Pedagogical Symphony

The Patriarch accused officials of opposing the introduction of the “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”

The Church has found those who oppose the introduction of the “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” course in Russian schools . “There is a small group of officials who oppose this subject, which we offer at the request of parents and children,” said Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia yesterday at a conference held as part of the VI Church and PublicExhibition and Forum “Orthodox Russia” . Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, who heads the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, who was present at this conference, added that the opposition of officials “is considered by the overwhelming majority of believers as an attempt to again build a wall between them and the state.” According to the top officials of the Russian Orthodox Church, such a policy can not only cause alienation between the authorities and society, but will also lead to the fact that new generations of Russians will be alienated from the Russian tradition. “Ignorance of culture leads to the fact that people perceive things that are often promoted in the media today - this is violence, cruelty and attempts to convince us that human life is worthless,” emphasized Alexy II. - In films and TV series, blood flows like a river in every episode. And therefore it is necessary to give the younger generation the basics of morality and the basics of knowledge of their culture.”

It is difficult to say who the church hierarchy had in mind when speaking about the machinations of officials against the defense industrial complex. We are clearly not talking about government officials who honored the forum with their presence: Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, Presidential Envoy to the Central Federal District Georgy Poltavchenko, and Vice-Speaker of the Federation Council Alexander Torshin took part in the opening of the event. The President also sent his greetings to the forum participants. “It is gratifying that you are raising relevant and significant issues of preserving the historical, cultural and spiritual values ​​of our multinational people, original folk art, and educating young people in the spirit of patriotism,” reads the message from Vladimir Putin sent to the form. “Undoubtedly, these are areas where it is necessary to strengthen the interaction of state, public, and religious organizations.”

This state of affairs is fully consistent with the principle of the “symphony”, which Bishop Kirill recalled: the symphony differs from clericalism (of which unnamed critics accuse the church) in that it proclaims not the dominance of church power over secular power, but their cooperation. “This principle presupposes that no sphere of society’s life is closed to interaction with the church,” explained the head of the DECR.

At first glance, the Russian Orthodox Church should not have any particular differences with the current position of the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Science. The day before, the head of the ministry, Andrei Fursenko, said that this course should be “taught from a cultural point of view,” and that subjects related to religion should be included in the school schedule on a purely voluntary basis. And the patriarch emphasized in his speech that the cultural course “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” does not at all contradict the Constitution. “We strictly observe the principle of separation of church and state,” said the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

According to Mr. Fursenko, the question of the advisability of teaching the history of religions “should be decided by society.” Judging only by the speeches of church hierarchs, society (at least, most of it) has already given the go-ahead. “The Church lives the life of the people, and the people, for the most part, live the life of the Church,” declared Alexy II. As for the conflict around the “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture,” it, according to Metropolitan Kirill, is fueled by a small group of politicians and bureaucrats who are terribly far from the people. “They could fit in this hall, and there would still be empty seats,” the head of the DECR emphasized the insignificance of the number of those who put a spoke in the wheels of the defense industry.

“This is not a black mark or a conspiracy theory, since people who think differently than us do not hide their position,” commented the famous Orthodox missionary and publicist Deacon Andrei Kuraev on the statement of the highest hierarchs of the church. Speaking with a Vremya Novostey correspondent, he emphasized that the presence “in the highest echelons of the Russian legislative and executive power” of people who have different positions from the Patriarchate on the issue of the presence of the church in schools is quite natural. If there are different positions and there is space for discussion, and in this discussion, as Fr. Andrey, the role of the church is a priori more responsible. “If two sides debate and do not find a common language, then the one who is right is to blame. If we, together with the truth, constitute the majority, and were unable to convince our opponents, then one thing follows from this: the truth is right, and I am not a good advocate for the truth,” the deacon concluded, again emphasizing that “there is a great responsibility for the fact that that this topic is still debatable still lies with the church negotiators.”

Mikhail MOSHKIN