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MESSAGE of the Blessed Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church to the clergy, honourable monastics and all faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church

27.06.2008 · Архив 2005-2009, Документы  

The Blessed Bishops’ Council, which took place from 24 to 29 June 2008 in the city of Moscow, greets you with the words of the apostle: ‘Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord’ (2 Tim 1:2).

The present Bishops’ Council is marked by a symbolic date. It is in this year that 1020 have passed since by the will of God and the labours of the Holy Grand Prince Vladimir of Kiev our forefathers received Holy Orthodoxy and were joined to the people of God in the baptismal font of Kiev.

Although a thousand years has passed since Russia adopted Christianity, the tasks of the Church of Russia have not changed. She, as before, is called to consecrate and transfigure this world, leading it to unity with its Lord and Saviour by bringing into human society the fruits of the quickening action of the Holy Spirit: ‘love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance’ (Gal 5:22-23).

In spite of all trials and temptations, people are seeking out God, at times unconsciously, and the third millennium, as all previous history, reveals to us the unsurpassed value of Christ’s Gospel.

As a sign of Christ’s victory, the present Blessed Bishops’ Council has glorified among the saints for universal church veneration saints who were locally venerated. They lived in different epochs and different places, yet together manifested to the world the triumph of the Gospel message of the crushing of sin and death by the Risen Saviour. These are St Anthony (Smirnitsky), bishop of Voronezh, St John (Maximovich), bishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, and the venerable Abbess Juliana and nun Eupraxia of Moscow.

The current year also sees yet one more memorial date – the ninetieth anniversary of the martyrs’ death of the Imperial Family. In rendering honour to the holy imperial passion-bearers, we all must draw strength and courage from the veneration of their spiritual heroism and, looking upon their resistance to evil through meekness and humility, imitate their faith (cf. Heb 13:7). It is also our conviction that contemporary society and the state ought to give a moral evaluation to the crime that happened in 1918.

Communion between the episcopate, clergy and flock, which has become possible thanks to the restoration of unity within the Russian Church in the last year, manifests a good example of mutual support and fraternal love. May the joy and spiritual benefit acquired in joint labours and prayers become the pledge and foundation of the steadfast and unshakeable unity of the Church, in spite of temptations and divisions caused by the enemy of the human race in his endeavours to bring disharmony to the one Body of Christ. Our Church embraces people of various nationalities, generations and cultures. Many of them have differing views on various aspects of church life. However, we ought to recall the words of the Saviour: ‘That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee’ (Jn 17:21). And may we never be divided by either state borders or human differences, or the differences of opinion natural to Christians. St Paul writes: ‘Let all your things be done with charity’ (1 Cor 16:14). May the spirit of Christian fraternal love permeate all of our discussions as it penetrates our lives.

The way upon which we have been called to tread by the Lord and Saviour is the way of the Cross, demanding from Christ’s disciples that they be solidly rooted in faith. The Divine Truth is not always received with readiness by a world that lies in evil. As Scripture says, ‘But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness’ (1 Cor 1:23).

The idea of human rights has become one of the main concepts in countries’ policies and legislation. This idea is often used to justify sin and to lower the role of religion in society, to deprive people of the chance of living according to their faith.

The Council has expounded the Orthodox view of this problem when it approved the Basic Teaching of the Russian Orthodox Church on Human Dignity, Freedom and Rights. This document states that human rights are inseparable from moral values and the responsibility of the individual before God and other people.

In its essence Orthodox Christianity is not an ideology, not a form of culture, not a slogan on a banner of whatever political forces, but a way of life in Christ in accordance with the words of the Gospel: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ (Jn 14:6). We must remember that the Christian is called first of all to ‘seek the kingdom of God and his truth’ (Mt 6:33) and to carry out his life in the world in accordance with this understanding of the purpose of the Christian life.

In holding strongly to the unchanging principles of the Gospel, the Church remains firm in her ministry and alien to all possible extremities. Pastors and the Church’s children are to avoid both self-isolation and escaping from the challenges that our era has put before the Orthodox Church and the position of silent consent with the ‘spirit of this world’ (v. 1 Cor 2:12) so that they do not submit to it.

The Bishops’ Council calls the people of God to unanimity, firmness in faith and life according to the Gospel, so that all may, in gazing upon this life, glorify the Father who is in heaven (v. Mt 5:16).

With paternal love the Council appeals to those Orthodox Christians who have been unable to avoid the temptation of division and have found themselves outside of the bosom of the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church by having followed schismatics. The Church, in fulfilling the Saviour’s commandment of forgiveness for the one who repents, is ready with meekness and humility to receive into her bosom all those who reject the destructive company of schismatic groupings and who with repentance have recourse to her maternal intercession.

In order to preserve the unity of the Church, peace, accord and ecclesiastical discipline, the Council has re-established the ecclesiastical court, which is called upon to keep the purity of the faith, canonical order and preserve unshakeable the moral principles of Orthodoxy.

Let us pray with one heart asking that we may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, ‘in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God (Col 1:9-10).

We address you, dear fathers, brothers and sisters, with words of joy and hope: ‘Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (Heb 13:20-21).