries which are not involved in military actions, we ask them to exert particular efforts for establishing lasting and just peace in the Balkans. We assure you that our Church is prepared to render its assistance to the peace process in any canonically acceptable form, both independently and in cooperation with the Local Orthodox Churches, the Roman Catholic Church and other non-Orthodox Christians, the followers of other religions, state and public circles and international organizations.

It is quite evident that the attainment of peace in the much suffered Kosovo which is an integral ancestral holy land of the Serbian people is inconceivable without guarantees of security to the ethnic Albanians living there. In the face of murderous shocking events we have no right whatsoever to permit the return to the times when ‘every man did what was right in his own eyes’ (Judg.17:6).

We appeal to the confronting parties in the Kosovo conflict: brothers Serbs and brothers Albanians, the Lord has judged you to live together in this land. Find courage to stop the fratricide, lay down your arms, and for the sake of the truth of God, for the sake of saving your wives and children return to peace negotiations.

‘O Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us’ (Is.26:12). Recalling these words of the great prophet in time when Holy and Great Lent comes to its end and on the eve of the Holy Week, we call upon all faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church to pray fervently about peace to be granted to the suffering people in Yugoslavia so that the coming feast of the Pascha of Christ can be celebrated in joy over the Risen Lord rather in tears over new irretrievable losses.

We condemn all acts of aggression in the Balkans, but we must be impartial and wise and undertake reasonable and responsible peace actions which would lead to the abatement of conflict rather than to its escalation of the conflict and, even more, to the involvement of new participants in it. We must not keep silence, but one should not succumb to passions without thinking. Both in our words and in our deeds we must fulfill the Apostle’s call: ‘Seek peace and pursue it” (1 Pet.3:11).

‘The God of peace be with you all. Amen’ (Rom.15:33).