“Anti-sectarian” lectures will not be given at Voronezh University

After the congress of Orthodox youth of the regions of the Central Federal District was held in Tambov, the youth affairs department of the Voronezh City Hall and the Voronezh Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church MP held a round table on the problem of involving students in “non-traditional religious organizations.” Representatives of the city’s universities also took part in its work.

The head of the youth department, priest Sergiy Grishin, who represented the diocese, noted the special activity in the region of representatives of the Unification Church, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses and adherents of Sahaja Yoga. He noted that these organizations are included in the directory “New Religious Organizations of a Destructive and Occult Character,” published by the missionary department of the Moscow Patriarchate, and proposed organizing a series of lectures on modern sectarianism for students and teachers. However, the rector of Voronezh University I. Borisov rejected this proposal, citing the secular nature of university education.

Sources

• The rector of Voronezh University rejected the diocese’s proposal for anti-sectarian universal education of students // Portal-Credo.ru. 2003. April 3.