21st World Russian People's Council speeches. The XXI World Russian People's Council was held in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
In Moscow, in the Hall of Church Councils of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and with the participation of many hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, spiritual leaders of traditional religions of Russia, state and public figures, the XXI World Russian People's Council was held.
One of the key church and public events of the year was dedicated to the theme “Russia in the 21st century: historical experience and development prospects”, directly related to the 100th anniversary of the Russian tragedy of 1917, which became a turning point in all Russian history, and, despite the past decades, to still not fully comprehended by all of us.
Opening the Council, Patriarch Kirill noted with pain that the seeds of hatred sown a century ago are sprouting again in a slightly different form.
“It is difficult to deny that the revolution was a tragedy. A fratricidal civil war, the death and expulsion of millions of people, huge losses in the spiritual and economic spheres. The worst thing is that during the revolutionary struggle, the seeds of hatred and evil were sown in the souls of people. And today we can observe with pain how the same hatred is being revived in different parts of the modern world: both in distant countries and among nearby peoples, among our brothers...” said Patriarch Kirill.
In today's conditions, we are faced with slightly different forms of destructive ideologies than at the beginning of the 20th century, but all of them are directly related to the beginning of a social split. And it is no coincidence that Alexander Solzhenitsyn also said that the revolutionary turmoil of a century ago has its origins in much deeper historical layers, when, largely at the instigation of the West, the Russian people first became divided among themselves.
“If we return to the deep thought of Alexander Isaevich Solzhenitsyn thatXVII century gave birth to 1917, then, of course, for us, Old Believers, this is a very close topic, a discussion of the path that turned Russia to the West. And the 37th year of the last century confirmed this: on the same Solovki, where the persecution of the Old Believers began three and a half centuries ago, in the 20th century the Lord again showed us that this path is a dead end, a bloody path...”, believes Primate of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, Metropolitan Korniliy (Titov).
The thoughts of Alexander Solzhenitsyn were heard more than once during the last Council. Thus, many council members are convinced: for a repentant understanding of the tragedies of the past and the revival of Russian national unity in the present, Solzhenitsyn’s principle of “not living by lies” is very important for us.
The chairman of the Synodal Missionary Department of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan John (Popov), spoke about this:
“First of all, you need to tell the truth. The truth, no matter how bitter or inconvenient it may be. And because we are able to tell this truth: about ourselves, about the relationships that exist in our society, the education of the younger generation, and therefore the future of Russia, will depend on this truth.”
Today, when we see the unity of such diverse representatives of our society within the framework of the same World Russian People's Council, there is hope that previous tragic civil confrontations are already a thing of the past, and despite our differences, we have learned to at least listen to each other.
“In many ways, the split is an imposed topic, a topic that is actively used by our pseudo-liberal opposition and the Western media to keep Russia in a state of eternal civil war. I believe that we, Russian Orthodox people, have enough strength to treat all lessons with love - both tragic and victorious lessonsXX century, to develop a universal synthesis of solutions to our problems and our historical tasks inXXI century" - said the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Affairs of Public Associations and Religious Organizations Sergei Gavrilov.
Indeed, as His Holiness Patriarch Kirill has said more than once, today it is extremely important for us to strive in solidarity for the future based on the best traditions of the past. And today, during the past World Russian People’s Council, the Primate’s thought sounded as a very important refrain: “The image of the future is the image of the people and the image of the elite, who have achieved complementarity.” And if the Russian elite is fully aware of Russian national interests and its responsibility for the country, we will no longer be afraid of any civil confrontations.
Plenary session of the XXI World Russian People's Council on the topic “Russia in the XXI century: historical experience and development prospects.”
Present on the presidium of the Council were: Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation V.V. Volodin, Patriarchal Vicar of the Moscow Diocese, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna, Managing Director of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Barsanuphius of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, First Deputy Administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate, Deputy Head of the VRNS, Bishop Savva of the Resurrection, Chairman of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation V.D. Zorkin, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation N.V. Fedorov, First Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation S.V. Kiriyenko, Chairman of the Writers' Union of Russia, Deputy Head of the VRNS V.N. Ganichev, Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation V.A. Kolokoltsev, Russian Federation Minister for Civil Defense, Emergency Situations and Disaster Relief V.A. Puchkov, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations of the Church with Society and the Media V.R. Legoyda, head of the Federal Agency for Nationalities I.V. Barinov, Head of the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science S.S. Kravtsov, Governor of the Moscow Region A.Yu. Vorobyov, Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society S.V. Stepashin, Chairman of the State Duma Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on International Affairs L.E. Slutsky, Chairman of the State Duma Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Affairs of Public Associations and Religious Organizations S.A. Gavrilov, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus' Korniliy (Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church), Chairman of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia, Grand Mufti Talgat Tadzhuddin, President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia A.M. Beard, Head of the Department of National Policy and Interregional Relations of the City of Moscow V.I. Suchkov, First Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations of the Church with Society and the Media A.V. Shchipkov, Deputy Head of the ARNS O.A. Kostin and other officials.
The work of the Council was attended by hierarchs and clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church, representatives of government authorities, leaders of factions of political parties of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, leaders of public associations, the highest clergy of traditional religions, scientists, educators and cultural figures, delegates of Russian communities from near and far abroad, representatives of the public.
The meeting was broadcast live on the Rossiya-24, Soyuz and Spas TV channels.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church made a report.
Then the First Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation S.V. Kiriyenko announced the greetings of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin. Next, the Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation V.V. spoke. Volodin.
The report was made by the Chairman of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation V.D. Zorkin.
Chairman of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia, Supreme Mufti Talgat Tadzhuddin and President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia A.M. addressed the audience. Beard.
Deputy Head of the VRNS, Bishop Savva of Voskresensky, announced the greeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation S.V. Lavrova.
Greetings from the Mayor of Moscow S.S. Sobyanin was read by the head of the Department of National Policy, Interregional Relations and Tourism V.I. Suchkov.
Then the head of the faction of the political party “United Russia” in the State Duma of the Russian Federation S.I. spoke. Neverov, Head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Education and Science S.S. Kravtsov, head of the Communist Party faction in the State Duma of the Russian Federation G.A. Zyuganov.
A speech was made by A.V., member of the Bureau of the Presidium of the VRNS, First Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations of the Church with Society and the Media. Shchipkova.
Theater and film actor and film director A.I. addressed the audience. Merzlikin.
Also speaking were the head of the faction of the political party “A Just Russia” in the State Duma of the Russian Federation S.M. Mironov, Chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society S.V. Stepashin, Chairman of the State Duma Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on International Affairs L.E. Slutsky, Chairman of the State Duma Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Affairs of Public Associations and Religious Organizations S.A. Gavrilov, Deputy Head of the ARNS V.N. Ganichev.
At the end, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill again addressed the participants of the meeting.
Opening of the XXI World Russian People's Council. Photo by A. Egortsev
On November 1, the opening of the XXI World Russian People's Council took place in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Representatives of all branches of government, leaders of parties, public associations, representatives of law enforcement agencies, the highest clergy of traditional religions, scientists, educators and cultural figures, delegates of Russian communities from near and far abroad took part in the work of the VRNS.
This year, the agenda of the Council includes the topic “Russia in the 21st century: historical experience and development prospects.” Analyzing the experience of the state and people over the past 100 years since the October Revolution, the speakers drew alarming parallels with modern times. At the same time, many pointed out the obvious instability of the “stable development” that officials are enthusiastically proclaiming from high stands today.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian Empire also experienced stable economic growth, but the subsequent First World War, geopolitical provocations, active revolutionary propaganda within the country, disintegration in the ranks of the intelligentsia and the state elite, and the rapid disunity of society - all this soon led the state to the disaster of 1917.
Russia is still experiencing the echoes and consequences of the October coup, further civil massacres, brutal repressions and spiritual and cultural deformation. The population, like a century ago, is divided: the people, the authorities, the elite, business, culture - often the vectors of their existence are multidirectional.
“I think the image of the future is the image of the people and the image of the elite who have achieved complementarity. The elite are not those who have risen above the people, the real elite are those who have accepted responsibility for the fate of the country, who identify personal interests with national and state interests,” noted the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.
At the same time, the main conflict of the 21st century, according to the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, is not at all the clash of states, cultures, religions and nations, but the trend of a global change in consciousness, aggressive dehumanization.
“In my opinion, the most acute conflict of our time is not the “clash of civilizations” declared by the American philosopher Samuel Huntington, not the struggle of religious and national cultures among themselves, as the powers that be often want to imagine, and not even the confrontation between East and West, North and South, but a clash of the transnational, radical, secular globalist project with all traditional cultures and with all local civilizations. The true alternative to this process is not a “war of all against all”... but a new dialogue of peoples... This is a dialogue aimed at restoring value unity, within the framework of which each of the civilizations, including ours, Russian, could exist, preserving its identity. Only within the framework of such a dialogue will we be able to find answers to questions about how to defeat terrorism, how to protect the traditional family and the right of unborn babies to life, how to ensure migration balance, defeat hunger and epidemics, how to respect each other’s beliefs, understanding that freedom there must be moral restrictions,” Patriarch Kirill concluded in his speech.
The World Russian People's Council is the largest public forum and intellectual center that represents the interests of the Russian people in the face of power, while uniting representatives of different faiths and nationalities, remaining in the positions of patriotism, statehood and common sense.
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin spoke on Wednesday at the opening of the XXI World Russian People's Council (VRNS) and defined the basic values that ensure the “inviolability” of the Russian state. Mr. Volodin also called the romanticization of revolutions and the glorification of those who carry them out unacceptable. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' supported criticism of the revolutionary path. He expressed the hope that Russia “will not stumble and fall into the abyss” as a century ago, but will remain an “island of stability” away from the “dehumanization” and “hypertrophied individualization” that societies that rely on technological progress are subject to.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev sent congratulations to the VRNS delegates gathered at the conference center of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. At the opening of the cathedral, secular power was represented by State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin. “We must learn to appreciate and protect the existing way of life and understand how our basic values are expressed in this way of life: family, faith, cohesion, Motherland and, of course, justice,” he said. According to the speaker, a lack of justice “can create a split in society, create the ground for the activities of revolutionary fringes and, ultimately, destroy the seemingly unshakable foundations of statehood.”
Vyacheslav Volodin emphasized the need for social consolidation based on mutual respect and preservation of traditions, as well as the danger of the revolutionary path: “Today only those who value, know how to accumulate and preserve what they have achieved move forward.” Despite the public controversy surrounding centenary of the 1917 revolution, some lessons of history “are obvious to everyone,” the State Duma speaker believes: “Revolutions are, first of all, a violent seizure of power. It is unacceptable to romanticize revolutions and glorify people who overthrow legitimate governments that doom their people to suffering.” He called for taking into account the opinions of “people with different cultural traditions and religions” when adopting laws, maintaining a dialogue with the expert community, civil society institutions and faiths, and also noted the importance of political compromise, consolidation of society and the freedom of self-realization of each person.
The 21st World Russian People's Council, which opened in Moscow on Wednesday, November 1, is dedicated to the theme “Russia in the 21st century: historical experience and development prospects.” The ARNS was founded in 1993, the head of the ARNS is the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Since 2005, the cathedral has been granted special consultative status with the UN. Representatives of the highest authorities, leaders of parties, public associations, representatives of law enforcement agencies, the highest clergy of traditional religions, scientists, educators and cultural figures, delegates of Russian communities from near and far abroad traditionally take part in the work of the cathedral.
The limits of human progress and self-realization were outlined by Patriarch Kirill: in his opinion, blind faith in the limitless possibilities of technology is a quasi-religion and can lead to the destruction of society. “Voices are heard that modern technologies are capable of creating artificial intelligence and artificial organs, that soon it will be possible to modernize our mind and body so much that new creatures will arise. Faith in technology today is the same as faith in progress was; it is a kind of quasi-religion,” said the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. “The source of improvement is inside a person, not outside. All this leads towards dehumanization, hypertrophied individualization, and therefore to the destruction of society and the end of history.”
The Patriarch expressed concern about the development of medical and genetic technologies against the backdrop of social inequality: “Futurologists are already predicting the imminent stratification of humanity into two races. Some are predicted to be the greatness of superhumans, while others are predicted to be the fate of their subordinates.”
This perspective contradicts the Christian view of man, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church noted: “It is necessary that advanced biotechnologies primarily serve not those who are willing to pay, but those who risk leaving the world too early.”
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church believes that Russian society has become more consolidated in recent years and has acquired “immunity to all types of political radicalism.” “Despite the fact that the number of conflicts, wars and revolutions in the world is growing rapidly, Russia has the strength to remain an island of stability in this dangerous flow, to follow its own historical path,” he asserts. “In our society there is no tragic civil split that divided the people in half. On the contrary, today we are learning again to rejoice in national unification and reconciliation.” The Patriarch expressed confidence that “the country and society will not stumble and fall into a historical abyss, as happened at the beginning of 1917.”
