Alexander Verkhovsky: “The state has largely intercepted the ideas, and methods too, of parachurch activists”

We publish Alexander Verkhovsky's commentary on the recent disruption of the Jock Sturges exhibition at the Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography in Moscow.

Story with the exhibition, in my opinion, is a new step in the activities of the public, fighting for some moral values. So far we have seen a situation where everything was implemented mainly by the forces of people from groups that directly identify themselves with Orthodoxy and acting very often with the blessing of the priests - and not ordinary and. And now a completely different situation has arisen, rather interesting: the conservative turn we've been seeing since 2012 naturally, far from being limited to church circles, rather narrow, meanwhile, the turn is wide. Therefore, it is rather strange that before nothing this did not happen, that in the activities of the "Officers of Russia", for example, organizations many members of which certainly consider themselves Orthodox - this is by no means reflected. "Officers of Russia" is not even a very ideological organization in general, and this is just interesting - such ordinary social activists. Their unusual comes down only to the fact that they can come and stand with stern faces, having blocked the entrance, others would hardly have dared on such a scale. And in general their behavior similar to what some other indignant would do social activists. It's just that Tsvetkov has more opportunities apply informal pressure.

AND it turned out that the scandal that was initiated by the blogger, the lady, did not connected with ecclesiastical circles, as the Church now explains to us, and continued by people outside of ecclesiastical circles, the non-church people began, and it was they who decided the matter. The speech of Anna Kuznetsova, the protector of children, is, of course, completely natural and expected action, but it was not decisive, it was just a certain nuance. And this is a new twist. And a new problem for the church and near-church activism.

State in many respects it intercepted the ideas, and the methods too, of activists around the church. The moral theme for a long time remained virtually the monopoly of the Church - now people who are closer to the state than to the church, strive to intercept and This. I don’t know if this trend will continue, but if it does, it will work out, that the Church has been reduced to a secondary, auxiliary role in this matter as well. Now the patriarch spoke in a timely manner on the topic of abortion, although nothing prevented him from speaking yesterday, the day before yesterday or two weeks ago, since the topic eternal. But I have a suspicion that he is just trying to catch up.