Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin addresses an international conference of Catholic journalists

An international conference on Russia Without Myths and Stereotypes: Moral Values, Religion and Mass Media, organized by the International Union of Catholic Journalists, is taking place from June 19-22 in Moscow. It is attended by Catholic journalists from many countries as well as scientists and mass media workers from Russia, including those representing the Orthodox media community.

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, vice-chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, addressed the conference at its opening. He spoke about the renewal of Orthodox faith among the Russian people and the role that church and secular mass media played in this renewal.

Building on the Russian experience, he spoke of the importance of Christian witness in the secular mass media. At the same time, he pointed to the need to draw a dividing line between such witness and the discrediting of Christian message through confusing it with the worship of temporal existence and mankind, with the ‘religions’ of relativism and consumption, which fill the modern media space. ‘We should act in the world, but be faithful to the Kingdom which is not of this world’, Father Vsevolod said. After his address he answered questions from Catholic journalists.

Among the participants in the conference is Rev. Vladimir Vigilyansky, Moscow Patriarchate press secretary. On June 22, the participants are to visit St. Sergius’s Monastery of the Trinity and Moscow Theological Academy.