Appeal to Peace on the Threshold of Easter

APPEAL TO PEACE ON THE THRESHOLD OF EASTER

Today the Orthodox Christians around the world, including the Balkans, are mourning for the Lord Jesus who was crucified for our sake. The Church recalls how Christ the Saviour, slandered by the Pharisees and despised by the crowd, suffered martyrdom and death so that we might be delivered from the slavery of sin and live forever.

The blessed sadness of this day has been aggravated by the pain of human suffering. Only recently the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian churches and communities have appealed to those involved in the Balkan conflict to stop the hostilities during the Western and Eastern Passion Week and Easter. Unfortunately, this appeal has not been heard. Many people are asking now: do the states still remember about Christianity? How can they participate in violence committed in these sacred days? I do not believe that the hearts of our brothers and sisters in the West have hardened and pin my hope on their good will. I also hope that the damage, which has been done today to relations between peoples in East and West, will be healed. To do this, however, real steps towards peace should be taken and they can only be mutual. In this regard, we welcome the pledge of the Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic to stop unilaterally the armed actions in Kosovo and believe that a real opportunity has now been opened up to put an end to the tragedy and start negotiations for a peaceful and equitable resolution of the conflict.

I call upon the leaders of the North Atlantic alliance to stop bombing Yugoslavia at least during the Orthodox feast of the Pascha of Christ. This God-given unique opportunity to break the vicious circle of violence should not be missed. I make this appeal to the Yugoslavian leaders: it is only peaceful and dignified life for all including the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo that will preserve the integrity of the country and ensure order and harmony.

At a moment when the flared-up conflict is fraught with a large-scale bloodshed, the situation in our country is uneasy too. The power struggle has intensified, and mean methods have been often used in its course. This is another challenge not only to peace in society, but also to the very future of Russia and her role in Europe and the world. This damages our country’s authority which is one of the last things to be relied upon in settling the Balkan crisis.

I am not the one to give political assessment. I will only remind all those blinded by thirst for power, might and domination over a country or the world of the worlds of St. James: “The harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (Jas. 3:18).

On this holy and great day, the Good Friday, I make a special appeal to all for reconciliation.

I appeal to the conscience of Russian politicians. The extraordinary solidarity that our people have shown in their attitude to the Balkan tragedy, whose response to the complex international situation has manifested itself most vividly in a flow of donations for the humanitarian needs of the suffering people in Yugoslavia, runs counter in a profound way with the explosive atmosphere of political battles. The powers that be seem to misunderstand their people again. Lest this dramatic gap should become insurmountable, all ambitions and controversies should be resolutely put aside and any attempts to use the difficulties to promote personal or party self-assertion should be rejected. I appeal to all the power bodies and all public forces to restrain themselves from any radical actions with regard to each other, so that the unity of the country may be preserved. The Church has repeatedly made this appeal. Let is just remember the Conciliar Meeting on “Russia: the Way to Harmony” which took place on October 1998 and which was attended by all power branches and major political forces in the country. And today I hope again that the various power bodies will seek together for ways of settling Russian and international problems in collaboration with public authorities. We, pastors of the Orthodox Church, will always promote such a dialogue in forms acceptable for us.

We are approaching the Radiant Resurrection of Christ – the day when life triumphs, when we praise the Lord Who has delivered us from sin and death, from hopelessness and despair, from enmity and strife. I pray that on this day people in Russia, Yugoslavia and all over the world may repeat in good faith the words of St. John Chrysostom: “Death, where is your sting? Hell, where is your victory?”.

Alexy, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia

April 9, (March 27) 1999, Good Friday