PATRIARCH KIRILL SPEAKS OF RELIGIOUS SOURCES OF UKRAINIAN CATASTROPHE
Religiia v Ukraine, 19 March 2015
Speaking on 14 March in Kaliningrad at a forum of the World Russian People's Council "Milestones of Russian Statehood: Global Challenges, Regional Responses," Patriarch Kirill once again criticized western values and declared that it is impossible to take the path of the ideology of the "Drang nach Osten" that medieval crusaders professed. Patriarch Kirill also thinks that the "catastrophe" in Ukraine is largely the result of incorrect religious policy, Religiia v Ukraine reports citing the website of RPTs.
Speaking at the forum, Patriarch Kirill, the head of RPTs and at the same time chairman of the World Russian People's Council (VRNS), noted Russia's civilizational significance: "Russia is not simply a state with its own borders, laws, and institutions. It is a country-civilization whose borders, mission, and meaning of existence are determined by spiritual values, ideals, historic and cultural monuments, and sacred places. So our milestones are also our worldview position, standing on guard for our civilizational identity. The Russian people, the chief creator of the Russian state, is the heart of our civilization in a social sense."
The head of the Moscow patriarchate called for not forgetting "that many achievements of our predecessors on this land (Kaliningrad—ed.) were, unfortunately, associated with an ideology that is unacceptable to us, which may be called provisionally the "Drang nach Osten," which inspired the crusading knights on Lake Chud. In the patriarch's opinion, the evolution of this ideology culminated in the manifestation of hitlerism, and "today, in the year of the 70th anniversary of the great victory we must again emphasize: we cannot take this path of deception."
Russia was offered as a model for imitation: "Striving for centuries to live by the law of truth and goodness, it was Russia who offered to humanity the principle of the equality of peoples, without a dominating metropolis and suppressed colonies. Since the time of our victory in 1945 this principle has received recognition in all the world and become a genuine universal human value."
The head of RPTs said that Russia has become great largely because of Orthodoxy, which "categorically has prevented the suppression of the freedom of all those who profess a different faith" and "never incited its people and never pushed them to deprive other peoples of freedom of religious confession. And this experience of tolerance was laid at the foundation of the formation of a multiethnic state."
This statement evoked on the Internet objections from a number of experts and observers. In particular, the Muscovite Archdeacon Andrei Kuraev cited in his blog numerous examples of persecution of heretics and infidels from the point of view of Orthodox, including from the recent history of "Novorossia," (the self-proclaimed republics in the Donbass).
The patriarch continued: "We know that even today, if one looks at the catastrophe that is occurring in fraternal Ukraine, the largely religious sources of the current conflict manifest themselves quite clearly. Those politicians who ignore the religious factor in governmental matters make a great mistake. As often, it is the creative and to a great extent decisive factor in the formation of the human community, as it may be even destructive. And history testifies to this."
Speaking about the strengthening in the West of the "hedonistic cult," Patriarch Kirill noted: "This is a very serious challenge, which Western Europe is unable to overcome alone." Therefore here "once again, as in times past, perhaps Russia's mission is needed." The patriarch explained that in contrast to the West, "Russia still is preserving the spiritual foundation and, by insisting on the importance of spiritual values and supporting also to a substantial degree cultural values, as well as educational policy, it has much to say to our western partners."
However, the head of RPTs declared that he is not calling for rejection of western European experience: "Both Peter the Great and the Russian genius Mikhail Vaslilevich Lomonosov, and our fellow countryman of Kaliningrad Andrei Timofeevich Bolotov, and thousands of other Russian people give us examples that one can and must take from western Europe much that is of value. However from other peoples too—Japanese, Chinese, Arabs, Hindus, Persians—who contributed to the treasury of humanity, if one speaks of all of history no less than of European."
After calling for the "defense of the sacred borders" of Russia, Patriarch Kirill in his speech at the forum "firmly and unconditionally" repeated: "The Kaliningrad province is Russian land, which belongs to our nation by rights." This province joined Russia for the first time 70 years ago, and the head of RPTs explained this as an act of justice. The Russian people "suffered enormous and incomparable sacrifices not only for the liberation of their country but also for the salvation of all peoples of the world, including the German people, from the suicidal hitlerian ideology."
The resolution of the forum of the World Russian People's Council "Milestones of Russian Statehood: Global Challenges and Regional Responses" noted the role "of the Russian population of Kaliningrad province who constitute the overwhelming majority (86%) of the residents of the region" and at the same time expressed concern: "A portion of the regional business elite originally focused on western values," that "facilitated the manifestation of forces advocating independence of the region from Russia in the form of a republic or special or foreign territory" and "propaganda began of the idea of a gradual integration of the region into the European Union and separation from Russia."
In regard to this the VRNS stated its rejection "of the profession of a special German-Russian identity of residents of the region and promotion of a German cultural heritage." In the opinion of the Russian council, "only by relying on Russian culture and Russian history is further preservation of a Russian identity of the region possible."
We recall that the World Russian People's Council is a public-church forum under the aegis of the Moscow patriarchate. The chairman of the council is the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. (tr. by PDS, posted 22 March 2015)
Editorial disclaimer: RRN does
not intend to certify the accuracy of information
presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the
accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the
articles as they appeared in news media of countries of
the former USSR.
If material is quoted, please give credit to the
publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit
this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please
include reference to the URL,
http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/.