Interview with Patriarch Kirill. Christmas interview with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill

“War is always grief.” Christmas interview with Patriarch Kirill

On January 7, 2016, the Rossiya-1 TV channel aired the traditional Christmas interview of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' with journalist and TV presenter, general director of the Russian international news agency Rossiya Segodnya, Dmitry Kiselev. We offer Pravmir readers the text and video recording of this interview.

– Your Holiness, thank you for this traditional Christmas interview. But this year our conversation differs from all previous ones in that Russia is engaged in military operations. How should a believer feel about this? It is clear that we are talking, first of all, about Orthodox Christians, but also about Muslims.

– Killing a person is a sin. Cain killed Abel, and having embarked on the path of committing sin, humanity found itself in a situation where a violent method of influencing an individual, a group of people, or a country quite often turns out to be a means and way of resolving conflicts. This, of course, is the most extreme and most sinful way. But the Gospel contains amazing words, the essence of which is that blessed is the one who gives his life for another (see John 15:13).

What does this mean? This means that participation in certain activities that could result in death can be justified. The Gospel clearly describes in what cases this is possible - when you give your life for others. As a matter of fact, this is what the idea of a just war is built on. Even Blessed Augustine tried to describe the parameters of such a war back in the 5th century. Now, perhaps, there are slightly different ideas, but the essence remains the same: military actions are justified when they protect a person, society, and the state.

What is happening today in seemingly distant Syria, which in fact is not distant at all, it is literally our neighbor, is the defense of the Fatherland. Many people speak clearly about this today, because if terrorism wins in Syria, it has a huge chance, if not to win, then to extremely darken the life of our people, to bring misfortune and disaster. Therefore, this war is defensive - not so much a war as targeted influence. But, nevertheless, this is the participation of our people in hostilities, and as long as this war is defensive in nature, it is fair.

Besides, we all know very well what terrible troubles terrorism brings. Our people went through terrible trials - Beslan, Volgograd, it is impossible to list them all. We are burned by this pain, we know what it is. What about our plane that was shot down over Sinai? Therefore, all that happens is a defensive response. In this sense, we boldly talk about a fair fight.

In addition, there is one more very important point. Through our actions we are participating in the salvation of many people in Syria and the Middle East. I remember how in 2013, when we celebrated the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', Patriarchs and representatives of all Local Orthodox Churches came to Moscow. We met with Vladimir Vladimirovich in the Kremlin, and the main topic was to save the Christian presence in the Middle East. This was a general appeal to the President. I do not want to say that this particular motive is decisive, but we are talking about protecting people who are unjustly destroyed as a result of terrorist actions - including, of course, the Christian community.

Therefore, like any war and any military action associated with the death of people, this war is a grief and can be a sin. But as long as it protects people's lives and our country, we treat it as a just action aimed at achieving just goals.

– Your Holiness, you are talking about saving people, but this war (I mean the war in Syria and our military operation as part of it) complicates the position of the Orthodox in the world - in any case, they are associated with Russia...

– As they say, there was nowhere to go further. The situation of Christians in Syria, Iraq, and many other countries has reached the extreme. Today, Christians are the most oppressed religious community, not only where there are clashes with Islamic extremists, but also in many other places, including prosperous Europe, where public display of Christian feelings, such as openly wearing a cross, can lead to the person will be fired from work. We know how Christianity is being squeezed out of public space - in many countries today the word “Christmas” is no longer used.

Christians are indeed in a very difficult situation, and what is happening now in Syria, it seems to me, will not worsen it. On the contrary, we know cases of return from captivity, we know cases of liberation of Christians and entire Christian settlements, places of their compact residence. From the reaction we are receiving from our brethren, it is quite clear that they look with hope at Russia's participation in this war of liberation, in these actions aimed at overcoming terrorism.

– In that case, to what extent is what is happening in Syria now a religious war? What can be opposed to fanatics who, as they say, are driven by faith? What is the nature of this phenomenon?

– It has already become commonplace to say that this is not a religious war, and I subscribe to this attitude towards this conflict. Let me give you a historical example. Relations between Christians and Muslims in history have not been rosy. We know that there were cases of forced conversion to Islam and the conquest of Christian territories by Byzantium. But, if we leave out the actual military actions, which were always accompanied by losses on both sides, then there has never been anything like what is happening now in the Islamic world.

Take even the example of the Ottoman Empire. There was a certain order of relations between religious communities. Until now, in the hands of a Muslim Arab - the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is all from those very Turkish times, when a Muslim was responsible for security and for the custody of Christian shrines. That is, a way of interaction between communities was developed, which, of course, cannot be called the most favored nation regime, but people lived, fulfilled their religious duties, patriarchies existed, the Church existed - and all this in ancient times, in the 1st millennium or in the so-called Dark Middle Ages .

But enlightened times have come - the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century. So what do we see? Genocide of Christians, as we just said, the extermination of the Christian population. The presence of Christians in Iraq and Syria has decreased by an order of magnitude; people are fleeing for fear of being exterminated as whole families...

There is such a thing as fanaticism, that is, an idea taken to the point of absurdity. So, fanatics believe that they have the right to control the destinies of people, that is, to freely decide whether a Christian community should exist or not - most often, that it should not exist, because Christians are “infidels” and are subject to destruction. This fanatical idea itself, taken to the point of absurdity, is contrary to the religious idea, contrary to God. God did not call on anyone to destroy in the name of a relationship with Him or, better said, for the sake of displaying religious feelings. Therefore, behind fanaticism, in the end, there is godlessness, only the dark mass of people who are drawn into these terrible actions do not understand this. To act this way is to reject God and God's world.

- Are fanatics atheists?

– Fanatics are de facto atheists. Although they will talk about their belonging to the faith and even perform certain religious rituals, by their convictions, by their views, these are people who deny His will and God’s peace. It couldn’t be otherwise. In order to create a terrorist community, people need to be inspired to hate, and hatred is not from God, it comes from another source. Therefore, when we talk about so-called religious fanaticism, extremism and terrorism, we are talking about a phenomenon associated with a person’s refusal to be a believer and to be in union with God.

– The world is divided, and perhaps the fight against terrorism is a chance for it? Can the fight against terrorism unite humanity, and if so, on what basis?

– Perhaps, tactically, it will reconcile some forces to solve common problems, but they can never unite the fight against someone. We need a positive agenda. We need a value system that unites people, and let me take this opportunity today to say something about the phenomenon of religious terrorism that I have never said before.

How do they lure people into the terrorist community? Money, drugs, some kind of promises - all this, so to speak, non-idealistic factor works in full. And there is no need to idealize everyone who joins this community. Very many are driven exclusively by strict pragmatic interests - to profit, to conquer, to steal, to seize. The same use of Syrian oil fully demonstrates the presence of a thirst for profit and conquest.

But there are also honest people, or at least those who join the ranks of terrorists for truly religious reasons. I’m sure there is, because people respond to the call of extremists most often in mosques, after prayer, but how can you influence a person who has just prayed to force him to take up arms? It is necessary to connect his religious feelings, his faith with very specific arguments, aimed, among other things, at participation in military operations and everything else that accompanies terrorist activity. What could be the argument - have we ever thought about it? “You become a fighter for the caliphate.” - “What is the caliphate?” “And this is a society where faith and God are at the center, where religious laws dominate. You are creating a new civilization in relation to the one that is now established in the world - godless, secular and also radical in its secularism.”

We now see that this godless civilization is really attacking, including the rights of people, which are proclaimed as almost the highest value - but you cannot wear a cross. Parades of sexual minorities can be held, this is welcomed, but a demonstration of millions of French Christians in defense of family values is dispersed by the police. If you call unconventional relationships a sin, as the Bible tells us, and you are a priest or pastor, you may not only lose your opportunity to minister, but you may also go to prison.

I can continue to give simply terrible examples of how this godless civilization is advancing. And this is what the finger is pointed at at young people who are seduced by extremists. “Look what kind of world they are building - a devilish world, and we invite you to build the world of God.” And they respond to this, they go to give their lives for this. Then they can use drugs and whatever they want, but in order to motivate a person to fight, you must first show him the enemy. Which is what they do, naming specific addresses and saying why certain people are enemies in relation to you, and perhaps in relation to the entire human race.

It is necessary to combine human freedom with moral responsibility. It is necessary to give every person the opportunity to live in accordance with God's law. There is no need to limit the manifestation of religious feelings and at the same time there is no need to limit the freedom of human choice. If we can connect all these components, we will build a viable civilization. And if we fail, then we are doomed to constant struggle and constant suffering. It is impossible to try to build the future by tug of war, by the victory of one model over another, by creating some artificial forms of human society that do not correspond to either moral nature or religious feeling. And if humanity manages to achieve a moral consensus, if this moral consensus can be somehow included in international law, in legislation, then there is a chance to build a fair global civilizational system.

– You talk about chance and mentioned France. In France, after these terrible terrorist attacks in Paris, the public response to them was a call to prayer - and this is in a country where, according to statistics, Christians are already a minority, less than half. So what was it? Taking advantage of that chance you were talking about?

– It was a natural reaction of people. You know, the same thing happened after September 11 in New York – temples of all denominations and religions began to overflow with people. The same thing happened when the seemingly completely atheized Soviet society turned to God during the Great Patriotic War. The temples were overcrowded; as I was told by people who participated in the hostilities, there was not a single atheist on the front line. When a person comes face to face with a danger that he cannot overcome on his own and even together with others, he turns to God - and indeed he hears this God's answer! Otherwise they would not have turned to Him.

Therefore, taking us through some trials, the Lord, of course, is waiting for our conversion. And in this sense, I very highly appreciate what is happening in our country today. I do not idealize what is happening, but I see how slowly, not without difficulty, but there is a certain rapprochement of two principles in the life of our people, how there is a certain synthesis of the material, scientific, technical principle, people’s aspiration for a prosperous life with the growth of their spiritual needs. I can't say that we have achieved much. We may be at the very beginning of the path, but this is a very correct path. When I see young people, educated, successful, with a bright, strong faith in their hearts, you know, my soul rejoices. You see the image of the new Russia - in fact, this is worth living for.

– Your Holiness, when you talk about our country, then, of course, we recognize Russia. On the other hand, you have more than one country, for example. Ukraine is also your country, and the Russian Orthodox Church offers prayers every service for Ukraine, for the suffering. How do you assess the processes taking place in Ukraine?

– For me, Ukraine is the same as Russia. There are my people, the Church, which the Lord blessed me to lead during this historical period of time. This is my joy and my pain. This is the reason for sleepless nights and the reason for the high enthusiasm that sometimes visits me when I think about people who with such strength and faith defend their convictions, their right to remain Orthodox.

What is happening in Ukraine today, of course, fills the heart with anxiety. We are witnessing terrible stories of the seizure of temples. The village of Ptichye, Rivne region. Several women, two priests sit huddled together for several days - it’s cold, the electricity is off, there’s no heat, there’s no food, there’s no water. Miraculously, one managed to make a phone call, and we learned about what was happening inside. And there is a roaring crowd around, demanding to throw these people out and hand over the temple that they built, which belongs to them, to another religious group, which we call schismatics, which does not belong to the canonical Church. The court stands for the rights of the believers of our Church, but no government protects these rights.

Maybe someone will say: “Well, what are you talking about a special case? You look at the life of the country as a whole.” But what does this mean? People have chosen the so-called European path of development - well, they have chosen and chosen, no one is tearing their hair out about this and no one is trying to interfere with this path. Well, follow this path! Is terror a factor in modern European life, with all its costs that we talked about? Is it possible to attract people to the European path of development in this way, when for many it is associated with blood and suffering? Not to mention the hunger and misfortune of many people...

I have only one hope, that there is a Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a Confessor Church, which today really unites the people. Not a single political force unites the people, not a single political force works for a conciliar Ukraine, especially those very loudly speaking people who proclaim the idea of a conciliar Ukraine as their political program. They do not work for this program, but the Ukrainian Orthodox Church works, which unites both the east, and the west, and the north, and the south, which humbly but courageously tells the truth, which leads people to unification, and this is the only way and only with this unifying factor can be linked to the prosperous future of Ukraine.

I pray for His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, for the episcopate of our Church, for the clergy, for the believing people, and I believe that in this way Ukraine will be preserved and will be a prosperous, peaceful, calm country, friendly towards its neighbors, open towards Europe. No one will feel bad from this, so God forbid that it be so.

– Ukraine is going through difficult times not only in the spiritual, but also in the material sense. The people fell into poverty, and the economic crisis affects both Russia and many countries of the world. People who only yesterday considered themselves to be the middle class are becoming poorer and begin to feel poor, even if they live not in poverty, but in a material sense worse than yesterday. They have a certain low self-esteem, and recently there has been such an ideological construction that only a good life is valuable, and a bad life is not needed at all. This leads to the fact that someone may even end up committing suicide, someone falls into despair, gives up ... Still, the value of life - how does it change, and does it change, in an economic crisis, in a lack of something ?

– I think it all depends on what’s inside a person. After all, we went through, and our parents went through the most difficult periods, from an economic point of view, much more difficult than now. Now, in general, the severity is relative - a person earns a little more or less, but God forbid that the economic situation worsens, but in general, there is no tragedy in the country today. Therefore, faint-hearted, internally weak, empty people become disappointed.

If you associate all your well-being only with money, if well-being is measured by the quality of your vacation, the material conditions of life, then the slightest reduction in consumption can seem like a monstrous tragedy. And what does it mean? This means that the person is not very viable. He cannot always live in some particularly favorable conditions; and even if the conditions are materially favorable, then everything happens in his soul. And how often quite prosperous people go through a crisis in their family life, through despair, how many suicides there are among rich and prosperous people!

The only thing that we should fight against, that we should never allow, that we need to eradicate, is to eradicate poverty. There is a difference between poverty and poverty. This is very well said by Dostoevsky in Crime and Punishment. There Marmeladov philosophizes about this, that poverty does not destroy pride, that is, a certain self-confidence, but poverty sweeps people out of human communication...

- "Poverty is not a vice, poverty is a vice" ...

- In fact, poverty throws a person out of society. Who will communicate with the unfortunate tramp who spends the night on the street, who will let him into the house? A poor person, cleanly dressed, intelligent, will be allowed in, they will talk, and they will hire him, but a beggar - that’s all, he is an outcast. But these are our people, these are not some aliens who came down to us. And if you delve into the history of these poor people? Often they were prosperous a year or two ago, but various circumstances - raider seizure of an apartment, loss of work, loss of health - lead to this state.

Therefore, one of our national tasks should be to ensure that there is no poverty in Russia, that there are no homeless people in Russia. The church is trying to do everything in its power to help, warm in winter, wash, clothe, give advice, buy a ticket home. These are not very significant measures, but a program for the complete eradication of poverty must be adopted on a national scale.

But even with all this, we will not solve the problem of human happiness. No reduction in interest rates or increase in income will play a decisive role. I'm saying this because it's on everyone's lips right now, people are very concerned about what's happening with their investments in banks, with loans, with everything else. This, of course, is important, I am not minimizing this problem, but I want to say that it is by no means what primarily determines what human life and human happiness mean.

If we talk to God about all this and ask for His help, then we will change ourselves, we will change our inner world. We will become stronger, and our well-being depends on this inner spiritual strength - in my opinion, to a much greater extent than on external material factors. Although these factors should not be minimized, taking into account everything that we have said in connection with the miserable existence of many of our citizens.

– Your Holiness, I cannot help but ask this question in the coming year. We will celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the Russian monastic presence on Mount Athos. How should you celebrate this holiday?

– This is a very important event in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, in the history of Athos and, of course, of the entire universal Orthodoxy. On Mount Athos, in our monasteries on the eve of this holiday, grandiose restoration work was and is being carried out. Private philanthropists are investing heavily in the restoration of Russian Athonite monasteries, and we really hope that in celebration of this event our monasteries, which fell into disrepair during the 20th century, will be transformed because there was no influx of monks and ties with Russia were severed.

Also in our country, scientific conferences will be held, numerous research projects and publications will be carried out. We want to involve our scientific community, our intelligentsia and, of course, our people in this celebration. Why? Yes, because Athos was, is and will be a center that has a special spiritual significance for us, for all our people. Surprisingly, Athos has played, is playing and will apparently continue to play an important role in the Christianization of our society. After all, many go there for the sake of exoticism - just to see what kind of place it is, where women are not allowed, where monks are self-governing, some kind of state within a state... They come - and in their hearts they feel the grace of God that resides there, and forever maintain a connection with Athos. This connection brings many people to God and strengthens their spiritual life. Therefore, the anniversary, in addition to cultural and historical significance, also has great spiritual significance for our people.

– What will be most important for your flock in Russia and the world in the coming year? What to avoid, what to strive for?

– I can’t give any specific advice now. Because for each person it is all very individual, and what is good for one may not be very good for another. And some general advice, general wishes do not really touch the mind and heart... But I would like to say about very important things that will help in implementing plans and overcoming life’s difficulties.

So they come to the priest and say: “Father, should I get married or not?”, “Should I get married or not?” I always tell confessors: “Be careful with such answers, how can you know?” These are the questions a person should address to God, as well as, perhaps, smaller questions related to everyday life. When we ask God, when we pray, we establish a connection with Him, God is really present in our lives, and we become stronger. This is the first thing I would like to wish people: learn to pray. Learning to pray means learning to be strong, and what will hinder our connection with God in any case is when we deliberately sin. Of course, we can repent - sincere repentance removes sin and responsibility for it, but, what is very important, if we consciously live in unrepentant sin, then our prayers do not reach God. Sin is the only wall that really separates us from God. There is a wall, and this contact is not there, the circuit does not close...

– Unrepentant sin?

- Unrepentant sin. Therefore, when we realize that we are doing wrong, we need to repent, first of all, before God, and if anyone has the strength and capabilities, then in church before the priest. This is the second thing I would wish for. By the way, confession is not before a priest, but before God; the priest is only a witness to the fact of repentance. The sinner was excommunicated from church communion, he could not receive communion, he could not enter the church, and therefore there had to be a witness to his repentance in order to say: “Yes, he can come, he can pray with us.” This is where the tradition of repentance comes from in the presence of a priest, but in the face of God.

Well, the last thing I would like to say. Our life becomes pleasing to God if we simply do good deeds. Many people need these good deeds - from those closest to us with whom we live, to those whom we meet through our line of work, in different life circumstances. If we learn to do good, we will become happy people, because good multiplies good. This is what I would like to wish for myself, you and everyone who listens and sees us.

– Thank you sincerely for this important interview for everyone, Your Holiness. Thank you.

The Rossiya 1 TV channel aired a traditional Christmas interview with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. The rector of the Russian Orthodox Church answered questions from journalist and TV presenter, general director of MIA Rossiya Segodnya Dmitry Kiselev.

- Of course, every person is unique - no two people are alike. And each country is unique. This factor is formed under the influence of various circumstances. If we talk about Russia, these are its size, climate, history, and so on. But there is something that underlies the motivation of the vast majority of people: when they listen to the inner voice, which we call the voice of conscience.

I think that Russia's uniqueness lies largely in the fact that, although this has sometimes created problems, our country is a conscientious country. And I will give some examples, very vivid and well-known to many, when conscientiousness prevailed over pragmatism. For example, the Crimean War, the defense of Orthodoxy in the Holy Land, Nicholas the First. Some of our viewers will say: “Yes, but it was a geopolitical program.” However, it was not geopolitical ideas that inspired people to defend shrines and Orthodox Christians in the Holy Land, but conscience. And the Balkan Wars under Alexander II? Thousands of ordinary Russian people went to fight for their Slavic brothers. And along with them - difficult ones, generals, and members of the royal family. Is this just pragmatism? Is a person really capable of dying in the name of pragmatism? Never! Movement towards danger in order to protect is also at the call of conscience. What about Nicholas II and the beginning of the First World War, when the Russians stood up to defend their Serbian brothers? But someone might also say that this is pragmatism. But would people go to war just for him? Therefore, conscientiousness is very clearly visible in the history of Russia.

— Many They believe that Russia is trying to play a disproportionate role in the world. And this even contains some risks for our country. So is the cross possible?

The unity of the peoples of Russia, the strengthening and harmonization of interethnic relations were discussed at a press conference in the format of a Moscow-Simferopol-Kazan video bridge, which was held today, November 3, at the press center of the Rossiya Segodnya news agency.

“You are not supposed to give up the cross—that’s what the Orthodox Church teaches.” If Russia takes on this cross, then God will give us the strength to bear it. The most important thing is that the moral dimension in politics, which we just talked about, is never absorbed exclusively by pragmatic goals that are far from morality. And if in our politics, life and social structure we strive for the triumph of justice, for the moral sense of people to be calm, then, undoubtedly, we will have to bear some kind of cross. We will not go into details, but, of course, there are people in the world who disagree with this position. But I want to repeat again: if God lays a cross, then He gives us strength to bear it. And the very fact of bearing this cross is of great importance for the whole world, for the entire human community. And no matter how they try to present our (including foreign) policy in different colors, it will be attractive to many people in the world as long as it retains this moral dimension.

— And yet you recently talked about the apocalypse. The responses were very different. We know how to interpret, you know. But still, what to prepare for and how?

- The apocalypse is the end of history, and Patriarch Kirill did not invent this.

The Bible is clear that there will be an end to history. And in general this is a very logical story. After all, every person will die at some point. Many people are preoccupied with the topic of the end of the world, but do not realize that our own end and the end of the world are separated by a very specific period of time, as stated in the Bible. Seventy years old, at most 80. But if beyond strength, then 90. What is this? This is a moment.

By the way, there is some kind of incomprehensible, but apparently not random, pattern. People who hold liberal views really don’t like it when the Church raises two topics: the devil and the end of the world. The question is why this reaction occurs. And it arises for the same reason that in modern culture, so to speak, they are trying to push aside the theme of death, which is present in many films as entertainment. But we don’t like serious reflection on the human end. And they don’t like to talk about death. And not only here, but also in the West, there is even more. There, in general, the coffin is not opened during the funeral farewell ceremony, be it in the temple or in another place. And the less we talk about it, the calmer it is for everyone. And why? But because the theme of the end requires philosophical understanding. And when a person begins to think about his own end or about the end of history, he comes to conclusions directly related to the religious factor.

And now to the point. How can the world ever end? When human society ceases to be viable, it will exhaust its resources for existence. In what case can this happen? In the event that the total domination of evil comes. And what will this lead to? Evil is not viable, and a system in which it prevails cannot exist. And if evil continues to grow and displaces good from human life, then the end will come.

Why do we need to talk about this today? Today we are experiencing a special historical period. Never before has humanity put good and evil on the same level. There was a desire to justify evil. But there has never been an attempt to say that good and evil are not absolute truths. In the minds of people, both good and evil were absolute truths. And today they have become relative.

When can evil grow uncontrollably in human society? It is when this point of view, when good and evil stand on the same level, will triumph on a global scale. And since today we are no longer even at the beginning of this process, but a certain period of time has passed, some history has already been exhausted, then how can the Church not talk about this, how can she not ring the bells and warn about it? that we have embarked on a dangerous path of self-destruction? Who will say about this if not the Church?

“But we have had periods in history when good and evil turned out to be indistinguishable. An example is the murder of the royal family. We will soon celebrate our 100th anniversary. Because we will remember, because we will need to rethink this fact. So what does this date mean? And when they finally end all kinds examination?

— I'll start with the last part of your question. The examinations will end when specialists complete them and present the results. No one is deliberately delaying this process, but no one is specifically urging scientists who are trying to comprehensively answer the questions that constantly arise. You know that a conference was held at the Sretensky Monastery, which I attended, and it was extremely important for me to hear the reports of scientists on the work done and the questions that were posed to them. When the experts said: "We don't have a ready answer. We're not sure, we still need to explore something that will open the possibility of coming to definitive conclusions."

When this happens, then we will make decisions at the bishops' council, taking into account, of course, the opinions of those people who may still have questions.

Well, now - in general about the tragedy that occurred, the tragedy of the regicide. Here I have one question that I want to raise. Maybe there will besomeone capable answer it. In 1905, at the end of the first revolution, the emperor adopted a manifesto that opened up the possibility of realizing the broadest freedoms. A multi-party system, the State Duma, is being created. This opportunity was opened not by the revolution, but by the tsar. After all, there were those who said that this should not be done. To win this revolution, all opposition must be crushed. And the king went towards those who wanted to change the political system in the country. He opened up these possibilities. The Duma turned primarily into an arena not so much for resolving political issues, but as an arena for the struggle around the tsar and the autocracy. Whatever they said about him!

It is now widely believed that the king was weak. Let's think: was he a weak or an internally strong person? After all, he could finish off the State Duma with one clap, disperse all parties, reintroduce censorship - he had real political power. And he didn't use it. Our liberal historians are still throwing mud at Nicholas II and praising Alexander II. And from the point of view of opening up opportunities for democratic discussion of problems, participation in the formation of public policy, who did more: Alexander II or Nicholas II? Of course, Nicholas II. And now he is overthrown. As he himself said, there is betrayal all around. He is overthrown, then his entire family is brutally destroyed. The name is mixed with mud. And even those who treat him without much negativity say, well, he was weak. You just need to historically sympathize with everything that happened to Russia and its last emperor. Now, if he were a weak person, he would not have accepted death so courageously.

The royal family was canonized not because Nicholas II was a good ruler, a wise diplomat and military strategist. He was glorified precisely because he accepted death in a Christian manner. And not only death, but this entire terrible part of your life. He was under arrest and suffered insults and harassment. He is yesterday's king who lost everything. And at the same time, such calm diaries, such a truly Christian view of what was happening to him. And this was characteristic not only of him, but of all family members.

This means that, regardless of the political assessment of his activities, people should have respect for this path in life, especially liberal people. But nothing like that happens. And even in the year of the centenary of the revolutionary events, nothing appeared on the screens - just a film that throws yet another dirt into the face of the passion-bearer. That's why people were outraged by this movie. Well, really, nothing else was found? And again, it seems like this picture arose from liberal circles. Where are the emperor’s merits?

With my answer, I do not provide any analysis of his political activities, nor do I summarize the results of his reign. I am simply reacting to a very important part of his life related to the opening of freedoms and rights for citizens of the Russian Empire and how his life ended. And in this sense, of course, everything that happened to the Emperor and our country should make us think about a lot.

“However, the revolution was not enough for everyone. In the civil war that is currently going on in Ukraine, people are killed every day. The Russian Orthodox Church prays for Ukraine, for healing the schism, but what else can be done?

— The prayer itself- this is a very powerful moment. I understand that non-religious people cannot understand this. But those who go through the experience of prayer know that heaven answers. I have said many times that if the boss deceived us once, we can forgive, justify. If we, having come to the office and asked the boss about something, did not receive an answer or help for the second time, then we already begin to be very skeptical about the possibilities of such contact. But if we were deceived a third time, that’s where it all ends.

Throughout life, a person constantly turns to God with a prayer and remains a believer until the end of his days. This means that he received the answer that the sky is not closed to him. And when we say that we pray for peace, for the reconciliation of people in Ukraine, for overcoming the fratricidal conflict, we put into this our confidence that the Lord will at some point bow down mercy to the Ukrainian people. And the internecine warfare will cease.

But, in addition, of course, our Ukrainian Orthodox Church plays a very significant role. Today it is the only peacekeeping force in Ukraine. After all, she has a flock in the East, and in the West, and in the center. The Church cannot serve the political interests of groups, parties or geographic areas of the country. It is called upon to bring to all a message that can transform the minds and hearts of people, including promoting reconciliation.

As for our entire Church, we tried to the best of our ability to facilitate the return of the prisoners. By the grace of God, on the eve of the New Year and the Nativity of Christ, a massive exchange of prisoners of war took place, although not in the way we would have liked. Therefore, we believe that this is the first stage of the prisoner of war exchange program, in the implementation of which our Church has been actively participating from the very beginning until today.

— Another hot spot- Syria. During the war, many Christians also died there. Did you manage to help them in any way? So, what is next? This is not only Syria, this is the entire Middle East.

— Already in 2014, it became clear that the developing conflicts in Syria are provoked by radical forces that, having come to power, will begin by eliminating the Christian presence in this country. This is why Christians actively supported Assad and his government. Because a certain balance of power was ensured in the country and, what is very important, people felt protected. In 2014, despite some warnings that it was dangerous, I still decided to go to Syria. I was in Damascus, performed services there and saw how enthusiastic the people were. Talking with Muslims, Christians, and politicians, I realized that the main concern of people was that if the Islamic radicals came to power in Syria, the first to suffer from this would be Christians. What happened in Iraq will happen: 85 percent of Christians are either killed or expelled from the country.

Even during the Hussein regime, I visited Iraq, including its northern parts, and was in Mosul. Visited the most ancient Christian monasteries. I saw the piety of the people and rejoiced that Christian churches quietly exist in a Muslim environment. Now there is practically nothing left of this. Monasteries were destroyed, churches were blown up. This could happen in Syria as well. Therefore, of course, Russia’s participation, in addition to resolving some issues in which I am not fully competent and therefore do not consider it possible to say anything, but I will briefly say about those related to the stabilization of the situationpreventing military threats, preventing terrorists from taking power.

Here was a very important idea- protection of the Christian minority. Back in 2013, when the heads of local Orthodox churches arrived in Moscow to celebrate the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', during a meeting with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, one of the strongest messages concerned precisely the request that Russia take part in the protection of Christians in the Middle East. And I am glad that this happened. And thanks to Russia's participation, the genocide of Christians was prevented.

And now the question arises of restoring peace, justice, securityin this country, there was an opportunity to solve many economic problems. But what is especially close to us is the restoration of temples, monasteries, monuments, including Muslim and ancient ones. Our church is involved in providing humanitarian assistance. We work both on our own behalf and participate in such a common Christian action, which was formed on the platform of the Interreligious Council of Russia. And besides, we also have bilateral agreements with the Catholic Church on jointly providing humanitarian assistance. There are different areas of our interaction. I hope that we will contribute to providing real assistance to those who are not yet suffering in Syria.

— The following question is logical in this regard. Now the volunteer movement is becoming popular. But a priest is essentially a volunteer. Besides praying, he also does a lot of other things. Well, what about now, besides the fact that we are helping Christians in Syria? What is happening here, on our territory?

- Here Maxim the Confessor connects two concepts - love and will. Volitional qualities of a person. If love fructifies the will, we say of such people that this is a person of good will. Everything that volunteers do is a manifestation of goodwill. This is when volitional efforts are supported by feelings of pity, compassion and love.

For the Russian Church, the creation of volunteer movements is of great importance. Historically, it turned out that in difficult conditions, especially during the atheistic period in our country, any system of solidarity within Orthodox parishes was destroyed. People could not freely meet, talk, create any organizations. All this was prohibited and strictly controlled. And contributed to the development of such religious individualism. I come to the temple and, in fact, the same thing happens as when I am at home: I myself pray, turn to God.

And everything that surrounds me does not directly concern me. And the creation of volunteer movements in almost most parishes, if we talk about Moscow, destroys this individualism. People are beginning to recognize themselves as a community. And they direct their joint efforts towards the fulfillment of those tasks that they must solve, including at the call of conscience and their Christian vocation.

The volunteer movement among young people has very great prospects. You know, this changes the climate and, I think, not only in Orthodox communities, but also in our society.

- In a little more than two months, elections of the president and head of state will be held in Russia. How does the Church feel about elections?

— The Church has a very positive attitude. Because elections existed in the Church earlier than in the state. Patriarchs were chosen and by the grace of God they are still chosen.

But, besides, our councils also make decisions based on voting. Therefore, voting and elections are inherent in the Church. If this is acceptable in the Church, why should believers think that it is unacceptable in a secular society? It is not just permissible, but very much to be welcomed when the people take part in the election, including their supreme leader or their representatives to parliament. For some, this is the only opportunity to somehow influence the situation. Many believe that it is impossible to influence: I am alone, there are millions of people. But this is not true at all. From the voices of a few, the voices of millions are created. Therefore, I would call on everyone, including Orthodox people, to definitely take part in the upcoming presidential elections. It is very important.

— Your Holiness, but President Putin sets the task of building a digital economy in Russia. Where is the Church here?

— For us, the topic of the digital economy is associated with two concepts. For us, this is in the Church. On the one hand, there is the concept of efficiency; secular people, especially managers, insist on this. Undoubtedly, the introduction of digital technologies will provide greater efficiency in the decision-making process. Which, of course, is good. But the Church also has another concept - security. And we are not just talking about the ability of malicious people or forces to use digital technology in order to cause irreparable damage to a country, society or one of the people. But this is all a technological level. And now I would talk about the spiritual level. The Church is very concerned that modern technical means can completely limit human freedom. Here's a small example.

We have hotheads who enthusiastically talk about the need to eliminate cash and switch only to electronic cards. This will ensure transparency, control and so on - arguments that are familiar to many. And that's all true. What if, at some point in historical development, access to these cards will be opened in response to your loyalty?

Today, in order to obtain citizenship in one of the European countries, people who live there and want to obtain citizenship or a residence permit are offered to watch a video that tells about the life, customs and laws of the country. And in this video the whole LGBT topic is very clearly presented. In colors. At the end of the viewing they ask the question: “Do you agree with all this?” If a person says: "Yes, I agree, I accept, it's all right for me," he passes the screening. And he will either become a citizen or receive a residence permit. And if not, he won’t receive it. What if access to finance is limited by these kinds of conditions? Today the Church speaks loudly about these dangers.

— Let's return to the Christmas theme. These days, of course, the tables are set. And the difference is visible. Some people, so to speak, are missing lobsters, while others are happy with chocolate. And yet we are talking about the unity of society. Although the stratification is obvious. But isn't this unity stupid?

- The stratification of society is a huge problem. All this is present in our lives today. Socialism tried to solve this problem. But let's be honest: he didn't solve it. I also found the testimony of my aunt, who in the 1950s lived in a village, who did not have a passport and who miraculously escaped to Leningrad to visit relatives. She talked about the terrible situation of the village at that time. And all this happened in a socialist society. Therefore, the problem of social imbalances has always existed.

But the stability of society and justice in society, which we have been talking about today from the very beginning, depends primarily on overcoming this gap. The deeper it is, the more destabilization, the more negative energy arises. The more people reject everything that happens in society, in the country, the more criticism. Therefore, this topic has a political, social and spiritual dimension. But this, of course, is a challenge for the authorities - legislative and executive. But what you said cannot be tolerated. It is necessary to set the task of overcoming these contradictions. Once again I want to say that there will always be rich and poor. But it is very important that the gap closes. And so that the concept of poverty does not mean the most difficult situation of a person, on the verge of survival.

Of course, the state of many pensioners is also alarming, as well as the fact that many people lose their homes at the end of their lives, they are thrown into the street by black racketeers, businessmen who seize apartments. The state should have a very clear system that would insure people from such life situations. And God grant that the development of the economy and the correct domestic policy will help to overcome these huge divisions between the wealthy and the poor. And so that justice more and more penetrates into the bowels of our national life.

— Congratulations on the holiday, Your Holiness.

- I would like to sincerely congratulate our viewers on the coming Christmas. The world we live in is not easy. And our conversation with you highlighted many of the problems. But what would I like to say. The Nativity of Christ, the advent of the Savior into the world in general, is the beginning of a new era, a new era. This is an event that gives a person enormous strength and strengthens his optimism.

At Christmas services we sing the wonderful hymn “God With Us.” These are biblical words. God is with us, I mean the pagans, that is, understand, the peoples. Because God is with us. Indeed, through the coming of the Savior into the world, God is with us. And by establishing a connection with the Lord, we are able to gain great strength to solve problems in our personal, family, and social lives. Therefore, may God's blessing remain over all our people and over our country.

— I am sincerely grateful to you for this amazing interview.

On January 7, 2017, on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Rossiya 1 TV channel aired the traditional Christmas interview with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church answered questions from the political observer of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, host of the Vesti program A.O. Kondrashova.

— Your Holiness, thank you for meeting on these holidays. Over the past few years, Russia has simply been subjected to test after test. So the past year brought us a big one: people like you, the pride of our national life, symbols, died. How to answer the question that sounds both at work and at home, I hear it very often: why does God call the best to Himself? How can we find comfort?

— This question accompanies all human history. And every time we come into contact with grief that really burns our nature - not some superficial, artificial, but real grief that our soul touches - we ask this question.

I am ready to voice some thoughts now, but the first thing I would like to do is to once again express my deepest condolences to all those who are primarily burned by this suffering, this grief. And to the family of our wonderful one in Turkey, and to the relatives of all those who died on the Tu-154 plane. And if we talk about the ways of God, then the word of God says: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not your ways” (Is. 55:8). It is impossible for us to understand what is happening from the point of view of our logic and our idea of justice. God leads the human race and each of us along the only path known to Him. What is a tragedy for us is not a tragedy for God, because God is in eternity. He knows what happens to a person after death. But while we are here, while we are in the body, while we are limited by our logic, our attitude to what is grief and what is happiness, we, of course, will never be able to fully answer the question that you are now posing to me .

I think that finding the answer to these questions lies not on a rational plane, but in the spiritual life of a person, when suddenly in prayer he feels relief, when, through the remembrance of the dead, something is revealed to him that he suddenly begins to feel in his heart and calm down. That is why I always urge people and now I would like to once again, addressing the loved ones of those who died, say: we need to especially pray strongly for the repose of the deceased and for the Lord to calm their souls. The Church is praying about this, many people are praying in our country and abroad, because what happened really became a grief for our people.

— Your Holiness, last year you visited a number of large European states, such as France, England, and met not only with the flock, but also with the leaders of these states. What are your impressions from these meetings? After all, on the one hand, we seem to have a common Christian beginning, but in recent years we have seen a severe de-Christianization in Europe. Do we have something left to rely on and follow the path of rapprochement, or have we been apart for a long time?

— What remains of the Christian heritage continues to be something that can unite us. Nothing else can unite us. What is happening in Europe, after all, did not collapse at the end of the 20th or the beginning of the 21st century, it matured in the depths of historical development, which at some point (and we know that this moment is called the Age of Enlightenment in history) began to exclude God from human life and equip human life exclusively on a rational basis. It seemed to many that this is the right way, that God is an outdated concept, and in general, as agnostics say, it does not concern us whether He exists or not, let's arrange life exclusively rationally.

Much has been achieved along this path, but a historical development that excludes God is not viable. A remarkable example of the collapse of such a historical development, of such an experience of organizing life, is our own post-revolutionary history. We threw out God, we gave up everything that was holy and ideal for us. Relying on the power of reason, on the power of organization, on the power of the party, on the power of the army, on the power of everything that was in our hands, we have not been able to build a just and prosperous society, which we wanted to build based on this rationalism.

The same thing is happening now in the West. We faced the collapse of our atheistic idea at the end of the 20th century, and I think that a critical reassessment of rationalism is now taking place in Western Europe as well. Of course, the establishment, the political elites associated with big business, the media, and the education system are working as usual and trying to reproduce these phantoms. But the people's soul, human conscience, real life experience tells people that this is the wrong path, and if we say that today all of Europe is de-Christianized, we will say something very wrong.

— It’s probably the government that has become de-Christianized...

— Elites, authorities, those who want to control social processes are powerful forces associated with finance, the media, and the political establishment. But the life of the people is still different from what appears, as it were, in the window of the Western world. Therefore, I am deeply convinced that if, as you said, the remnants of the Christian heritage are preserved, then they can become a common value basis for bringing the East and West of Europe closer together. By definition, there simply cannot be any other basis.

- But how much closer can we be brought together by some common troubles, like at the fair in Berlin, the vile murder of our ambassador in Ankara?

- Maybe, but this rapprochement will never be organic. Let me give you an example. The war and the fight against fascism brought the Soviet Union closer to the Western coalition. The last salvos of World War II had not yet died down, and Truman began to hatch plans for the nuclear destruction of the Soviet Union. What is this? After all, we shed blood together. The meeting on the Elbe - after all, it was not a fake manifestation of feelings, and not just allied feelings, but friendship, respect, military brotherhood. It would seem that now mutual understanding has been ensured for many years, but everything disappeared very quickly. This does not mean that there is no need to fight together; on the contrary, it is necessary to fight together.

— Why don’t they want to help us in the common fight against terrorism?

- Well, this is an exclusively political topic. They don’t want to, because the fight against terrorism is understood by many as one of the tools to influence the world in terms of achieving their own political goals. And if the phenomenon of terrorism begins to be used as a tool to achieve one’s own political goals, then there will be no real fight against terrorism. This is clearly what we are facing in the Middle East today. What has been happening recently, that Russia has managed to organize a coalition in the fight against terrorism in Syria, is, of course, a remarkable phenomenon in modern political life. I sincerely wish that victory over terrorism is truly achieved - first in Syria, and then wherever terrorism raises its head.

But I’ll say it again: peoples come closer, organically come closer, when there is a community - not just a struggle, but a community of values. And I want to emphasize once again: it is the Christian heritage that is the community of values that gives hope for a genuine rapprochement between East and West. If this phenomenon disappears from Western life, if it is really destroyed, then we will lose everything. There will no longer be any community of values, and pragmatism will not get you far, be it economic, political or even military pragmatism.

— Your Holiness, we all know that both the Russian Orthodox Church and you personally spent a lot of energy fighting for the lives of unborn babies. Women often say that the reason is material insecurity, but we know that in fact the problem is broader. This is our way of life. Some people need to finish their studies, others need to find a job, but they found a job - now they need to make a career. There is no time, no time, no time... How deep is this problem today? And how can we make sure that we have fewer abortions and more children?

- Yes, everything depends on ourselves, on our inner world, on our goal setting, because everyone wants to make a career to one degree or another, in one area or another, and it is desirable that this career be accompanied by an increase in material well-being - all this is completely Fine.

Now let's ask the question: what should a person do to make a career? First of all, he must learn to manage himself. He must learn self-restraint. Some people want to go dancing, while others are preparing for exams very seriously. Some people want to spend their vacation liberating themselves and enjoying life, while others at this time burden themselves with additional tasks, some problems that they need to solve, preparing themselves for a successful career.

I would like to give an example from the Soviet past. I had many acquaintances from the scientific world, from the medical world, and many of these wonderful specialists wrote their doctorates in the kitchen, in small Khrushchev-era apartments. Isn't this a feat? Isn't this self-restraint? And if they refused to write these doctoral dissertations and said: “Yes, I can’t be in the kitchen, pans are knocking here, kids are running around”? But this self-restraint led to a brilliant career...

- And what discoveries! We still use it!

- To discoveries. So, it’s the same with children. It is impossible for the sake of a career to relieve yourself of the tasks that confront you as a person. You must make self-restraints. Yes, a child appears - of course, the cost of time, effort, mental energy, limitations in comfort. But without such limitation there can be no human growth. Therefore, when they tell me that in order to be happy, you need to have an abortion, I answer: this is a terrible delusion. You will not be happy if, in order to secure your living space, you go to the point of killing a child. This is why it is important to restructure consciousness. It is necessary for everyone to understand: without self-restraint, without achievement, without sacrifice, the human personality cannot come into being. This means that a real career will not take place. Ask any successful person: how did you manage to achieve this? And the answer will be this: through work and self-restraint. This is a sine qua non for human growth. And God grant that this understanding penetrates deeply into the consciousness of our people.

I would like to say the same thing about one more thing. There is no love without self-restraint. Love is always accompanied by sacrifice. If a person is unable to give himself to another, then there is no love. The ability to self-restraint in love is the true test of whether you love a person or not. If you cannot do anything for him, there is no love, no matter how attractive this person is to you - externally, emotionally or in some other way.

Therefore, all this is very closely connected - sacrifice, self-restraint, feat, career, love and human happiness. And the preservation of the child in this entire system is a very important factor determining the fullness of human life.

— Your Holiness, at the end of last year, with your participation, as well as with the participation of the Primate, we witnessed how Ukraine received its prisoner of war. He was, and without any conditions - such a very kind and demonstrative gesture. Please tell me, do you think the Church in Ukraine will play at least some role in the process of national reconciliation? After all, in principle, Ukrainians probably still believe in God - take for example, in which so many people took part. But is national reconciliation possible now? Is there anyone to help?

— I will say more: if national reconciliation begins, it will be precisely because the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has taken the position that it occupies. This is the only correct position. In reality there is a civil war, civil confrontation, the country is divided. There are civil contradictions that have historical, religious, cultural reasons - we will not go into this now - and no dictatorial approach to regulating public life can remove these contradictions. The Orthodox Church understands that these contradictions exist, but we need to live together, otherwise the country will really fall apart. And the Orthodox Church is this peacemaking force; it has flocks in both the east and the west. After all, the religious procession came from both the east and the west: both there and there were tens of thousands of people! It was a symbol and sign that the potential for peacekeeping and the creation of a just and peaceful life in Ukraine remains. But I must say that we all must work for this reconciliation. I understand that some events on the territory of Ukraine, which the media convey to us, arouse a feeling of protest in people. But it is very important that this feeling of protest does not develop into a feeling of hatred. And it is very important that the media cover Ukrainian topics in this way, so that a negative, negative, hostile attitude towards Ukraine does not arise among our people. And all this unfavorable political context will pass.

- So you think that what’s on top now, this foam will go away?

- This will all pass. The Ukrainian and Great Russian people will remain. We were always together, we were one people, then these people dispersed to different apartments. But we remain people who are united by a common faith, a common history and common values. And everything must be done to ensure that hostility and negative attitudes towards the people do not arise in the hearts of people. This is the work of reconciliation that our Church serves. We pray at every service that the Lord will pour out His mercy on the Ukrainian people and the civil confrontation will end. And we are trying to educate and, I think, not without success, our people in love for their brothers and sisters living in Ukraine. This is the only way to preserve the close bonds that have bound us for centuries. The same is being done by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, despite very difficult conditions.

“Over the centuries of its existence, our Church has created all the prerequisites for our great Russian culture to flourish. In recent months, a strange conflict has suddenly emerged - of course, you have heard about it. Conflict between creative people: some are against the idea that creativity should have any boundaries; on the other hand, those who believe that such a framework should exist because some of their ideas about good are violated. Moreover, sometimes the latter fight using their own methods, sometimes even by force. Someone bans certain productions, someone criticizes films, and so far neither one nor the other has been reconciled with each other. So, in your opinion, Your Holiness, how should we look for a compromise, how to reconcile them?

“I think Brodsky said: all creativity is prayer.” All creativity is in the ears of the Almighty, this is what is directed to Him. A figurative expression, but it speaks about the most important thing. Creativity and culture should elevate the human personality. If a performance, a film, a work of art, a literary work raises a person, if it gives him the strength to love, sacrifice, work, respect another, then this is a true culture. These examples of cultural creativity cultivate the human personality and elevate it.

But it must be confessed that many works of the so-called modern culture turn a person into a beast, liberate instincts, and encourage the most vile manifestations of human nature. Can we call culture that which destroys the human personality, that which turns the human community into a herd, into an animal pack? After all, each of us knows examples of films and books that liberate the Dionysian principle in a person, this black energy. And if people, due to religious, ideological, cultural and historical principles, disagree with such works of culture and art, why should they be silent? God is trampled underfoot by silence. Truth is trampled on in silence. There are times when you can't be silent. Another conversation is that this should not turn into acts of vandalism, into violence. This is completely obvious.

If we silence a person who, based on his understanding of what is good and evil, protests against manifestations of so-called creativity, then we will make a huge mistake. Another thing is that all this discourse needs to be introduced into a civilized field. But what needs to be done for this? Of course, now everyone pays attention to those who radically protest, and not to those who provoke these radical actions. Let me give you an example. The famous exhibition at the Manege is the works of Vadim Sidur. A couple of months before this exhibition, some official in the Ministry of Culture signs an order declaring these blasphemous images as works of art. And then an exhibition is held in the center of Moscow. What it is? Direct provocation. So, if we punish only those who protest, and do not understand when and how these images became works of art, why they were exhibited in Moscow, then we will have a one-sided approach to the topic.

But I am for freedom of creativity, for freedom of expression. Something in images on religious themes may not be entirely convenient for my perception, but I respect the work of real artists, and in this sense, the Church has always been very sensitive and has always known the limits of expressing its disagreement. Therefore, I am for freedom of creativity, for the absence of censorship, but also for mutual respect, for the fight against both vandalism and provocations.

“Your Holiness, life is so fast now, it’s a frantic pace, it’s as if time has compressed.” So many events happen over a certain period of time - it seems to me that this has never happened, and we are in this rhythm. And still against the backdrop of gigantic information noise, wars that in one way or another affect not only journalists, but all people. We are all outraged by how much injustice is being said about Russians in the world now. This noise, noise, rhythm, rhythm - there is no time to stop, to think. Please teach, advise, Your Holiness, how to stop and at least for a second comprehend the very holiday of the Nativity of Christ, the meaning of the very event of the birth of Christ for all humanity and for individuals, for each of us.

- A person must have some kind of shelter. During war, shelter saves you from physical death. We are constantly in incredible turbulence, you are right. The information flow of colossal power brings into our homes, into our families, into our consciousness, into our soul the conflicts of the world around us. A colossal impact is exerted on the human psyche, his nervous system and, of course, moral feelings. If you are constantly in conditions of this turbulence, then this really threatens with very negative consequences for a person. And we know how neuroses develop, how mental illnesses develop, how the human body cannot cope with stress, how the number of suicides increases, including among young people. For me, the temple of God has always been a refuge. When you come to the temple, everything seems to remain outside its walls. You find yourself in an atmosphere where the influence of God’s grace is especially felt, when a person begins to think not about what is outside the temple, but about what is in his heart, what is in his soul, when he turns to God with his innermost thoughts. Moreover, this can happen both during service and outside of it. A lot of people just come during the day, light a candle, stand, be silent, think, take a little break in this whirlwind. And if you can’t go to the temple (sometimes there is not enough time for this, even when the temple is very close and on the way), then you need to have such time at home. Believers call this the time of prayer - at the beginning and end of the working day. Prayer helps you calm down, concentrate, and gain strength. It is no coincidence that there are people who devote their entire lives to prayer. Not because they want to impose some unbearable burdens on themselves, but because a person has such a need.

Well, Christmas is a special time, because everything that surrounds us reminds us of this event: both the solemn services and the way the people celebrate this event. Therefore, these days we should especially feel God’s presence. And I would like to wish everyone who hears and sees us today a Merry Christmas - in the sense that this holiday really gives us the opportunity to experience heartfelt happiness, joy, peace and tranquility. Without this, human life is deprived of its fullness, and no matter how difficult the circumstances of external life are, it is very important to find strength in yourself, including touching the holy, bright and joyful, to influence your soul so that there is more peace and goodness in it and truth.

- Thank you, Your Holiness. Happy holiday!

- Thank you. Happy holiday!

Press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

Condolences from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill in connection with the terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand [Patriarch: Messages]

In Zaporozhye, persons who tried to set fire to the temple of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church were detained

[Article]

A meeting took place between His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the Secretary General of the United Nations

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: It is impossible to lead religious life at a distance [Interview]

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: Physical disabilities are not an obstacle to communication with God [Interview]

With the support of the Synodal Department for Charity, a help center for pregnant women in a crisis situation was opened in the Urzhum diocese

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill met with the President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association F. Graham

The Chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Family Issues spoke at the II Hippocratic Medical Forum

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: Spiritual and moral criteria in art are important for the Church [Interview]

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the annual Christmas dinner with the participation of official church representatives

The Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus and the Minister of Health of the Republic of Belarus visited the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Pediatric Oncology

The largest Christmas exhibition-fair in the South of Russia, “Orthodox Don”, takes place in Rostov-on-Don.

On January 7, 2016, the Rossiya 1 TV channel aired a Christmas interview of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' with TV presenter, General Director of the Russian international news agency Rossiya Segodnya, Dmitry Kiselev.

— Your Holiness, thank you for this traditional Christmas interview. But this year our conversation differs from all previous ones in that Russia is engaged in military operations. How should a believer feel about this? It is clear that we are talking, first of all, about Orthodox Christians, but also about Muslims.

“Killing a person is a sin. Cain killed Abel, and having embarked on the path of committing sin, humanity found itself in a situation where a violent method of influencing an individual, a group of people, or a country quite often turns out to be a means and way of resolving conflicts. This, of course, is the most extreme and most sinful way. But the Gospel contains amazing words, the essence of which is that blessed is the one who gives his life for another (see John 15:13). What does this mean? This means that participation in certain activities that could result in death can be justified. The Gospel clearly describes in what cases this is possible - when you give your life for others. As a matter of fact, this is what the idea of a just war is built on. Even Blessed Augustine tried to describe the parameters of such a war back in the 5th century. Now, perhaps, there are slightly different ideas, but the essence remains the same: military actions are justified when they protect a person, society, and the state.

Besides, we all know very well what terrible troubles terrorism brings. Our people went through terrible trials - Beslan, Volgograd, it is impossible to list them all. We are burned by this pain, we know what it is. What about our plane that was shot down over Sinai? Therefore, everything that happens is retaliatory defensive actions. In this sense, we boldly talk about a fair fight.

- Your Holiness, you are talking about saving people, but this war (I mean the war in Syria and our military operation as part of it) complicates the position of the Orthodox in the world - in any case, they are associated with Russia...

— As they say, there was nowhere to go further. The situation of Christians in Syria, Iraq, and many other countries has reached the extreme. Today, Christians are the most oppressed religious community, not only where there are clashes with Islamic extremists, but in many other places, including prosperous Europe, where public display of Christian feelings, such as openly wearing a cross, can lead to the person will be fired from work. We know how Christianity is being squeezed out of public space - in many countries today the word “Christmas” is no longer used. Christians are indeed in a very difficult situation, and what is happening now in Syria, it seems to me, will not worsen it. On the contrary, we know cases of return from captivity, we know cases of liberation of Christians and entire Christian settlements, places of their compact residence. From the reaction we are receiving from our brethren, it is quite clear that they look with hope at Russia's participation in this war of liberation, in these actions aimed at overcoming terrorism.

Q: In that case, to what extent is what is happening in Syria now a religious war? What can be opposed to fanatics who, as they say, are driven by faith? What is the nature of this phenomenon?

“It has already become commonplace to say that this is not a religious war at all, and I subscribe to this attitude towards this conflict. Let me give you a historical example. Relations between Christians and Muslims in history have not been rosy. We know that there were cases of forced conversion to Islam and the conquest of Christian territories by Byzantium. But, if we leave out the actual military actions, which were always accompanied by losses on both sides, then nothing like what is happening now has ever happened in the Islamic world.

Take even the example of the Ottoman Empire. There was a certain order of relations between religious communities. The keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher are still in the hands of an Arab Muslim. This is all from those very Turkish times, when a Muslim was responsible for security and for the custody of Christian shrines. That is, a way of interaction between communities was developed, which, of course, cannot be called the most favored nation regime, but people lived, fulfilled their religious duties, patriarchies existed, the Church existed - and all this in ancient times, in the 1st millennium or in the so-called Dark Middle Ages .

But now enlightened times have come - the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st centuries. So what do we see? Genocide of Christians, as we just said, the extermination of the Christian population. The presence of Christians in Iraq and Syria has decreased by an order of magnitude; people are fleeing for fear of being exterminated as whole families...

There is such a thing as fanaticism, that is, an idea taken to the point of absurdity. So, fanatics believe that they have the right to control the destinies of people, that is, to freely decide whether a Christian community should exist or not - most often, that it should not exist, because Christians are “infidels” and are subject to destruction. This fanatical idea itself, taken to the point of absurdity, is contrary to the religious idea, contrary to God. God did not call on anyone to destroy in the name of a relationship with Him or, better said, for the sake of displaying religious feelings. Therefore, behind fanaticism, in the end, there is godlessness, but the dark mass of people who are drawn into these terrible actions do not understand this. To act this way is to reject God and God's world.

— Are fanatics atheists?

— Fanatics are de facto atheists. Although they will talk about their belonging to the faith and even perform certain religious rituals, by their convictions, by their views, these are people who deny His will and God’s peace. It couldn’t be otherwise. In order to create a terrorist community, people need to be inspired to hate, and hatred is not from God, it comes from another source. Therefore, when we talk about so-called religious fanaticism, extremism and terrorism, we are talking about a phenomenon associated with a person’s refusal to be a believer and to be in union with God.

— The world is divided, and maybe the fight against terrorism is a chance for it? Can the fight against terrorism unite humanity, and if so, on what basis?

“Perhaps it will tactically reconcile some forces to solve common problems, but they can never unite the fight against someone.” We need a positive agenda. We need a value system that unites people, and let me take this opportunity today to say something about the phenomenon of religious terrorism that I have never said before.

How do they lure people into the terrorist community? Money, drugs, some kind of promises - all this, so to speak, non-idealistic factor works to the fullest. And there is no need to idealize everyone who joins this community. Very many are driven exclusively by strict pragmatic interests - to profit, to conquer, to steal, to seize. The same use of Syrian oil fully demonstrates the presence of a thirst for profit and conquest. But there are also honest people, or at least those who join the ranks of terrorists for truly religious reasons. I’m sure there is, because people respond to the call of extremists most often in mosques, after prayer, but how can you influence a person who has just prayed to force him to take up arms? It is necessary to connect his religious feelings, his faith with very specific arguments, aimed, among other things, at participation in military operations and everything else that accompanies terrorist activity. What could be the argument - have we ever thought about it? “You become a fighter for the caliphate.” “And what is a caliphate?” “And this is a society where faith and God are at the center, where religious laws dominate. You are creating a new civilization in relation to the one that is now established in the world - godless, secular and also radical in its secularism.”

We now see that this godless civilization is really attacking, including the rights of people, which are proclaimed as almost the highest value, but you cannot wear a cross. Parades of sexual minorities can be held, this is welcomed, but a demonstration of millions of French Christians in defense of family values is dispersed by the police. If you call unconventional relationships a sin, as the Bible tells us, and you are a priest or pastor, you may not only lose your opportunity to minister, but you may also go to prison.

Therefore, reconciliation must not be done on the basis of the fight against terrorism. We all need to think about the ways of development of human civilization, we all need to think about how to combine modern scientific and technological or, as they now say, post-industrial society with those spiritual and religious values without which a person cannot live. The Church can be oppressed, pushed aside, people can be deprived of the opportunity to fulfill their religious needs, but religious feelings cannot be killed, and this is well known. It is necessary to combine human freedom with moral responsibility. It is necessary to give every person the opportunity to live in accordance with God's law. There is no need to limit the manifestation of religious feelings and at the same time there is no need to limit the freedom of human choice. If we can connect all these components, we will build a viable civilization. And if we fail, then we are doomed to constant struggle and constant suffering. It is impossible to try to build the future by tug of war, by the victory of one model over another, by creating some artificial forms of human society that do not correspond to either moral nature or religious feeling. And if humanity manages to achieve a moral consensus, if this moral consensus can be somehow included in international law, in legislation, then there is a chance to build a fair global civilizational system.

— You talk about chance and mentioned France. In France, after these terrible terrorist attacks in Paris, the national response to them was a call to prayer - and this in a country where, according to statistics, Christians are already a minority, less than half. So what was it? Taking advantage of that chance you were talking about?

“It was a natural reaction of people. You know, the same thing happened after September 11 in New York - churches of all denominations and religions began to overflow with people. The same thing happened when the seemingly completely atheized Soviet society turned to God during the Great Patriotic War. The temples were overcrowded; as I was told by people who participated in the hostilities, there was not a single atheist on the front line. When a person comes face to face with a danger that he cannot overcome on his own and even together with others, he turns to God - and he hears this answer from God! Otherwise they would not have turned to Him.

— Your Holiness, when you talk about our country, then, of course, we recognize Russia. On the other hand, you have more than one country, for example. Ukraine is also your country, and the Russian Orthodox Church offers prayers every service for Ukraine, for the suffering. How do you assess the processes taking place in Ukraine?

— For me, Ukraine is the same as Russia. There are my people, the Church, which the Lord blessed me to lead during this historical period of time. This is my joy and my pain. This is the reason for sleepless nights and the reason for the high enthusiasm that sometimes visits me when I think about people who with such strength and faith defend their convictions, their right to remain Orthodox.

And this is what I would like to say, and I know that my words will be heard in Ukraine. This whole struggle is going on, among other things, for a conciliar Ukraine, for the preservation of its unity. But how can unity be maintained in this way? After all, people who do not want to repeat the experience of the village of Ptichye - they will fight with all their might so that the government that condones such a seizure of churches and the oppression of believers does not come to their home! This means that this kind of policy encourages the division of the Ukrainian people. Therefore, from a pragmatic point of view, this is stupid. We need to unite people, and we can unite, as everyone knows from the example of family relationships, only with love, openness, and a willingness to hear. Efforts need to be made to make everyone feel good, we need to calm down the overzealous who are trying to rock the boat, we need to give others a chance to prove themselves. But, unfortunately, nothing like this is happening in Ukraine today. I have only one hope, that there is a Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a Confessor Church, which today really unites the people. Not a single political force unites the people, not a single political force works for a conciliar Ukraine, especially those very loudly speaking people who proclaim the idea of a conciliar Ukraine as their political program. They do not work for this program, but the Ukrainian Orthodox Church works, which unites both the east, and the west, and the north, and the south, which humbly but courageously tells the truth, which leads people to unification, and this is the only way and only with this unifying factor can be linked to the prosperous future of Ukraine.

— Ukraine is going through difficult times not only spiritually, but also materially. The people fell into poverty, and the economic crisis affects both Russia and many countries of the world. People who only yesterday considered themselves to be the middle class are becoming poorer and begin to feel poor, even if they live not in poverty, but in a material sense worse than yesterday. They develop a certain low self-esteem, and recently a worldview has developed that only a good life is valuable, and a bad life is not needed at all. This leads to the fact that someone may even commit suicide, someone falls into despair, gives up... Still, the value of life - how does it change, and does it change, in conditions of an economic crisis, in conditions of a shortage of something? ?

“I think it all depends on what’s inside a person.” After all, we, and our parents, went through difficult periods, from an economic point of view, much more difficult than now. Now, in general, the severity is relative - a person earns a little more or less, but God forbid that the economic situation worsens, but in general there is no tragedy in the country today. Therefore, faint-hearted, internally weak, empty people become disappointed. If you associate all your well-being only with money, if well-being is measured by the quality of your vacation, the material conditions of life, then the slightest reduction in consumption can seem like a monstrous tragedy. And what does it mean? This means that the person is not very viable. He cannot always live in some particularly favorable conditions; and even if the conditions are materially favorable, then everything happens in his soul. And how often quite prosperous people go through a crisis in their family life, through despair, how many suicides there are among rich and prosperous people!

The only thing that we must fight against, that we must never allow, that we need to eradicate, is to eradicate poverty. There is a difference between poverty and destitution. This is very well said by Dostoevsky in Crime and Punishment. There Marmeladov philosophizes about this, that poverty does not destroy pride, that is, a certain self-confidence, but poverty sweeps people out of human communication...

- “Poverty is not a vice, poverty is a vice”...

But when it comes to your internal state, you need to work every day. After all, what is faith? This is a way of constant self-control and influence on your soul, on your consciousness. When we pray morning and evening, we must subject ourselves to careful analysis. I know that sometimes it’s hard for people to read prayers, because they don’t do well in Slavic, and they don’t seem to have enough time, but there’s enough time to think about yourself, reflect on your life, on the day that’s passed. So do it before the face of God! Subject your actions to analysis, control them, ask God for forgiveness and admonition so as not to repeat mistakes. I spoke to someone incorrectly, raised my voice at someone, pulled someone back, caused pain to someone, offended someone, deceived someone... If we talk to God about all this and ask for His help, then we we will change ourselves, we will change our inner world. We will become stronger, and our well-being depends on this inner spiritual strength - in my opinion, to a much greater extent than on external material factors. Although these factors should not be minimized, taking into account everything that we have said in connection with the miserable existence of many of our citizens.

— Your Holiness, I can’t help but ask this question in the coming year. We will celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the Russian monastic presence on Mount Athos. How should you celebrate this holiday?

— This is a very important event in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, in the history of Athos and, of course, of the entire universal Orthodoxy. On Mount Athos, in our monasteries on the eve of this holiday, grandiose restoration work was and is being carried out. Private philanthropists are investing heavily in the restoration of Russian Athonite monasteries, and we really hope that in celebration of this event our monasteries, which fell into disrepair during the 20th century, will be transformed because there was no influx of monks and ties with Russia were severed.

Also in our country, scientific conferences will be held, numerous research projects and publications will be carried out. We want to involve our scientific community, our intelligentsia and, of course, our people in this celebration. Why? Yes, because Athos was, is and will be a center that has a special spiritual significance for us, for all our people. Surprisingly, Athos has played, is playing and will apparently continue to play an important role in the Christianization of our society. After all, many go there for the sake of the exotic - just to see what kind of place it is, where women are not allowed, where the monks are self-governing, some kind of state within a state... They come - and in their hearts they feel the grace of God that resides there, and forever maintain a connection with Athos. This connection brings many people to God and strengthens their spiritual life. Therefore, the anniversary, in addition to cultural and historical significance, also has great spiritual significance for our people.

— What will be most important for your flock in Russia and the world in the coming year? What to avoid, what to strive for?

“I can’t give any specific advice now.” Because for each person it is all very individual, and what is good for one may not be very good for another. And some general advice, general wishes do not really touch the mind and heart... But I would like to say about very important things that will help in implementing plans and overcoming life’s difficulties.

We have already said that it is good every morning and every evening, standing before God, to analyze your life, repent and act in the future in accordance with this analysis, but now I would like to talk about prayer in general. This is a completely special phenomenon, because God created us autonomous, including from Him. He gave us such freedom that we can believe in Him or not, live according to His law or not live, turn to Him or not turn to Him. Then we simply live according to the laws and elements of this world. There are physical laws, and we live by these laws, or we ourselves create some laws and live by them. And prayer is a way out of this autonomy. The man says: “You created me this way, but I want to be with You.” Prayer is bringing God into your own life. Through prayer, we seem to make God our co-worker. We say: “Help, come into my life, limit my freedom,” because very often we do not know what to do. So they come to the priest and say: “Father, should I get married or not?”, “Should I get married or not?” I always tell confessors: “Be careful with such answers, how can you know?” These are the questions a person should address to God, as well as, perhaps, smaller questions related to everyday life. When we ask God, when we pray, we establish a connection with Him, God is really present in our lives, and we become stronger. This is the first thing I would like to wish people: learn to pray. Learning to pray means learning to be strong, and what will hinder our connection with God in any case is when we deliberately sin. Of course, we can repent - sincere repentance removes sin and responsibility for it, but, what is very important, if we consciously live in unrepentant sin, then our prayers do not reach God. Sin is the only wall that really separates us from God. There is a wall, and this contact is not there, the circuit does not close...

— Unrepentant sin?

- Unrepentant sin. Therefore, when we realize that we are doing bad things, we need to repent, first of all, before God, well, and if someone has the strength and ability, then in the temple before the priest. This is the second thing I would wish for. By the way, confession is not before a priest, but before God, the priest is only a witness to the fact of repentance. The sinner was excluded from church communion, he could not take communion, he could not enter the temple, and therefore there had to be a witness to his repentance in order to say: “Yes, he can come, he can pray with us.” This is where the tradition of repentance comes from in the presence of a priest, but before the face of God.

Well, the last thing I would like to say. Our life becomes pleasing to God if we simply do good deeds. Very many people need these good deeds - from the closest ones with whom we live, to those with whom we meet in the line of work, in different life circumstances. If we learn to do good, we will become happy people, because good multiplies good. This is what I would like to wish for myself, you and everyone who listens and sees us.

— Thank you sincerely for this important interview for everyone, Your Holiness. Thank you.

Press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

– In that case, to what extent is what is happening in Syria now a religious war? What can be opposed to fanatics who, as they say, are driven by faith? What is the nature of this phenomenon?

– It has already become commonplace to say that this is not a religious war, and I subscribe to this attitude towards this conflict. Let me give you a historical example. Relations between Christians and Muslims in history have not been rosy. We know that there were cases of forced conversion to Islam and the conquest of Christian territories by Byzantium. But, if we leave out of the brackets the actual military operations, which were always accompanied by losses on both sides, then there has never been anything like what is happening now in the Islamic world.

- Are fanatics atheists?

– The world is divided, and perhaps the fight against terrorism is a chance for it? Can the fight against terrorism unite humanity, and if so, on what basis?

- "Poverty is not a vice, poverty is a vice" ...

– What will be most important for your flock in Russia and the world in the coming year? What to avoid, what to strive for?

– Unrepentant sin?

– Thank you sincerely for this important interview for everyone, Your Holiness. Thank you.

Press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'