Head of UOC-MP Called Religious Leaders to Jointly Oppose Secularism and Terrorism
The website of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate posted the address of its head, Metropolitan Volodymyr, to the World Summit of Religious Leaders held in Baku on April 26, 2010. Please see the text below.
Address by His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr to the delegates of the World Summit of Religious Leaders in Baku
Your Holinesses,
Your Eminences, Your Graces,
honorable participants of the World Summit of Religious Leaders!
On behalf of the episcopacy, clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, allow me to greet all those who gathered in this hall on the beginning of the work of the World Summit of Religious Leaders dedicated to "Globalization, religion, and traditional values."
This distinguished assembly is called to discuss the issues of the dialogue of nations, civilizations and religions, their peaceful coexistence, communication, and cultural exchange. At the same time one has to realize and discuss the challenges that religious communities face in the modern world.
We consider terrorism, secularism, and consumerism to be the chief threats to traditional religious and common human values in the 21st century.
The religious leaders have to address the adherents of extremist ideology and all their faithful, reminding them the commandment "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20: 13), and for the sake of the Gospel commandment "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matthew 5: 9) to intensify their prayers for correction of those blinded by desire of personal or communal and ancestral revenge.
Also the attempts of militant secularism, replacing militant atheism, to repeat sin of biblical Shem, exposing nakedness of his father, are to be jointly denounced.
Reproving some or other faults of our life, we are not to set them out, relish them or hold up to derision their bearers. The wounds inflicted by sin are to be healed by penance, and the "free" mass-media in the free society ought to respect religious feelings of believers and protect morality.
The world economic crisis today made many to reconsider their attitude to the values of the society of unlimited consumption, domination of dishonest advertisement and manipulation of the people's consciousness with the purpose of gaining profits. And it is probable that in the conditions of the crisis and re-estimation of values the voice of the religious leaders in the protection of nature, created by God for us, will be heard. We hope that the necessity of the virtue of abstinence and self-constraint for the sake of the future generations and neighbors, requiring our help today.
I believe that the World Summit of Religious Leaders is capable not just to define the problems, but can suggest ways of their solution, proceeding from the age-long traditions and religious faith.
"Let brotherly love continue" (Hebrews 13: 1).
† Volodymyr,
Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine,
Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
