Metropolitan Kirill Gundyaev Criticised Isolationism in the Church

Metropolitan Kirill Gundyaev of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, the Chairman of the MP Department of External Church Relations, criticised some members of the clergy for their isolationist attitudes, saying that this prevents a fruitful dialogue between the Church and secular society. “Today, there are noticeable isolationist currents in the Church that advocate an avoidance of the heterodox and an aloof stance towards the secular authorities. In general, they accuse those who have dialogue with those outside of the Church as traitors to Orthodoxy”, he said  at the 16th annual Christmas Readings in Moscow. Vladyki Kirill stressed that we must discuss the problem of isolationism in the Church “in a conciliar fashion”, however, we can’t solve it by “simply counting votes, and finding a majority position”. He reminded his listeners that, in past Church disputes, the Holy Fathers often “defended the truth whilst remaining in the minority”. Vladyki Kirill emphasised, “Today, dialogue with the secular world isn’t treachery, it isn’t against Orthodoxy, but, it’s the very means of injecting Christian values into the life of our secular society. If the Church were to withdraw from such a dialogue, it would indicate that the mission and evangelical imperative of the Church have failed”. He stated that contemporary society suffers from a crisis of belief that can’t be dismissed simply “by anathemas from the ambo, or, by rambling monologues from Penza caves or other such remote backwaters”. Vladyki Kirill believed that the only fruitful path for the Church today is to emulate the Holy Fathers, “who Christianised Classical Art” and used the achievements of the pagan Greco-Roman culture in order to draw their contemporaries to a greater understanding of the truth. He reminded us that contemporary secular culture has preserved its Christian roots, despite its wanderings, and the pressing task of the Church is “to not allow this link to be broken”.

29 January 2008

Interfax-Religion

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Metropolitan Kliment Kapalin Proposed that Russians Note 14 February as the Day of the Orthodox Family Instead of the Western St Valentine’s Day

Metropolitan Kliment Kapalin of Kaluga and Borovsky, the Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate, criticised Russians copying the Western celebration of lovers on 14 February, St Valentine’s Day. “For some reason, human rights activists don’t speak against this, but, they should”, Vladyki Kliment said on Tuesday at the 16th annual “Christmas Reading” in Moscow. He felt that the ideology of free love celebrated in the contemporary Western observance is alien to the traditions of Russian culture. Vladyki Kliment urged Russians to cultivate their own Orthodox holidays. In particular, he proposed that 14 February be declared the Day of the Orthodox Family.

29 January 2008

Interfax-Religion

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Orthodox Youth Day to Occur on 21 February in Moscow

According to a press release received by Interfax form the Moscow Oblast Youth Affairs Committee, about 3,500 young people from all over Moscow shall participate in the main events of Orthodox Youth Day on 21 February at the “Olympic” Sport Palace in Chekhovsky Raion. There’ll be a mini-football (soccer) tournament and other competitions between the different youth groups as part of the festival programme. One of the main events shall be a competition for young photographers entitled “Moscow Area Orthodoxy”. There’ll be open-air merrymaking for the young people and there’ll be popular amusements offered to all participants. Leading figures in Moscow Oblast, including Metropolitan Yuvenaly Poyarkov of Krutitsky and Kolomna (the Patriarchal Vicar for the Diocese of Moscow), shall attend the events commemorating Orthodox Youth Day.

29 January 2008

Interfax-Religion

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