News

Orthodox public concerned for actions by radical youth organizations at Moscow University Department of Sociology

Moscow, March 23, Interfax - The Union of Orthodox Citizens has expressed concern over the attempts of several radical youth groups to destabilize the situation at the Moscow State University’s Department of Sociology.

The statement circulated by the Union on Friday says that activists of some youth organizations including MSU students, acting under a non-formal structure called OD-Group, have sought a dismissal of the department’s leaders and conducted ‘extremist propaganda’ at the university and ‘a biased PR-campaign in the mass media aimed to damage MSU’s reputation and to bring about ‘a socio-political destabilization among the Russian young intellectuals’.

‘It is no doubt that standing behind the actions of the radical youth and Department of Sociology’s students recruited by them are serious forces eager to bring about ‘an orange revolution’ in the main Russian university in advance of parliamentary and presidential election in the country’, the authors of the statement note.

MSU Department of Sociology, according to the Union of Orthodox Citizens, has been chosen as a base for encouraging opposition sentiments in the student body.

The ideology of the OD-Group, the Union states, ‘is unequivocally hostile to the Orthodox Church’ and has as its aim ‘to squeeze out the Orthodox nation-oriented ideology from MSU, to undermine the emerging scientific relations between the university and major theological colleges in Russia and to spread the aggressive-secular liberal thinking under the guise of scientific secularism and objectivism’.

‘The orange revolution’ carried out before our very eyes by the OD-Group ideologies at the Department of Sociology threatens both the prospects for the intellectual cooperation between secular scholarship and theology and the consolidation of practical relations between Moscow State University and the Russian Orthodox Church’, the statement reads.

Its authors maintain in particular that the Orthodox-patriotic stand taken by the department’s leaders and the cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church have sickened the opposition students who use in their protests ‘a whole set of trite liberal cliches’ and accuse the dean’s office of ‘clericalization of the situation’ and of ‘reactionary propaganda’ at the department.

As an alternative to Orthodox conservatism and relations with the Orthodox Church the opposition have proposed a pro-active support for sexual minorities, the Union of Orthodox Citizens notes.

The statement refers in particular to the activists of the so-called United Civic Green Alternative (GROZA) who have distributed anti-Orthodox leaflets at the department and who, last May, ‘assaulted the Moscow police in an attempt to defend the gay pride parade, which had been forbidden by the authorities, and ‘the violated dignity of Russian gays’.

‘According to GROZA and the OD-Group, the Orthodox propaganda at Moscow University should be replaced by propaganda of gay culture. Is the MSU scientific community ready to accept this alternative proposed in fact by those of the OD-Group?’ the authors of the documents ask.

The Union of Orthodox Citizens has appealed to the state and church authorities as well as the academic and ecclesiastical scholarly community in Russia and the patriotic public ‘to rise in opposition to the subversive activity carried out by the youth OD-Group at the Department of Sociology and those standing behind them as presenting a potential threat not only to the stability and possibility of scientific work at MSU but also to the national interests of the country’.

Print this page

Home

News

.	Customize latest news

• The Synod of Ukrainian Orthodox Church asks Zelensky to put an end to her oppression 12 May 2022, 17:27
• Jehovah's Witnesses member in Nizhny Novgorod given 6-year suspended sentence 12 May 2022, 11:23
• Sanctions against Patriarch Kirill will not affect his activities in any way – Russian Church 10 May 2022, 15:28
• Patriarch Kirill describes Russia as self-sufficient country which doesn't want to harm anyone 08 May 2022, 17:15
• Patriarch Kirill calls on believers to pray for Russia to be protected from external, internal enemies 06 May 2022, 14:26
• Ukrainian Orthodox Church says bans on its activities imposed by local authorities have no legal force 06 May 2022, 12:06
• Russia to hold consultations with Hamas on situation around Al-Aqsa 05 May 2022, 11:21
• Patriarch Kirill can't be scared with sanctions - Russian Orthodox Church 04 May 2022, 16:01
• Pope Francis' recount of conversation with Patriarch Kirill incorrect - Russian Orthodox Church 04 May 2022, 15:38
• Russian Orthodox Church asks to use its potential in opening humanitarian corridors in special operation zone 04 May 2022, 14:47
• No agreement on Putin's meeting with Pontiff – Peskov 04 May 2022, 14:10
• Russia never attacked anyone, always protected its borders - Patriarch Kirill 04 May 2022, 12:10
• Russian Orthodox Church indicates interest in achievement of lasting peace in Ukraine 29 April 2022, 16:44
• The Russian Church' speaker calls the "culture of cancellation" a self-reprimand of civilization 29 April 2022, 12:46
• The Russian Foreign Ministry advised Washington to take care of religious freedoms in the United States 29 April 2022, 12:39
• Serbian patriarch assures Patriarch Kirill of support of Russian Orthodox Church amid Ukraine crisis 27 April 2022, 22:26
• The Russian Security Council paid tribute to Christian leaders who disagree with the Russophobia of the "collective West" 27 April 2022, 15:40
• Belarusian MPs approve imposition of death penalty for terrorism 27 April 2022, 13:53
• The ISS crew showed Patriarch Kirill a cake floating in zero gravity 27 April 2022, 11:18
• Patrushev advocated the reform of education in the Russia with an emphasis on the development of intelligence and spirituality 27 April 2022, 10:59
• Patrushev pointed out the special role of Russia in shaping the geopolitical and moral climate in the world 27 April 2022, 10:32
• Twenty-eight terror attacks prevented in Russia in 2021 - prosecutor general 26 April 2022, 13:50
• Patriarch Kirill urges Russians to stand up to protect national independence 25 April 2022, 17:48
• Russian Orthodox Church views idea to impose sanctions on Patriarch Kirill as rejection of common sense 24 April 2022, 16:51
• Meeting between Patriarch Kirill, Pope Francis postponed due to events of recent months - Russian Church 22 April 2022, 14:17
• Ukrainian Orthodox Church proposes evacuating civilians, casualties from Mariupol 21 April 2022, 17:08
• About 30% of Russian women of reproductive age want to have at least 3 children – poll 21 April 2022, 15:53
• Russian Orthodox Church trusted by two-thirds of Russians – poll 21 April 2022, 10:00
• Over 60% of Russians identify themselves as Orthodox, 23% say they are atheists 20 April 2022, 10:00
• Kremlin expects Israeli authorities to help resolve Alexander Metochion situation 19 April 2022, 16:02

Other news