http://www.interfax-religion.com/print. ... ws&id=5025
2008-07-30 18:02:00
The Russian Church not to condemn Communism as a political doctrine
Moscow, July 30, Interfax - The Moscow Patriarchate finds no sense in
condemning communism as an ideology.
"Church doesn't give estimations to political philosophy and
political doctrines. When they say Church should condemn communism as
philosophy I don't think it's correct," deputy head of the Moscow
Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archpriest
Vsevolod Chaplin said on air of Russian News Service.
He noted there were believers among the Communists and "many people
once urged Church to condemn Communism."
"There's a definite answer. The Bishops' Council 1994 clearly stated
that no state system or existing political doctrine could be
preferable for Church," the priest said.
According to Fr. Vsevolod, "it's difficult" to say what communism is
today as "some left political movements speak about ideals of
justice. And these ideals are also important for an Orthodox
Christian."
"We know very well that the early apostolic community shared
property. We know that ideas of social justice triumphed in early
Church. Thus, there can believers among those who call themselves
socialists, extreme socialists and even communists. The very
philosophy of negating capitalism is consonant to the Christian
outlook," the Russian Church representative said.
He went on to say, "it's easy to condemn "communism," but let's
describe in detail what this ideology represents." "I believe there's
no accurate description as it has too many interpretations, " the
priest noted.
It is quite a different matter (and according to him, "many priests
have positively stated it") that "society and state should condemn
crimes of the Bolshevist regime and, perhaps, its leaders," who "were
notorious malefactors, took power illegally and sentenced the country
to terror and mass victims."
"Until authorities and society give explicit estimate of the
Bolshevist work, until we clearly decide in "yes" or "no" categories
if our country is a successor of the Bolshevist regime or, at least
to a greater degree, a successor of thousand-year old Russian state -
we have no future. I'm absolutely sure," Fr. Vsevolod summed up.
