Documents

Statement of the Interreligious Council in Russia on the abuse of the religious feelings

The Presidium of the Interreligious Council in Russia strongly condemns any encroachment on the religious feelings of believers expressed in presenting their shrines and doctrine in an offensive light.

The dispiriting examples of this kind include the publication of anti-Islamic caricatures in the Danish press, the defilement of the memory of millions of victims of the Holocaust through a caricature festival, the publication of books deliberately abusing the Holy Scriptures of traditional religions, the so-called TV talk shows giving room to the expressions of extreme, extremist and xenophobic views including anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and Rusophobia provoking discord and hatred on ethnic and religious grounds, the conduct of the ‘Beware of Religion!’ exhibition which gave place to open defilement, the abuse of Orthodox icons at the exhibition in Manezh, etc.

These actions are regarded by all the members of the Interreligious Council in Russia as provocations aiming to bring division in society, to push people of various religions to hostile attitude among brothers.

The implementation of the principle of the freedom of the press and creative expression cannot justify disrespect for the religious feelings of believers and abuse of their shrines. Any abuse of these freedoms and cultivation of the spirit of intolerance can lead our society to discord and strife and can provoke acts of violence similar to the attack on the synagogue in Bolshaya Bronnaya Street in Moscow.

Representatives of traditional religions in Russia are unanimous in their desire to preserve peace and accord in society and prevent the attempts to damage the interreligious relations whoever may commit them.

We call upon all, first of all, the mass media leaders and journalists, researchers and people of art and culture, public leaders and statesmen to restrain from any manifestation of disrespect for the religious feelings which have lied in the spiritual foundation of people’s life for centuries, for great is the price that the whole world including us and our children may pay for it.


February 13, 2006

Print this page

Home

Other documents

• Paschal Message of Patriarch Kirill 23 April 2022, 22:33
• Patriarch Kirill's address to the hierarchs, clergy, monastics, and faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church 03 March 2022, 16:21
• Christmas Message by Patriarch Kirill 11 January 2021, 10:00
• Paschal Message of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia 18 April 2020, 18:44
• Press release on the results of the fraternal meeting of the Orthodox Primates and delegates in Amman 28 February 2020, 12:32
• Christmas message by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia 06 January 2020, 12:16
• Christmas greetings of Patriarch Kirill to heads of non-Orthodox Churches 27 December 2019, 12:59
• Statement of the Holy Synod of the Russian Church on situation in the Greek Church 22 October 2019, 13:07
• Open letter of Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and Southeast Asia, Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia, to Metropolitan Ambrosios of Korea (Patriarchate of Constantinople) 29 August 2019, 11:42
• Statement of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on the situation in Montenegro 10 July 2019, 14:22
• Paschal Message of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia 06 May 2019, 11:12
• Address by Patriarch Kirill at the Solemn Act marking the 10th anniversary of the 2009 Local Council and Patriarchal Enthronement 01 February 2019, 17:45
• Christmas message by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia 06 January 2019, 21:14
• Christmas greetings of Patriarch Kirill to heads of non-Orthodox Churches 27 December 2018, 18:06
• Appeal of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the archpastors, pastors, monastics and faithful 18 December 2018, 13:53

Home