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Vladimir Leygoda: The Church Has a Huge Peacemaking Potential

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Vladimir Leygoda: The Church Has a Huge Peacemaking Potential

24.03.2014

The Russian Orthodox Church has formulated its position regarding the crisis in Ukraine and voiced it through Patriarch Kirill who appealed to members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on March 2, 2014. In his message, the patriarch called to unity, prevention of deaths of the people standing on different sides of the barricades, fostering the fraternal ties between the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarussian nations. While it does not befall the Church to interfere in the political strife, its voice is in increasingly high demand at this turning point of history, especially in the Ukraine. Head of Synodal Information Department of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vladimir Legoyda, discusses the stance of the Russian Orthodox Church in relation to the recent events in Ukraine and in the Crimea.

— Vladimir Romanovich, the whole world is now watching the Ukraine and the Crimea. This topic was also discussed the other days in Moscow at the session of the ROC Synod. What are the main conclusions?

— The Synod emphasized once again the importance of the calls for peace in Ukraine that recently sounded in Istanbul, where March 6-9 a meeting of ministers and laymen from local Orthodox churches took place. In their final epistle the meeting participants underscored that political instability in Ukraine should not have a negative impact upon the religious life: absolutely inadmissible is the forced seizure of churches and monasteries or any threats to the canonical church on the part of dissenters. The meeting participants also called to remedy the church schism, based on the canons. This unanimity certainly disappointed those members of the so-called Kiev Patriarchy who, as we well know, appealed to the Patriarch of Constantinople and probably to other local Orthodox churches. Perhaps they hoped that the current political situation in Ukraine will allow them to settle the issue, ignoring the truth of ecclesiastical life. This did not happen. It's high time for our brethren abiding in the schism to recognize that the road to church unity lies through their return to the bosom of the Mother Church. There can be no other way out or rather reentry.

— The Holy Synod made a special statement about the situation in Ukraine…

— The Church repeatedly and consistently expressed its attitude to civil disturbances in Ukraine. We can recall the special statement by the Synod in December 2013, the statement of the Higher Church Council in February 2014, the appeal of Patriarch Kirill to the sons and daughters of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on March 2 of this year...

The appeal issued by the Synod on Wednesday once again calls to peace and prayer, rejects any attempts to make the Church one of the sides in this conflict, affirms the unity and brotherhood of the nations that came out of the same Kievan baptismal pool.

I'd like to stress once more that the appeal mentions the peacemaking and uniting role of the canonical church in Ukraine. The Church is not identified (unlike a number of other religious organizations in Ukraine) with one or another side of the conflict, being "the only force which in the name the preservation of civil peace may reconcile and unite people adhering to opposing views."

I believe it is extremely important today for those politicians who assume responsibility for exercising powers and authority in Ukraine to realize the huge peacemaking potential of the Church.

— There are several eparchies of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchy in the Crimea. What is their future?

— The status of Crimean eparchies was not considered at the session of the Holy Synod. The Crimean eparchies have been and still are under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, with self-governed Ukrainian Orthodox Church being its part. The Synod members emphasized that the Russian Orthodox Church, embracing the peoples of Russia and Ukraine and driven by pastoral responsibility, is ready to do her best to restore brotherly and good neighborly relations between Russia and Ukraine, full of mutual respect.

— Can the Church indeed play its role in overcoming the crisis, given that its repercussions are felt far beyond the Ukraine?

— The Church cares above all for the Ukrainian laity divided as a result of violence and hatred. All people of reason in the world admit that Ukrainian regions differ in terms of mentality, linguistic and political preferences and affiliations. It is extremely difficult to consolidate the Ukrainian society on any other foundation outside of the spiritual and moral paradigm. This is why the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchy is a supranational force and the core of the Ukrainian nation which can reunite people standing on different sides of the barricades today. Hope the Ukrainian authorities will realize this maxim.

— And how does the Church assess its role in Russian-Ukrainian relations?

— This relationship is unthinkable without a return to our common roots and the values of the Orthodox faith. Today's moods are largely caused by the attempt of the communist regime to deprive the Orthodox peoples of their spiritual history. If we see and realize our common Christian past we'll definitely find a firm soil for genuine brotherhood in the present. We believe the Russian Orthodox Church will be able to fulfill its unification mission. Both Russians and Ukrainians as well as representatives of other nations are dear to the Moscow Patriarchy. We keep praying for their prosperity and peaceful living and this is also the main thrust of our daily pastoral service.

Elena Chinkova
Source: Komsomolskaya Pravda

   
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