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World Russian People’s Council opened in Moscow

4.04.2006 · Архив 2005-2009, События  

The World Russian People’s Council (WRPC) opened in the Hall of church assemblies in the Christ the Saviour Cathedral on 4 April 2006. The Councils and the Council hearings that take place in the period between the Councils always deal with the most topical, socially important and crucial problems. The 10th WRPC main theme is ‘Faith. Man. Earth. Mission of the Church in the 21st Century.’

The head of the Council, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, declared the Council open and addressed its participants.

The WRPC received greetings from Russian President V. Putin, chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation S.Mironov, chairman of the State Duma B.Gryzlov, Moscow mayor Yu.Luzhkov and other persons.

Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and the WRPC deputy head delivered a report on the theme of the Council.

Taking part in the session were the presidential envoy G.Poltavchenko, the Federation Council deputy chairman A.Torshin, the State Duma deputy chair L.Slizka, Russian minister of foreign relations S.Lavrov, Russian minister of culture and mass communications A.Sokolov, Procurator-General of Russia V.Ustinov, presidential representative for human rights V.Lukin, hierarchs and clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church, representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches, chairman of the Russian Union of Writers and the WRPC deputy head V.Ganichev, president of the ‘Russian Railways’ corporation V.Yakunin, Moscow deputy mayor V.Vinogradov, other politicians, state and public figures, leaders of religious communities, well-known representatives of the world of science, culture, education and health care, military commanders, businessmen, professors and students of the higher educational institutions, and delegates from Russian communities in the far and near abroad.

The first WRPC took place in 1993. Since then this representative forum has played an important role in shaping civil society of modern Russia and in consolidating its socially responsible forces concerned with the future of the Fatherland and the world. The Council is a representative structure of civil society and a meeting place for people of different political convictions united by concern for the future of Russia and its people who wish to carry out a constructive dialogue and actively cooperate for the sake of the Fatherland. A decision taken on 21 July 2006 to grant the WRPC a special consultative status with the UN testifies to the international recognition of the unique mission of the Russian public forum.

The present WRPC focuses its attention on many problems of human rights, freedoms and responsibilities in Russia in the 21st century. The participants intend to adopt a special Declaration of human rights and dignity. It was drafted in compliance with the decision of the previous Council and shows understanding of the inalienable human rights, freedoms and dignity characteristic of our national, religious and cultural traditions.

The 10th WRPC will work in plenary sessions, committees and ‘round tables’ on the following themes: ‘Spiritual motivation in human life at present’, ‘Human rights and dignity: church-public view’, ‘Village and peasant: problems and their solution’. A convention ‘Good people on the good earth’ will take place in the framework of the Council. Representatives of many regions of Russia will speak about their active help to the neighbours.

The participants in the Council will consider the problems of the philosophy of life, such as the relationship between the Orthodox and the secular system of values, mutual influence of cultural and historical paradigms in the modern world, correlation of the freedom of choice and the responsibility of people, and the necessity of dialogue of civilizations in the epoch of globalization. The participants will exchange opinions on the social stand of the contemporaries and the possibilities of influencing the organization of life.

They will also discuss the problems of the present and future of the Russian youth, of understanding the land of our ancestors as a precious natural, agricultural and ecological resource to be passed over to the posterity.

The 10th World Russian People’s Council will complete its work in a plenary session in the conference hall of ‘Danilovskaya’ hotel to be followed by a news conference.