Archbishop Vikenty of Yekaterinburg asks Orthodox Women to Emulate Muslim Women in Wearing Headcoverings in Public

Russian Orthodox pilgrims at the shrine of St Nicholas in Bari, Italy

Archbishop Vikenty of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye believes that the reluctance of the majority of Orthodox women to wear headcoverings in public is “a departure from the Will of God. I cannot understand this. Why, Muslim women are not ashamed of doing this, even the little girls and teenagers. They shall tell you that they are always in Allah’s presence, and they do not wish to provoke Allah’s anger. We should have this same salutary fear of God in our hearts”. Vladyki Vikenty said this in answering questions during his regular broadcast to his parishioners on the television channel Soyuz simulcast on the radio station Voskreseniye (Resurrection), the official website of the Diocese of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye reported.

Vladyki remarked that for a woman to cover her head is “a law of God. The Lord Himself commanded that women should cover their heads in public. If a woman does not wish to do this because the majority does not do so, because she does not wish to ‘stick out like a sore thumb’, she is greatly mistaken. You should not look at what others are doing; you should attend to what you are doing yourself”. He went on to say, “If everybody became filled with a healthy fear of God and a desire to carry out His Will, then, without a word, all our women would go in public with their heads covered. I say that there is nothing dishonourable or slighting to women in this”. Last week, Vladyki urged women to forgo the use of cosmetics and let their natural beauty shine forth. Then, he said, “The Lord gives us beauty and we go and disfigure it, for what reason, I don’t know. This is fraudulent and it is a total misunderstanding of what true beauty is. Look how lovely unadorned simplicity is! Look at our sweet little girls. Why do you put makeup on them when they are already as beautiful as angels are? Look at how we spoil the looks of people by using cosmetics!”

7 February 2008

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=mosaic&div=232