Putin greets assembly of religious leaders
METROPOLITAN KIRILL DOES ENDRUN AROUND NAZARBAEV
Interreligious Council of CIS to be created under aegis of Russian church
by Daniil Shchipkov
Nezavisimaia gazeta, 3 March 2004
"Religious diversity has become a significant factor not in the separation but in the convergence of states," Patriarch Alexis II stated yesterday at the opening of the Second Interreligious Peacemaking Forum of CIS Countries in Moscow. These words could be considered the chief idea of the whole event. In the opinion of forum participants, the convergence of the peoples of CIS should be established on religious grounds.
In Vladimir Putin's address to forum participants, which was read by the presidential envoy for the Central Federal District, Georgy Poltavchenko, it was said: "Today when the international community is confronted with phenomena of extremism and attempts to use religion for the achievement of unjust goals, the voice of authoritative religious leaders in defense of peace and human life is especially important."
General words about peace and love were recited by all religious leaders attending the meeting: the chairman of the Board of Muslims of the Caucasus Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukiur Pasha-zade, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin II, chief rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar, and others. Catholicos-Patriarch of all-Georgia Ilia II also put forward a concrete suggestion. In his opinion, in cases of armed conflict it is necessary to form peacemaking groups comprising clergymen of the two conflicting sides.
Today at the forum there is supposed to be an announcement of the creation of an Interreligious Council of CIS which will unite all traditional religions of the countries of the commonwealth. Thus, parallel with the already existing Interreligious Council of Russia it is planned to create an analogous body on a grander scale. It is evident that behind the words of opposition to terrorism and cooperation of religious leaders there lurks the idea of the Russian Orthodox church for "unification" of all religions of its "canonical territory" under the aegis of the Moscow patriarchate.
There is no doubt that this is a triumph for the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate and its chairman, Metropolitan Kirill Gundiaev. The necessity of creating the Interreligious Council of CIS, undoubtedly, was a product of the possibility of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev's taking the initiative on this matter. In September of last year Nazarbaev called a congress of representatives of all world religions and suggested that it be maintained on a permanent basis. According to his plans, this event should become the basis for creation an international interreligious organization. And, judging by every indication, Nazarbaev would want to locate its center in Kazakhstan. (tr. by PDS, posted 3 March 2004)
posted on site of Religiia i SMI, 3 March 2004