21st World Russian People's Council. Vyacheslav Volodin and Patriarch Kirill discussed Russian statehood, revolutions and biotechnology

On November 1, 2017, a plenary session of the XXI World Russian People's Council was held 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.

"New dialogue of peoples"

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' spoke in his speech about the danger of the observed trend, when the “elite” begins to actively distance itself from the people.

“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,” the patriarch noted.

At the same time, the main conflict of the 21st century, in his opinion, lies not in the clash of states, cultures, religions and nations, but in the tendency of a global change in consciousness, aggressive dehumanization.

According to him, 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 while maintaining 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,” the Patriarch concluded.

The theme of public unity was also supported by State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin. In his speech, he called on “to draw conclusions from the past in order to move forward more confidently and effectively solve the problems of the country’s development.”

V. Volodin expressed confidence that, since the structure and characteristics of Russia were formed as a result of the thousand-year history of the cohabitation of hundreds of peoples with different cultures and religions, sustainable and evolutionary development based on dialogue and mutual understanding is extremely important for the country.

National question and intercultural dialogue

During the meeting of the VRNC, much attention was paid to the development of interethnic and interfaith interaction and the prevention of conflicts on this basis. As the head of the Federal Agency for National Affairs, Igor Barinov, emphasized in his speech, speculation in matters of national policy is unacceptable, since “national policy in our country is an extremely sensitive area, affecting the most personal and intimate that is in each of us.”

On November 1, 2017 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', the XXI World Russian People's Council (VRNS) opened on the topic “Russia in the 21st century: historical experience and development prospects.”

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 traditionally take part in the work of the Council.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', speaking with the First Hierarchical Address at the opening of the 21st World Russian People's Council, dedicated to the theme “Russia in the 21st century: historical experience and development prospects,” called the family the main element of a stable, healthy and solidary society and called for the preservation of this Institute.

According to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, family is also important from a spiritual and religious point of view: “Family is the first experience of love in a person’s life. That is why John Chrysostom said about the family that it is a small church. In the family, a person learns love, and through the love that is God, a person is saved. Family is a school of love, and therefore a school of salvation.”

“Without the desire for love as the highest value, neither family nor society will be able to exist in history. If tradition is the path along which society goes, then love is the ultimate goal of this path. It gives strength and desire to live, fills life with meaning at every moment of history,” noted the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

“The family is a structural unit of a stable, healthy society, the main element of a solidary society. The preservation of the people, culture, language, state - all this is carried out through the family, since the mechanism of transferring experience along the chain of generations is connected with the family. If you look at this process from the outside, you can give it an accurate name: tradition. Not any specific one, but tradition as a method of connecting generations in a mode of common activity,” he added.

“The family is a mechanism for transmitting tradition. But the same applies to the entire people, to all of Russia: we preserve and pass on history, language, culture, religion, professional and everyday experience to future generations. We convey - understanding, feeling that the “family” is not only us and our children, but also future generations who will not see us, but will certainly know about us,” explained His Holiness the Patriarch.

“Speaking about society, we can say: society is also a big family, a “family of families.” Therefore, society is threatened by the same thing that threatens the family: the extremes of juvenile justice, same-sex marriage, the establishment of transhumanism, any attempts to give a distorted definition of the concept of “human”,” he emphasized.

“A person needs care, self-improvement, spiritual development, but not for his nature to be changed. Since this nature is created in the image and likeness of the Divine, changing it in any other direction means changing God himself,” concluded Patriarch Kirill.

Read in full on the official website of the Russian Orthodox Church.

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 that has unfolded in connection with the centenary of the 1917 revolution, some lessons from 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.”

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.

Patriarch Kirill also spoke about the danger of the observed trend, when the “elite” begins to actively distance itself from the people.

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.

Representatives of the highest clergy of all traditional religions, delegates of Russian communities from near and far abroad, politicians, scientists, educators and cultural figures take part in this authoritative forum. This year the Council is dedicated to the theme “Russia in the 21st century: historical experience and development prospects.” Those gathered will share their thoughts on how they see the present and future of our country, and will also discuss the causes of geopolitical and social problems.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent greetings to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', participants, organizers and guests of the VRNS. The telegram from the head of state, in particular, says: “I am sure that the current forum<…>will raise the most important and pressing issues of our time and inspire participants to meaningful discussions. Let me emphasize that Russia has always been strong in the traditions of national unity and cohesion, and has advocated for strengthening peace, cooperation, trusting, mutually beneficial dialogue with its partners. And only by preserving this historical heritage, our moral and spiritual support, will we be able to move forward and achieve our goals.”

Opening the Council, Patriarch Kirill noted: “Despite the fact that the number of conflicts, wars and revolutions in the world is growing rapidly, Russia nevertheless has the strength to remain an island of stability in this dangerous stream, to follow its own historical path.” According to him, today our “society is consolidated”, there is no tragic civil split in it, “we are again learning to rejoice in national unification and reconciliation.”

“The history of Russia does not go in circles. We learn from our own mistakes. We have acquired immunity to all types of political radicalism; consensus is more important than ever for us, common values are important. What matters is what unites, not what divides. By continuing to cultivate and increase peace at home, Russia can be an example and moral support for everyone who wants to survive the current crisis,” the head of the Russian Orthodox Church is confident.

According to him, today the world community “has come close to the historical line beyond which a new era begins - an era when a lot will change in the lives of peoples, mainly the worldview.” “Both in the life of an individual and in the life of a people, faith in social institutions and legal mechanisms is dead without moral action, without the ability to act according to conscience. In this case, it only leads to a mad pursuit of chimeras, of elusive mirages of happiness and freedom. And to innumerable human victims,” the Bishop emphasized.

Speaking about the historical upheavals in Russia in the 20th century, he noted that ordinary people are not organically inclined to revolutionism, “on the contrary, they are the custodians of tradition.” “Both disasters were caused by the fact that the national elite was unable to adequately respond to the challenges of the time. The separation from the people and the fascination with ideas that have no roots in Russian reality made themselves felt. Here the problem of the quality of the elite arises, which must be loyal to the people and be replenished with talented people from below, and not be bound by the interests of external, global players,” the Patriarch pointed out.

“Today in Russia they are looking for an image of the future. 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 people 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, state interests. The elites and the people must be an inseparable, single whole. Therefore, it is impossible to “appoint” elites artificially: we need a base from which today’s elite can be drawn. To educate the elite, you need to educate the people, educate society, and invest resources in it. If we do not educate our own people, others will educate them,” added the Bishop.

Therefore, according to him, in such an important area as education, it is important to restore and develop our own scientific and pedagogical schools, to promote our methodological developments. “This will cause resistance from supporters of global education standards, but there is no need to be afraid of this, because at the same time, it will attract keen international interest. Russian education may well become a model, the same as Russian science and Russian literature. Relying on one’s own cultural developments and one’s own way of thinking while taking into account global trends and achievements in science and technology will allow one to maintain sovereignty in the 21st century,” the head of the Russian Orthodox Church is confident.

The Patriarch also stated that the traditional family is the basis of the state. “The family is a structural unit of a stable, healthy society, the main element of a solidary society. The preservation of the people, culture, language, state - all this is carried out through the family, since the mechanism of transferring experience along the chain of generations is connected with the family. If you look at this process from the outside, you can give it an accurate name: tradition. Not any specific one, but tradition as a method of connecting generations in a mode of common activity,” he noted. “The family is a mechanism for transmitting traditions... Parents invest in their children: they finance their education, pass on family traditions, photographs, heirlooms, rules of behavior and good manners, the skills of their favorite profession - this is how dynasties of teachers, military men, athletes, builders, and priests arise. But the same applies to the entire people, to all of Russia: we preserve and pass on history, language, culture, religion, professional and everyday experience to future generations. We pass it on - understanding, feeling that the family is not only us and our children, but also future generations who will not see us, but will certainly know about us,” says the Bishop.

“That’s why, speaking about society, we can say: society is also a big family, a family of families. Therefore, society is threatened by the same thing that threatens the family: the extremes of juvenile justice, same-sex marriage, the establishment of transhumanism, any attempts to give a distorted definition of the concept of “person.” A person needs care, self-improvement, spiritual development, but not for his nature to be changed. Since this nature was created in the image and likeness of the Divine, changing it in any other direction means changing God himself,” the Patriarch added.

“Today society must strive for that solidarity ideal, an ideal very close and understandable for Christians, where unity and brotherhood reign, where people consider each other brothers and sisters. In its most perfect and sublime form, this ideal was realized in the community of the first Christians, about which St. The apostle and evangelist Luke says this: “The multitude of those who believed were one heart and one soul,” said the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and added that “the 21st century threatens to call into question even those values that for centuries have seemed unshakable.”

“Revolutions always claim to create a new man, they strive to break the traditional, Christian in him - to “reforge” man. Hence the struggle of revolutionaries with tradition, religion, culture. But this is a dead-end path; it leads to denial and fragmentation. Revolutions are made on denial, on destruction, and the desire for eternal life does not deny anything, but permeates everything. This is the desire for love and for God,” the Patriarch pointed out. - If we want to be a prosperous country in the 21st century; a country that is respected by other countries; a country that has a future, if we want to avoid revolutionary disasters and civil confrontation, we must not forget our historical experience, abandon our historical destiny. If we are all guided by a common goal, then any, even the most difficult challenges will be overcome, and our descendants will be able to speak with gratitude about the achievements of our people in the coming century and live in peace with each other.”

In turn, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin named the basic values on the basis of which parliament should build legislative work. “We must learn to appreciate and protect the existing way of life. Understand how our basic values are expressed in this way of life: family, faith, unity, Motherland, and, of course, justice, the lack of which can create a split in society, create the ground for the activities of revolutionary marginalists and, ultimately, destroy what would seem to be unshakable foundations of statehood,” he said. “When adopting laws, it is important to take into account the opinion of broad sections of society: people with different cultural traditions and religions. Only through a comprehensive discussion and dialogue with the expert community, civil society institutions, and confessions do laws receive broad support,” the politician added.

“Only with mutual respect and harmony in society can a state be strong and develop successfully. Our country is unique. Its structure and features were formed as a result of the thousand-year history of the cohabitation of hundreds of peoples with different cultures and religions. That is why sustainable, evolutionary development, based on dialogue and mutual understanding, relying simultaneously on national traditions and modern institutions of democracy is extremely important for us,” the Chairman of the State Duma emphasized.

He also revealed the highest mission of the authorities in Russia: “to strive for consensus on major issues and seek public compromises on controversial topics and their solutions, preventing them from developing into serious problems.”

Based on materials from the website of the President of the Russian Federation, the website of the Moscow Patriarchate, Interfax, Channel 1.