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Religion in Russian schools

"SPIRITUAL-MORAL TRAINING" TO BE REQUIRED IN SCHOOLS IN THREE YEARS
Portal-credo.ru, 18 August 2009

A new academic discipline, "Spiritual-moral Training" will be included in the required school curriculum in three years. Prior to that it will be taught in a number of regions on an experimental basis, Minister of Education and Science Andrei Fursenko told Interfax. "In three years this subject should become a basic part of the educational standard," the minister said.

He recalled that within the parameters of this subject, teaching will be conducted along three directions: foundations of religious culture, foundations of one of the traditional religions, or foundations of secular ethics. A pupil will be required to select one of these directions.

A. Fursenko emphasized that the subject will begin being taught, on an experimental basis, in the schools in the fourth quarter of the fourth grade and the first quarter of the fifth grade.

"We are not going to go to the mat with anybody on this. If in some region they want to postpone introduction of this subject, we will postpone it," he noted.

A. Fursenko reported that during the experimental period the subject will be included in the "regional component" of the school curriculum: "nowhere will this subject be introduced at the expense of the basic part of the academic program."

The head of the Ministry of Education and Science stressed that the plan for teaching this subject is still being prepared, "while the main principles are that the subject must be interesting and must be secular."

He said that the main task in the near future is to provide training of teaching personnel for this subject and to produce textbooks.

In Fursenko's opinion, there will be no problem with personnel. "Today teachers have an interest in finding additional work." In addition, he added, "money is needed for training teachers."

Fursenko thinks that "at the level of a regional subject, teaching 'Spiritual-Moral Training' in the schools should be partially financed out of the federal budget." "We should not forget that in the future this subject will be included in the educational standards," the minister said, noting at the same time that "money in the federal budget for this purpose will not be easy to find."

Publication of textbooks does not bother Fursenko a bit. "Textbooks will be financed by the publishers themselves. They have an interest in this," he said.  (tr. by PDS, posted 18 August 2009)

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Implementing Russian president's experiment for teaching religion

NOVOSIBIRSK PROVINCIAL AUTHORITIES WANT TO INTRODUCE COURSES ON FOUNDATIONS OF RELIGIOUS CULTURE IN SCHOOLS
Portal-credo.ru, 14 August 2009

Novosibirsk province has submitted to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation a bid to participate in an experiment for introducing an educational course "Spiritual and moral culture," the "Taiga.info" site reports. It is possible that by April 2010 pupils in the fourth grade, and later the fifth grade, who so wish will be studying foundations of religious culture, a worker in the Department of Information of the administration of Novosibirsk province told "Taiga.info" on 12 August.

"An exact list of the criteria for the choice of participants in the experiment has not been published. Whether Novosibirsk province will be included will become known in September. However even if our bid were accepted, classes in religious culture will not be mandatory for every pupil," the deputy director of the provincial Department of Education, Vladimir Shchukin, explained. "Their attendance will be voluntary and a child and his parents have the right to decide for themselves whether to participate in the experiment or not."

Vladimir Shchukin said that the content has already been worked out and teachers (as a rule these are teachers of history, social studies, and literature) have been trained on the campus of the Novosibirsk Institute of Continuing Education and Retraining of Education Workers.

The Ministry of Education and Science has the responsibility of providing all participants in the experiment the necessary methodological designs.  (tr. by PDS, posted 15 August 2009)


STUDY OF ORTHODOX CULTURE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WILL BE DONE AT EXPENSE OF RUSSIAN LANGUAGE
Portal-credo.ru, 13 August 2009

A working meeting of the chairman of the Synodal Department of Religious Education and Catechesis of the Russian Orthodox church of the Moscow patriarchate, Bishop of Zaraisk Merkurii, with the academic director of the group of developers of the federal state educational standards of general education, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Education, A.M. Kondakov, was held 7 August 2009 in the offices of the synodal department, according to the site of the department.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Commission on Teaching Orthodox Culture and Spiritual-Moral Education of the synodal department.

A.M. Kondakov acquainted Bishop Merkurii with the standard of scientific general education that has been developed, according to which the voluntary study of Orthodox culture in elementary school is expected to involve one hour per week in the second semester of the fourth grade. This will be combined with a corresponding reduction of class time in the Russian language.

Bishop Merkurii emphasized that the new curriculum should provide the possibility of studying Orthodox culture in each grade of the elementary schools. Otherwise it might complicate the situation in coming years where many schools, in which Foundations of Orthodox Culture already are being taught to children in grades one through four, will be forced to interrupt it. Such a prospect could cause tensions within society and pose a threat to providing academic subjects of spiritual and moral contents in accordance with the decision of Russian President D.A. Medvedev, which he announced at a conference with leaders of traditional religions of Russia on 21 July 2009.

On the part of the church, a positive aspect was noted in that the developers of the new standard included in the academic plan the study of spiritual and moral culture as one of the forms of extracurricular activity for students in the afternoon. However this cannot compensate for the exclusion of the possibility of studying subjects of religious culture and ethics throughout the whole time of a pupil's elementary education in the form of school classes as a fundamental portion of the curriculum. The developers of the standards were given specific suggestions regarding the creation of the academic program providing the possibility of teaching subjects of religious culture and ethics in all years of the elementary schools, without reduction of the course load in Russian language.

As a result of the discussion that was held it was recognized that it is necessary to continue consultations on the matter of the devotion of class time to subjects of religious culture and ethics in elementary schools, with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia.  (tr. by PDS, posted 15 August 2009)


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Russian president promotes teaching religion in schools

HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF RUBLES TO FINANCE TEACHING RELIGIOUS CULTURE IN RUSSIAN SCHOOLS
Portal-credo.ru, 21 July 2009

After a conference with the president of Russia, the Russian Minister of Education reported that hundreds of millions of rubles will be directed to the introduction of foundations of religious culture in Russian schools.

The introduction of a system of teaching the foundations of religious cultures in Russian schools will cost hundreds of millions of rubles, Russian Minister of Education and Science Andrei Fursenko told journalists on 21 July, as a result of a special conference with the president of the country.

According to the minister, in the process of implementing this idea, more that 40,000 teachers will be retrained, RIA Novosti reports.

"The scale of the money is hundreds of millions of rubles," he said. "But this money will not be wasted," the minister emphasized, adding that even without the introduction of new subjects teachers still must go through retraining, which permits the improvement of the quality of instruction.

The minister reported that at the first stage 12,000 schools in 18 regions will be involved, which is a fifth of all schools in Russia.

In preparing the new curriculum, according to Fursenko, consideration will be given, first, to the secular nature of education and, second, to the fact that "all materials must be acceptable to representatives of all confessions, as well as atheists."

"We must create conditions under which the children will be able themselves to formulate their own world views; these are not religion courses and we must not offend or embarrass anyone," the minister stressed.

He said that the instruction must not be conducted from a position that all religions are a myth. "This would be offensive to representatives of one or another confession," Fursenko emphasized.

At the same time the minister stressed that the government does not have the right to rush into anything since this is a very complex subject and the main principle is to do no harm.  He added, too, that the system of evaluation will be the same as for any other subject.

"Even if it is a textbook on Orthodoxy that is prepared, representatives of all confessions will express their impressions," Fursenko said.  (tr. by PDS, posted 15 August 2009)


PATRIARCH KIRILL PARTICIPATES IN CONFERENCE OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND GOVERNMENT MINISTERS WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENT
Portal-credo.ru, 21 July 2009

Patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus Kirill participated in a conference conducted by Russian President D.A. Medvedev, which was held at the residence of the president in the suburbs of Moscow on 21 July. The topic of the conference, according to a report of the press service of the Moscow patriarchate, was questions of the teaching in secondary schools of the foundations of religious culture and secular ethics as well as the introduction into the armed forces of Russia of the institutions of army and navy chaplains.

The conference was held at the "Barvikha" state residence and included the director of the presidential administration of Russia, S.E. Haryshkin, the first deputy director of the Russian presidential administration, V.Yu. Surkov, Russian Minister of Defense A.E. Serdiukov, Russian Minister of Education and Science A.A. Fursenko, the head of the Buddhist Traditional Sangkha of Russia, Damba Aiusheev, the chairman of the Coordinating Center of Muslims of the Northern Caucasus, Mufti of Karachaevo-Cherkesia Ismail Berdiev, the chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia Ravil Gainutdin, the chairman of the Central Ecclesiastical Board of Muslims of Russia, Talgat Tadzhuddin and the chief rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar.

Opening the meeting, Medvedev reported that he had received two appeals from leaders of religious associations. One of them dealt with the question of teaching the foundations of religious culture in secondary schools and the second was the introduction of the institution of army chaplains into the armed forces of Russia.

As the president noted, these topics deserve careful attention and an immediate response on the part of the government. At the same time Medvedev stressed especially the importance of a religious component in education and military training, which exerts a substantial influence on the formation of the person and Russian citizen.

"I have made the decision to support both of these suggestions," the head of the Russian state declared.

Commenting on the first question placed on the conference agenda, D.A. Medvedev emphasized that in many regions of the country substantial experience in teaching the foundation of religious culture has been acquired, which simplifies the accomplishment of this task on the federal level. As regards the Ministry of Defense of RF, the president said that for a long time already it has been cooperating fruitfully with the main religious associations of Russia.

At the same time, Medvedev gave special attention to the fact that every normative act regulating questions dealt with at the conference must go through public discussion, since the decisions made by it touch upon an extremely delicate sphere of human individual and social life.

"I think it necessary to conduct an experiment in teaching the foundations of religious culture in 18 regions," the president declared.

The head of state noted that pupils and their parents will be able to select the confessional subject themselves, the foundations of Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish, or Buddhist culture. Also, Medvedev suggests, there may be worked out a general course on the history of religions of Russia. In addition, the president pointed to the necessity of giving those desiring it the right to study the foundations of secular ethics.

"The selection of the pupils and parents must be voluntary. Any compulsion in this sphere will be counterproductive," Medvedev noted.

The president indicated that the foundations of religious culture will be taught by secular pedagogues, but at the same time the necessity will be recognized of having broad experience of the methodological, conceptual, and other achievements that have been acquired by the traditional confessions of Russia.

As a result of the experiment being conducted, the practice of teaching of these disciplines will be able to extend to the entire country, the president emphasized. In the opinion of the head of state, the proposed date for beginning the universal introduction into school curricula of the foundations of religious culture and secular ethics could be designated as 2012.

As regards the second question discussed at the conference, the president stressed that among the armed forces personnel of Russians there are adherents of all traditional confessions of the country. "They risk what is most dear, their lives. And they all have the right to spiritual support in accordance with their own religious convictions," the head of state noted.

As one variant of the resolution of the question, D.A. Medvedev suggested introducing a standard according to which in those units where followers of a certain confession constitute more than 10 percent of the personnel, it would be appropriate for clergy representing it to be on the staff.

"I think that your position is an example that it is possible to achieve consensus on contentious questions. Very correct conclusions have been drawn from many years of discussion," Patriarch Kirill emphasized in his speech. The primate of RPTsMP rated highly the idea of voluntariness that lies at the base of the proposals on teaching religious culture in the schools. The most important thing, according the Kirill, is to manage to overcome the anxiety displayed in various public circles in connection with the discussion of this topic. "Voluntariness and alternatives are the basis on which this system may exist," the patriarch noted.  (tr. by PDS, posted 15 August 2009)



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Russian president criticizes Ukrainian president's religious policy

YUSHCHENKO DENIES MEDVEDEV'S ACCUSATION OF STATE INTERFERENCE IN CHURCH AFFAIRS AND IMPROPER ORGANIZATION OF PATRIARCH KIRILL'S VISIT TO UKRAINE
Portal-credo.ru, 14 August 2009

In his answer to the written message sent to him by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and to his statement on his personal videoblog, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko denied the Russian president's claim of interference in church affairs by the Ukrainian authorities.

"The Ukrainian leadership respects the canons and traditions of churches and religious organizations. In Ukraine the church is separated from the state and each citizen has the right to profess any religion. In addition, nobody may forbid citizens from freely expressing their position on any questions, including religious ones," Viktor Yushchenko emphasized.

In his letter of response to Medvedev Yushchenko also denies his accusation of improper organization of the visit of Patriarch Kirill:  "With regard to the visit to Ukraine of Patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus Kirill it is necessary to stress that he expressed words of gratitude to the leadership of our state for the high level of organization of his stay in Ukraine. At the same time, of course, the primate of the Russian Orthodox church made no negative or critical assessments like those that were presented in your letter and which discredit the very spirit of this visit."

In connection with the general assessment of relations between Russian and Ukraine the Ukrainian president wrote:  "On the whole, we consider it unthinkable and inappropriate to link questions of Patriarch Kirill's visit to Ukraine with bilateral political relations." (tr. by PDS, posted 14 August 2009)


DOCUMENT:  LETTER OF PATRIARCH KIRILL TO UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT V.A. YUSHCHENKO

To the President of Ukraine, V.A. Yushchenko

Esteemed Viktor Andreevich

I thank you for the attention shown to me during my visit to Ukraine and for your cooperation in its conduct. I am grateful to you for the understanding of the importance of the pastoral sermon addressed to the people. Our frank conversations, as was expressed, can serve a better understanding of the needs and concerns of believers on the part of state authorities. I believe that together with the authorities of Ukraine we will be able to find answers to the complex problems  which are still preventing the Ukrainian Orthodox church from fully accomplishing its mission of love and reconciliation.

Our joint attendance at memorials dedicated to soldiers who perished in the Great Patriotic war and the victims of mass starvation made a profound impression on me. It is impossible to remember the tragic pages of the history of the 20th century without inner horror. At the same time I am convinced that a correct understanding of the tragedies of the past will help us avoid them in the future. Our peoples, despite their common grief of the 1930s, were able to rally together against the most horrible evil of the 20th century, Nazism, and along with the whole world to send it into oblivion.

During my travels I became convinced with my own eyes that the majority of citizens of UkraineÑfrom Donetsk to Volhynia provinces and from Kiev to CrimeaÑare united by a profound faith. In the course of the visit to Ukraine I also was again convinced that the Ukrainian Orthodox church and its primate, His Blessedness Metropolitan of Kiev and all-Ukraine Vladimir, have demonstrated their devotion to the work of God and contribution to civil peace in the country.

I wish to note with satisfaction that, despite all difficulties, Ukraine has successfully established its own sovereignty. And it could not be any other way since Ukrainians possess splendid qualitiesÑspirituality, sincerity, diligence, and love of labor. The Ukrainian people occupy a worthy place in the family of Slavic nations. As in every other family, there are some disputes. I am sure that they are transitory. I believe the time will come when the waves of hostile divisions that have come upon the slavs will depart, and in their stead will come brotherhood and mutual understanding. I express my profound hope that the Ukraine's special attention will extend to relations with countries with which the Ukrainian people are linked by a common faith, culture, and history.

The peoples of Rus were born spiritually and baptized on the banks of the Denpr, in one of the centers of European civilization, ancient Kiev. Recalling this, we even today should affirm our role in Europe as most important participants in all processes occurring on the continent. And we can do much more together than separately, not only defending our identity but also helping to resolve all those economic, moral, and spiritual problems that Europe is experiencing today.

I believe that Ukraine, as the sacred land of the eastern slavs, will always remain for us a common spiritual motherland.

May God's blessing abide with the people of splendid Ukraine, with its authorities and military forces and with us all!

+Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and allÑRus

11 August 2009

(tr. by PDS, posted 14 August 2009)

Russian original posted on Portal-credo.ru, 12 August 2009

ADDRESS TO THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE VICTOR YUSHCHENKO (excerpts)

The message from President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev to President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko reads, in part:

ÒProblems in bilateral cooperation have, of course, existed before. This was natural following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, when we had to develop relations between two sovereign states. However, what we have witnessed during the years of your presidency cannot be interpreted as anything other than the Ukrainian party's departure from the principles of friendship and partnership with Russia, embodied in the Treaty of 1997 [Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Russia and Ukraine]. I already wrote to you about this in November last year and the situation has not improved, but rather degraded. . . .

Russian-Ukrainian relations have been further tested as a result of your administration's willingness to engage in historical revisionism, its heroization of Nazi collaborators, exaltation of the role played by radical nationalists, and imposition among the international community of a nationalistic interpretation of the mass famine of 1932-1933 in the USSR, calling it the Ògenocide of the Ukrainian peopleÓ. The ousting of the Russian language from public life, science, education, culture, media and judicial proceedings continues.

In this context, the harmful practices of intervention by the government of Ukraine in the affairs of the Orthodox Church beg attention. The conditions that were created artificially on the eve and during a recent pastoral visit to Ukraine by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia could hardly be described as favourable. Against this background, it is particularly gratifying to see the genuine and broad support for the unity of Orthodoxy demonstrated by Ukrainians who welcomed the Patriarch. . . .

For Russia, from time immemorial Ukrainians have been and remain not just neighbours, but also a fraternal people for whom we will always cherish the very best feelings, with whom we share a common history, culture and religion, ties stemming from close economic cooperation, and strong kinship and human relations. . . .

Kremlin.ru, August 11, 2009; posted on Johnson's Russia List, #148, 12 August 2009

WHAT DID THE PATRIARCH SAY TO THE PRESIDENT?
by Oleg Bazak, Ekaterina Petukhova
Moskovskii komsomolets, 13 August 2009

Several political observers think that Medvedev's emotional message appeared after a conversation with Patriarch Kirill, who  described straightforwardly what happened in Ukraine. In Medvedev's first letter there even is a whole paragraph devoted to the patriarch's visit independently. " In this context, the harmful practices of intervention by the government of Ukraine in the affairs of the Orthodox Church beg attention. The conditions that were created artificially on the eve and during a recent pastoral visit to Ukraine by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia could hardly be described as favourable. Against this background, it is particularly gratifying to see the genuine and broad support for the unity of Orthodoxy demonstrated by Ukrainians who welcomed the Patriarch," Medved says in this letter.

But on the same day, Patriarch Kirill issued his own assessment of the visit himself, which stated:  " Our frank conversations, as was expressed, can serve a better understanding of the needs and concerns of believers on the part of state authorities. I believe that together with the authorities of Ukraine we will be able to find answers to the complex problems  which are still preventing the Ukrainian Orthodox church from fully accomplishing its mission of love and reconciliation."

After this the tone of Medvedev's second letter changed.  "The recently conducted pastoral visit of Patriarch Kirill in Ukraine had great significance. I had a conversation with the patriarch after his return, and he told me his own impressions. He spoke very warm words. Our opinions on this matter coincide: fraternal peoples cannot be disunited; we have a single historical and spiritual heritage." That's how the paragraph sounds in the new version. You feel the difference.  (tr. by PDS, posted 14 August 2009)

Russian original posted on Portal-credo.ru, 13 August 2009


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