Alexy II arrived in Strasbourg to take floor at PACE
Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia arrived in Strasbourg on Monday to take the floor at the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The official visit by Alexy II is being held at the invitation of PACE President Rene van der Linden who considers the development of an inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue one of the most important tasks of his presidency.
The patriarch?s upcoming speech at the PACE proves of the PACE contribution to developing such dialogue, van der Linden stressed.
Earlier in the day, Alexy II said the Orthodox and Catholic Churches should protect Christian values, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia said.
In an interview with Le Figaro, Alexy II said he is convinced that the Orthodox and Catholic Churches "must protect Christian values against freedom, which is interpreted as permissiveness".
In his words, he "does not rule out a possibility of meeting Pope Benedict XVI". "Maybe, we?ll meet in a year or two years, but not in a month," the patriarch added.
Alexy II stressed that he "comes against my meeting with the Pope (it should be historical) to be only an event for the press. It should really help us settle disagreements".
The French press reports that relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches warmed after 2002. According to French mass media reports, Alexy II is visiting a Catholic country for the first time after the Schism of 1054.
The patriarch told Itar-Tass that he was going to make a speech at a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in which he would address the problems that are common for Europe.
One of dangers to the European community is an ideological dictate of radical secularity, the patriarch said.
"The striving to make secularity a new quasi-religion, the attempt to sideline religion from the public life inevitably entail a break from the historic tradition and destruction of moral foundations in all spheres of the life. A direct consequence of these dangerous processes is the deterioration of the demographic situation and the deepening of a cultural gap between generations," the patriarch said.
Alexy II said there was a tendency of Europe?s losing its Christian roots as is seen from a boom of flock-deprived Catholic and Protestant churches.
"Such situation is related to a serious identity crisis that Western Europe is experiencing at present," the patriarch said.
"Naturally, the vacuum that has emerged is filled by migrants from other regions of the world, many of whom adhere to clear moral bearings in their public activity and the family life. This allows them to successfully compete with native residents of the continent," Alexy II said.
"I believe that genuine diversity, which excludes the ideological dictate of secularity, is possible only with the harmonious coexistence of different spiritual and philosophical tendencies in all spheres of the life of society. Such harmony is achievable only on condition of overcoming the religious ignorance, the breeding of respect for Christian tradition and culture that have laid a spiritual basis of European civilization. The family, school, spiritual and moral state of society should again become apparent priorities for most Europeans. And then there will be no need to sell temples any longer," Alexy II said.
The revival of Christian culture will improve conditions for mutual understanding and cooperation of nations on the European continent, Alexy II said.
In his view, "we should bear in mind that initially the spiritual and cultural world of the modern Europe was formed within the framework of a single Christian civilization." This is why "mutual understanding and cultural cooperation of nations on the European continent has always been based on common Christian heritage." "The principal task of Christian culture is to revive our heritage, so that people today would regard it as something that is alive and close to them," Patriarch Alexy II believes.
The revival of the Christian cultural tradition in Europe would have a favourable impact on the relations with people of different cultural and religious traditions, the patriarch said. "Christian cultural revival will consolidate the ground for a dialogue and for cooperation of various cultural and religious traditions," he stressed.
Otherwise the deepening cultural gap between the generations may "create a vacuum", which will be filled with other cultural and religious traditions, brought by numerous migrants from other parts of the world. According to Patriarch Alexy II, many of them "stick to clear moral principles in their public and family life, which permits them to effectively compete with native residents of the continent." "The harmonious coexistence of various cultural traditions in the life of society" could be achieved only on condition of "educating people in the atmosphere of respect for the Christian traditions and culture, which created the spiritual foundation of the European civilisation."
Cultural exchanges between Russia and Western Europe promote the consolidation of Christian traditions. The Russian Orthodox Church makes its contribution to it. It organised the exchange of students between religious educational establishments of Russia and other countries. For instance, students from Germany, France, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the United States and China study at Moscow religious schools, while our students study in Greece, France, Switzerland, Germany, the United States and Italy.
An extensive cultural programme will be part of the visit of Alexy II to France. The famous choir of the Sretensky Monastery will give a concert in the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, which will be entitled "Masterpieces of Russian church music." Besides, concerts will be given in Paris, Strasbourg, Lyons and Nice within the framework of the programme "Voices of the Russian Orthodox Church in France." The famous choir of the Moscow Religious Academy, the Gnesin choir and the Classics Choir of the Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Nations will take part in them.
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