In November 2015, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow witnessed a significant event - the grand opening of the XIX World Russian People’s Cathedral took place in it. In addition to the hierarchs and clergy, the participants of such a representative international forum included representatives of all branches of government, including representatives of the government of the Russian Federation, law enforcement agencies, public organizations, as well as prominent figures of science and art and even guests from near and far abroad.
The birth of a new social structure
The World People’s Russian Cathedral is an interstate non-profit structure, the purpose of which was to strive to consolidate the spiritual forces of all representatives of the Russian people, regardless of their country of residence. The main initiator of this global project was the Russian Orthodox Church, with the support of the general public in 1993, officially registered the new organization. On this day, a constituent assembly of its first regional branch was held.
The main provisions of the charter
According to its charter, the World Russian People’s Council is headed by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Annually with his blessing, cathedral meetings are held at which the most pressing issues of the current moment are considered. From the day the organization was created until its blessed demise, it was headed by Alexy II, who was then replaced by the current Patriarch Cyril.
Between congresses of the cathedral, the organization’s work is led by its permanent bureau headed by its bureau. The Human Rights Center of the World Russian National Council, which also does not stop its activities between the convocations, is called upon to fully promote the observance of the rights of representatives of all walks of life regardless of political affiliation and religion.
Universal Recognition of Organization Activities
The need for its creation was quite obvious, since by this time the task of forming a civil society in the country was especially acute. It was concern for the future of Russia that brought together people of various social strata and political views, for whom the World People’s Russian Cathedral became a forum where they could discuss all aspects of the problem and outline ways to solve it. Since the foundation of this organization, seventeen cathedral congresses have already been held in various cities of the country.
Every year, the World People’s Russian Cathedral gained more and more authority in Russian society and abroad. The president of the country, V.V. Putin, took part in the work of his next plenary meeting in 2001, and four years later, a vivid testimony to the recognition of the cathedral in the international arena was the provision of consultative status with the United Nations. In the same year, the representative office of the ARNS, established at the UN Economic and Social Council, began to work.
Cathedral Peace Initiative
In 2012, the World Russian People’s Council took an active part in the cause of comprehensive assistance in establishing peace in the Caucasus, among other public organizations . Stavropol became the site of the opening of its next regional branch, whose task was to unite everyone who wanted to stop the bloodshed in this vast region, full of social, religious and political contradictions.
Cathedral opened in November 2015
Held in November last year, the XIX World Russian National Council (ARNS) was dedicated to a very important topic today - the realization of the spiritual heritage of Prince Vladimir today. The significance of the cathedral was emphasized by the greetings received from the head of state V.V. Putin and a large number of politicians. The work of the cathedral was led by Patriarch Cyril.
Addressing the audience, he spoke of the difficult path that the World People’s Cathedral has taken since its inception. His Holiness expressed hope that right now this organization, which has combined the efforts of millions of people to consolidate Russian society, is ready to fully reveal its potential. Its members, adhering to various political views, remain united in the recognition of fundamental basic values.
The problems identified in the speech of the patriarch
The presiding judge further called on the XIX World Russian People’s Council (ARNS) to consider as one of the topics of its meetings the tragedy experienced by the people of the country at the beginning of the 20th century and left its mark on its entire future history. He drew special attention to the connection of these events with everything that happened during the terrible war years, when our country suffered greater losses than any other people in the world.
Separately, the head of the church drew attention of the audience to the problems prevailing in the field of public education. According to him, it is necessary to create a single general educational space for the young generation to formulate the right approach to the perception of spiritual values, which from time immemorial have been basic for all members of Russian society. He noted the obvious miscalculations made when creating textbooks of history and literature, on the basis of which the worldview of the younger generation is largely formed.
The role of the church in the consolidation of society
In his speech, Patriarch Kirill thanked God for the fact that the XIX World Russian National Council (ARNS) became a platform for such a fruitful discussion, pursuing common goals, eliminating any confrontation and full of goodwill. In this regard, he emphasized that the church organization was able to create conditions for constructive dialogue and open conversation mainly because it is not a competitor to the political forces involved in the struggle for power. Such a position does not in any way correspond to the purpose of the church and contradicts its basic principles.
A choice made a thousand years ago
Touching upon the main topic to which the 19th World Russian People’s Council was dedicated, His Holiness the Patriarch pointed out the fallacy of the assertions that exist today that the choice made by the Baptist of Russia should be interpreted as European, as a result of which Russia is doomed to blind imitation of the Western model, without transferring any reasoning to their soil their experience.
He also sharply criticized attempts to present the interaction of Byzantium and Russia as a relation of civilization to barbarism. Such an approach, in his opinion, is a consequence of ignorance of the historical realities inherent in that time. In-depth and comprehensive studies show that this was a dialogue of equal partners, and it served a mutual benefit. Proof of this can be considered a marriage made between Prince Vladimir and Princess Anna.
Only abandoning attempts to present the choice made a thousand years ago as European or Byzantine and unconditionally giving him a definition of purely Russian can one explain how the Russians managed to realize their spiritual and creative potential to such an extent. With unanimous approval, the words of the patriarch gathered in the hall that the legacy of the holy baptist of Russia was a covenant to build a society on the basis of universal solidarity, guided by the highly humanistic Christian principles laid down in the teaching that thanks to Prince Vladimir was revealed on the banks of the Dnieper, were unanimously approved. The main provisions of the speech of Patriarch Kirill were reflected in the final document, which, upon completion, was adopted by the 19th World Russian People’s Council.
Speeches at the closing session of the cathedral
At the final meeting of the council, the main leitmotif of the speeches of most speakers was the concern that our society today would leave as a legacy to their descendants. The delegates emphasized that if the 2000s passed under the sign of the country’s restoration after the chaos of the nineties, it’s now, having found solid ground, it’s time to think about the future and the role that is assigned to us on the path that began with the baptism of Rus by the holy prince Vladimir.