The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church calls for retaliation against criminals in connection with the escalation of outrages in the Northern Caucasus and frequent cases of the abduction of people

THE HOLY SYNOD OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH CALLS FOR RETALIATION AGAINST CRIMINALS IN CONNECTION WITH THE ESCALATION OF OUTRAGES IN THE NORTHERN CAUCASUS AND FREQUENT CASES OF THE ABDUCTION OF PEOPLE

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 issued a statement the full text of which is given below:

The Russian Orthodox Church is profoundly concerned and alarmed at the capture of Archpriests Petr Makarov and Petr Sukhonosov in Ingushetia. The seizure of the ministers of the church is a blasphemous and cynical crime as such. It is redoubled by the fact that after the abduction of the two clergymen, the Orthodox believers of Ingushetia and Chechnya are left without pastoral care on the eve of the Holy Week and the feast of the Holy Pascha. In case of the Rev.Petr Sukhonosov the lawlessness is aggravated by the fact that he was forcibly taken in the holy sanctuary of the church right after the Divine service. Now, according to the news we received, they both are in captivity in Chechnya.

It can no longer be concealed that such evil deeds are perpetrated in the North Caucasus constantly. Every week the criminals abduct several civilians, and attacks on the Orthodox clergymen have become an ordinary affair. All that permits us to talk about the deliberate and methodical ousting of the believers of our Church from the region. The situation has become intolerable. It is sad to realize that the crimes are perpetrated on the background of helplessness of the federal and local authorities and almost complete silence of the international community.

The time has come to tell the criminals: ‘Look carefully then how you walk’ (Eph.5:15). We call upon the authorities and law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation, the Ingush and Chechen Republics to take the most drastic measures to punish the criminals, applying all the rigours of the law to them and to release the Orthodox clergymen and other hostages without any strings attached. We also believe that the authorities and international structures should create conditions under which such crimes would be impossible as retaliation will follow immediately in the territory of any state. If that is not the case, the regions where outrages occur systematically must be exposed to complete political and economic isolation.

We appeal in particular to the religious leaders of the Russian Muslim community. The latest events seriously imperiled not only interethnic but also interreligious relations. It becomes even more difficult to curb the anger of our believers. The future of relations between the Orthodox and the Muslims today largely depends on the situation in the Caucasus, and we call upon the Muslim religious leaders to stand firmly in the way of criminal actions.

Russia, Euroasia and the planet need peace. We pray for peace and pursue peace. We expect the same of our Muslim brothers and of the inhabitants of all regions of the country. We hope that good will help to put an end to human sufferings, will not permit the fragile vessel of peace in the Caucasus to break and will bring us all to accord and cooperation. May the Lord help the people of the Caucasus and Russia.