Photo from open sources
The spokesperson of the OCU, Metropolitan Yevstratii, outlined ways to overcome the consequences of this heretical doctrine.
The challenge of the “Russian World” is not a matter of Putin’s or Gundyaev’s personal views. It is a challenge that will remain with us for a long time and, like a cancerous disease, will continue to produce new metastases and recurrences.
Metropolitan Yevstratii of Bila Tserkva stated this in hisreport at the Ecumenical Conference “Resisting Empire, Promoting Peace: Churches Confronting the Ideology ofthe ‘Russian World’”, which is taking place in Helsinki.
«The challenge of the “Russian World” is is not a problem of Putin’s or Gundyaev’s personal views, nor is it a problem related solely to the current leadership in the Kremlin and the Moscow Patriarchate. It is a challenge that will remain with us for a long time and, like cancer, will metastasize and reoccur. There fore, our collective alertness and our collective readiness to offer effective treatment must be constant», “said Metropolitan Yevstratii (Zoria).”
In the bishop’s opinion the Orthodox community must continue the process that began in March 2022 at the Theological Academy in Volos through the creation of a corresponding Declaration condemning the ideology and practice of the ‘Russian world’ should be continued and deepened. Since then, many new events have taken place and new arguments have emerged, so the Declaration may and should be updated taking them into account.
М. Yevstratii said: «Particularly, it seems logical to me to proceed with this work in three interconnected directions:
– сondemnation of the ideology of the ‘Russian world’ with in the framework of Orthodox Christian teaching and its theological tradition;
– condemning the ideology and practice of the ‘Russian world’ at the ecumenical level, as well as setting forth appropriate demands with in the framework of the World Council of Churches;
– Continuing scientific and media disclosure of the ideology and practices of the ‘Russian world’ in the social sphere, elaborating legal mechanisms to protect freedom of religion from being exploited by any totalitarian ideologies and regimes.
Ukrainian practice has shown that a single religious community cannot fully confront the challenges caused by the ideology of the ‘Russian world.’ To successfully counteract it, we need to join forces, go beyond our institutional and even confessional and religious boundaries. The broader the platform and the greater the number of people involved in the work – not only theologians, but also historians, legal experts, community leaders, security specialists, etc. – the greater the confidence in the benefits of such joint efforts will be».
