June 30, 2008

MOSCOW – The President has attended a service on the 1020th anniversary of Christianity in Russia. It was held at the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow. Speaking at the service, Dmitry Medvedev praised recent attempts to unite the Russian Orthodox Church.

"The Assembly for the first time has a major presence from the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. By being held on such an important date, the Assembly has proved the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church and its dedication to preventing separation," he said.

The president pointed out that representatives from Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova had taken part in a meeting of the Council of Bishops.

He lauded moves by the church to promote inter-faith peace, saying that such efforts helped countries combat extremism and aided social cohesion.

To watch the service and to hear the speeches of Medvedev and the head of Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Aleksy II, click the VIDEO button.

As part of the day's programme, Dmitry Medvedev announced the handover of holy relics from the Moscow Kremlin museum to the Russian Orthodox Church. Among the prized relics is part of the Virgin Mary's Robe.

The Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church has convened in Moscow. It's the first time that the foreign and the Moscow-based branches of the Russian Orthodox Church have met in an assembly since their reunification.

This year the Church is marking the 1020th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus – the old name for Russia. This year's Bishops' Council welcomed the highest ranking members from the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia, for the first time in eighty years.

Metropolitan Kliment said that the unity of the Church has to be strengthened.

"There is a lot of work ahead to actually bring the branches of the church closer together. The last year has shown that we are actively cooperating," he added.

While the Moscow Patriarchy has managed to mend its relations with the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, it now fears a row with the Kiev Patriarchy. Some Ukrainian clerics are calling for a split. Moscow considers it politically motivated.

Kiev is the birthplace of Orthodoxy in Russia, insists Nikolay Balashov from the Moscow Patriarchy.

"The unity of our churches is a question of life and linked to our history. Our people are strong when they're united, spiritual unity should go beyond state boundaries."

Another issue that might take centre stage is human rights. The Russian Church remains highly conservative in dealing with sexual minorities. It strongly opposed gay parades in Moscow and speaks out against gay marriages.

Boris Falikov from "Culture" newspaper says that the Russian Orthodox Church says that human freedom should be limited for the sake of ‘God's freedom.'

"Real freedom is ‘God's freedom,' according to them. They stick to the point that human beings are not perfect, and if they have the rights but don't have responsibilities, it's bad from the Church's point of view."

After the Bolsheviks came to power many churches and cathedrals were destroyed. A lot of clerics fled the country.

In 1927 the Metropolitan of Moscow, Sergiy, issued a Declaration of Loyalty to the Soviet Government, which split the church in two.

After several years of negotiations, the Act of Canonical Communion was finally signed in May 2007 and a joint service was conducted in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

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