Like Patriarch Kirill

On Facebook, a page dedicated to Patriarch Cyril opened . It is still unknown whether the patriarch himself will leave messages there - now his photos are posted on the page, including children's, news announcements and links to the interview. The Synodal Information Department reported that the page will be updated daily, and "since His Holiness Patriarch Kirill carefully monitors what is happening on the Internet, he will follow the functioning of this page."

In winter, when social networks became the main tool for organizing protest actions for honest elections, the Patriarch has repeatedly spoke about the negative impact of the Internet on public morality. In his opinion, the unconditional confidence of the information posted on social networks makes Russians "especially vulnerable to manipulating their consciousness." "... For us, the leading beginning is not public opinion, not positive or negative reviews about us, not the number of" likes "in certain Internet posts, but what God reveals to us in prayer and in spiritual experience," he said in April .

Cyril’s arrival on the Internet occurred at the moment when anticleric sentiments were especially strong on the network, heated by the news about the Breguet watch of the Patriarch and the millions that were absent by him for the ex-minister of health , allegedly spoiled by dust. PublicPost asked the experts why the Patriarch arrived on the network right now.

Vladislav Tsyplukhin, head of the press service of VKontakte

Have you received a proposal to start a page for the patriarch?

- So far, no one has contacted.

Why, in your opinion, the patriarch is registered in the American social network, and not in domestic?

- I have no idea what principles are guided by the Russian Orthodox Church, and, honestly, we are not particularly upset about this.

Why was the Patriarch page on the network opened right now?

- I think that the Russian Orthodox Church recently made a number of public mistakes in terms of media. In order to compete with this public misunderstanding, they decided to chat on the network.

Pavel Rumov, leader of the Pirate Party of Russia, candidate of psychological sciences

I believe that it was inevitable. He used to say that there is no need to use Facebook. And this is the same as using the phone, not to listen to the radio, not watch TV. Facebook is a common means of communication. Now he will have more feedback. I hope that he will lead him in person or at least view the comments that they will leave him. The church should, in my opinion, be closer to people, but how can you be closer today, if not via the Internet? How is it easier to do? No way.

Viktor Militarev, political scientist, vice president of the Institute of National Strategy

Firstly, the Patriarch has always treated the Internet, as far as I know. At meetings and meetings, he repeatedly called for the use of blogs and social networks for good purposes, including missionary activities and polemic with ideological opponents. The Patriarch regretted that social networks are used for negative purposes. In fact, the Holiness said: "What kind of shame? They made a garbage dump from social networks." Yes, it is worth noting that Orthodox priests and laity perform on social networks under their real names and surnames. Since we have nothing to be ashamed. Moreover, the Patriarchal Synodal Information holds competitions and assigns the title of the best Orthodox blogger. So there is no rejection of modern information technologies.

Secondly, about the fact that His Holiness opened the Facebook page is a normal practice, most of the political figures around the world have their own Ecquains on Facebook and Twitter. The same applies to religious figures. So I looked on Twitter Dalai Lama-and I see that he has about 40 thousand subscribers. In Western political practice, special methods of sociological aggregation of social networks of large politicians are used. For example, the American president tweet - and he has several thousand reposts, a hundred thousand answers on Twitter, analysts check how much “for”, and how much “against”. Of course, we have far from this. Twitter, ex-president Medvedev, does not collect such a quantity as the normal Twitter of the Western Head of State. Bishops also have ecquains all over the world. With the Patriarch ecuna, I am afraid, it will take modification, because the level of hysterical anger has recently on social networks against the Church and personally against the Patriarch can lead to the incredible number of hamsters and bots to write nasty things. I'm afraid that contrary to all traditions their comments will have to be washed and modeled.

I don’t know if the Holy Ekkower will be or will be his secretary to do. I don’t know, I know that he loves to preach, I do not exclude that he will personally write on Facebook and, perhaps, will join the dialogue. I evaluate this step of the patriarch as useful, whether this reputation will increase, I can’t judge for now. But in principle, Patriarch Kirill has been demonstrating the position for many decades that the bishop should be opened to society. I can’t forget how he played a young bishop 30 years ago on Radio Liberty and told us about Berdyaev, if I am not mistaken. It was a shock impression in Soviet times. He was and remains like that.

Kirill Frolov, Union of Orthodox Citizens of Russia

Patriarch Cyril did not change his attitude to social networks. He stated that they became the instruments of manipulations of mass consciousness. I will add from myself that social networks have become an instrument of “color” revolutions aimed at expanding the sphere of influence of the United States and their control over global energy resources, and, accordingly, social networks became the organized center of the anti -Russian swamp Maidan. But the Patriarch did not say anywhere that as a result of this, it was necessary to run from social networks. The stronger the call, the more active the missionary resistance should be. Since social networks became an evil citadel, then the Orthodox, all the more, should storm these citizens and erect a flag over the defeated Reichstag. We must not answer with desertion, not fleeing, but an offensive missionary response. Therefore, Patriarch Kirill is right a thousand times that he started an account on Facebook.

And this missionary counterattack must be developed, and new social networks should appear with the Center for Management in Russia, which will be the tools for the influence of our country. And the statement of Russia and the approval of the world mission of the Russian Church are interconnected - opening Orthodoxy, people in the West, East, North and South open Russia. So, the American intellectual Eugene Rose, having accepted Orthodoxy, became Russophile, hieromonk Seraphim Rose and began to build "Holy Rus'" in California. So the "export of Orthodoxy", including using the missionary and organizational potential of social networks, is a key resource of Russia.

The head of the press service of the Patriarch Vladimir Vigilyansky confirmed that the parterch started the Ekkower, but he refused to comment on the news and advised to call the information department of the Moscow Patriarchate. The head of the department , Vladimir Legoyda, was inaccessible to comment.

Patriarch Kirill about the Internet: