Metropolitan Kirill presents the French version of his book ‘The Gospel and the Freedom’ in Paris

Metropolitan Kirill presents the French version of his book ‘The Gospel and the Freedom’ in Paris

On 16 June 2006, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad arrived in Paris to present the French version of his book ‘The Gospel and the Freedom. Traditional Values in Secular Society.’ Published by the ‘Serf’ Publishers, the book presents the Metropolitan’s interviews and fifteen articles on the modern challenges to Christianity.

In the morning Metropolitan Kirill met with representatives of the Christian Churches of France, including, vice dean of the Collegium of Cardinals and honourary president of the Pontifical Council ‘Justice and Peace’ cardinal Roger Etchegaray, apostolic nuncio in France archbishop Boldelli, permanent representative of the Holy See at the UNESCO Mons. Follo, president of the Confederation of the Protestant Churches of France Rev. Arnold de Clermont, Archbishop Innokenty of Korsun (Moscow Patriarchate), representatives of the Orthodox Church in France, the Paris Archdiocese and the Catholic Episcopal Conference, as well as the Russian Ambassador to France A. Avdeyev and permanent secretary of the French Academy Helen Carrere d’Ancosse.

Metropolitan Kirill gave a news conference in the morning, and in the evening a public conference presided by cardinal Roger Etchegaray took place. Metropolitan Kirill was presented with a jubilee copy of the 500^th volume of ‘The Christian Sources’ collection – the largest edition of patristic texts and translations. The presented volume contains the translation of the treatise ‘On the Unity of the Church’ by St. Cyprian of Carthage.

At both conferences Metropolitan Kirill explained his motives to publish the book in French by his wish to initiate a dialogue between East and West on the problems, on the solution of which the future of the European civilization and the entire humanity depend. These include the necessity of theological and philosophical comprehension of the notions of human rights and freedoms in the light of moral responsibility. These problems occupy a central place in the European thought. Metropolitan Kirill thinks that freedom is God’s gift inherent in all human persons that demands profound respect of all. However, the Lord has granted the notion of morality to the human person together with freedom. Moral principles are the absolute principles, as they do not depend on the conditions and milieu in which people live. It is the harmony of both God-granted principles of human nature – freedom and morality – that should underlie dialogue between different systems of values, none of which could claim universality and supremacy.

On June 15 Metropolitan Kirill presented his book in Brussels, and on June 17 he visited Lyon at the invitation of Archbishop of Lyon Cardinal Philippe Barbarin. The Metropolitan visited the major cathedral church in France and greeted the clerics of the diocese and representatives of the Christian Churches who came to meet the high guest from the Russian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Kirill also attended a reception at the ‘Christian Sources’ institute, which has published the collection for sixty-three years.