From the East, Light; From the West, Self-Indulgence

The Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev -- the same person who is the composer of the music being offered in Rome on November 12 -- delivered a remarkable address on the margins of the meeting of the World Council of Churches on October 30, three days ago.


The Complete Text

The Voice Of The Church Must Be Prophetic

By Metropolitan Hilarion (photo below)

Your Holinesses and Beatitudes, Your Eminences and Graces, dear brothers and sisters, esteemed delegates of the Assembly,

The World Council of Churches has a long and rich history.

Set up after the Second World War, the Council responded to the expectations of Christians of various confessions who strove to meet, to get to know each other and to work together. Over the 65 years since the founding of the WCC, several generations of Christians belonging to religious communities that were cut off from each other have discovered for themselves the faith and life of their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Many prejudices regarding other Christian traditions have been overcome, yet at the same time that which divides Christians to the present has been acknowledged ever more clearly and deeply.

The greatest achievement of the Council has been those encounters, that well intentioned and mutual respectful inter-Christian communication, which has never allowed for compromises in the field of theology and morality and which has enabled us to remain true to ourselves and to bear witness to our faith, while at the same time growing in love for each other.

The World Council of Churches today remains a unique instrument of inter-Christian cooperation that has no analogy in the world. However, the question arises as to how effective this instrument is. We must notе with some regret that, in spite of all of the efforts aimed at bringing Christians of various confessions closer to each other, within Christendom not only are the divisions of the past not disappearing, but new ones are arising. Many Christian communities continue to split up, whereas the number of communities that unite with one another is extremely small.

One of the problems which the WCC is encountering today is that of finances. It is said that it is connected with the world economic crisis. I cannot agree with this opinion. The experience of other international organizations, whose work is of general benefit and therefore needed, has shown that funding can often be found for noble goals. This means that the problem is not the economic crisis, but how relevant and important is the work of the WCC for today’s international community, which is made up to a significant degree by, and at times, a majority of Christians.

The creation of the WCC was determined by the endeavour to find answers to the challenges of the post-War period. Yet in recent years the world has changed greatly, and today Christians from all over the world are facing new challenges. It is precisely upon how successfully we respond to these challenges that the need for our organization in the future depends.

The contemporary situation demands from us more decisive action, greater cohesion and more dynamism. And yet it also demands a re-orientation of the basic direction of our work, a change in priorities in our discussions and deeds.

While we continue to discuss our differences in the comfortable atmosphere of conferences and theological dialogues, the question resounds ever more resolutely: will Christian civilization survive at all?

In my address I would like to focus on two fundamental challenges which the Christian world today faces in varying degrees. The first is that of the militant secularism which is gathering strength in the so called developed countries, primarily in Europe and America. The second is that of radical Islamism that poses a threat to the very existence of Christianity in a number of regions of the world, mainly in the Middle East, but also in some parts of Asia and Africa.

Militant secularism in Europe has a long history going back to the period of the French revolution. But it is only in the 20th century in the countries of the so called socialist bloc that godlessness was elevated to the level of state ideology. As regards the so called capitalist countries, they preserved to a significant degree the Christian traditions which shaped their cultural and moral identity.

Today these two worlds appear to have changed roles. In the countries of the former Soviet Union, in particular in Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia and Moldavia, an unprecedented religious revival is underway. In the Russian Orthodox Church over the past 25 years there have been built or restored from ruins more than 25,000 churches. This means that a thousand churches a year have been opened, i.e. three churches a day. More than 50 theological institutes and 800 monasteries, each full with monks and nuns, have been opened.

In Western European countries we can observe the steady decline of the numbers of parishioners, a crisis in vocations, and monasteries and churches are being closed. The anti-Christian rhetoric of many politicians and statesmen becomes all the more open as they call for the total expulsion of religion from public life and the rejection of the basic moral norms common to all religious traditions.

The battle between the religious and secular worldview is today raging not in academic auditoriums or on the pages of newspapers. And the subject of the conflict is far from being exhausted by the question of belief or lack of belief in God. Today this clash has entered a new dimension and touches upon the fundamental aspects of the everyday life of the human person.

Militant secularism is aimed not only at religious holy sites and symbols by demanding that they be removed from the public domain. One of the main directions of its activity today is the straightforward destruction of traditional notions of marriage and the family. This is witnessed by the new phenomenon of equating homosexual unions with marriage and allowing single-gender couples to adopt children. From the point of view of biblical teaching and traditional Christian moral values, this testifies to a profound spiritual crisis. The religious understanding of sin has been conclusively eroded in societies that until recently thought of themselves as Christian.

Particularly alarming is the fact that we are dealing in this instance not only with a choice of ethics and worldview. Under the pretext of combating discrimination, a number of countries have introduced changes in family legislation. Over the past few years single-gender cohabitation has been legalized in a number of states in the USA, a number of Latin American countries and in New Zealand. This year homosexual unions have attained the legal status of ‘marriage’ in England and Wales and in France.

We have to state clearly that those countries that have recognized in law homosexual unions as one of the forms of marriage are taking a serious step towards the destruction of the very concept of marriage and the family. And this is happening in a situation where in many historically Christian countries the traditional family is enduring a serious crisis: the number of divorces is growing, the birthrate is declining catastrophically, the culture of a family upbringing is degraded, not to mention the prevalence of sexual relations outside of marriage, the increase in the number of abortions and the increase of children brought up without parents, even if those parents are still alive.

Instead of encouraging by all means possible traditional family values and supporting childbirth not only materially but also spiritually, the justification of the legitimacy of ‘single-gender families’ who bring up children has become the centre of public attention. As a result, the traditional social roles are eroded and swapped around. The notion of parents, i.e. of the father and the mother, of what is male and what is female, is radically altered. The female mother is losing her time-honoured role as guardian of the domestic hearth, while the male father is losing his role as educator of his children in being socially responsible. The family in its Christian understanding is falling apart to be replaced by such impersonal terms as ‘parent number one’ and parent number two’.

All of this cannot but have the most disastrous consequences for the upbringing of children. Children who are brought up in families with ‘two fathers’ or ‘two mothers’ will already have views on social and ethical values different from their contemporaries from traditional families.

One of the direct consequences of the radical reinterpretation of the concept of marriage is the serious demographic crisis which will only grow if these approaches are adhered to. Those politicians who are pushing the countries of the civilized world into the demographic abyss are in essence pronouncing upon their peoples a death sentence.

What is to be the response of the Christian Churches? I believe deeply this response can be none other than that which is based on Divine Revelation as handed down to us in the Bible. Scripture is the common foundation which unites all Christian confessions. We may have significant differences in the interpretation of Scripture, but we all possess the same Bible and its moral teaching is laid out quite unambiguously. Of course, we differ in the interpretation of certain biblical texts when they allow for a varied interpretation. Yet much in the Bible is stated quite unambiguously, namely that which proceeds from the mouth of God and retains its relevance for all subsequent ages. Among these divine sayings are many moral commandments, including those which concern family ethics.

In speaking out against all forms of discrimination, the Church nonetheless must vindicate the traditional Christian understanding of marriage as between a man and a woman, the most important mission of which is the birth and upbringing of children. It is precisely this understanding of marriage that we find on the pages of the Bible in the story of the first human family. This same understanding of marriage we also find in the Gospels and the apostolic epistles. The Bible does not know of any alternative forms of marriage.
Unfortunately, not all Christian Churches today find within themselves the courage and resolve to vindicate the biblical ideals by going against that which is fashionable and the prevalent secular outlook. Some Christian communities have long ago embarked on a revision of moral teaching aimed at making it more in step with modern tendencies.

It is often said that the differences in theological and ethical problems are linked to the division of Christians into conservatives and liberals. One cannot but agree with this when we see how in a number of Christian communities a headlong liberalization is occurring in religious ethics, as a rule under the influence of processes taking place in secular society. At the same time the witness of the Orthodox Churches should not be reduced to that of conservatism. The faith of the Ancient Church which we Orthodox confess is impossible to define from the standpoint of conservatism and liberalism. We confess Christ’s truth which is immutable, for ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and for ever’ (Heb. 3:8).

We are not speaking about conservatism but of fidelity to Divine Revelation which is contained in Scripture. And if the so called liberal Christians reject the traditional Christian understanding of moral norms, then this means that we are running up against a serious problem in our common Christian witness. Are we able to bear this witness if we are so deeply divided in questions of moral teaching, which are as important for salvation as dogma?

In this regard I would like to speak about the Church’s prophetic vocation. I recall the words of Fr. Alexander Schmemann who said that a prophet is far from being someone who foretells the future. In reminding us of the profound meaning of prophecy, Schmemann wrote: ‘The essence of prophecy is in the gift of proclaiming to people God’s will, which is hidden from human sight but revealed to the spiritual vision of the prophet’ (Schmemann, The Celebration of Faith, vol.1: I Believe…, p.112).

We often speak of the prophetic voice of the Churches, yet does our voice actually differ much from the voice and rhetoric of the secular mass media and non-governmental organizations? Is not one of the most important tasks of the WCC to discern the will of God in the modern-day historical setting and proclaim it to the world? This message, of course, would be hard to swallow for the powerful of this world. However, in refusing to proclaim it, we betray our vocation and in the final run we betray Christ.

In today’s context, when in many countries and regions of the world the revival of religion is underway and yet at the same time aggressive secularism and ideological atheism is raising its head, the World Council of Churches must find its own special voice that is understandable to modern-day societies and yet which proclaims the permanent truths of the Christian faith. Today, as always, we are called upon to be messengers of the Word of God, the Word which is ‘quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword’ (Heb. 4: 12); the Word which is not bound (2 Tim. 2: 9). It is only then that we can bring to Christ new souls, in spite of the resistance of the ‘rulers of the darkness of this world’ (Eph. 6: 12).

Allow me to speak now of the second global challenge for the entire Christian world, the challenge of radicalism on religious grounds, in particular radical Islamism. I use this term fully aware that Islamism is in no way identical to Islam and in many ways is the opposite of it. Islam is a religion of peace able to coexistence with other religious traditions, as is demonstrated, for example, by the centuries-old experience of peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in Russia. Radical Islamism, known as Wahhabism or Salafism, is a movement within the Islamic world that has as its goal the establishment of a worldwide Caliphate in which there is no place for Christians.

Here I shall not go into the reasons for the appearance and rapid growth of this phenomenon. I shall say only that in recent years the persecution of Christians has assumed a colossal scale. According to the information of human rights organizations, every five minutes a Christian dies for his faith in one or another part of the world, and every year more than a hundred thousand Christians die a violent death. According to published data, no less than one hundred million Christians worldwide are now subject to discrimination and persecution. Information on the oppression of Christians comes in from Iraq, Syria, Egypt, North Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and a number of other countries. Our brothers and sisters are being killed, driven from their homes and separated from their families and loved ones; they are denied the right to practice their faith and educate their children according to their religious beliefs. Christians are the most persecuted religious community on the planet.

Unfortunately, manifestations of discrimination with regard to the Christian minority can no longer be treated as separate incidents: in some regions of the world they have become a well established tendency. As a result of the continuing conflict in Syria the number of murders of Christians has increased, churches and holy sites have been destroyed. The Copts, the original inhabitants of Egypt, have today become a target for attacks and riots, and many have been forced to abandon their own country.

Radicalism on religious grounds is growing not only in the countries where the population is predominantly Muslim. It is important to draw attention to the situation in the area of Asia where today’s Assembly is taking place. In this region the Christian communities for more than three hundred years, thanks to the efforts of missionaries, have grown and developed. According to data by the experts, over the past ten years the level of discrimination of Christians in the region has increased many times over. Great anxiety is caused by the position of the Christian communities of Indonesia, where over the past two years the level of aggression aimed at Christians has increased considerably. Information on the discrimination of Christians is coming in from other Asian countries too.
Today we have to be aware that one of the most important tasks facing us is the defense of our persecuted brothers and sisters in various areas of the world. This task demands urgent resolve for which we must employ all possible means and levers—diplomatic, humanitarian, economic and so on. The topic of the persecution of Christians ought to be examined in the context of inter-Christian cooperation. It is only through common energetic endeavours that we can help our suffering brothers and sisters in Christ.

Much is done in this regard today by the Roman Catholic Church. There are Christian organizations that monitor the situation and collect charitable aid for suffering Christians. Our Church also participates in this work. I believe that of much benefit would be joint conferences and the exchange of information and experience between Christian human rights organizations that are pursuing this problem.

The rights of Christians can be guaranteed only by supporting dialogue between religious communities at both the inter-state and international level. Therefore, one of the important directions of the WCC’s work is inter-religious dialogue. I believe that we ought to pay more attention to the development of a deep and interested mutual inter-action with traditional religions, especially with Islam.
The World Council of Churches is already working to draw attention to the problem of the persecution of Christians. As an example I can quote the Christian-Muslim consultation on the topic of the Christians presence and witness in the Arab world, organized by the WCC in January 2012 in Lebanon, as well as the conference held there in May of this year on the persecution of Christians, in which the General Secretary of the WCC participated. I would also like to remark upon the work carried out by the Council with the aim of reducing the level of tension in Syria, of averting an escalation of the conflict and of not allowing external military intervention.

Addressing those who confessed Christianity St. Peter said: ‘But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy’ (1 Pet. 4: 13). Recalling these words, we prayerfully desire that the All-Merciful Lord shall grant comfort and joy to those afflicted and oppressed so that they, in feeling the help and compassion of those brothers and sisters who are far away geographically yet close in the faith, may find in themselves the strength, with the aid of the grace of God, to travel further down the path of steadfast faith.

In concluding my speech, I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart the Christian communities of South Korea for the hospitality that they have shown us and the excellent organization of this General Assembly. The Russian Orthodox Church sympathizes with the Korean people in its striving to find unity, and in prayer and in deeds supports the processes for the overcoming of tension in relations between the two countries of the Korean peninsula.
To all of you, the participants of the Assembly, I enjoin the aid of God in joint labours and those labours which each of us carry out in their Churches and communities. May our witness become the word of truth which the world needs so much today.

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"In the Orthodox Churches they have kept that pristine liturgy, so beautiful. We have lost a bit the sense of adoration. They keep, they praise God, they adore God, they sing, time doesn’t count. God is the center, and this is a richness that I would like to say on this occasion in which you ask me this question. Once, speaking of the Western Church, of Western Europe, especially the Church that has grown most, they said this phrase to me: “Lux ex oriente, ex occidente luxus.” Consumerism, wellbeing, have done us so much harm. Instead you keep this beauty of God at the center, the reference. When one reads Dostoyevsky – I believe that for us all he must be an author to read and reread, because he has wisdom – one perceives what the Russian spirit is, the Eastern spirit. It’s something that will do us so much good. We are in need of this renewal, of this fresh air of the East, of this light of the East." —Pope Francis, July 28, interview with press on flight back from Brazil

Will Russia's President Putin soon meet Pope Francis?

When it was the heart of the Soviet Union, Russia embraced a communist ideology that denied the existence of God and the eternity of the human soul, calling such beliefs socially harmful mystifications.

Today, in 2013, Russia is quite dramatically preaching traditional Christian faith and values -- to the consternation of many secular thinkers in the once-Christian West.

This can be seen clearly in many recent declarations by Russian religious and political leaders.

These range from the letter of President Vladimir Putin on September 11 published in the New York Times, to the dramatic address October 30 of Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev at the World Council of Churches, in which he warns of the dangers of secularism and Islam to the societies of the once-Christian West (full text above).

And all of this, given the troubled global context, suggests that new collaborations, and alliances, could soon emerge on the world scene.

One of these could involve Russia and Rome.

Putin's letter

Shortly after Pope Francis called for "a day of prayer and fasting for peace" on September 7, Russian's president, Vladimir Putin, published an article in the New York Times entitled "A Plea for Caution From Russia: What Putin Has to Say to Americans About Syria."

It appeared on September 11 (yes, the anniversary of 9/11).

"Recent events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders," Putin wrote. "It is important to do so at a time of insufficient communication between our societies."

The Russian president went on to say: "If we can avoid force against Syria, this will improve the atmosphere in international affairs and strengthen mutual trust. It will be our shared success and open the door to cooperation on other critical issues."

But it was the final line of his essay which was truly astonishing. He wrote: "There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal."

This appeal to "the Lord" and to "God" by the Russian president raised eyebrows worldwide, not least in Rome.

The Russian president was making a reference to a spiritual power, to God; the former KGB agent was speaking not about the forces of historical determinism, but about "blessings" from a personal divinity.

Putin's Valdai talk

A few days later, on September 19, Putin spoke at an annual gathering to discuss Russia's future in Valdai, Russia (near Novgorod).

"Putin urges Russians to return to values of religion," was the title of an AP report by Neil Buckley, present at the meeting. "Vladimir Putin called on Russians to strengthen a new national identity based on conservative and traditional values such as the Orthodox church, warning that the West was facing a moral crisis."

In his talk, Putin said: “A policy is being conducted of putting on the same level multi-child families and single-sex partnerships, belief in God and belief in Satan. The excesses of political correctness are leading to the point where people are talking seriously about registering parties whose goal is legalizing the propaganda of pedophilia.”

And Putin added: “People in many European countries are ashamed, and are afraid of talking about their religious convictions. [Religious] holidays are being taken away or called something else, shamefully hiding the essence of the holiday.”

So here we see the president of Russia lamenting the loss of public respect for religion, and religious holidays, in the West. 
 

"Do not go down that road"

The Russians, increasingly, are warning the West that the road we are traveling down will lead to the type of society that the communists build in the Soviet Union. They are warning the West against going down that road. Urging us to stop and turn around...

Several years ago, the present Russian Orthodox Patriarch, Kirill, gave a passionate sermon in Rome.

(Photo, Kirill and Pope Francis. The photo is a collage; the two have not yet actually met)

It was in the church of St. Catherine, not far up the Janiculum hill from St. Peter's Basilica, on the grounds of the Russian embassy, the Villa Abamalek.

The heart of Kirill's message on that occasion, as he consecrated the chapel, blessing it with holy water, was a warning to Europe and the West for turning away from their Christian roots.

The atheistic path taken by the Soviets had led to a dead end, Kirill said. "We tried to build a world without God," he said of the Soviet experiment. "We failed. Do not take that path."

Still, our West, enamored by secular humanism, continues rapidly down the path toward a culture without any transcendent dimension, a culture without a sense of the sacred... a culture without God.

And our recent Popes, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and now Francis, have attempted to warn the West against this dead-end path.

Their message has been similar to the message of the new Russians, like Kirill.

This suggests that Rome and Russia have something in common at this historical moment. It is a common mission to save the West from a profoundly hazardous path.

The essence of the message

The essence of Kirill's message, which is increasingly Russia's message to the West, and to the world, is a truth about man's nature. An anthropological truth.

It is a truth which is also a paradox: that unless man transcends himself, man cannot be himself. Unless he projects himself, orients himself, toward the eternal and the ultimately real (unless he believes himself to be "in the image and likeness of God"), man cannot live justly and harmoniously in the transient, temporal reality of this space and time.

Without this truth, in fact, as recent Popes have argued, human beings create and embrace a "culture of death."

This truth protects human life, underlies a "culture of life."

This was Kirill's message.

This truth about man is of course at the limits of our comprehension: we can contemplate its meaning, but not comprehend that meaning fully, not "grasp" it.

Still, though not fully understood, it remains true. And embracing that truth, believing it (having "faith" in it) protects our dignity and freedom, even politically.

Beings of such a nature as we are cannot in justice be murdered, enslaved or cruelly exploited.

By embracing this truth, the glory of all human nature is perceived and its dignity defended.

But this truth about our nature, this secret about our destiny, is no longer believed in the once Christian West, though it once was.

Yet it is increasingly believed again in Russia... a Russia which was spoken of by "the Lady" who appeared in 1917 to the three children of Fatima as a country that would in the future again be converted to faith.

In fact, this truth about human nature is being preached even by the most unlikely figures, like the bare-chested, judo-wrestling former KGB agent, Putin (who is said to wear an Orthodox cross around his neck), and the young archbishop-composer, Hilarion, who speaks so eloquently for his Church around the world, and who is coming to Rome on November 12 to be present at a concert where his compositions will be performed...

National interest or real conversion?

We all know that religion, the passion and commitment of religious belief, is envied by states, which seek to harness the energies of individuals and society to its own ends, its own power and self-preservation. This was true in the Roman Empire, and it may be part of the reason for Putin's embrace of Christian faith.

But what if there is something authentic about this "conversion" of Russia to its former, and for 70 years abandoned, Christian faith?

If there were something authentic in it, if it were real, then there would be reason to believe there could be "common ground" between Moscow and... Rome.

And it is in this context that we may perhaps read the reports in the press -- for the moment just rumors, without confirmation -- that Putin may visit Rome at the end of November, also to meet Pope Francis.

"Putin visit to Pope not denied," reads the headline of an ANSA newsflash on October 29. "Russian president audience with Francis rumored in Moscow," was the subtitle. Here is the report:

(ANSA) - Moscow, October 29 - Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit Pope Francis during an Italian trip at the end of next month, according to diplomatic rumors in Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov did not deny them, telling ANSA: "the schedule for the visit has not yet been set."

"We are still defining and discussing the program with our Italian counterparts.

"I can't say any more," Peskov said.

Putin will attend an Italian-Russian summit in Trieste at the end of November.

He is expected to travel down to Rome for talks with Italian leaders.

Could we be on the eve of one of the most important high-level meetings in recent history? Stay tuned...

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Concert for Peace

It is in this interesting context that the Urbi et Orbi Foundation (which I direct), along with a Russian Orthodox Foundation, the St. Gregory the Theologian Foundation (which was founded with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill), is co-sponsoring a "Concert for Peace" in Rome on November 12 at 9 p.m. at the Auditorium Conciliazione on via della Conciliazione #4.

This "Concert for Peace" will include pieces of classical Italian opera, sung by the young Russian opera singer Svetlana Kasyan(photo, after a recent concert in Moscow, with the US Ambassador to Moscow, Michael McFaul) along with pieces composed by the young Russian Orthodox Metropolitan, Hilarion Alfeyev, 47.

The concert will include the world premiere of Hilarion's composition setting to music the poetry of the great Spanish poet, Federico García Lorca (1898-1936), the leading Spanish poet of the 20th century.

The choice of these pieces, sung by a Russian diva, is to show respect for the profound musical, and humanistic, culture of Italy.

The choice to offer the poetry of García Lorca set to music is to show respect for Spanish culture, and the Spanish language, which is the language of Pope Francis.

The choice of other pieces of Hilarion's music is to show respect for the Russian musical tradition which produced Hilarion, who studied at the Moscow Conservatory in the early 1980s, before choosing to enter the Orthodox priesthood.

And the centerpiece of this portion of the concert is Hilarion's stunning "Rachel's Lament," which draws of the biblical account of the slaughter of the innocents by Herod at the time of Jesus's birth.

The entire concert is conceived of as a gift of thanks from the Russians, and our Foundation, which seeks to work for better relations between Catholics and Orthodox in view of a closer communion between our Churches, to Pope Francis for his remarkable witness on behalf of the cause of peace in recent months

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The Complete Text of Hilarion's Address to the Russian Delegation at the Meeting of the World Council of Churches
 

In the midst of these other developments, the Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev -- the same person who is the composer of the music being offered in Rome on November 12 -- delivered a remarkable address on the margins of the meeting of the World Council of Churches on October 30, three days ago.

The meeting is taking place over several weeks in Busan, South Korea. (Hilarion's address was not to the full assembly, but to the Russian Orthodox Church’s delegation to the meeting. Among those invited to it were Rev. Dimitry Tanaka and Deacon Iliya Takei of the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church, which is a full-fledged member of the WCC since 1973.)

The delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, with 21 members, is one of the largest in the Assembly.

Hilarion said it was necessary that the delegation members should have a unified position on major issues on the assembly agenda and called those present to be active in speaking and to participate in the work of committees so that the position of the Russian Orthodox Church could be reflected in the documents adopted by the Assembly.