The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Receives a Delegation of the World Council of Churches

Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia received a delegation of the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 21 June 2005 in his working residence in Chisty side street.

Among those who participated in the meeting were: Rev. Samuel Kobia, WCC General Secretary, Archbishop Nifon of Tirgoviste (Romanian Orthodox Church), Jorge Lemopoulos, WCC deputy general secretary (Patriarchate of Constantinople), Mary Tanner, member of the Church of England’s Council for Christian Unity, WCC staff member Rev. Robert Welsh, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archpriest Mikhail Gundyaev, secretary of the WCC Liaison Office of the Russian Orthodox Church, Rev Igor Vyzhanov, DECR MP Secretary for Inter-Christian Relations, and a DECR MP staff member Vasily Chernov.

Among the questions discussed at the meeting were cooperation in overcoming religious extremism, in opposing terrorism, in peacemaking work, in interreligious dialogue, and in protecting environment as created by God.

In his address to the members of the delegation His Holiness said:

‘I wholeheartedly welcome all members of the delegation of the World Council of Churches.

During your stay in Russia you had an opportunity to get acquainted with different aspects of life of the Russian Orthodox Church, and to learn about tragic pages of its history.’

For 70 years of state atheism the traditions of Church social ministry fell into oblivion, experience of religious education was lost and now we have to restore and revive them. Despite the fact that the atheistic regime aspired to destroy the faith, by God’s miracle it still lives in the hearts of Russian people.

In course of your visit you will visit the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius, to see the life and work of the monks, to get acquainted with the work of theological educational establishments, which train pastors, iconographers and precentors of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Russian Orthodox Church jointed the World Council of Churches in 1961. In those difficult times, our membership in the WCC helped us a lot. It is with gratitude that we remember those who headed the Council. Those people trusted us, supported our Church as well as other Churches of the ‘Socialist bloc’, for instance, the Romanian Church. We cherish this truly Christian solidarity.

Regrettably, certain present difficulties provoked by arbitrary interpretation of the provisions of moral Christian law stand in the way of Christian unity. We see growing differences in teaching and practice of church life. However, we must not lose heart and give way to despair. It is necessary to follow the path of cooperation, along which we have been going together for decades.

We share the concerns of the WCC over the recent growth of extremism, and religious extremism in particular. I am convinced that any crime ‘for the sake of religion’ is the crime against religion. One cannot kill people for the sake of faith.

The WCC has actively participated in peace movement, and the Russian Orthodox Church took part in it. Today we continue working for the sake of nonviolent settlement of international disputes and conflicts. War is evil and we must overcome this evil through common efforts’.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy expressed his satisfaction with the results of the work of the Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the World Council of Churches, as well as his concern over recent attempts to revise traditional foundations of fundamental Christian theology and biblical moral standards. ‘We approve of the Commission’s proposal to take decisions on the principles of consensus, as it guarantees that the voice of Orthodox Churches in the WCC will be heard’, His Holiness the Patriarch said. ‘We also welcome the decision to regulate worship practice at the WCC assemblies and other important events’.

On the threshold of the next Assembly of the World Council of Churches which is to be held in Portu-Alegre, Brazil, in February 2006, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church expressed his wishes of success in organizing and carrying out the Assembly and noted the importance of introduction to different traditions.

His Holiness was elected member of the WCC Central Committee in 1961. He was a member of the WCC Faith and Order Commission and President of the Conference of European Churches for 26 years.

In his response, WCC General Secretary Rev. Samuel Kobia, highly appreciated the revival of the Russian Orthodox Church and its work in different spheres. He emphasized the importance of the documents adopted by the Jubilee Bishops’ Council, such as the Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Basic Principles of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Attitude to the Non-Orthodox. These documents were the points of issue in the WCC discussion of social and ethic problems.