Patriarch Kirill gave a Christmas interview to the Rossiya TV channel

What is a pandemic - a punishment or a test?

— The past 2021 turned out to be a difficult and unusual year for us.
What was it? Punishment, testing - what has been sent to us? — Pandemic translated from Greek means “the whole people.” Indeed, the entire people, the entire human race, were exposed to this danger. In the past, there have already been various kinds of epidemics, often very serious. Take, let’s say, the plague epidemic in Western Europe - it claimed the lives of half the inhabitants of Europe, it was a terrible ordeal, that’s why they called this terrible plague epidemic a pandemic. Well, today this word is used for its intended purpose, because there is no place where one could truly hide from this disease. In other words, this is an extraordinary phenomenon associated with the spread of a very dangerous virus, and therefore there should be no frivolous and superficial attitude towards what is happening.

Unfortunately, the opinion is still sometimes spread in everyday life that it is somewhere out there, and I will never get sick. Today everyone gets sick - high-ranking people, working people, non-working people, pensioners, and young people, so each person requires a special attitude towards this disease. And experience teaches us, including historical experience: when society is able to take appropriate consolidated anti-epidemic measures and use the necessary means, epidemics stop. This was the case even in the old days. If we take the epidemic of the 17th century, the plague began in Moscow, which led to dire consequences. A large number of priests simply died, there was no one to perform divine services, churches were closed; Moreover, it was impossible to bury people - it was forbidden to bury those who died of the plague in church cemeteries. One can imagine a terrible picture, this horror, the nightmare that Moscow went through. But it passed, having made the appropriate conclusions, and these conclusions were not only imprinted in the memory of Muscovites, but, apparently, also entered into public policy. When the plague broke out in Odessa in 1837, the governor, Count M.S. Vorontsov and Bishop Gabriel, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride, jointly made decisions that we are now trying to repeat. I can imagine what it was like for Bishop Gabriel - at a time when churches played a central role in people’s lives! — issue an order that churches are closed. For two months the temples were closed, then access to the temples was limited: there was a police squad at each temple and did not allow so many people in that there was not enough distance between them. Well, in addition, it was forbidden to venerate the cross, the images. All this is captured on the pages of history, and we know that all this was sanctioned by church authorities and supported by state authorities.

Therefore, the fact that today we are taking anti-epidemic measures, which sometimes cause confusion, including among pious people, is not some kind of innovation. We follow in the footsteps of our pious ancestors. And just as the actions they introduced did not arouse suspicion in anyone that the Hierarchy was acting, trying to achieve some undeclared and dangerous goals, so, I hope, today the people treat with confidence all those instructions, which, including I had to do and which are aimed at limiting the very possibility of illness, including through participation in religious services.

Speech by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the IX Parliamentary Meetings in the State Duma of the Russian Federation

On May 18, 2021, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' made a report at the opening of the IX Parliamentary meetings organized in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation within the framework of the XXIX International educational readings “Alexander Nevsky: West and East, the historical memory of the people.”

Dear Vyacheslav Viktorovich! Dear deputies, participants and guests of the Christmas readings! Dear brothers and sisters!

I would like to warmly welcome you all and express my deep satisfaction with the fact that a good tradition is being established, in the context of the Christmas readings, to provide an opportunity for the Patriarch, and not only the Patriarch, to communicate with deputies, to enter into live contact with elected representatives in a business atmosphere people, ask each other questions and hear each other's voices. From a purely organizational point of view, this is perhaps the only such opportunity for the Church, so we appreciate holding Christmas readings, including in the space of our parliament, both the upper and lower houses.

We are all going through a difficult test with a severe infection, which is called a pandemic because it has swept the whole world. Various kinds of epidemics are well known both in the Middle Ages and in other eras - just remember the outbreak of the plague in Europe in the 14th century, and other epidemics dangerous for the inhabitants of a particular region. But, of course, nothing like this has ever happened - the whole world is engulfed in infection, and this is at a time when human civilization realized itself at the pinnacle of progress! We can do everything, we fly God knows where, we have split the atom, we work at the level of molecules and atoms, we do one, two, and three things that would have seemed like absolute fantasy to our predecessors - the pinnacle of human dominance and strength! And suddenly a disease that changes people’s psychology raises not only medical and sanitary questions, but, I think, also philosophical questions.

We are going through a difficult journey in overcoming the challenges associated with the pandemic. In the difficult times of fighting a previously unknown infection, the ability of people to unite in the face of danger and, which causes a positive reaction among many, to selflessly help each other, has acquired particular importance. The suffering of the sick prompted many to perform acts of mercy. In this context, the volunteer movement aimed at providing real support and assistance to sick people has received active development.

Thousands of our brothers and sisters did not stand aside by becoming volunteers. Among them were more than seven thousand Orthodox volunteers who purchased and distributed food and provided other assistance both in Russia and abroad. The Church has opened more than a hundred telephone hotlines for people in need of spiritual support who want to talk to a priest; New church centers have opened to help people in crisis situations or living below the poverty line, and since June last year, more than 50 thousand people have received specific assistance through our humanitarian centers.

The state, including representatives of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, was able to see the potential of volunteer and socially significant activities in a pandemic and support it, for which I express my deep gratitude. Changes made to the law and regulations have allowed many public organizations to receive significant government support for the implementation and development of their initiatives. This helped in the shortest possible time to organize the effective work of hundreds of secular and religious social projects throughout the country, and to find new forms of care for those for whom it is especially difficult these days.

I am convinced that volunteering should not remain just a fire engine for emergencies, but should become a norm of social life. Volunteers are, in my opinion, the vanguard of civil society, people who can demonstrate their commitment to moral ideals through real action. They do not so much declare their political preferences as actually engage in work that is so necessary for the weak, sick, and needy. I think our volunteers are the best examples of social activism. The developing volunteer movements inspire hope, and I consider this an important indicator of the moral state of society. Lately we have all been talking about some kind of moral crisis, and perhaps it is no coincidence, because the symptoms of this phenomenon are obvious, but the trials that we are now going through give us new, more positive information about the moral state of people and society.

Doctors and employees of medical institutions, daily exposed to the risk of infection, experiencing physical and psychological stress, selflessly performed their duty. Honor and praise to them for this ascetic service, which saved thousands of lives! Their example is worthy of imitation and recognition.

I want to emphasize that it is service to one’s neighbor that destroys the fear of illness and does not allow one to fall into despondency and apathy. But this is how it always happens. For example, during military operations, when one protects the other, fear recedes, and even more so there is no apathy. These dangerous mental states - despondency, apathy - can lead a person to the loss of personal freedom and independence, the loss of the ability to do good deeds. Man is social by nature, and the state and society must create all conditions for the realization of this potential. Otherwise, fragmentation increases, and as a consequence - distrust between people, the emergence of various kinds of fears and the weakening of social ties.

Whatever causes anxiety - a pandemic, terrorism, international conflicts, other shocks and trials - we must seek support in active solidarity with each other, which can be an effective remedy against both fear and despondency. Through this kind of action, we find support in our neighbors and, thanks to this support, we ourselves become stronger and freer. The Church calls on people to calmly and soberly evaluate today’s events in the context of the entire history of mankind (in which there have been events worse than the current pandemic) and to make informed and informed decisions without fear, without unnecessary haste and fuss. When a person experiences fear, the Church, following Christ, tells him: “Do not be afraid!” - and strengthens with the words of the apostle: nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:39). Translating into secular language: nothing, no forces can separate us from the highest ideals if we ourselves do not want this excommunication, if we ourselves do not surrender ourselves to temptations and seductions that separate us from the highest values.

I would like to say a few words about Alexander Nevsky, who remains, in my opinion, a relevant example of virtue. It is symbolic that during the year when we continue to overcome the consequences of the pandemic, we celebrated the 800th anniversary of the birth of St. Alexander. Alexander Nevsky lived, as you all know, in very difficult times. But the saint was not afraid, but with faith he did everything in his power, defending his native land from foreign invasions and devastation. The call of the noble prince to always act according to conscience is addressed to us, his descendants. Remembering Saint Alexander, we talk about the high calling of man, about heroism, service to people, strong faith and a living connection with God. Is such a combination of moral ideals possible today? Do we have the opportunity to transform the world around us based on these ideals, including through law?

For several years there has been an active discussion in our country about the possibility of amending the Constitution. If you remember, in 2017, at the beginning of the work of the current VII convocation of the State Duma, speaking from the same podium, I addressed the topic of the cultural and spiritual foundations of our society, those ideological principles that are embedded in the country’s legislation. And today I note with special feeling that the amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation adopted last year create conditions for further improvement of the country’s legislation, taking into account basic traditional values. A spiritual dimension has been introduced into the new Constitution, and this fact itself has, I would say, historical significance.

Thus, one of the most important amendments enshrines the mention of God in the Basic Law, without violating the principles of secularism of the state. The Constitution also proclaims that the Russian Federation is a social state, and this norm of the Basic Law (Article 7) presupposes special attention of the legislative and executive authorities to the topic of social justice, regardless of the party affiliation of its bearers.

It is gratifying that the Basic Law enshrines the values of the traditional family, love of the Fatherland, respect for elders, education and upbringing of children and youth.

It has been repeatedly noted at many high tribunes, including at the United Nations, that the pandemic is particularly aggravating the problem of social inequality and the increasing stratification of society. Experts agree that today the world is on the verge of changes that can upend the usual ideas about life.

The government is called upon to use its available resources to combat poverty. I believe that a good step in this direction is the introduction in Russia of a progressive taxation scale, which began to operate on January 1 of this year and will make it possible to turn part of the excess income in favor of children suffering from rare and serious diseases.

I would like to note the need to develop new measures that can reduce the gap between the incomes of the poor and wealthy citizens of our country. I express the hope that legislative work in this direction will continue and will serve to create a more equitable economic system, so that fluctuations in the global economy have less of an impact on the financial situation of poor Russian families. We must remember that economic instability hits the most financially vulnerable part of the population, and we need to ensure that their basic needs are met, reducing the gap between rich and poor that creates harmful divisions in society and undermines people's trust in government and in each other.

A few words about digitalization. Today in our country a lot of work is being done to master new technologies and digital transformation of a number of areas of public life. Any technology that so radically changes people’s lives undoubtedly requires public discussion, including total digitalization.

I would like to remind you that the Church views public administration as a sphere of relations between people, in which technology cannot replace a person in power. Digitalization of public administration cannot turn power into a soulless technical algorithm. The final decision on any matter, starting with a simple technical public service, should always remain with a living person, and not with a high-tech machine.

In laws approving new technological principles, it is necessary to take into account the interests and rights of those of our fellow citizens who refuse to use any electronic systems. There are quite a lot of such people in our country. Cases of leakage of personal data on the Internet only increase public concern, as they indicate our great vulnerability. We see the state’s readiness to take into account the opinions of those who are not ready to accept new technologies as generally binding, including those that provide services to broad sections of society.

It is important to prevent discrimination that arises on the principle of “if you don’t want to use new technology, a vital public service will not be provided.” This approach will inevitably lead to the exclusion of a person from the opportunity to conduct professional activities or receive material benefits if he does not fully agree with the conditions for their provision. For those who value the right to confidentiality and privacy and do not want to make personal information the subject of commercial analysis and bargaining, this is an important issue. I ask legislators to pay attention to the concerns expressed. I would like to especially emphasize that our concern is not specifically religiously motivated, but lies in the area of human rights.

What I just said is no longer perceived as critically as it was a year or two ago. Because we are already beginning to see that the total inclusion of digital technologies in human life can indeed have a dangerous downside. This does not mean that you need to tell the machines “stop” and go smash new technologies in the literal or figurative sense of the word. But this means that the state, primarily the legislative branch, should not lose control from all those consequences that will undoubtedly take place in the life of society in the conditions of total digitalization.

Now a few words about protecting the lives of unborn children. As you know, the topic is controversial, hot, problematic, and the Church is criticized for its position. But, nevertheless, I would dare to once again draw the attention of legislators to it.

The large number of deaths as a result of coronavirus infection has once again forced us to think about the value of human life and the limits of the current ability to save people in a pandemic. I must say that there is some moral deficiency in the approach when we mourn the victims of the disease, but are indifferent to abortions, which did not stop at all during the pandemic. I would like to draw your attention to the data of the World Health Organization: 40-50 million abortions are performed annually in the world, but these statistics only speak about legally performed abortion operations. There is also a significant decline in Russia's population: last year it fell by more than half a million people; and accessible abortions have made a terrible contribution to this situation. Abortion, unfortunately, is still in the status of “free medical care” - I put these words in quotation marks. We will never agree with this. No less immoral, of course, is the creation of an environment of indifference towards pregnant women, who are often forced to have an abortion.

The Church values dialogue with the state on this issue and joint efforts to increase the education of young people about the psychological and physical consequences of termination of pregnancy. We understand that it is quite difficult to solve this problem at once by cutting the Gordian knot, but it is important to at least outline a clear strategy, the goal of which would be a complete rejection of government funding of abortions for non-medical reasons.

I would like to dwell on the criticism that fell upon me after I made a similar statement while visiting the State Duma last time. They began to object: “What does it mean to withdraw from insurance? So they’ll go to their grandmothers to have an abortion, and how will that turn out?!” Listen, do grandmothers perform abortions for free, taking all the risks? Of course, they take money, but it is still unknown whether it is more or less than what the state takes. Therefore, fears that the removal of this “service” from compulsory insurance will lead to an increase in the number of illegal abortions are absolutely illogical. We urge you to call a spade a spade and not condone evil within the framework of medical guarantees and government insurance programs that exist at taxpayers' expense. Pregnancy is not an insurance event and not a mistake of nature. Man is given by the Creator an incomparable opportunity to be a participant in the miracle of the origin of life.

Thus, it is important to further develop the support system for pregnant women, each of whom must be confident that she is doing a great job by giving a new life.

I would like to talk about family values. The inclusion in the Constitution of a definition of family and marriage as a union of a man and a woman affirms the inviolability of these social institutions. I consider this amendment to be one of the most important, since until now there was not even a definition of family in the code of laws of our country. In its current form, the Constitution contains powerful potential for reforming the entire body of family legislation and establishing the principles of national conservation. We are already seeing attempts to improve the legislative framework taking into account these principles, but they need to be continued.

I am convinced that the availability of the so-called services of Russian surrogate mothers for foreigners does not correspond to the task of saving the people. Given that surrogacy itself is not blessed by the Church, the use of motherhood “for export” is all the more immoral. It is immoral to sell women’s parental potential abroad when we see a decline in the population of our country. I urge the State Duma to put a limit on the use of the “service” of surrogacy for foreigners, and also to think about limiting this phenomenon in Russia. After all, in our country it destroys family unity and becomes a form of exploitation of needy women.

I would like to note that in matters of changing the norms of family legislation, a public consensus is needed, based, first of all, on the opinion of families with children. I am deeply convinced that any interference in family life, attempts to regulate by law the relations between spouses, parents and children are extremely dangerous. Caused by good intentions, careless and hasty actions of third parties in family conflicts can lead to the breakdown of families, aggravation of the problem of social orphanhood, and the formation in society of an unhealthy attitude towards marriage as an obviously temporary union of two narcissistic egoists.

Last time I talked about the need for a law on the status of large families. It is difficult to understand why this topic always receives support, but there is still no law. Today the state provides such families with significant financial support, however, due to the lack of a unified approach, their situation in different regions differs, and therefore the parent community has been pushing for the development and adoption of a separate law for many years. I hope that this topic will be in the focus of attention of legislators and will receive a decision in the near future.

I call on the Russian authorities, legislators and all well-intentioned social forces to work together on the problems identified today, and, perhaps, on other pressing topics that often arise completely unexpectedly, presenting a challenge to both the individual and society. We live in an era when it depends on us whether a person will be a participant in Divine creativity, whether he will find reasonable limits of consumption, or whether he will become a slave to his passions and an object of the use of technology, and this largely depends on the initiative and determination of those in power. I testify that the Church invariably counts on dialogue and cooperation with you and those who will take the path of lawmaking following the results of the next electoral cycle.

I wish you all good health, wisdom, prudence and God's generous help in your further work for the benefit of our beloved Fatherland. Thank you for your attention, and may God's blessing be with you all. Thank you.

About Covid dissidents and the Christian attitude to the Covid challenge

— The coronavirus, of course, has made titanic changes in our usual way of life. And society was divided: someone lost their bearings, began to panic, generally avoid people, fearing to get infected and die; and such a term as Covid-dissidents appeared - these people completely ignore all sanitary standards. Your Holiness, what should be the Christian attitude towards the coronavirus challenge, so to speak?

“Now the Christmas days are coming, and on the Christmas holiday we will listen to the following words in church: “We will not be afraid of your fear, we will be embarrassed.” There should be no fear. Fear is generally a very negative feeling. Fear fetters a person and can often completely enslave him and deprive him of freedom of action. Therefore, fear is a completely negative concept, with the exception of such a very important concept as the fear of God. But the fear of God is not an emotional fear, but an awareness of moral responsibility for one’s actions in the face of God.

Therefore, calling for people to be afraid, for panic to arise due to the spread of this disease, is a completely wrong way. What should you do? Of course, we need to educate people, instill in them a way of thinking and a way of acting that would minimize the possibility of infection. But even in this case, turning to believers, I would like to say: you should not tempt the Lord your God, as it is said in the commandments. Some people think: I am a believer, I have received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, I came to church with good intentions, nothing should bother me, no infection will touch me. But in exactly the same way the Lord responded to the temptation of the devil when he invited Him to throw himself down from the roof of the Jerusalem Temple in order to prove His Divinity, His Divine power without breaking. What did the Lord answer? “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” Therefore, none of the sincerely believing people can ever tempt the Lord, claiming: since I am a believer, since I went to the temple, since I venerated the shrine, I will definitely not get sick.

Let this gospel example help us understand that the temptation of the Lord is the desire of a sinful person for the Lord to follow our, excuse me, bad logic. It is impossible to attract the Almighty of the world to participate in our small, often very wrong, and sometimes simply bad actions.

That life and health are a gift from God

— Your Holiness, remember how, even during the first wave of the pandemic, with your blessing, services in churches were held with a minimum number of people, there were only clergy, a choir, and employees. In your opinion, did this experience leave any trauma for both the clergy and the flock? After all, the churches of the Russian Orthodox Church have in fact always been open to everyone - and what if this happens?

— I’ll tell you about something purely personal. For me, it was accompanied by real trauma and a very difficult experience by the need to urge people - publicly, through television - not to visit God's temples. My whole life, I have already spoken about this, is devoted to, on the contrary, inviting people to churches, bringing people to churches, leading people to God. There is no other goal in my life...

...And now the Patriarch is forced to say: don’t go to churches. It was even hard, you know, not just morally, spiritually, it was physically hard to say these words. But I was helped by the example of the Venerable Mary of Egypt, the great ascetic of the 5th century, who went into the desert and lived her entire life, decades, in the desert, without visiting the temple, and became a great saint, a servant of God. That is, in some extreme conditions, not visiting the temple is possible, but what should not happen? Failure to attend church should not weaken our faith, lower the level of our churching, and even more so undermine the moral foundations of Christian life. Now, if, along with not going to church, we cease to be good Christians, or even simply cease to be Christians, this is a great sin. Well, to endure, to wait out that period of time when visiting church can be accompanied by very dangerous consequences for health is also the duty of a Christian. He must preserve himself for further good deeds, and for helping his neighbors, and in general preserve his life, because caring for life is an indispensable duty of every person. This is why suicide is an unforgivable sin. Life and health are a gift from God, and man himself bears responsibility for this gift. Therefore, any action that can destroy human life, undermine health, if this action is a derivative of our good or, in this case, evil will, is undoubtedly a sin.

Achilles

Patriarch Kirill today made a report in Moscow at the World Russian People's Council, of which he is the chairman.

In his speech, the Patriarch called on the Russian people to rally around the Russian Orthodox Church in connection with threats from “all centers of world influence”:

“They are asking us to stand, not to waver, to continue this independent line of preserving the unity of universal Orthodoxy, and most importantly, preserving the spiritual independence of the Russian Orthodox Church from all centers of world influence. Believe me, this is a very difficult task. The Church does not have an army, the Church does not even have enough material resources to (...) create spiritual defense. That is why we call on all people to be with our Church.”

The powerful of this world, the patriarch is sure, have taken up arms against the Russian Church and are trying to tear the Orthodox Greek world away from it, because the calling of the Russian Orthodox Church has always been to be a stronghold of the faith, traditions and culture of Orthodoxy in “their intact form”:

“We have certain reliable information that everything that is happening today in world Orthodoxy is not an accident, it is not just some kind of whim of one or another religious figure who has simply lost his mind, one might say. This is the implementation of a very specific plan, which pursues two goals: firstly, to tear Russia away from the Greek world, and the Greek world from Russia, because in the minds of the attackers, and I can’t call these strategists otherwise, the Russian Church appears to them as some kind of soft power , through which Russia influences the world around us,” noted Patriarch Kirill.

Russia's spiritual gifts, which it wishes to share with the rest of the world, are opposed by those who seek to weaken, if not destroy, the role that Russia plays. And the story of the Ukrainian split “is something that is not declared, but which is the main goal of those behind-the-scenes forces that unleashed these schismatic tendencies,” the patriarch emphasized.

“The Russian Church should neither disappear, nor weaken, nor divide - it has no right to do this. She must maintain her unity, her spiritual strength, and she must be together with her people, but for this the people must be with the Church,” the patriarch said and called on the media to cover this topic in “prime time” as one of the most important.

Illustration: painting by Vasya Lozhkin “Russians listen to the speech of Patriarch Kirill and prepare to rally around”

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About the heroes of the pandemic

“It seems to me that we should be grateful to the pandemic for the fact that it showed the world completely new heroes. Very modest, previously unnoticed people who never attracted our attention. These are, naturally, doctors, volunteers, and clergy. Those people who, probably even now, when we are talking to you, are working somewhere in the “red” zone. What would you say to these people who, without sparing their lives, are on the front line in the fight against infection?

“I feel a sense of sincere gratitude and joy that the wonderful tradition of sacrificial service for the good and health of the lives of others is preserved in the lives of modern people, including young people. After all, if you remember the epidemics of the past, names such as Dr. Haaz, Dr. Pirogov are truly amazing examples of how, in times when there were no such powerful drugs as now, doctors went to the sick. Pirogov visited terminally ill people 16 times - and this was the plague - and did not become infected, the Lord protected him. And the fact that today our volunteers and especially our doctors and medical staff, risking their lives, their health, carry out their duty with such enthusiasm, boldness, without any whining, without any demands “no, you give us this and that” , because we do such important things,” all this meets with deep gratitude from the people. And in my heart there is both gratitude and joy, because at a difficult moment in our lives there were many people capable of heroism and sacrifice. And as long as our people have this, we will truly be invincible, because victory is always associated with sacrifice.

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Published: 02 February 2009 11:16:35

On February 1, Bishop Kirill addressed the Orthodox world with his first word as the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The word of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia after his enthronement on February 1, 2009 in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
Your Beatitudes, Primates and representatives of the Holy Churches of God! Dear Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation! Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation! Dear heads and representatives of states, whose Orthodox peoples reside in the bosom of the Moscow Patriarchate, representatives of other countries! Your Eminence Brother Archpastors! All-honorable fathers, mother abbess, dear brothers and sisters in Christ!

By the will of the Holy Spirit and the members of the Local Council of our Church, I was now unworthy, elevated by my brothers to the throne of the Patriarchs of Moscow and All Rus' and from their hands received signs of patriarchal dignity. Your prayers, your kind faces will guide me today before the start of the Patriarchal mission, which can be neither easy nor unhindered. The Lord and the Church place a heavy cross on me, the bearing of which requires complete dedication and complete dedication of myself to the service to which I have now been called through being seated three times on the Patriarchal throne. It is no coincidence that the great paraman is placed on the shoulders of the Patriarch - a symbol of renunciation of everything that is not patriarchal service, a symbol of readiness to be faithful to God to the end, through surrendering oneself to obedience to His will in the image of the One who “humbled himself, becoming obedient even to death, and death on the cross” (Phil. 2:8).

There is not and cannot be anything personal or private in the life of the Patriarch: he himself and his whole life belong without reserve to God and the Church, his heart aches for the people of God, especially for those who have fallen away from church unity and who have not yet found faith. Patriarchal service is a special spiritual feat. This feat cannot be accomplished alone or with the support of a limited circle of like-minded people. The entire episcopate, the entirety of the Church with all the diversity of talents inherent in its members, is involved in this feat through prayerful communication and conciliar work.

Therefore, realizing my unworthiness, with great inner trembling I now ascend to the high patriarchal place, humbly committing myself to prayerful intercession before the throne of God to my holy predecessors, the hierarchs of Kyiv and Moscow. My mental gaze also turns to the Most Holy Primates of our Church, especially to those who have carried out this ministry in modern times, starting with the saint and confessor Tikhon and ending with the ever-memorable His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II.

The Patriarch is the guardian of the internal unity of the Church and, together with his fellow episcopates, the guardian of the purity of the faith. I take it as a special sign from God that the Patriarchal enthronement is taking place today, on the day of remembrance of St. Mark of Ephesus, the daring defender and champion of the Orthodox faith. The task of the Patriarch is to prevent differences of opinion, which, according to the words of the Apostle, “must be” (1 Cor. 11:19), from developing into schisms, disorder and false teachings. The patriarch must take care that each individual in all his uniqueness finds his place in the church body and, at the same time, that differences of opinion do not violate the spirit of love and do not weaken the common efforts to build the house of God. “In the main thing there is unity, in the secondary thing there is freedom, in everything there is love,” these words of St. Vincent of Lerins must remain the guiding principle of church life.

The Patriarch is the defender of the external canonical boundaries of the Church

. This service takes on special significance in the situation that arose after the formation of independent states in the space of “historical Rus'”. Respecting their sovereignty and caring for the good of each of these states, the Patriarch is at the same time called upon to take care of the preservation and strengthening of spiritual ties between the peoples inhabiting them in the name of preserving the system of values that the united Orthodox civilization of Holy Rus' presents to the world.

The Patriarch’s special concern will be the church preaching of spiritual and moral ideals in relation to the realities of modern life. The testimony of the truth and beauty of Orthodoxy can be accepted and assimilated only when people clearly understand the meaning of this testimony for their personal, family and social life and learn to connect the eternal Divine words with the realities of everyday life, with its worries, joys and sorrows.

Connecting the Orthodox faith and evangelical morality with the everyday thoughts, aspirations and hopes of people means helping them answer the most complex ideological and ethical questions of our time. Faith will become understandable and really in demand, despite all the multiplicity and contradictory views and beliefs existing in society, when a person realizes and deeply feels the undoubted correctness and power of the message that God Himself conveys to people through His Revelation. Human thought and human word cannot be stronger than the word of God. And if this obvious truth does not become obvious to many people, then this only means that the beauty and persuasiveness of the Divine Word is darkened by what today we call the “human factor.”

The Church's witness to the world involves not only preaching from the pulpit, but an open, friendly and interested dialogue in which both sides speak and listen. Through such dialogue, the truths of faith become at least understandable, because they come into creative and living contact with the thoughts and beliefs of people. The Church enriches itself through such dialogue with the knowledge of what modern man is like with his way of thinking and questions to the Church.

Such dialogue also promotes greater mutual understanding between people of different views and beliefs, including religious beliefs, and contributes to the strengthening of civil peace and harmony in our societies and states. Within the framework of benevolent dialogue and cooperation on a constitutional basis, church-state relations should develop, serving the good of the Church and the state, serving the good of the people.

The Primate of each Local Church is called upon, together with his brethren from other Churches, to take care of the unity of Ecumenical Orthodoxy. Thanks for the joint prayer of the First Hierarchs present here and representatives of the Holy Orthodox Churches, I testify that I will always be open to dialogue with the Sister Churches and to joint efforts that would help us strengthen and improve pan-Orthodox cooperation and achieve greater coordination of pastoral and missionary efforts.

The subject of our special concern will be the youth, who today are in especially dire need of spiritual guidance. In an era of moral relativism, when the propaganda of violence and debauchery steals the souls of young people, we cannot calmly wait for young people to turn to Christ: we must meet young people halfway - no matter how difficult it may be for us, people of the middle and older generations, - helping them gain faith in God and the meaning of life, and with this the awareness of what true human happiness is.

A strong personality, a close-knit and large family, a solidary society - all this is a consequence of the way of thinking and the way of life that stems from sincere and deep faith.

Our Christian duty is to care for the suffering, the orphans, the poor, the disabled, the elderly, the prisoners, the homeless: anyone we can help find hope. The voice of the Church must also become the voice of the weak and powerless, seeking justice.

We have many difficult works ahead of us. And now I remember the sacred covenants of the first and fifteenth Patriarchs. “It is a good deed to decorate and erect churches,” wrote Saint Patriarch Job, “but if at the same time we defile ourselves with passions, then God will not spare either us or our churches.” “A new Rus' will rise, as has happened more than once, from the ashes and from the abyss of sin - a Rus' that has given the world many ascetics of faith and piety, a Rus' that builds churches in cities, towns and hearts, a Rus' that shines throughout the world with truth and love, a holy Rus' " God grant that these inspired words of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II become prophetic.

I sincerely thank everyone who has gathered here for prayer. I hope that your prayerful support, as well as intercession for me before the God of the entire Church, will never dry up. To all the archpastors, shepherds and children of our Church I address the holy words of the Apostle Paul: “Brethren, rejoice, be perfected, be comforted, be of the same mind, be peaceful, and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Cor. 13:11). Amen.

Risks of universal digitalization: why the Church is against total control over a person

— Your Holiness, very often you say that there are many potential risks from universal digitalization in our lives; and now the Holy Synod in its message noted the concern of Christians, and not only Christians, that distance education may remain with us forever after the pandemic. What areas and areas of digitalization do you think require special consideration?

— I will not talk about digitalization in principle, but would like to talk about individual applications of digital technologies. Digital technologies can create tools that provide total control over a person. Nothing like this could have happened in the past. Human thought and technical civilization have today reached a level where, by introducing digital technologies, it is possible to ensure total control over the human personality. Not just observing a person, but controlling human behavior. The book of the Apocalypse says that the coming of the Antichrist will be accompanied by total control over man. These words are not used there, but from the content it is absolutely clear that we are talking about the ability to completely control human behavior. It says that the seal of the Antichrist will be placed on a person’s forehead, and without this seal it will be impossible to buy, sell, or participate in any social relations - the person will be doomed to death.

- What if this person himself is glad to be so “worldwide observed”? Like now with a smartphone - look at the possibilities, from geolocation to all the photos... And people go for it themselves.

- In fact of the matter. The devil appears not in the form of a villain, an immortal god, but in the form of an angel of light; and the coming of the Antichrist into the world will be accompanied by the appearance of an amazing person who, by his intellectual power, by the power of his influence on people, will be able to lead humanity out of the crises in which it has found itself. This person will suggest: in order for all crime to disappear from our lives, let us be guided by the fact that every person has some kind of key to everything that he needs. For example, it could be a card - you swipe it and get access to food, access to education, and if this card is not there, then everything is lost. We are now discussing that the development of digital technologies is arming humanity with the ability to exercise total control over the individual. I gave the example of the Apocalypse and the Antichrist in order to convince those people who, perhaps, have not yet thought about it, that the maximum development of total control over a person means slavery, and everything will depend on who will be the master over these slaves. This is why the Church is categorically against the use of digital technologies to ensure total control over the human person.

About distance education

— Let’s hope that at least distance education will be canceled and full-time education will return to our lives...

— Well, distance education is not the worst thing there is. Of course, now there is a need to prevent a large number of students from contracting a dangerous infection. But distance education has other negative consequences - not the apocalyptic ones I spoke about, but closer ones. For example, when people learn outside of communication with others, I think this is also very dangerous. Because a child is formed in a family, a student is formed in a team, in communication with professors, teachers, his comrades, friends. Therefore, placing a person in artificial isolation can undoubtedly negatively affect his formation.

Fun is an external emotion. And joy is a state of mind. The Lord sends this joy. And I wish to keep this joy in my heart for as long as possible

Conflict in Karabakh: the importance of religious dialogue without gnashing of teeth

— Your Holiness, everyone knows that for a long time you have been taking part in the peace process between Baku and Yerevan, and you are doing this together with the religious leaders of both Azerbaijan and Armenia. Now there is a conflict, a new escalation of the conflict in Karabakh; thank God, now our peacekeepers are there. What are the prospects, will there be peace as you think?

“I have hope that there will be peace, and I start from the position of the church and religious authorities of both Armenia, Karabakh, and Azerbaijan. You know that the Russian Church initiated a discussion of the Karabakh problem with the participation of the Catholicos of All Armenians and with the participation of the Supreme Mufti, the Supreme Muslim leader of Azerbaijan Pasha-zade. We held several rounds of such negotiations and agreed on a lot. And I think the main result of these negotiations is that the two religious leaders, behind whom the majority of the people stand, spoke to each other, and this conversation was very calm in the sense that there were no accusations, no tension. Although everyone had their own arguments and these arguments were honestly expressed, they were not accompanied by what is called gnashing of teeth, when emotions overwhelm and when the dialogue turns almost into a verbal battle. Nothing like this has ever happened, and this happened because it is the religious leaders who bear full responsibility for the spiritual state of their people. What is a spiritual state? Which force will prevail - the force of peace, love, tranquility or the force of evil - people’s behavior will depend on this.

Therefore, the role of religious leaders is important - we do not exaggerate it, but we also do not underestimate it. And during these negotiations, very specific results were achieved - the exchange of prisoners, the non-use of religious symbols, religious phraseology, religious motivation in order to inspire the warring parties. By removing the religious factor from this confrontation, we, of course, significantly reduced the possible degree of this conflict with all the ensuing consequences. Therefore, without exaggerating the role of religious leaders, in no case should this role be ignored.

The Russian Church is also ready to participate in this process in order to make its peacekeeping contribution to the solution of a very difficult problem, which, unfortunately, at the moment could only be stopped by the presence of Russian peacekeepers. May God grant that the peacemaking potential of religions replaces the presence of people with weapons that divide the warring sides.

Russian Orthodox Church

Dear Vyacheslav Viktorovich! Dear deputies, participants and guests of the Christmas readings! Dear brothers and sisters!

It is gratifying that the Basic Law enshrines the values of the traditional family, love of the Fatherland, respect for elders, education and upbringing of children and youth.

Thus, it is important to further develop the support system for pregnant women, each of whom must be confident that she is doing a great job by giving a new life.

Press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

About Phanar: Phanar made not a mistake, but a crime under political pressure from “one of the superpowers”

— You have already mentioned the Maidan, after which a deep social split occurred within Ukraine itself. But then a church schism followed - in time, of course, the Phanar in Istanbul made a fuss, and off it went... Now we see how deep the schism in the Church is. In general, what do you think, Your Holiness, is it possible and how to achieve Orthodox unity?

“Phanar did not make a mistake, but committed a crime, I say this with bitterness. From other people's thoughts and other people's words, the Patriarch of Constantinople did what he did. It is no coincidence that I emphasize: from strangers, because I have information that Patriarch Bartholomew was under pressure from a powerful political force associated with one of the superpowers. His situation in Turkey, we know, is very difficult and difficult. We always pray for the Patriarch of Constantinople, understanding that it is not easy for him to carry out his patriarchal service. But, nevertheless, at some point - I don’t want to teach my fellow man anything, but at some point, perhaps, you need to gain strength in order to say “no” to the most powerful forces. I think Patriarch Bartholomew did not say this and joined the conflict. What was the logic of those who stood behind Patriarch Bartholomew, who, in fact, inspired this conflict? And the logic was to tear Russia, Orthodox Russia, away from Orthodox brothers and sisters in the Mediterranean, in the Middle East. Because, in the opinion of these strategists, Orthodoxy played and plays too large a role in the formation of a spiritual, cultural community and, without breaking Orthodox ties, it was impossible to destroy this spiritual community by some external factors. Therefore, the plan is simple: to tear the Russian Church away from the Orthodox in Greece, the Arab world, and the Middle East, so that Orthodoxy becomes weaker.

— So there will still be attempts?

— Attempts will continue. Again, I don’t want to utter any criticism of my brother in Constantinople, but, undoubtedly, everything that happened later in Constantinople, in Istanbul, testified to God’s punishment. Patriarch Bartholomew brought the schismatics into the Kyiv shrine, into the Kyiv Sophia, and lost the Sophia of Constantinople - it became a mosque. So I would like people to think about what happened. You took away Saint Sophia in Kiev from the Orthodox people, from the Orthodox Church, you entered there and brought schismatics there, and you lost your own Sophia... I think it is difficult to imagine the more obvious consequences emanating from God’s command, and the consequences came immediately, because that the sin was too great. Well, we must all get out of this together. We need to pray for each other, at least in personal prayers, if this is now difficult in worship, since we do not commemorate the Patriarch of Constantinople in diptychs. But we need to pray for each other and do everything to ensure that this crisis in Orthodoxy, imposed from the outside, passes as quickly as possible. The Russian Church is ready to go its part of the way in order to achieve this goal.

Patriarch Kirill voiced five important church and public issues before the State Duma

Estimated reading time: 5 min.

On May 18, 2021, speaking in the State Duma of Russia at the opening of the IX Parliamentary meetings organized as part of the XXIX International Educational Readings, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill voiced to the deputies the five most important topics that concern the Church and Russian society as a whole today.

Development of the volunteer system

The primate noted that against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, the volunteer movement, both church and national, showed itself even stronger and brighter than before.

– Thousands of our brothers and sisters did not stand aside, becoming volunteers. Among them were more than seven thousand Orthodox volunteers who purchased and distributed food and provided other assistance, both in Russia and abroad, said His Holiness.

At the same time, he said that the Church has opened more than 100 hotlines for people in need, new church assistance centers, and since June 2020, more than 50 thousand people have received specific assistance through church humanitarian centers.

In this regard, the First Hierarch expressed the conviction that “volunteering should not remain just a fire engine for emergencies, but is called upon to become a norm of public life.”

– Volunteers are, in my opinion, the vanguard of civil society, people who can demonstrate their commitment to moral ideals through real action. They do not so much declare their political preferences as actually engage in work that is so necessary for the weak, sick, and needy,” summarized the Primate of the Russian Church.

Photo: Sergey Vlasov/foto.patriarchia.ru

Fighting poverty and supporting the poor

One of the most important tasks for the state today, according to Patriarch Kirill, is the fight against poverty and support for the poor.

“I believe that a good step in this direction is the introduction in Russia of a progressive taxation scale, which began to operate on January 1 of this year and will make it possible to turn part of the excess income in favor of children suffering from rare and serious diseases,” His Holiness noted.

At the same time, Patriarch Kirill considers it necessary to “develop new measures that can reduce the gap between the incomes of low-income and wealthy citizens.”

Calling for continued legislation in this area, the First Hierarch recalled that “the gap between rich and poor... introduces harmful divisions into society and undermines people’s trust in the authorities and in each other.”

Photo: priest Igor Palkin/foto.patriarchia.ru

Digitalization issues

The issue of developing personal control technologies and in particular digitalization, according to His Holiness the Patriarch, is also very important.

The primate emphasized that “any technology that... radically changes people’s lives undoubtedly requires public discussion, including total digitalization.”

– Digitalization of public administration cannot turn power into a soulless technical algorithm. The final decision on any matter, starting with a simple technical public service, should always remain with a living person, and not with a high-tech machine, the Primate of the Church noted in this regard.

Pointing to the fact that technologies are developing faster and more people are beginning to use them, His Holiness emphasized that “it is necessary to take into account the interests and rights of those of our fellow citizens who refuse to use any electronic systems.”

– It is important to prevent discrimination that arises on the principle “if you don’t want to use new technology, a vital public service will not be provided.” Such an approach will inevitably lead to a person being cut off from the opportunity to conduct professional activities or receive material benefits if he does not fully agree with the conditions for their provision,” said the head of the Russian Church.

In this regard, he asked legislators to “pay attention to the concerns expressed,” especially emphasizing that the Church’s concerns here “are not specifically religiously motivated, but lie in the area of human rights.”

Photo: priest Igor Palkin/foto.patriarchia.ru

And again about abortion

Once again, His Holiness the Patriarch particularly focused on the topic of abortion and the protection of the lives of unborn children.

The primate cited statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), according to which 40-50 million legal abortions are performed annually in the world, excluding illegal ones. In Russia, His Holiness added, in 2021 alone the population has decreased by more than half a million people - “and affordable abortions have made a terrible contribution to this situation.”

– Abortion, unfortunately, is still in the status of “free medical care” – I put these words in quotation marks. We will never agree with this. No less immoral, of course, is creating an environment of indifference towards pregnant women, who are often forced to have an abortion,” the patriarch said.

As the Primate noted, the Church understands that the problem of abortion cannot be solved overnight, however, “it is important to at least outline a clear strategy, the goal of which would be a complete rejection of state funding of abortions not for medical reasons.”

In addition, the head of the Russian Church emphasized, it is also important to further develop the system of support for pregnant women, “each of whom must be sure that she is doing a great thing, giving a new life.”

Photo: Sergey Vlasov/foto.patriarchia.ru

True family protection

The last important topic was the protection of the family, in particular the issues of surrogacy, family law, and the status of large families.

Recalling that “surrogacy itself is not blessed by the Church,” the High Hierarch added that “the use of motherhood “for export” is even more immoral.”

“It is immoral to sell the parental potential of women abroad when we see a decline in the population of our country,” said His Holiness.

In this regard, the Primate of the Russian Church called on the State Duma to “put a limit on the use of the “service” of surrogacy for foreigners, and also to think about limiting this phenomenon in Russia,” noting that within the country this phenomenon “destroys family unity and becomes a form of exploitation of women in need.” .

Regarding attempts by the state to interfere in the life of the family, His Holiness noted that “attempts to regulate by law the relations between spouses, parents and children are extremely dangerous.”

“Careless and hasty actions of third parties in family conflicts, caused by good intentions, can lead to the breakdown of families, aggravation of the problem of social orphanhood, and the formation in society of an unhealthy attitude towards marriage as an obviously temporary union of two narcissistic egoists,” says Patriarch Kirill.

As for the status of large families, the Primate stated that “this topic always receives support, but there is still no law.”

At the same time, the First Hierarch said that the parent community “has been pushing for the development and adoption of a separate law” on a unified approach to material support for families with many children for many years. In this regard, Patriarch Kirill expressed the hope that “this topic will be the focus of attention of legislators and will receive its decision in the near future.”

About fun and joy: why the state of the soul is more important than external emotions

— Your Holiness, I really would like to end this interview on a festive Christmas note, although, of course, this year we will have both New Year and Christmas without mass celebrations for obvious reasons, for the sake of epidemiological safety, we will all be deprived of big and noisy holidays . But how can you not lose this joy, which traditionally goes beyond the boundaries of divine services, in your own heart? How to be festive?

- In general, the holiday is accompanied by the manifestation of two emotions - fun and joy. It would seem that they are the same thing, but this is not at all the case.

- How are they different?

— Fun is an external emotion. So a man said something funny, and people laughed, they were having fun. And joy is a state of mind. When we partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, no one makes us happy, but we leave the church with joy in our hearts. When we do good deeds, when volunteers sacrifice their time and risk their health to do good deeds, they have joy in their hearts, but not joy. Fun is formed in response to funny programs on television, in response to various funny stories - well, God forbid, let people laugh, have fun, but let's remember that the fun will pass very quickly. They turned off the TV, put out the lights, the feast ended, and the fun ended. But it is important to keep joy in the heart, because joy is a gift from God. The joy I am talking about cannot be formed by any external factors - neither cultural, nor scientific, nor business; this state is formed by the power of God’s grace, which is poured out not only on Orthodox people and not even only on believers. In response to all the good that people do, even in response to their good thoughts, in response to their willingness to give up what darkened their hearts and brought sorrow to others, the Lord sends this joy. I wish to keep this Christmas, Divine joy in my heart for as long as possible.

- Thank you very much, Your Holiness.