“MAY RUSSIA’S MOVEMENT FORWARD BE SUCCESSFUL AND PROSPEROUS”. Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad answers questions from Izvestiya readers in a telephone dialogue and direct communication through the Internet
3.02.2003 · English, Архив 2002
“MAY RUSSIAТS MOVEMENT FORWARD BE SUCCESSFUL AND PROSPEROUS”
Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad answers questions from Izvestiya readers in a telephone dialogue and direct communication through the Internet
On December 24, 2002, Izvestiya had as its guest Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, permanent member of the Holy Synod and chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations.
Below are Metropolitan KirillТs answers to questions which came from the Internet audience and which were published on IzvestyaТs site.
The full text of the “hotline” will be published in the Christmas issue of Izvestiya on January 5, 2003, on the newspaperТs site and on the official site of the Russian Orthodox Church.
10:50 Polycarp
– Do you think it is necessary to introduce Religious Instruction as a compulsory discipline in secondary schools in Russia? Does it not infringe on the rights of other confessions? How far is this step legitimate from the point of view of the Russian Federation Constitution and the freedom of conscience?
– I believe, the discussion that has developed today around this question has been very much ideologized. An impression has been created that passions have been fanned up with some hidden purpose. From the point of view of the Constitution and law the basics of religious knowledge can be taught in any educational institution in Russia. The very fact of teaching these subjects is not a violation of the principle of separation between church and state and school and church. The world experience is a proof to that. In almost all countries, to which we like to refer and in which the principle of separation between school and church is observed strictly, basic religious knowledge is taught. In order that the teaching of these basics should correspond to the Russian Constitution and the Law on the Freedom of Conscience it is necessary to fulfill the one and only condition which is the voluntary nature of studies. This is the condition that the Church insists on because, as a Russian saying goes, a captive is no worshipper, and nobody can be made a believer by force.
The voluntary nature of studies presupposes, at least should presuppose, a variety, to put it simply, the right to choose. Schoolchildren and students should be given an opportunity for studying the basics of Orthodox faith and history of our spiritual culture. It is my profound conviction that Russian schoolchildren cannot be deprived of the knowledge of what the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin is. If this building stands in the center of the capital city, then every one has the right to know what this building is, why it was built, and to what it is dedicated. Every one should know what the Dormition is and who the Most Holy Mother of God is. It is my profound conviction that this knowledge can be of interest not only to the Orthodox citizens of Russia, but also Moslems and others. Just as for Orthodox people living in Tatarstan it would be useful and interesting to know the basics of Islam and understand what the mosque is and how people pray in it.
Of course, there may be people who are not interested in all this, just as there are people who are not interested in mathematics or literature. But if in the case of mathematics and literature we teach them to children without fail, in case of the basics of faith an alternative can and must be provided.
I will give you a concrete example: society today is suffering from the fact that moral principles and the system of values traditionally formed by our people are being erased today. This development is described as a moral crisis of the personality. This crisis has been to a considerable degree a cause of the general crisis experienced by our society. Such things as attitude to work and to wealth, to oneself, family and nature around us is determined in many ways by the moral condition of a person. It is quite evident that religious motivation helps a person to preserve morality. If morality today is a condition for the survival of our society and in a certain sense the entire human civilization, then why do we deny religion the right to do all that is possible to improve the moral condition of personality and society?
It is my profound conviction that today it is necessary to include the study of the basics of our faith in our school education, if the conditions we mentioned above are observed. References to that fact that we live in a multiconfessional country can also be taken into account. Because the principle of voluntary nature and variety of studies excludes altogether the coercive studies of Orthodoxy by those who belong to other religions or those who do not want to study it for other reasons.
In other words, the teaching of the basics of religion can be present on regional and local levels and can be taught optionally. At the same time I would like to emphasize that an optional study means an option, but if a person chooses this subject it should become a compulsory part of the curricula and should be taught at a set time along with other disciplines.
11:17 Valery
– They say terrorism has no nationality, no religion. However, it was Islamic terrorists who made the attack in September 2001 in New York. People of the same religion blew up houses in Moscow and Volgodonsk and at a discotheque in Bali and captured the theatre center in the Russian capital during the Nord-Ost performance in October 2002, again under the accompaniment of Allah Aqbar war cries.
– It is my profound conviction that Islam as religion does not provoke terrorism or aggression. Terrorism and aggression are provoked by a special reading of Islam. This reading existed in history, and we know that under the banner of Islam religious wars were waged and conquests were achieved. This reading exists today too. This places a special responsibility on Islamic and spiritual leaders. They should educate their people for the reading of Islam that excludes its radical interpretation. A vivid example of such a magisterial work is the position of the chairman of the Central Moslem Board in Russia, Talgat Tajuddin. In this connection, I would like to emphasize the importance of the statement this respected man made at the 7th World Russian PeopleТs Council in Moscow.
11:17 Andrey Antonov, Prima News Agency
– Your Eminence, what is your attitude to the sensational document on the religions that threaten the security of Russia? Catholic Metropolitan Taddeusz Kondrusiewicz has already expressed serious concern in this regardЕ
– It is my profound conviction that there are destructive sects in Russia whose activity is dangerous for society and the individual. Everyone knows the story about AUM Senrikyo, the White Brotherhood and other organizations which destabilized society and inflicted considerable damage on the spiritual and physical condition of people. I believe our society is becoming more attentive and careful towards little-known manifestations of the religious feeling. Therefore, the very idea of making a certain list of socially dangerous religious organizations can be recognized as useful. I am deeply convinced that the effort to determine which organizations are dangerous for society should involve not only secular specialists and politicians, but also theologians and scholars in religion. It is very important that this effort, while helping society to get rid of the dangerous influence of destructive religious organizations, should not provoke interconfessional conflicts.
11:23 Dmitry
– Are you, Your Eminence, satisfied with the outcome of the 7th World Russian PeopleТs Council? Why did our TV cover this event so poorly?
– I am very much satisfied with the results of the 7th World Russian PeopleТs Council. It is a pity that television showed the negative sides of this assembly, which actually were only two speeches made during the first day of plenary sessions. At the Council, there was a profound discussion on the economic situation in the country, the impact on our religious and cultural traditions on peopleТs motivation for socially beneficial work. Concrete proposals were made to the state and I hope that this meeting of the Council has made a beginning of an in-depth discussion on the economic development of Russia with the participation of both specialists and politicians and ordinary citizens.
11:33 Vasily Rusetsky rusetsky@rambler.ru
– In your view, what are the obstacles for overcoming intercorporate contradictions between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican today? Can they be overcome on the basis of common Christian ideals? What real steps can be made straight away?
– I believe, the tensions that have emerged ought not to be described as “intercorporate”. The point is not competition between two corporations in the religious services market. The point is the nature of relations between Orthodoxy and Catholicism in an age of European integration and world globalization.
Today we have two roads before us. The first one is well known from history. This is a road of conflict, crusade, oneТs using the otherТs difficulties to achieve temporary success. Along this road, as is known, the medieval and subsequent history developed. What lies on this road are religious wars, conflicts and peopleТs suffering. There is another road, which is rejection of proselytism, confrontation and attempts to press the other in order to gain a living space and move towards cooperation and interaction for the sake of asserting Christian moral values in the life of modern secular society.
The Orthodox Church proposed this second road to the Catholic side at a very difficult moment of our history, a time of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, a time of political, social and economic disasters that fell upon our people. We warned our Catholic partners that they should not repeat the mistakes of the past and use these hardships for expansion into the post-Soviet space.
In the now remote year 1989, we proposed to set up a permanent body for dialogue and consultations which could help overcome conflict situations in western Ukraine and then possibly in other places. Unfortunately, having started successfully this work was stopped through no fault of ours. Even today, in spite of all that happens in our relations with the Catholic Church, we continually insist on the urgent need for a change in the VaticanТs policy towards Russia. We believe that our voice will be heard with GodТs help.
11:39 Tamara
– A child has a Moslem father (he is a Tartar), while his mother is Russian and baptized. First, the child had circumcision as his father wished, that is he was converted to Islam, then his mother baptized him in the church in secret from his father. Is this child now Moslem or Orthodox?
– If a child was baptized after circumcision, especially if he gave his consent to baptism, then he must be considered Orthodox.
11:37 Yelena, Moscow
– Your Eminence, is there a patron saint of animals, especially dogs. If there is, who is it and how to pray to him?
– Domestic animals are peopleТs helpers. Some of them influence the welfare of people in a direct way. This is why it is a tradition of the Orthodox Church to appeal to saints to intercede for the health of animals. From old times, people in villages prayed to the holy martyrs Phlorus and Laurus and Vlasius for the health of cows, horses and other animals. There are no special prayers for dogs, but the Lord “has mercy for animals”, and calls people to it. Merciful attitude to nature and good attitude to animals, especially domestic animals, is an integral part of Christian ethics. It is impossible to love people, while destroying nature around us. Love is a comprehensive notion, and the “merciful heart” is open to all.
11:45 Yelena Polyakova, St. Petersburg
– Dear Eminence, In January the Russian Orthodox Church will hold an Orthodox Russian exhibition in Moscow. Tell us the aim of this exhibition, what will be displayed, and for whom it is intended.
– The first Orthodox Russia all-church exhibition will take place from January 22 to 25 at the Gostiny Dvor in Moscow. It is an event of a special significance. It will present the real life of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia and other CIS countries and the Baltics. Along with information about purely religious work, there will be materials on the economic, cultural, social and other activities of our Church. Information will be given about the work of Synodal departments and dioceses. Over 100 firms and organizations working in the field of church economy will display their products. This exhibition will be held together with another one, devoted to the 300th anniversary of the spiritual culture of St. Petersburg. It will be a first major event in Moscow to mark the 300th anniversary of the Northern Capital City. We hope very much that this event will become a leading one in a series of exhibitions highlighting the life and work of the Russian Orthodox Church.
11:49 Tamara
– Zdravstvuite! I would like to ask you about one question. I have been living in America and we don’t have Russian Orthodox Church in our town, so we go in Greece Orthodox Church,but they celebrate Rogdestvo Xristovo on December 25. What should we do? Please answer because it’s very important to me. Spasibo.
– There is the American Orthodox Church in the USA. A considerable part of the parishes of this Church follow the Julian calendar, just as the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate which also observe this calendar tradition. Therefore, if there is a wish, it is quite easy to find in America a church in which the Nativity is celebrated on January 7. However, a whole number of Orthodox Churches present in the territory of North America celebrate the Nativity on December 25. And you can visit one of these parishes on the day when most of the Americans will celebrate the Nativity.
11:53 Boris
– Some newspapers call you a “tobacco metropolitan”. Why so?
– Not some newspapers, but one newspaper, doing it with persistence worth being used elsewhere and working off a concrete political commission. Unfortunately, it is very popular in our society to use the press to square personal accounts or to achieve political, career or other purposes. In this case we deal with a commissioned campaign aiming to achieve at least one or two of the above-mentioned purposes.
12:00 Kirill Frolov, Pravoslavnaya beseda (Orthodox talk) magazin
– Who, what for an why seeks to restore the “Council for Religious Affairs” in Russia, even in a limited version?
– I am convinced that the campaigned launched in certain circles in support of the establishment of a body to regulate religious life in the country is aimed first of all at limiting the influence that the Russian Orthodox Church makes on our society today.
If a governmental body is established, certain powers are delegated to it. In this case, religious organizations will become the object of these powers, with all the ensuing consequences. This body will certainly seek to channel the manifold and broad relations the Church has with society and control these relations as much as possible. For instance, it will present itself to the Church as a representative of the authorities empowered to tie to itself all the contacts the Church has today with governmental bodies and public institutions. This is the way in which the Council for Religious Affairs operated, representing a certain rigid layer between the Church and society, including the then state power, which made it practically impossible to maintain a broad church-state dialogue.
The appearance of such a body today is counterproductive and can only generate tension in church-state relations. There are three structures in Russia today, called to promote religion-state relations. These are the Presidential Council, the Governmental Commission and the Duma Committee. Each of these bodies has it own jurisdiction and powers and works, in our view, quite effectively. As a wish I would like to propose a system of coordination between these bodies, more advanced than it is today.
12:30 Igor Negrustuyev
– Why does the Lord permit the death of innocent people who became victims of the othersТ evil will, as was the case at the theatre center at Dubrovka and on the Kursk nuclear submarine, in spite of all prayers for their salvation?
– God is the source of life and love. God cannot be a cause of evil, all the more so a cause of death. Death, illness and suffering are consequences of sin. However, the very fact of the existence of human suffering presents a challenge to GodТs love and justice. And this challenge is articulated very clearly in your question.
It is impossible to understand the reason for innocent victims from the human point of view because man, confined to the conditions of earthly existence, thinks exclusively in the terms of actual experience. This actual experience excludes the other world. From the divine revelation we know about the eternal existence of human spirit, but we have no experience of sharing in this eternal existence. This is why death seems a catastrophe to us, the most terrible thing that may happen to a human being. Nothing can be compared to death in the depth of suffering. Death is an abyss of suffering and the climax of human misfortune.
God dwells outside time and outside space. He is not confined to the conditions of earthly existence. GodТs view of human history and human life can be compared with a view of a person looking at a house or a flat from above, as if through the roof and the ceiling. This person can see at the same time what happens in two, three or four rooms, but those in the rooms cannot see what happens behind the wall. God sees and knows everything that will happen to a person, everything that a person will experience both in earthly life and in eternity. And for Him death is not a catastrophe, but a move from one room to another.
This is the attitude to death that the Church teaches. She teaches people not to be afraid of death, but at the same time she teaches not to seek death. Remarkable words of the divine service for the repose of the soul reveal to us the true perspective of the life of human spirit, pointing through vivid images to the eternity of human existence without which out earthly existence is meaningless. Suffice it to recall that same burdock which, in the words of TurgenevТs Bazarov, will grow on a human grave.
Without the prospect of eternal life the meaning of human life is lost, and death becomes really irreparable catastrophe, the collapse of all that has been created by man during his earthly life. In this sense, there is no difference at what age a person dies and how he dies Ц in his bed or in an accident. Without the prospect of eternal life death is madness. Christian attitude to life and death helps us to meet trials and death with courage, preserving inner strength and ability to go on living.
* * *
Metropolitan Kirill:
I would like to wholeheartedly thank the Izvestiya newspaper, one of the leading and most respected newspapers in Russia, for the opportunity to talk with journalists and readers.
Unfortunately, it was impossible to answer every one of the numerous questions which came to the newspapers through the Internet and by telephone.
I would like to thank all those who participated in this talk, especially those to whose questions I did not answer for the lack of time. I hope that we will continue dialogue with the help of Izvestiya.
Using this opportunity I would like to congratulate everybody on the New Year and the Nativity of Christ. May the blessing of God be with us all, may RussiaТ movement forward be successful and prosperous.
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