Community of values and the challenge of a multi‑ethnic and multi-religious society: the position of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow

Abstract

The Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate
has gained, after the fall of the Soviet Union, an exceptional
position in the social and political life of the Russian Federation,
which it had never occupied before. Formally, it is separate from
the state. The Constitution of the Russian Federation in article
14 guarantees state ideological neutrality and acknowledges the
separation of State and Church. At the same time, the Church
representatives themselves, such as Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev),
consider this separation beneficial to the Church’s activity. Both the
Patriarch and the representatives of Church hierarchy emphasize
the religious and cultural role of the Church in a multi-ethnic and
multi-religious society. The Church’s purpose is, on the one hand,
to restore religious life that was destroyed in the Soviet period
and, on the other hand, to promote traditional values that form
the foundation of Russian identity. In the extra-religious dimension,
these values are supposed to ensure the stability of Russian
society, as well as its ability to oppose foreign (mostly Western)
cultural, political, and religious influences. The article deals with
the concept of ‘traditional values’ (traditsionnyye tsennosti) and
‘spiritual bonds’ (dukhovnyye skrepy) as a unifying factor for
the contemporary Russian society. According to Patriarch Kirill,
the Russian Orthodox Church can propose an axiological system
based on Christian beliefs, especially on the Orthodox concept of
the human person and the human community. This system should
become a foundation of social unity and peace, as well as a factor
which strengthens Russian national identity.