Vladimir Putin hopes that Orthodox youth will help “strengthen Russian statehood”

July 31, 2012 within the framework of the meeting of the President of the Russian Federation with the participants of the forum "Seliger-2012" Tatyana Ageyeva, leader of the Georgievtsy Orthodox movement, raised the possibility of creation of an all-Russian association of Orthodox youth.

Vladimir Putin replied to T. Ageeva that such an organization could be created only on a voluntary basis, without coercion, and should not be transformed to the "quasi-Orthodox Komsomol".

He also reminded the forum participants that “ there is nothing more important in society than moral and ethical the principles on which it is based ." And these principles themselves can be based only on " moral and moral values ​​set forth in the main world religions " (even " the moral code of the builder of communism is very a modest reprint from the main provisions of the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, the Talmud ").

V. Putin emphasized the special role of Orthodoxy in the history of Russia: “ According to the law, we have four main traditional confessions. They are all equal. But, of course, we are well aware that in the series indicators, of course, Orthodoxy is in the lead. This is understandable, even if only to take the number of Orthodox people in our country. Although, I repeat, there is no first, second, third, fourth class, all of our traditional religions are equal among themselves, equal in rights among themselves .

“ As for Orthodoxy, it played a special role in the history of our state. I wish that was all heard ,” the President continued. - Why? Because before Prince Vladimir baptized Rus', and then united, we did not have a single Russian state, and the Russian nation as such it was not. Orthodoxy played this unifying role. True, the country ours initially, from the first steps, was formed as a multinational and a multi-confessional state, which is very important. In this regard, of course, the activity of Orthodox young people is very important for strengthening the Russian statehood".

Sources

• Meeting with the participants of the forum "Seliger-2012" // Official website of the President of Russia. 2012. July 31.