Print This Post

On 11 November 2012, the Hebrew version of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill’s book “Freedom and Responsibility. In Search for Harmony. Human Rights and Personal Dignity” was presented to the public in Jerusalem.

The publication was initiated by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, and financed by the Russian World Foundation with participation of the St. Gregory the Theologian Charity Foundation.

Attending the presentation were city authorities, representatives of different Christian confession and public organizations, scholars and workers of culture.

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church shared his thoughts about human freedom with the audience:

“It is absolutely clear that human freedom is the greatest value: people are willing to give up their life for it. I have been wondering for many years whether this value is implicit or there are factors conditioning it.

“The same is true for the dignity of human persons. Being God’s creature, human person has the greatest dignity, but dignity is a prize, too. The prize can differ… I have concluded that the very fact of free choice is a value, though the results of the choice can differ…

“Value and freedom are limited. They are conditioned by a number of factors and circumstances. Responsibility is one of them, and I link it with moral nature, rather than with philosophical views, fashion, or political ideals.”

Patriarch Kirill hopes that his book will help some people to ponder over the meaning of human freedom and dignity.

Metropolitan Hilarion presented the book. He concluded his address, saying:

“I do not doubt that the public will be interested in reading Patriarch Kirill’s book, which will contribute to discussion of the role of freedom and responsibility of human persons.”

Information and Diaspora Minister of Israel, Yuli Eisenstein, is confident that Patriarch Kirill’s book in Hebrew will be interesting to all people who cherish eternal universal values.

Mr. Herzel Zakak, president of the Writers’s Association, expressed his respect to the work and ministry of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill whom he called an outstanding religious leader, a true thinker and philosopher with a deep sense of justice and profound knowledge of human rights.

Archimandrite Isidor (Minayev), head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, presented a jubilee illustrated almanac ‘The Russian Palestine. People and Destinies.’ It is the first book about the Mission. It contains rarities, such as documents from the archives of the Mission.