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
Voices from Russia 
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