Patriarch Kirill is Sceptical of Political Pluralism and Believes It to be a Fad

Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias (1946- ) speaking in Armenia, Patriarch-Catholicos Karekin Narsessian (1952- ) looks on at right

Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias expressed his scepticism of the idea of political pluralism. “This ideal of political pluralism is not our idea, it’s not the Church’s idea”, His Holiness said on Thursday at a meeting with faculty and students ay Yerevan State University. He said that he was well aware that such a statement could cause a firestorm of criticism from journalists. “Nevertheless, to put it bluntly, it’s nothing but a toy, a fad, a fleeting sensation. Today, it seems reasonable… but all that they’re doing is playing with their toys. Play…  play… but somebody has to think about unity over and above political factions”, he added.

In his view, social life and “a particular public consciousness evolved in Russia over some three hundred years, and, then, the Revolution and Civil War upended it all”. Meanwhile, he said, “The values and traditions of the Christian faith were common for all of the peoples. Patriarch Kirill pointed up that the main task of the Orthodox Church in Russia, which kept its unity despite the political developments of the 1990s, “is to preserve the integrity of the spiritual space of Holy Russia, which emerged from the baptismal font of Kiev. This common spiritual space is independent of political geography. It may or may not coincide with political borders”. In this way, he said, the spiritual space of the Armenian people is not limited by the borders of today’s Armenian state, “but the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenia unites the entire nation”.

18 March 2010

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=34704

Patriarch Kirill Called the Faithful to Fight the Growth of Christophobia in Europe

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all the Russias (1946- )

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all the Russias is concerned about growing anti-Christian sentiment in many European states. Speaking on Thursday at Yerevan State University, the patriarch said that in many European countries an “anti-Christian context” in public life is becoming more noticeable today and that we increasingly find “striking examples of Christophobia”. To cite one of the more blatant examples, the patriarch mentioned the decision of the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights to ban crucifixes in schools in Italy, stressing that the court rendered an “unjust verdict”. “All Christians must unite to expose this phenomenon and to prevent the exclusion of Christian values from the life of modern Europe and the world”, His Holiness said. He noted, “Today, in Europe, due to an incorrect interpretation of the notion of human rights in society, Christian symbols are disappearing”. For example, according to the patriarch, in the UK, they actually banned the use of the word “Christmas” to “not offend certain religious minorities”. At the same time, the patriarch said that he had conversations with Muslims from the European countries that introduced such bans, and all of them, he said, stated that the crucifix and other Christian symbols did not insult their religious feelings.

18 March 2010

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=34693

Patriarch Kirill said that the Church Couldn’t Create a Political Party or Participate in Partisan Politics

Patriarch-Catholicos Karekin Narsessian of all Armenia (1952- ) with Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias (1946- ) at the monument to the Armenian Genocide

Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias said that the Church couldn’t participate in any form of partisan politics. “Not only is the Church unable to create its own political party, it cannot support any given political party. It should distance itself from political divisions, for it is the instrument that transmits fundamental values to our peoples”, the patriarch said on Thursday at Yerevan State University. He said that if we stick to fundamentals, “Everyone will come to church and say, ‘this is my place’, no matter if they are Communists or democrats or nationalists or monarchists. There have been times in the lives of our peoples and society where no one was secure, however, this space (the Church: Interfax) worked fully as a unifying force. Such was seen in the history of both the Russian and Armenian peoples”. He added, “Otherwise, if the Church became politically active, people would come to church and ask, ‘Am I amongst my political opponents or allies here?’” In 2000, the Archpastoral Council of the MP forbade the participation of clergy and canonical church structures in partisan politics, and, furthermore, forbade the clergy from belonging to any particular political party.

18 March 2010

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=34698