HEADS
AND
REPRESENTATIVES OF TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS OF RUSSIA URGE
COMPATRIOTS TO UNITY IN
FACE OF EXTREMISM
Interfax-Religiia,
20
February 2018
In
connection
with the shooting of parishioners of an Orthodox church in
Kizlyar, the
Inter-Religious Council of Russia called the community to band
together against
the backdrop of common disaster.
"We
call
all of our society to peace, harmony, and solidarity. May the
common disaster
that has befallen us unite us yet more tightly," a statement
distributed
in Moscow says.
The
authors of
the document mention that the murderer committed the attack on
Forgiveness
Sunday, a day when Orthodox Christians seek to be reconciled
with everyone. In
the opinion of the religious leaders, this "exposes the
misanthropic
ideology of extremism, showing the true face of the servants
of satan, who
conceal their criminal acts with the name of God."
The
goal of the
terrorist and his inspirers is inciting inter-religious
strife, destroying the centuries-old
traditions of peaceful coexistence of Christians and Muslims
in Russia, the
religious leaders write, urging doing everything possible to
prevent this.
They
also call,
in these sorrowful days, to refrain from provocative actions.
"The
terrorist
act in Kizlyar again and again forces all of us to turn our
attention to the
danger of spreading extremism and intolerance, especially
among youth. In this
regard, we call the Russian government and public and
religious institutions to
pay the most careful attention to the moral training of young
people, designed
to protect them from extremist threats," the statement says.
Appealing to the leadership and personnel of security forces, the clergy ask them to do everything possible so that persons who have been drawn to terrorist organizations and imbued with a misanthropic ideology will be identified and rendered harmless before they commit crimes. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 February 2018)
SUPREME MUFTI OF RUSSIA CALLS SHOOTING NEAR CHURCH IN KISLYAR "VILE PROVOCATION"The
supreme
mufti of Russia and chairman of the Central Ecclesiastical Board
of Muslims
(Tsentral'noe Dukhovnoe Upravlenie Musul'man—TsDUM), Talgat
Tajudin, called the
shooting near an Orthodox church building in Kizlyar, Dagestan,
a provocation
against inter-religious peace. This was said in a declaration
from the
presidium of TsDUM, whose residence is located in Ufa.
"In
the
name of the presidium of the TsDUM of Russia, we express angry
condemnation of
the heinous crime. We are deeply distressed by such a cynical
murder and vile
provocation, whose goal obviously was to undermine the priceless
achievement of
all of Russian society—inter-religious peace and harmony," the
mufti
noted.
He
said the
crime aimed to inflame hostility and hatred among
representatives of
traditional confessions and to destabilize the situation in the
run-up to the
presidential elections in the country.
"We consider that nothing can justify those who commit a despicable atrocity and we call the entire Russian community to be yet more actively united in opposing those who have not abandoned the attempt to disrupt the centuries-old bonds of fraternal unity of the peoples of Russia and all those who will not give up undermining inter-religious peace and harmony in our country," the statement says. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 February 2018)
PATRIARCH
KIRILL
CONDUCTS REQUIEM FOR DEAD IN KIZLYAR
Patriarch
of
Moscow and all-Rus Kirill, on the first day of the Great Fast,
served a requiem
panikhida for victims of the tragedy in an Orthodox church of
Kizlyar. The
service was conducted in the church of Christ the Savior, a TASS
correspondent
reports.
"They
fell
as victims of human hatred and human insanity. When you hear
about tragic
events, happening somewhere far off, this is perceived with
sorrow. But when
this involves people with whom we are bound by a single faith
and life in a
single country, this is taken as an atrocity and nothing other
than human evil
can explain the act. Let us pray for the repose of the souls of
the deceased
who were brutally murdered in Kizlyar," the primate of the
Russian
Orthodox Church said before the start of the service.
Earlier Patriarch Kirill expressed condolences to relatives and loved ones of the deceased and also called the clergy of the Makhachkala diocese to provide all necessary aid to the families of the casualties and victims. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 February 2018)
WOMEN
KILLED IN
KIZLYAR TO BE BURIED ON CHURCH GROUNDS AS HAVING EMBRACED A
MARTYR'S DEATH
Interfax-Religiia,
20
February 2018
The
women who
died in Kizlyar at the hand of an armed criminal will be buried
on the
territory of the church of George the Conqueror, near to which
they were shot,
declared the acting head of Dagestan, Vladimir Vasiliev, during
a retreat.
"It
is very
important that tomorrow the funeral ceremony be conducted in the
precinct of
the temple," V. Vasiliev said.
He
said that
this decision was made by Archbishop of Makhachkala and Grozny
Varlaam.
"He
said
that they accepted a martyr's death on the territory of the
church building,
and there is permission that they be buried on the grounds of
the church,"
the head of the republic noted.
On
Monday, the
acting head of Dagestan, V. Vasiliev, conducted in Kizlyar a
retreat in connection
with the mass shooting of people committed the day before, on
Forgiveness
Sunday. The victims of the criminal act were five women. Another
four persons
are in the hospital.
The funerals are scheduled to be held on 20 February. This day has been declared a day of mourning in Kizlyar. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 February 2018)
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