Primates of Serbia and Russia Erinei and Kiril met

Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church met with His Holiness Patriarch Serbian Iriney Предстоятель Русской Православной Церкви встретился со Святейшим Патриархом Сербским Иринеем print version January 29, 2019 19:16 On January 29, 2019, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with the Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church at the Patriarchal and Synodal residence in the Danilov Stavropegic Monastery . Patriarch of the Holy Cross Secretary of the Serbian Patriarch Iriney Dejan Nakic. On the part of the Russian Orthodox Church, the meeting was attended by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk , Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and Southeast Asia , Metropolitan of Singapore and Southeast Asia , Bishop Andrey of Ostrogozhsk and Rossoshansky , Archpriest Nikolai Balashov , Vice-President of the Dvor Russian Orthodox Church, and the Priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, who participated in the meeting. Vitaly Tarasiev, DECR Secretary for Inter-Orthodox Relations, Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR staff member A.Yu. Hoshev His Holiness cordially welcomed His Holiness Patriarch Irenaeus, who arrived in Moscow for the celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the Primate's Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill. His Holiness Vladyka also emphasized that this year the Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates the 800th anniversary of autocephality, and in 2020 the 100th anniversary of the restoration of the Patriarchate. “These outstanding dates mark the respectable antiquity of church institutions that have been formed on the Serbian land. In connection with the upcoming anniversary, we will also discuss further joint efforts to decorate the cathedral in honor of the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church, St. Sava, ”said Patriarch Kirill. The archpastor also noted the significant role of the Compound - the Serbian Orthodox Church in Moscow and the Russian Orthodox Church in Belgrade - which, according to him, are very important links. “I would like to thank Vladyka Anthony Moravichsky for his ministry as your high representative in Moscow. We also know that you are showing fatherly concern for the Compound of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belgrade, and is glad to see our representative here, ”said His Holiness. Referring to the position of the Orthodox Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, Patriarch Kirill expressed concern about the growing aggressiveness of extremist forces towards the Serbian population. “We always pray for our brothers and sisters in Kosovo and Metohija,” said His Holiness. “We know that Kosovo and Metohija play a very special historical and spiritual role in the life of the Serbian people, and we understand how difficult it is for everyone who knows the history of Serbia, the Serbian Church to perceive the negative things that are happening in these lands now. But the Lord conducts our Churches through trials and, perhaps, this is why you, like no one else, understand well our pain regarding what is happening in Ukraine. ” According to the Primate of the Russian Church, these events can be called links of a single chain, for these are “attempts through divisive tendencies to weaken the power of Universal Orthodoxy.” “Of course, in this case we are talking, first of all, about the Russian Church, which today suffers greatly from a split in Ukraine. And, of course, it is important that what is happening in Kosovo and Metohija never lead to a breakdown of the spiritual connection of Serbia, the Serbian Church with these lands, which have always been an integral part of it, ”stated His Holiness. “Our Churches, with certain differences - in geography, location, and history - have a lot in common. First of all, it is a host of martyrs that adorn both the Russian and Serbian Churches. Our martyrs have always been faithful to Orthodoxy, have always given their lives for the Church and left us a covenant to be faithful to church unity, to observe the purity of Orthodoxy and to do everything so that no hostile winds could destroy the unity of the Orthodox Church today, ”Patriarch Kirill concluded. In turn, His Holiness Patriarch Iriney thanked the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church for the invitation to the celebrations. “From our Church and our people we express our best wishes to you for a long time to remain on the throne of the Moscow Patriarchs,” said the distinguished guest. - You are leading the Russian people on the path of God, for the glory of God and for good, for the good of Universal Orthodoxy. You are at the head of a powerful Church and Orthodox people, who in their history have passed through many temptations. You are a prime example and we strive to follow in your footsteps. ” The head of the Serbian Church also expressed deep gratitude for the assistance that the Russian Orthodox Church has always provided to the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian people. “Throughout history, our two peoples expressed closeness to one another. We are not only friends, we are the blood of the people of our country with one faith, one Church, and this has manifested itself throughout our history, ”testified His Holiness Patriarch Irenaeus. “I thank your Holiness for keeping a close eye on the events in Kosovo and Metohija. Today, what is happening in Kosovo and Metohija represents our great wound, ”Patriarch Irenaeus continued. - For us, Kosovo is a holy land that is saturated with our blood when we defended our shrines during the times of the Ottoman Empire and other circumstances. All that is of great importance in our history, our culture - the roots of this are in Kosovo and Metohija. This is the place of our glorious history. And many saints shone on this very earth. We are doing our best to defend against these attacks. We place great hopes on big brotherly Russia, and on you, Your Holiness. We hope that thanks to your contribution we will be able to protect Kosovo and Metohija. ” Patriarch Iriney also voiced the position of the Serbian Orthodox Church regarding the church crisis in Ukraine. “This is a great temptation for Orthodoxy, this is a phenomenon that has its place in our house, inside it,” stressed the Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church. “Unfortunately, this is not a canonical or ecclesiastical question, but a purely political one, but Universal Orthodoxy must take it very seriously. Being in Moscow is a good reason to exchange opinions, to talk about what we should do next. We dare not close our eyes to such a question and problem. And we will offer prayers that the Lord God will remove this temptation in His Church. ” At the end of the meeting, the parties exchanged gifts.

His Beatitude Patriarch of Antioch and the whole East arrived in Moscow John X

On January 29, 2019, His Beatitude Patriarch of Antioch and the entire East, John X, arrived in Moscow. The Primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Church will take part in the celebrations dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Primate's Service of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. His Beatitude Patriarch John X accompany Metropolitan Akkarsky Vasily, Metropolitan of Buenos Aires and throughout Argentina Jacob, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East at the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, the personal secretary of His Beatitude Patriarch John X Archimandrite Parthenius (Al-Lati), a member of the Antioch Patriarchate, Deacon Meletios Shattakhi, representatives of the youth movement of the Antioch Orthodox Church Raymond Rizk, Hassan Richet, Georges Ghandour. Together with the delegation of the Orthodox Church of Antioch, a representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia under Patriarch of Antioch and the whole East arrived to hegumen Arseny (Sokolov) . In the capital's airport "Vnukovo-3" His Beatitude Patriarch John X met the abbot of Antioch monastery in Moscow , Metropolitan Nifon of Philippopolis , Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan Theophanes , Archbishop of Pyatigorsk and Circassian Theophylact , head of the DECR protocol abbot Theophane (Lukyanov) .

On January 21-25, 2019, in Addis Ababa, in the administrative center of the Ethiopian Patriarchate, the first ever meeting of the bilateral Commission on the dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Church was held mp

On January 21-25, 2019, in Addis Ababa, in the administrative center of the Ethiopian Patriarchate, the first ever meeting of the bilateral Commission on the dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Church was held. The agreement on the creation of this Commission was reached by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and His Holiness the Catholicos of Ethiopia Abuna Matthias during the visit of the Primate of the Ethiopian Church to Russia on May 15-20, 2018. Earlier, in November 2017 and in March 2018, meetings of the joint working group for the preparation of the dialogue were held in Moscow and in Addis Ababa. On July 14, 2018, the Commission was established by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, in December of the same year, the Synod of the Ethiopian Church made a similar decision. On the part of the Moscow Patriarchate, the members of the Commission are: Patriarchal Exarch of Western Europe, Metropolitan John of Korsun and Western Europe — co-chairman of the commission; Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), Secretary for Inter-Christian Relations of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate; V.V. Kipshidze , deputy chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Relations with Society and the Media ; Deacon Dimitri Serov, Executive Secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate Commission for the regulation of student exchanges. The Ethiopian Church in the Commission is represented by: Archbishop Abuna Philipos, head of the Diocese of Southern Omo, co-chair of the Commission; Priest Elias Abrha, Head of the Press Department of the Ethiopian Church; Priest Daniel Seyfemihael, Director General of the Broadcasting Corporation of the Ethiopian Church; Gebreanna Gebrezhadik, a priest, employee of the Ethiopian Patriarchate. In the course of the meeting, the priorities for interchurch cooperation were identified for the near future: interaction in academic and informational areas, in the field of church art and the production of church utensils, as well as the exchange of experience in missionary work and diaconical service. On behalf of the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Church, the meeting was greeted by the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Archbishop of South Gondar Abun Aregawi. Following the meeting, a joint communiqué was adopted, in which the Commission stressed the importance of the meeting of the Primates of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Church in Moscow in May 2018 and the joint Communiqué signed by them to enhance bilateral cooperation at the present stage. These agreements formed the basis of the Commission’s work. Drawing attention to the continuing difficult humanitarian situation in the Middle East region, as well as in several countries of North and Central Africa, the parties noted the need to work together to protect suffering Christians who are subjected to various forms of discrimination and oppression almost daily. The Commission recognized the importance of international solidarity with all the innocent victims of terrorism and extremism, including paying tribute to the memory of 30 Ethiopian Christians who were brutally murdered in April 2015 on the Mediterranean coast in Libya. The Commission highlighted the importance of bilateral cooperation in the field of supporting traditional moral values, primarily in the diaspora countries. The agreements on the development of student exchange, joint participation in scientific events held by educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Church, on the implementation of projects relating to youth interaction have been worked out. The Commission welcomed the establishment in the near future of cooperation between the production of church plateware of the Russian Orthodox Church and the relevant institutions of the Ethiopian Church and other projects in the field of church art. The parties also expressed their intention to develop an exchange of experience in the field of missionary work, social service and diakonia. It recognized an important initiative to establish interchurch cooperation in the field of media, which may include the exchange of relevant professional delegations, the production of media products and the development of television projects on the history and modern life of Russian and Ethiopian Christian traditions. The Commission determined the nature of bilateral interaction in inter-Christian and inter-religious dialogues, and also highlighted the need for cooperation in diaspora countries. The Commission thanked the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Addis Ababa and the Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Moscow for assistance in organizing inter-church dialogue. Separately, the importance was noted for bilateral contacts of the opening in December 2017 of a direct flight of Ethiopian airlines from Addis Ababa to Moscow, at the presentation of which the Primate of the Ethiopian Church personally attended. Commission secretaries were elected: from the Russian Orthodox Church - hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), from the Ethiopian Church - priest Daniel Seyfemihal. The results of the meeting will be officially reported to the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Church. January 21, the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church visited are located in Addis Ababa, publishing center, church shops and the University of the Holy Trinity, where the Metropolitan John had a warm conversation with the rector, one of the oldest hierarchs of the Ethiopian Church, Archbishop Timothy Habtesellasie Tesfu, who is a graduate of the Leningrad Theological Academy in the same years with the current Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill. Vladyka recalled with great affection the joint years of study with him and the intensive ties between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Church at that time. On January 23, the members of the Commission were received by His Holiness Patriarch-Catholicos of Ethiopia Abuna Matthias. Metropolitan John conveyed to the Primate of the Ethiopian Church greetings and wishes of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, briefed on the progress of the bilateral dialogue and plans for the implementation of the joint projects outlined in its framework. For his part, His Holiness Patriarch Abuna Matthias stressed the importance of developing bilateral relations at the present stage and asked that best wishes be conveyed to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. The parties exchanged souvenirs. On the same day, members of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church visited the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Addis Ababa, where Metropolitan John served a water-holy prayer service for the staff of the Russian diplomatic mission, after which he wished his compatriots God's help in his labors on African land. Then, on behalf of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia V.I. Tkachenko was given a gala dinner in honor of Metropolitan John of Korsun and Western Europe and members of the Russian church delegation. On the part of the Embassy, ​​the Counselor-Envoy, the Deputy Head of the Diplomatic Mission EI Yurkov and the Attaché of the Embassy K.M. Kluykov. During their stay in Ethiopia, members of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church also visited the Holy Trinity Monastery in Debre-Libanos, which is also a major church-educational center. On January 18-19, they took part in the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord - the celebrations that are called Timkat in Ethiopia and are held with the broadest scope of the national celebration. The next meeting of the Commission will be held in 2020.

An evening in memory of the Holy Martyr Seraphim (Chichagov) was held in the New Jerusalem Stavropegic Monastery

With the blessing of the vicar of the Resurrection New Jerusalem Jerusalem Monastery of Archimandrite Theophylact An evening of remembrance of the saint was held "... You are my God and Christ." As part of the evening's program, soloists and the mixed choir of the New Jerusalem Monastery, conducted by Marianna Novakovic, performed the vocal and choral works of St. Seraphim. Author's instrumental compositions by Metropolitan Seraphim were performed on piano, violin and harp. The concert was attended by the winner of international competitions Sergey Semenov (piano), the winner of international competitions Ekaterina Rezchikova (harp), Elena Rudnitskaya (soprano), German Rudnitsky (tenor), Marianna Novakovich (violin), winner of international and All-Russian competitions Tatyana Zemtsova (concert master ).

The Moscow Synodal Choir performed in the Vatican the oratorio "Andrei Rublev"

On January 20, 2019, for the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, a concert was held in the Vatican in honor of the saint, canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. The musical event was held in the Cathedral of Rome - the main papal basilica of St. John the Baptist on Lateran Hill and was timed to the thirtieth anniversary of the glorification in the face of the saints of the great Russian icon painter Rev. Andrei Rublev. The Moscow Synodal Choir, together with the choir of the Roman Diocese and the Italian symphonic orchestra Fideles et Amati, performed the Andrei Rublev oratorio by the contemporary Italian composer Monsignor Marco Frizin, who was at the conductor's performance during the performance. The concert was opened by the Moscow Synodal Choir, which presented solo two works by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk “Cherubic Hymn” and “In Your Kingdom”. The artistic director of the Moscow Synodal Choir was conducted by Honored Artist of Russia Alexei Puzakov and artistic director of the Youth Synodal Choir Mikhail Kotelnikov. The idea to hold a joint Russian-Italian sacred music concert in the Vatican, dedicated to Andrei Rublev, belongs to the author of the oratorio. The project was supported by the Department of Culture of the City of Moscow, the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Embassy of Russia in the Vatican and the Pontifical Lateran University. “The Russian side seemed to have an important idea of ​​the joint performance of modern Italian music, dedicated to the Russian icon painter. In the work of Andrei Rublev, we see the benchmarks of traditional Christian values ​​of love and understanding, ”noted the artistic director of the Moscow Synodal Choir, Alexei Puzakov. The importance of the event for the Russian-Vatican and Orthodox-Catholic relations was emphasized in his speech by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Holy See A.A. Avdeev. The Moscow Synodal Choir performs in Rome for the fourth time. In 2014, 2015 and 2016, together with the most famous professional male choir of the Catholic Church - the Papal Sistine Chapel - the Synodal Choir performed music of Western and Eastern Christian tradition in the Sistine Chapel itself in the Vatican, in the Basilica of St. Peter, the Cathedral of St. John Lateran and the Holy Basilica Mary, Angels and Martyrs

Results of the church decade

An article by the chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Relations with Society and the Media V.R. Legoids published on the website of "Evening Moscow". To understand which direction to go next, the Church must look back and summarize some of the past decade. With all confidence we can say that during this period the Church has become one of the centers of public life and the information agenda. If we talk about traditional media, the number of materials about the Russian Orthodox Church has increased many times, and the negative ones range from 3 to 5 percent. I emphasize that this is without taking into account the instant messengers, since the agenda there is basically different. A very important achievement was the adoption in 2010 of the law on the transfer to the Church of property in state or municipal ownership. Prior to this, many churches, in which services constantly went, were, oddly enough, not owned by religious organizations. This process has been launched and is continuing successfully. Schools started teaching the course “Fundamentals of Religious Culture”. We can talk about its probable expansion. According to our data, up to 40 percent of parents today choose this course for their children. It should be noted that the Church does not seek to promote its discipline at any cost, especially to the detriment of other subjects. The specialists who developed this course are familiar with the educational process and know that there is a big burden on the shoulders of schoolchildren today. Finally, we see that in recent years the number of young people who come to the Church has increased significantly. It is not by chance that the theme of the Christmas readings this year is designated as “Youth: Freedom and Responsibility”. In accordance with the Christian interpretation, these concepts do not exist separately from each other. The church is trying today to conduct a dialogue with young people so as to be understandable and understandable. Today, most of the young audience has switched to telegram channels. If this platform attracts attention, then the Church should be present there. In social networks today there are pages of many religious figures who have a large and sincere interest of the audience. At the same time, it is very important that the temple is not just another interest club, but the opportunity to come to Christ, change your life, solve some issues that are particularly acute during adolescence, and talk about problems that are more nowhere to discuss will not work. The readings will give participants the opportunity to once again exchange views on these and other important topics in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: The Ukrainian Tomos reflected the papal aspirations of Constantinople

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: The Ukrainian Tomos reflected the papal aspirations of Constantinople Митрополит Волоколамский Иларион: В украинском «томосе» получили отражение папистские устремления Константинополя print version January 23, 2019 10:28 On January 19, 2019, on the Russia-24 channel on Saturdays and Sundays, the chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations , Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, answered the questions of the leading television channel Ekaterina Gracheva . E. Gracheva : Hello! This is the “Church and Peace” program, in which we talk with the chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. Hello, lord! Metropolitan Hilarion : Hello, Catherine! Hello, dear brothers and sisters! E. Gracheva : Vladyka, this weekend will be almost a month since the terrible tragedy that happened in Magnitogorsk - an explosion in a residential building that claimed dozens of lives. Does our Church somehow participate in the fate of the victims and in the fate of the relatives of the victims of this tragedy? Metropolitan Hilarion : From the very beginning, our Church took a lively and effective part in the fate of those who suffered from this explosion. Immediately after the tragedy, the Church began to assist the victims. Bishop Innocent of Magnitogorsk assembled the abbot of all the churches of the city, created a church operational headquarters, left for the place of the tragedy, priests arrived there. First of all, they helped in what is so necessary - in the psychological rehabilitation of people, because for those who have lost their loved ones, this is a very difficult, very scary moment. And here it is important that the priest is there so that he can find some right words so that he can instill hope in people. In addition, the Church helps a lot and those who were hospitalized as a result of house collapse. Our clergy provide all possible assistance that can be provided to people affected in this terrible tragedy. E. Gracheva : Lord, our program is released in the days when we celebrate the baptism of the Lord. Even unbelievers in our country know about this holiday, and even those who do not go to churches do not miss the opportunity to dip a hole. Is it true that the baptismal water is so life-giving that it washes away sins even from such people? Metropolitan Hilarion : The water of baptism by itself cannot wash away sins if a person does not go to confession, if he does not partake, does not participate in church life. And in general, such an attitude towards holy water is dangerous, which suggests that it has some kind of "magical" action - supposedly you can not go to church, you can not believe in God, you can not do good deeds, but if you stock up with holy water, then everything will be fine . It does not happen. There is no magic, amulets, talismans or conspiracies in the Church. The church, above all, involves conscious participation in the sacraments, in worship. The consecration of water is an annual rite, which is performed primarily in memory of the Baptism of the Lord. According to the tradition in our country, despite the cold, the water under the ice is consecrated, and then people go there. By itself, this custom has nothing to do with the Church. The church has never invited people to plunge into the hole. This can be done by people, of course, to whom this allows health. You can not abuse this. It is impossible, as doctors say, to plunge into the hole in people who have heart disease or some other disease - this is a big stress for the body. I myself plunge into the ice-hole annually, and not only at Baptism. I know that in itself it has a healing effect on the body. But nothing magical happens here and there can be no absolution here either. Therefore, one should not overestimate the importance of immersion in the hole. As for the holy water - if believers take it inside or sprinkle it on their dwellings, then through this they receive the blessing of God. E. Gracheva : Lord, there are many myths about baptismal water. For example, that it acquires other properties, does not freeze, does not “bloom”. The water of the Epiphany froze at me and “blossomed”. So I had the “wrong” water? Or maybe I'm a big sinner? Metropolitan Hilarion : The Epiphany water, over which the rite of consecration has been accomplished, retains the chemical properties of water, therefore, of course, it can freeze and deteriorate. A significant part of the myths that the water of the Epiphany acquires other properties, for example, it cannot “bloom”, is not based on reality. At the same time, the experience of many people shows that this water costs throughout the year and does not deteriorate. The fact that Epiphany water freezes is an obvious fact. When I served in Lithuania as a priest, I had a parish where there was no heating. And if on the street minus 20, then inside the temple in which I served, it was also minus 20. I had baptismal water, which, of course, froze and turned into ice. When I took communion from the cup, I could not tear it from my lips, because it was frozen to my lips. Therefore, a significant part of these myths, of course, is not based on reality, although, I repeat, the experience of many people shows that the water of baptism stands throughout the year and does not deteriorate. E. Gracheva : Vladyka, in our last program you spoke about the events of January 5 - giving autocephaly to the Ukrainian church, but did not affect the content of the “Thomos” itself. In general, is the text of this “tomos” available? What does it contain? Metropolitan Hilarion : This text has been published. I have his translation in my hands. This text speaks of the establishment of an autocephalous church in Ukraine, but it provides for so many restrictions that it cannot be called a true autocephaly. For example, a new church structure cannot establish bishops or establish congregations outside the country; already existing foreign communities are being subordinated to Constantinople; the possibility of Ukrainian bishops and clergy to appeal against the Patriarch of Constantinople, who takes the canonical responsibility to take peremptory judicial decisions for bishops and other clergy of this supposedly independent church, is being consolidated. Just imagine, if such restrictions were imposed on the Russian Church. By the way, Constantinople tried to impose such restrictions on us. So, we should have about a thousand of our parishes in the diaspora simply to lose or give to Constantinople simply because the Patriarch of Constantinople is so eager. Or, say, some father was guilty, the bishop banned him, and he appeals to the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Patriarch of Constantinople makes a judgment and it is considered mandatory for the Russian Church. This is not an autocephaly. E. Gracheva : That is, translating into simple language, if Ukrainians living outside the country in France, in the USA, in other countries of the world want to take communion, to be baptized, to get married, they will still go to the canonical Church of the Moscow Patriarchate? Metropolitan Hilarion : Yes. In fact, this will mean that the faithful Ukrainians, as is happening now, will go to the churches of the Russian Orthodox Church in the diaspora. In our parishes in the diaspora a significant number of believers, and in many parishes most of the believers are Ukrainians, Moldovans, they are not Russians. Also in the "tomos" it is said that "the autocephalous church of Ukraine recognizes as its head the Most Holy Apostolic and Patriarchal Ecumenical Throne". This actually means that for this Ukrainian church structure the Patriarch of Constantinople will perform the same function that the Pope performs for the Catholic Church. As a matter of fact, the papal aspirations of Constantinople are spelled out here, which they have already repeatedly voiced, but are not recognized by any of the Local Churches. Now, a structure has been created in Ukraine by Constantinople, which will be forced to recognize these papal claims, because it was only under these conditions that she was able to get a “tomos about autocephaly”. E. Gracheva : You speak the language of a church diplomat. I will now read out a sharper definition of what is happening in Ukraine. These are the words of the Serbian Orthodox Church : "The chauvinists-russophobes, led by corrupt politicians, while" assisting "the Uniates and, unfortunately, with the illegal complicity of the Constantinople Patriarchate, deepened and expanded the existing schisms." This is a reaction to the provision of autocephaly to Ukraine. What is the reaction of other Local Orthodox Churches to this event? Metropolitan Hilarion : The Serbian Orthodox Church took a very clear position, and in the message of the entire episcopate of the Serbian Church there was a very clear non-recognition of the actions of Constantinople to legalize the Ukrainian schism. You can also recall the statements of individual hierarchs, for example, the Metropolitan of Montenegrin Amphilochius , Bishop Iriney Bachsky, who quite clearly assessed the actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople as inadmissible. The Patriarch of Antioch, responding to the letter of the Patriarch of Constantinople, said: “From your letter it appears that you decided to continue the process of giving autocephaly <...> Therefore, we urge you not to take any decisions that are not worth the consensus of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, because it is unwise to stop the split at the cost of unity of the Orthodox world. " The Patriarch of Constantinople did not heed the admonition of his Antiochian colleague. Metropolitan of Warsaw and all of Poland Sawa , expressing the position of the Polish Orthodox Church , expressed an unequivocal rejection of what was done by Constantinople in Ukraine. Therefore, of course, in the Local Churches there is growing dissatisfaction with what the Patriarch of Constantinople has done. E. Gracheva : You say that discontent is growing among believers and Orthodox people. But I can also say that, probably, misunderstanding is also growing among the unchurched people. What kind of war is going on between the Patriarchs? After all, the granting of autocephaly to the Ukrainian church became possible due to different interpretations of the same sacred texts, canons. And Kiev put a lot of intellectual effort in order to find the necessary interpretations and formulations. How should an unchurched person now relate to sacred texts, if, according to their interpretation, even the clergy lacked unity? Metropolitan Hilarion : I think that it will be very difficult for an unchurched person to understand all this. But after all, even the interpretation of civil laws is not always the same for different people or different warring parties. And here we are dealing with an attempt to completely artificially interpret some of the rules that were adopted by the Ecumenical Councils and concerned the prerogatives of the Patriarch of Constantinople exclusively within its own jurisdiction. Now the Patriarch of Constantinople has decided to interpret these rules broadly as referring to the whole world, to the entire diaspora. Now they are being imposed on this new Ukrainian structure, since it was only under these conditions that it was able to get the so-called autocephaly. But, I repeat, she did not receive a real autocephaly. In recent months, Constantinople has repeatedly voiced the idea that every Local Church should exist within the boundaries within which it is recognized by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. At the same time, at the moment of recognition of the Russian Orthodox Church by the Patriarchate of Constantinople, its geographical boundaries included only the Moscow principality. According to the logic of Constantinople, the further expansion of the Moscow Patriarchate is interpreted almost as lawless expansion. There was a Moscow principality, then it developed, then Russia acquired more and more new territories. So, our Church should not have gone beyond the limits of the Moscow principality, should not have been engaged in missionary activities, and she had to keep the boundaries in which she received any papers from Constantinople? This is such an absurd idea, it is so contrary to the very nature of the Church that even seriously discussing it is not possible. For over 300 years, it was the united Russian Orthodox Church that was engaged in missionary and educational activities in the territory of Ukraine. And the Patriarchate of Constantinople, creating a new structure on the territory of Ukraine, encroached, among other things, on many territories that did not belong to the Kiev Metropolitanate, which was independent of Moscow, which it created five centuries ago. E. Gracheva : At the end of 2018, the State Duma adopted the “Law on the Protection of Animals from Cruel Treatment”. Lord, are you familiar with the text of this law? According to the canons of the Church, what rights do animals have? Metropolitan Hilarion : The church was created for people, but this does not mean that it has never dealt with animals. Recently, a group of artists sent a letter expressing gratitude to Patriarch Kirill and Metropolitan Juvenal , who heads the Moscow Regional Diocese , for caring for animals. In particular, zoodefenders had in mind shelters for homeless animals, which are organized at temples near Moscow. We told about one of these shelters in our program. Therefore, for believers, the fate of animals is not indifferent, and the Church also takes care of them. E. Grachev : Lord, amended the "Law on anti-terrorism activities." The legislative initiative involves, in particular, the formulation of requirements for the anti-terrorist protection of religious organizations. What do these amendments to the law mean and how will they be applied in practice? Metropolitan Hilarion : As far as I know, it is assumed that each religious object will be examined in terms of the possible consequences of a terrorist act. Each such object will be assigned one of three categories. The first category is temples and other religious sites, where in the event of a terrorist attack more than a thousand people can become victims, that is, these are the largest churches, monasteries, and mosques. The second and third categories are temples that accommodate fewer people. Any measures aimed at protecting people from terrorism are now in demand and necessary, because terrorism is the plague of the 21st century, with which everyone must fight, including through legislative means. We must create such a situation in the country for all believers and non-believers in order to minimize the damage that terrorists can do to people. In the second part of the program, Metropolitan Hilarion answered TV viewers questions that came to the website of the Church and Peace program. Question : In the Gospel there are lines "and the enemies of man are his own ones." Explain what is in this passage? Metropolitan Hilarion : These words were spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ when He warned His disciples about the difficulties they might encounter. Literally, these words are borrowed from the book of the Prophet Micah from chapter 7, which says: “For the son dishonors the father, the daughter rebel against the mother, the daughter in law against her mother-in-law; His enemies are his household ”(Micah 7: 6). Christ rephrased the words of the prophet, speaking first of all about the situation in which people who converted to Christianity, His teachings, could find themselves, if their relatives rebel against their choice. In such a situation, in principle, anyone can be: parents can be against the choice of their children, the husband can be against the choice made by the wife, or children can be against the choice of parents. In this situation, the Lord says that loyalty to our neighbors, we must always prefer loyalty to Christ, that is, in the first place always put love for Him. We can also recall that Christ Himself, when he went out to preach, when he began to gather around Himself the disciples and people who were possessed by various diseases, possessed with demons, and so on began to gather around Him, experienced some resistance from His relatives. In the Gospel of Mark it is even said that “His neighbors went to take Him, for they said that He went out of himself” (Mark 3:21). That is, in other words, they thought that He was crazy. And Jesus Christ repeatedly said that one of His followers might be in a similar situation.