Home page News
Statement of the Inter-Religious Council in R…

Statement of the Inter-Religious Council in Russia on Freedom of Expression and Insult on the Feelings of Believers

The Inter-Religious Council in Russia has issued the following Statement on Freedom of Expression and Insult on the Feelings of Believers:

 

Human freedom and rights have always been understood by our religious traditions as expression of the recognition of high value of each person. In the course of secularization, the lofty principles of inalienable human rights have become understood without any relationship with the sacred dimension of life while the protection of personal freedom has been transformed into the defence of self-will opening the way to amorality, all-permissiveness, anarchy and tyranny. We do not approve of the liberal-secular, relativistic approach to the understanding of freedom whereby there are no absolute values and criteria and prosperity is the only thing that makes sense to seek after. With its ethical guidelines lost, freedom, which has become an idol and which is only focused on the satisfaction of personal needs, including ‘the freedom’ of ridicule on things held sacred by others, is incompatible with true human dignity and greatness.

Regrettably, such obvious traditional moral values as respect for religion or beliefs of others and search for peace stand in need to be declared and justified because the voice of conscience has degraded and has been quenched. Freedom needs to have limits; otherwise it may become violence against others in the form of direct physical impact or in the form of word capable of hurting the human soul.

Freedom is also bound up with the notion of responsibility. The conditions of the modern global world characterized by a high degree of contacts and interdependence between particular political, economic and cultural forces as well as the development of human resources and potential to build and to destroy make the problem of responsibility of the mass media as relevant as never before. As rude statements and sacrilegious caricatures insulting the feelings of believers inevitably provoke conflicts on interreligious and inter-ethnic grounds, all the public figures should be extremely careful towards such a sensitive area as religion and aware of possible consequences of their actions.

It should also be noted that in the modern mass conscience, the notion of ‘secularity’ is often wrongly identified with ‘secularism’. The principle of secularity meaning the separation of religious organizations from the state is not synonymous to the notion of ‘non-religious’ or ‘atheistic’. For instance, most people in Russia, being believers and at the same time secular workers are bearers of religious values. It is impossible to achieve social prosperity and harmony without respect for the culture that has developed through centuries and the moral-religious beliefs it keeps up. Therefore, a secular state should not only consider but also rely on the moral roots, and traditional religions can help this fair policy by asserting in society a clear awareness of the most important and fundamental values.

At the same time, we resolutely condemn terrorism as lawless and morals-free aggressive violence. Regrettably, the actions and voice of terrorists resound for many people louder than the voice of hundreds of millions of those who wish to live in peace. We call to break the closed circle of violence and mutual insult, to settle arising problems through dialogue and to seek for a fair and mutually acceptable resolution of the existing differences within legal boundaries.

Share:
Telephone conversation held between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the Primate of the Malankara Church of India

01.11.2024

Address by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the VIII World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad

30.10.2024

Order of Right-Believing Prince Daniel of Moscow presented to Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk by Patriarch Kirill

24.10.2024

Primate of the Russian Church celebrates Divine Liturgy in the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius Lavra on the commemoration day of St. Sergius of Radonezh

09.10.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates Little Vespers and Akathistos hymn to St. Sergius in the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius

07.10.2024

Message from the Primate of the Russian Church to His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia in connection with blasphemous act on the ruins of ancient Ulpiana

14.09.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates on the feast of the 300th anniversary of the transfer of relics of St.Alexander Nevsky to St. Petersburg

12.09.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates All-night Vigil at the Christ the Savior Cathedral on the eve of Transfiguration

18.08.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' met with the Ambassador of India to Russia

30.07.2024

Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Awa III: Ukrainian government’s support for schism and persecution of the major canonical Church is a religious pogrom against the faithful Orthodox Christians of that country

24.07.2024

Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church consecrates the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in the city of Tver.

21.07.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates Liturgy at the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius on the commemoration day of the saint

18.07.2024

The Primate of the Russian Church celebrates All-night Vigil at the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius

17.07.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates Little Vespers at the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius and reads akathist to the saint

17.07.2024

Patriarchal condolences on the death of Boris A. Nelyubov

14.07.2024

Telephone conversation held between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the Primate of the Malankara Church of India

01.11.2024

DECR Chairman has begun his visit to India

31.10.2024

Work of the Commission for Dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is declared successful

24.10.2024

Synod acknowledges importance of bilateral projects carried out in collaboration with Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

24.10.2024

Order of Right-Believing Prince Daniel of Moscow presented to Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk by Patriarch Kirill

24.10.2024

DECR Chairman heads celebrations for the fifteenth anniversary of the consecration of the Dormition Church at the Russian embassy in Beijing.

19.10.2024

Saint Petersburg Theological Academy hosts conference on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) entitled ‘The Person of Metropolitan Nikodim in the History of the Church’.

16.10.2024

DECR Chairman meets with President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference

15.10.2024

Participants of the Divine Service at the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in Presnya congratulated the DECR Chairman on his 40th birthday.

12.10.2024

Russian diplomat given Patriarchal award.

10.10.2024

DECR Chairman delivered a lecture to students of the Russian Orthodox University

09.10.2024

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrates Little Vespers and Akathistos hymn to St. Sergius in the Lavra of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius

07.10.2024

DECR Chairman takes part in festivities for the beginning of the academic year at the Saints Cyril and Methodius Postgraduate Institute.

03.10.2024

DECR chairman attends reception given by Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation

22.09.2024

Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk meets with delegation of Orthodox Church in America

16.09.2024

Metropolitan Hilarion: Many things in a person's life depend on faith

29.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Holy Spirit is the main treasure of the Christian soul

01.08.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: Holiness is a constant striving to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ

27.06.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: God does not want to condemn, but to save us

07.03.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord always grants to us the opportunity to display our talents

24.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: The Lord has imbued the waters of Jordan with his divine presence to wash away human sins

19.01.2021

Metropolitan Hilarion: to repent means to change your way of life

17.01.2021

On commemoration day of St. Catherine, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk officiated at the Church of St. Catherine the Great Martyr In-the-Fields  the representation of the Orthodox Church in America

07.12.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We can always show compassion for people

29.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion celebrates on commemoration day of St. Varlaam of Khutyn at the church of ‘Joy to All the Afflicted’ icon of the Mother of God

19.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: We should remember that the life of each human being is in the hands of God

06.11.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: For God there is nothing impossible

25.10.2020

Metropoplitan Hilarion: The cross which was an instrument of dishonourable execution becomes the symbol of salvation for millions of people

27.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Eucharist is the wedding feast, to which Lord Jesus Christ invites each of us

13.09.2020

Metropolitan Hilarion: Faith alone is not enough for salvation

30.08.2020

Page is available in the following languages
Feedback

Fields marked by * are mandatory required

Send a message
Рус Укр Eng Deu Ελλ Fra Ita Бълг ქარ Срп Rom عرب