Metropolitan Hilarion: Rules of political correctness are not supposed to authorise intrusion into what is sacred for millions of people

In the Unites States of America, during the opening of the new session of Congress, Emanuel Cleaver, a member of the House of Representatives, read out what he called a politically correct prayer. Instead of “in the name of God” he said “in the name of the monotheistic god, Brahma, and god known by many names,” and concluded the traditional “Amen” with “and a-woman.” Apparently, in the pronunciation of the word “amen” he heard “men” and “for the sake of equality” decided to mention women as well.

In the opinion of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, such “politically correct prayer” verges on blasphemy. “Everything must be within reason, and even rules of political correctness are not supposed to authorise intrusion into what is sacred for millions of people,” the chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations said in the Church and the World TV programme.

“We, Christians, believe in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are indeed not gender-neutral names, and representatives of the feminist movement do not find these names appropriate any more. For this reason, feminists altered the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and started calling God some other names and pronouns, including feminine ones. Now certain politicians consider it their duty to follow this insane, in my view, rules of political correctness,” the hierarch added, noting that from the Church’s perspective all this is an inadmissible interference in what millions of believers hold sacred.

DECR Communication Service