Patriarch Kirill's Christmas interview with Rossiya TV channel. Christmas interview with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill Interview with Patriarch Kirill

January 7, 2017, on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, on the TV channel "Russia 1" showing the traditional Christmas interview with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church answered the questions of the political observer of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, the host of the Vesti program A.O. Kondrashov.

— Your Holiness, thank you for the fact that we meet on these holidays. Over the past few years, some kind of test after test has simply fallen on Russia. So the past year has brought us a big one: people like you, the pride of our national life, symbols, have died. How to answer the question that sounds both at work and at home, I hear it very often: why does God call the best to him? How can we find solace?

— This question accompanies all human history. And every time we come into contact with grief that really burns our being — not some kind of superficial, artificial, but real grief that our soul touches — we ask this question.

I am ready to voice some thoughts now, but the first thing I would like to do is once again express my deepest condolences to all those who are first of all burned by this suffering, this grief. And the family of our wonderful in Turkey, and the relatives of all those who died in the Tu-154 plane. And speaking of the ways of God, the Word of God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not your ways” (Isaiah 55:8). It is impossible for us to understand what is happening in terms of our logic and our idea of ​​justice. God leads the human race and each of us in a way known to Him alone. What is a tragedy for us is not a tragedy for God, because God is in eternity. He knows what happens to a person after death. But while we are here, while we are in the body, while we are limited by our logic, our attitude to what is grief and what is happiness, we, of course, will never be able to fully answer the question that you are now putting before me .

I think that finding the answer to these questions lies not in the rational plane, but in the spiritual life of a person, when suddenly in prayer he feels relief, when through the commemoration of the dead something opens before him that he suddenly begins to feel in his heart and calm down. That is why I always call on people and now I would like to say again, addressing the loved ones of those who died, to say: we need to pray especially strongly for the repose of the departed and for the Lord to calm the souls. The Church prays for this, many people in our country and abroad pray for this, because what happened really became a grief for our people.

— Your Holiness, last year you visited a number of large European states, such as France, England, and met not only with the flock, but also with the leaders of these states. What are your impressions of these meetings? After all, on the one hand, we seem to have a common Christian beginning, but in last years we are witnessing a severe de-Christianization in Europe. Do we have something left to rely on and follow the path of rapprochement, or have we been apart for a long time?

— What remains of the Christian heritage continues to be something that can unite us. Nothing else can unite us. What is happening in Europe, after all, did not collapse at the end of the 20th or the beginning of the 21st century - it matured in the depths of historical development, which at some point (and we know that this moment is called the Age of Enlightenment in history) began to exclude God from human life and equip human life exclusively on a rational basis. It seemed to many that this is the right way, that God is an outdated concept, and in general, as agnostics say, it does not concern us whether He exists or not, let's arrange life exclusively rationally.

Much has been achieved along this path, but a historical development that excludes God is not viable. A remarkable example of the collapse of such a historical development, of such an experience of organizing life, is our own post-revolutionary history. We threw out God, we gave up everything that was holy and ideal for us. Relying on the power of reason, on the power of organization, on the power of the party, on the power of the army, on the power of everything that was in our hands, we have not been able to build a just and prosperous society, which we wanted to build based on this rationalism.

The same is happening now in the West. We faced the collapse of our atheistic idea at the end of the 20th century, and I think that a critical reassessment of rationalism is now taking place in Western Europe as well. Of course, the establishment, the political elites associated with big business, the media, the education system are working hard and trying to reproduce these phantoms. But the soul of the people, the human conscience, the real experience of life tells people that this is the wrong way, and if we say that today the whole of Europe is de-Christianized, we will say something very wrong.

- Probably, this power is de-Christianized ...

Elites, authorities, those who want to control social processes are powerful forces associated with finance, the media, the political establishment. And the life of the people is still different from what appears, as it were, in the window of the Western world. Therefore, I am deeply convinced that if, as you said, the remnants of the Christian heritage are preserved, then they can become a common value basis for rapprochement between the East and West of Europe. By definition, there simply cannot be any other basis.

- But how can some common troubles bring us closer, like at a fair in Berlin, the vile murder of our ambassador in Ankara?

- Maybe, but this rapprochement will never be organic. I'll give you an example. The war, the fight against fascism brought the Soviet Union closer to the Western coalition. The last salvos of World War II had not yet died down, and Truman began to hatch plans for nuclear destruction Soviet Union. What is this? After all, we shed blood together. The meeting on the Elbe - after all, it was not a fake manifestation of feelings, and not just allied feelings, but friendship, respect, military brotherhood. It would seem that now long years Mutual understanding was ensured, but everything disappeared very quickly. This does not mean that it is not necessary to fight together - on the contrary, it is necessary to fight together.

Why don't they want to help us in the common fight against terrorism?

Well, this is purely a political issue. They do not want to, because the fight against terrorism is understood by many as one of the tools to influence the world in terms of achieving their own political goals. And if the phenomenon of terrorism begins to be used as a tool to achieve their own political goals, then there will be no real fight against terrorism. This is clearly what we are facing today in the Middle East. What has been happening lately, the fact that Russia has managed to organize a coalition in the fight against terrorism on the territory of Syria, of course, is a remarkable phenomenon in modern political life. I sincerely wish that the victory over terrorism will really be achieved - first in Syria, and then everywhere where terrorism raises its head.

But I will say it again: peoples draw closer, organically draw closer when there is a commonality—not only a struggle, but a community of values. And I want to emphasize once again: it is the Christian heritage that is the community of values ​​that gives hope for a genuine rapprochement between East and West. If this phenomenon disappears from Western life, if it is really destroyed, then we will lose everything. There will no longer be any value community, and pragmatism will not get you far, be it economic, political or even military pragmatism.

— Your Holiness, we all know that both the Russian Orthodox Church and you personally spent a lot of energy fighting for the life of unborn babies. Women often say that the reason is material unsettledness, but we know that in fact the problem is wider. This is our way of life. Someone needs to finish their studies, someone needs to find a job, but they found a job - now you need to make a career. There is no time, no time, no time… How deep is this problem today? And how can we make sure that we have fewer abortions and more children?

- Yes, everything rests on ourselves, on our inner world, on our goal-setting, because everyone wants to make a career to one degree or another, in one area or another, and it is desirable that this career be accompanied by an increase in material well-being - all this is completely Fine.

Now let's ask the question: what should a person do to make a career? First of all, he must learn to manage himself. He must learn self-restraint. Someone wants to go dancing, and someone is preparing for exams very seriously. Someone wants to spend a vacation, liberating himself and enjoying life, while someone at this time loads himself additional tasks, some problems that he needs to solve, preparing himself for a successful career.

I want to give an example from the Soviet past. I had many acquaintances from the scientific world, from the medical world, and many of these wonderful specialists wrote their doctoral dissertations in the kitchen, in small Khrushchev apartments. Is this not a feat? Isn't that self-restraint? And if they refused to write these doctoral dissertations and said: “Yes, I can’t be in the kitchen, pans are knocking here, kids are running around”? But this self-restraint led to a brilliant career ...

— And what discoveries! We are still using it!

- To discoveries. Well, it's the same with children. It is impossible for the sake of a career to relieve yourself of the tasks that confront you as a person. You have to go to self-restraint. Yes, a child appears - of course, the cost of time, effort, spiritual energy, limitations in comfort. But without such a limitation, there can be no human growth. Therefore, when they tell me that in order to be happy, you need to have an abortion, I answer: this is a terrible delusion. You will not be happy if, in order to secure your living space, you go to the point of killing a child. That is why it is important to restructure the mind. It is necessary for everyone to understand: without self-restraint, without achievement, without sacrifice, the human personality cannot come into being. And that means that the real career will not take place. Ask any successful person: how did you manage to achieve this? And the answer will be this: through work and self-restraint. It is a sine qua non for human growth. And God grant that this understanding enters deeply into the consciousness of our people.

I would like to say the same about one more thing. Love does not exist without self-restraint. Love is always accompanied by sacrifice. If a person is unable to give himself to another, then there is no love. The ability to self-restraint in love is the true test of whether you love a person or not. If you cannot do anything for him, there is no love, no matter how attractive this person is to you - externally, emotionally or in some other way.

Therefore, all this is very closely connected - sacrifice, self-restraint, feat, career, love and human happiness. And the preservation of the child in this whole system is a very important factor that determines the fullness of human life.

— Your Holiness, at the end of last year, with your participation, as well as with the participation of the Primate, we witnessed how Ukraine received its prisoner of war. He was, and without any conditions - such a very kind and demonstrative gesture. Please tell me, do you think the Church in Ukraine will play at least some role in the process of national reconciliation? Indeed, in principle, probably, Ukrainians still believe in God - take at least, in which so many people took part. But is national reconciliation itself possible now? Is there anyone to help?

- I will say more: if national reconciliation begins, it is precisely because the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has taken the position that it takes. This is the only correct position. In reality, there is a civil war, a civil confrontation, the country is divided. There are civil contradictions that have historical, religious, cultural reasons - we will not go into this now - and no dictatorial approach to regulation public life these contradictions cannot be removed. The Orthodox Church understands that these contradictions exist, but we need to live together, otherwise the country will really fly to pieces. And the Orthodox Church is this peacemaking force; she has a flock both in the east and in the west. After all, the procession went both from the east and from the west: both there and there tens of thousands of people! It was a symbol and a sign that the potential for peacekeeping, for the creation of a just and peaceful life in Ukraine, remains. But I must say that we must all work for this reconciliation. I understand that some events on the territory of Ukraine, which the media convey to us, arouse a feeling of protest in people. But it is very important that this feeling of protest does not develop into a feeling of hatred. And it is very important that the media cover Ukrainian topics in such a way so that there is no negative, negative, hostile attitude towards Ukraine among our people. And all this unfavorable political context will pass.

- So you think that what is upstairs now, this foam will come down?

“It will all pass. The Ukrainian and Great Russian people will remain. We were always together, we were one people, then this people dispersed different apartments. But we remain people who are united by a common faith, a common history and common values. And everything must be done to ensure that there is no hostility and negative attitude towards the people in the hearts of people. Our Church also serves this cause of reconciliation. We pray at every service that the Lord would pour out His mercy on the Ukrainian people and end the civil confrontation. And we are trying to educate and, I think, not without success, our people in love for their brothers and sisters living in Ukraine. This is the only way to preserve the close bonds that have bound us for centuries. The same is being done by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, despite very difficult conditions.

— Over the centuries of existence, our Church has created all the prerequisites for our great Russian culture to flourish. In recent months, a strange conflict has suddenly come to light - of course, you have heard about it. The conflict between creative people: some are against the fact that creativity has some kind of framework; on the other hand, those who believe that there should be such a framework, because some of their ideas about goodness are violated. And sometimes the latter fight with their own methods, sometimes even by force. Someone bans some productions, someone criticizes films, and so far neither one nor the other has reconciled with each other. Here, in your opinion, Your Holiness, how to seek a compromise, how to reconcile them?

- It seems that Brodsky said: all creativity is a prayer. All creativity is in the ears of the Almighty, this is what goes to Him. Figurative expression, but it speaks about the most important thing. Creativity and culture must elevate the human personality. If a performance, a film, a work of art, a literary work raises a person, if it gives him the strength to love, sacrifice, work, respect another, then this is a true culture. These examples of cultural creativity cultivate the human personality and elevate it.

But it must be confessed that many works of the so-called modern culture turn a person into a beast, liberate instincts, and encourage the most vile manifestations of human nature. Can we call culture that which destroys the human personality, that which turns the human community into a herd, into an animal pack? After all, each of us knows examples of films and books that liberate the Dionysian principle in a person, this black energy. And if people, due to religious, ideological, cultural and historical principles, disagree with such works of culture and art, why should they be silent? Silence tramples God. Truth is trampled on in silence. There are times when you can't be silent. Another conversation is that this should not turn into acts of vandalism, into violence. This is completely obvious.

If we shut the mouth of a person who, based on his understanding of what is good and evil, protests against the manifestations of so-called creativity, then we will make a huge mistake. Another conversation is that all this discourse needs to be introduced into a civilized field. But what needs to be done for this? Of course, now everyone is paying attention to those who are radically protesting, and not to those who provoke these radical actions. I'll give you an example. The famous exhibition in the Manezh is the works of Vadim Sidur. A couple of months before this exhibition, some official in the Ministry of Culture signs an order that declares these blasphemous images to be works of art. And then an exhibition is held in the center of Moscow. What it is? direct provocation. So, if we punish only those who protest, and do not figure out when and how these images became works of art, why they were exhibited in Moscow, then we will have a one-sided approach to the topic.

But I am for freedom of creativity, for freedom of expression. Something in the images on religious themes may not be quite convenient for my perception, but I respect the work of real artists, and in this sense the Church has always been very sensitive and has always known the limits of expressing its disagreement. Therefore, I am for freedom of creativity, for the absence of censorship, but also for mutual respect, for the fight against both vandalism and provocations.

“Your Holiness, such is life now, a frantic rhythm, time seems to have compressed. So many events take place certain period time - it seems to me that this has never happened, and we are in this rhythm. And still against the backdrop of a gigantic informational noise, wars that in one way or another concern not only journalists, but all people. We are all outraged at how much injustice against the Russians is now being pronounced in the world. This noise, noise, rhythm, rhythm - there is no time to stop, think. Please teach, advise, Your Holiness, how to stop and, at least for a second, comprehend the very feast of the Nativity of Christ, the significance of the very event of the birth of Christ for all mankind and for individuals, for each of us.

“A person must have some kind of shelter. During the war, the shelter saves from physical death. We are constantly in incredible turbulence, you are right. The information flow of colossal power brings conflicts of the world around us into our homes, into our families, into our consciousness, into our soul. A colossal impact is exerted on the human psyche, its nervous system and, of course, moral feelings. If you are constantly in the conditions of this turbulence, then it really threatens very negative consequences for a person. And we know how neuroses develop, how mental illnesses develop, how the human body cannot cope with stress, how the number of suicides is growing, including among young people. For me, the temple of God has always been a refuge. When you come to the temple, everything seems to remain behind its walls. You find yourself in an atmosphere where the influence of God's grace is especially felt, when a person begins to think not about what is outside the temple, but about what is in his heart, what is in his soul, when he turns to God with the secret. And this can happen both during the service and outside it. A lot of people just come during the day, put a candle, stand, keep quiet, think, take a short break in this whirlwind. And if you can’t go to the temple (sometimes there is not enough time for this, even when the temple is very close and on the way), then you need to have such time at home. Believers call this the time of prayer - at the beginning and at the end of the working day. Prayer helps to calm down, focus, gain strength. After all, it is no coincidence that there are people who devote their entire lives to prayer. Not because they want to impose some unbearable burdens on themselves, but because a person has such a need.

Well, the Nativity of Christ is a special time, because everything that surrounds us reminds us of this event: both solemn services and the way people celebrate this event. Therefore, in these days we should especially feel God's presence. And I would like to wish everyone who hears and sees us today a Merry Christmas - in the sense that this holiday really gives us the opportunity to experience heartfelt happiness, joy, peace and tranquility. Without this, human life is deprived of its fullness, and no matter how difficult the circumstances of external life, it is very important to find strength in yourself, including touching the holy, bright and joyful, to influence your soul so that it has more peace, goodness. and truth.

“Thank you, Your Holiness. Happy holiday!

- Thank you. Happy holiday!

Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

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The Russia 1 TV channel aired a traditional Christmas interview with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. The rector of the Russian Orthodox Church answered the questions of the journalist and TV presenter, General Director of the Rossiya Segodnya MIA Dmitry Kiselev.

- Of course, each person is unique - no two people are the same. And every country is different. This factor is formed under the influence of various circumstances. If we talk about Russia, it is its size, climate, history and so on. But there is something that underlies the motivation of the vast majority of people: when they listen to the inner voice, which we call the voice of conscience.

I think a lot of the uniqueness of Russia lies in the fact that, although this sometimes created problems, our country is conscientious. And I will give some examples, very bright and well-known to many, when conscientiousness prevailed over pragmatism. For example, the Crimean War, the defense of Orthodoxy in the Holy Land, Nicholas the First. Some of our viewers will say: "Yes, but it was a geopolitical program." However, it was not geopolitical ideas that inspired people to defend shrines and Orthodox in the Holy Land, but conscience. And the Balkan wars under Alexander II? Thousands of ordinary Russian people went to fight for the Slavic brothers. And with them - and difficult, and generals, and members of the royal family. Is this just pragmatism? Is it possible for a person to die in the name of pragmatism? Never! Movement towards danger in order to protect, too, after all, at the call of conscience. And what about Nicholas II and the beginning of the First World War, when the Russians came to the defense of the Serbian brothers? But someone can also say that this is pragmatism. But would people go to war just for him? Therefore, conscientiousness is very clearly visible in the history of Russia.

— Many believe that Russia is trying to play a disproportionate role in the world. And this even has some risks for our country. So is the cross capable?

The unity of the peoples of Russia, the strengthening and harmonization of interethnic relations were discussed at a press conference in the format of a video bridge Moscow - Simferopol - Kazan, which took place today, November 3, in the press center of the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency.

- The cross is not supposed to be abandoned - this is what the Orthodox Church teaches. If Russia takes on this cross, then God will give the strength to carry it. The most important thing is that the moral dimension in politics, which we just talked about, should never be absorbed exclusively by pragmatic goals that are far from morality. And if in our politics, life and social structure we strive for the triumph of justice, for the moral feeling of people to be calm, then, undoubtedly, we will have to bear a certain cross. We will not go into details, but, of course, there are people in the world who disagree with this position. But I want to repeat once again: if God lays a cross, then He also gives strength to bear it. And the very fact of bearing this cross is of great importance for the whole world, for the whole human community. And no matter how they try to present our (including foreign) policy in different colors, it will be attractive for very many people in the world as long as it retains this moral dimension.

“And yet you recently spoke of the apocalypse. The responses were very different. We know how to interpret, you know. But still, what to prepare for and how?

— The Apocalypse is the end of history, and Patriarch Kirill did not invent it.

The Bible is clear about the end of history. And in general, this is a very logical story. After all, everyone will die at some point. So many people are concerned about the end of the world, but do not realize that our own end and the end of the world are separated by a very specific period of time, as the Bible says. Seventy years, from the strength of 80. But if beyond the strength, then 90. What is it? This is a moment.

By the way, there is some kind of incomprehensible, but apparently not a random pattern. Liberal people really don't like it when the Church raises two topics: the devil and the end of the world. The question is why such a reaction occurs. And it arises for the same reason that in contemporary culture, so to speak, they are trying to push aside the theme of death, which is present in many films as an entertainment. But we do not like a serious understanding of the human end. And they don't like to talk about death. And not only here, but also in the West, there is even more. There, in general, the coffin is not opened during the funeral ceremony of farewell, whether in the temple or elsewhere. And the less we talk about it, the calmer for everyone. And why? But because the theme of the end requires philosophical reflection. And when a person begins to think about his own end or about the end of history, he comes to conclusions that are directly related to the religious factor.

And now to the point. How can the world ever end? When human society ceases to be viable, it will exhaust the resources for existence. In what case can this happen? In the event that the total domination of evil comes. And what will it lead to? Evil is not viable, and the system in which it prevails cannot exist. And if evil continues to grow, will force out good from human life, then the end will come.

Why do we need to talk about this today? Today we are living through a special historical period. Never before has humanity put good and evil on the same level. There was a desire to justify evil. But there has never been an attempt to say that good and evil are not absolute truths. In the minds of people, both good and evil were absolute truths. And today they have become relative.

When can evil grow uncontrollably in human society? It is when this point of view, when good and evil stand on the same board, will triumph on a global scale. And since today we are not even at the beginning of this process, but a certain period of time has passed, some kind of history has already been exhausted, then how can the Church not talk about this, how can we not ring the bells and warn that that we have embarked on a dangerous path of self-destruction? Who will say this if not the Church?

“But we have had periods in history when good and evil were indistinguishable. An example is the murder of the royal family. We will be celebrating our 100th anniversary soon. By the fact that we remember, by the fact that a rethinking of this fact is required. What does this date mean anyway? And when it's finally over all kinds expertise?

I'll start with the last part of your question. The examinations will end when they are completed by experts and present the results. No one deliberately delays this process, but no one deliberately pushes scientists who are trying to exhaustively answer the questions that constantly arise. You know that a conference was held at the Sretensky Monastery, which I attended, and it was extremely important for me to hear the reports of scientists on the work done, and the questions that were put to them. When the experts said: "We don't have a ready answer. We're not sure, we still need to investigate something that will open up the possibility to come to final conclusions."

That's when this happens, then we will make decisions at the bishops' council, taking into account, of course, the opinions of those people who may still have questions.

Well, now - in general about the tragedy that happened, the tragedy of regicide. There is one question that I want to raise here. Maybe there issomeone capable answer it. In 1905, at the end of the first revolution, the emperor adopted a manifesto that opened up the possibility of realizing the broadest freedoms. A multi-party system, the State Duma is being created. This opportunity was opened not by the revolution, but by the tsar. After all, there were those who said that this should not be done. In order to win this revolution, all opposition must be crushed. And the king went to meet those who wanted to change the political system in the country. He opened these possibilities. The Duma turned, first of all, into an arena not so much for resolving political issues, as into an arena of struggle around the tsar and the autocracy. No matter what they said about him!

It is now widely believed that the king was weak. And let's think: he was weak or internally strong man? After all, he could finish State Duma with one clap, disperse all the parties, re-introduce censorship - he had a real political power. And he didn't use it. Here, our liberal historians are still pouring mud on Nicholas II and extol Alexander II. And from the point of view of opening up opportunities for a democratic discussion of problems, participation in the formation of state policy, who did more: Alexander II or Nicholas II? Of course, Nicholas II. And here he is being overthrown. As he himself said, betrayal is all around. He is overthrown, then the entire family is brutally destroyed. The name is mixed with dirt. And even those who treat him without much negativity say, well, he was weak. We just need to, as it were, historically sympathize with everything that happened to Russia and its last emperor. Now, if he was a weak person, he would not have accepted death so courageously.

The royal family was canonized not because Nicholas II was a good ruler, a wise diplomat and military strategist. He is glorified precisely because he accepted death in a Christian way. And not only death, but all this terrible part of your life. He was under arrest, endured insults, harassment. He is yesterday's king who lost everything. And at the same time, such calm diaries, such a truly Christian view of what happened to him. And this was inherent not only to him, but to all family members.

This means that regardless of the political assessment of his activities, people should have respect for this way of life, especially liberal people. But nothing like that happens. And even in the year of the centenary of revolutionary events, nothing appeared on the screens - only a film that throws another dirt into the face of the martyr. That's why people resented this film. Well, didn't you find anything else? And again, after all, this picture seems to have arisen from liberal circles. And where are the merits of the emperor?

In my answer, I do not give any analysis of his political activities, I do not sum up the results of his reign. I'm just reacting to a very important part of his life, connected with the opening of freedoms and rights for citizens. Russian Empire and how his life ended. And in this sense, of course, everything that happened to the Sovereign Emperor and our country should make us think about a lot.

Not everyone, however, had enough of the revolution. IN civil war, which is now in Ukraine, is being killed every day. The Russian Orthodox Church prays for Ukraine, for the healing of the schism, but what else can be done?

- Prayer itself- this is a very powerful moment. I understand that non-religious people cannot understand this. But those who go through the experience of prayer know that heaven is answering. I have said many times that if the boss deceived us once, we can forgive, justify. If we, having come to the office and asked the boss about something, did not receive an answer or help for the second time, then we already begin to be very skeptical about the possibilities of such contact. But if the third time we were deceived, that's it.

Throughout life, a person constantly turns to God with a prayer and remains a believer until the end of his days. This means that he received the answer that the sky is not closed to him. And when we say that we are praying for peace, for the reconciliation of people in Ukraine, for overcoming the fratricidal conflict, we also put into this our confidence that the Lord will at some point bow down mercy to the Ukrainian people. And the internecine strife will stop.

But, in addition, of course, our Ukrainian Orthodox Church plays a very significant role. Today it is the only peacekeeping force in Ukraine. After all, her flock is in the East, and in the West, and in the center. The Church cannot serve the political interests of groups, parties or geographical areas countries. It is designed to carry a message to all that can transform the minds and hearts of people, including the promotion of reconciliation.

As for our entire Church, we tried to the best of our ability to facilitate the return of the captives. By the grace of God, on the eve of the New Year and the Nativity of Christ, a mass exchange of prisoners of war took place, although not in the way we would like. Therefore, we believe that this is the first stage of the prisoner-of-war exchange program, in the implementation of which our Church has been actively involved from the very beginning to the present day.

- Another hot spot— Syria. During the war, many Christians also died there. Has anything been done to help them? So, what is next? It's not just Syria, it's the entire Middle East.

- Already in 2014, it became clear that the developing conflicts on the territory of Syria are being provoked by such radical forces that, having come to power, will begin by eliminating the Christian presence in this country. That is why Christians actively supported Assad and his government. Because a certain balance of power was ensured in the country and, what is very important, people felt their security. In 2014, despite some warnings that it was dangerous, I decided to go to Syria anyway. I was in Damascus, performed services there, and saw how enthusiastic the people were. Talking to Muslims, Christians, and politicians, I realized that the main concern of the people was that if the radicals of the Islamic spill come to power in Syria, then the first to suffer from this will be the Christians. What happened in Iraq will happen: 85 percent of Christians are either destroyed or expelled from the country.

Even under Hussein's regime, I visited Iraq, including its northern parts, I was in Mosul. He visited the most ancient Christian monasteries. I saw the piety of the people and rejoiced that Christian churches quietly exist in the Muslim environment. Now there is practically nothing left of it. Monasteries are destroyed, temples are blown up. This could also happen in Syria. Therefore, of course, the participation of Russia, in addition to resolving some issues in which I am not fully competent and therefore I do not consider it possible to say anything, but I will briefly talk about the stabilization of the situationpreventing military threats, preventing terrorists from taking power.

Here is a very important idea.- protection of the Christian minority. Back in 2013, when the heads of local Orthodox churches arrived in Moscow to celebrate the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', one of the strongest messages at the meeting with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin concerned precisely the request that Russia take part in the defense of Christians in the Middle East. And I'm glad that it happened. And thanks to the participation of Russia, the genocide of Christians was prevented.

And now the question arises of restoring peace, justice, securityin this country, there was an opportunity to solve many economic problems. But what is especially close to us is the restoration of temples, monasteries, monuments, including Muslim and ancient ones. Our Church is involved in providing humanitarian assistance. We work both on our own behalf and participate in such a common Christian action, which was formed on the platform of the Interreligious Council of Russia. And besides, we have bilateral agreements with Catholic Church to provide humanitarian assistance together. There are different areas of our interaction. I hope that we will contribute to providing real assistance to those who are not yet suffering in Syria.

- The following question is logical in this connection. Now the volunteer movement is becoming popular. But the priest is essentially a volunteer. In addition to praying, he also does a lot of other things. Well, what about now, besides the fact that we are helping Christians in Syria? And what is happening here, in our territory?

- Here Maximus the Confessor connects two concepts - love and will. Volitional qualities of a person. If love fructifies the will, we say of such people that this is a person of good will. Everything that volunteers do is a manifestation of good will. This is when strong-willed efforts are supported by a feeling of pity, compassion and love.

For the Russian Church, the creation of volunteer movements is of great importance. Historically, it turned out that in difficult conditions, especially during the atheistic period in our country, any system of solidarity within Orthodox parishes was destroyed. People could not freely meet, talk, create any organizations. All this was forbidden and strictly controlled. And contributed to the development of such religious individualism. I come to the temple and, in fact, the same thing happens as when I am at home: I myself pray, turn to God.

And everything that surrounds me does not directly concern me. And the creation of volunteer movements in almost most parishes, if we talk about Moscow, destroys this individualism. People begin to recognize themselves as a community. And they direct their joint efforts towards the fulfillment of those tasks that they must solve, including at the call of conscience and their Christian vocation.

The volunteer movement among young people has a very great prospect. You know, this changes the climate and, I think, not only in Orthodox communities, but also in our society.

- In a little more than two months, elections of the president and head of state will be held in Russia. How does the Church feel about elections?

The church is very positive. Because elections existed in the Church earlier than in the state. Patriarchs were elected and, by the grace of God, they are still being elected.

But, besides, our councils also make decisions on the basis of voting. Therefore, voting and elections are something inherent in the Church. If this is acceptable in the Church, why should believers think that it is unacceptable in a secular society? It is not just permissible, but very much to be welcomed when the people take part in the election, including their supreme leader or their representatives to parliament. For some, this is the only opportunity to somehow influence the situation. Many believe that it is impossible to influence: I am alone, there are millions of people. But that's not the case at all. From the voices of a few, the voices of millions are created. Therefore, I would call on everyone, including Orthodox people, to definitely take part in the upcoming presidential elections. It is very important.

— Your Holiness, but President Putin sets the task of building a digital economy in Russia. Where is the Church here?

- We associate the topic of the digital economy with two concepts. We have it in the Church. On the one hand, there is the concept of efficiency; secular people, especially managers, insist on this. Undoubtedly, the introduction of digital technologies will provide greater efficiency in the decision-making process. Which, of course, is good. But the Church has another concept - security. And it is not only about the possibility of malicious people or forces to use digital technology in order to cause irreparable damage to the country, society or any of the people. But this is all technological level. And now I would talk about the spiritual level. The church is very concerned that modern technical means capable of limiting human freedom. Here's a small example.

We have hotheads who are enthusiastic about the need to eliminate cash and switch only to electronic cards. This will provide transparency, control, and so on - arguments that are familiar to many. And all this is so. And what if, at some point in historical development, access to these cards will be opened in response to your loyalty?

Today, in order to obtain citizenship in one of the European countries, people who live there and wish to obtain citizenship or a residence permit are offered to watch a video that tells about the life, customs and laws of the country. And in this video, the whole LGBT theme is very clearly presented. In colors. At the end of the viewing, they ask the question: "Do you agree with all this?" If a person says: "Yes, I agree, I accept, it's all right for me," he passes the screening. And he will either become a citizen or receive a residence permit. And if not, they won't. And if access to finance is limited by such conditions? These are the dangers the Church speaks loudly today.

Let's get back to the Christmas theme. These days, of course, tables are set. And you can see the difference. Someone, so to speak, lacks lobsters, but someone is happy with a chocolate bar. And yet we are talking about the unity of society. Although there is a split. But isn't this unity stupidity?

- The stratification of society is a huge problem. All this is present in our lives today. Socialism tried to solve this problem. But let's be honest: he did not solve it. I also found the testimony of my aunt, who in the 1950s lived in a village, who did not have a passport and who miraculously escaped to Leningrad to visit relatives. She talked about the terrible situation of the then village. And all this was in a socialist society. Therefore, the problem of social disproportions has always existed.

But the stability of society and justice in society, which we have been talking about today from the very beginning, depends primarily on overcoming this gap. The deeper it is, the greater the destabilization, the more negative energy. The more people reject everything that happens in society, in the country, the more criticism. Therefore, this topic has a political, social and spiritual dimension. But this, of course, is a challenge for the authorities - legislative and executive. But what you said cannot be tolerated. It is necessary to set the task of overcoming these contradictions. Once again I want to say that there will always be rich and poor. But it is very important that the gap is reduced. And so that the concept of poverty does not mean the most difficult situation of a person, on the verge of survival.

Of course, the state of many pensioners is also alarming, as well as the fact that many people lose their homes at the end of their lives, they are thrown into the street by black racketeers, businessmen who seize apartments. The state should have a very clear system that would insure people from such life situations. And God forbid that the development of the economy and the correct domestic politics contributed to bridging these vast divisions between the wealthy and the have-nots. And so that justice more and more penetrates into the bowels of our national life.

“Congratulations on the holiday, Your Holiness.

- I would like to sincerely congratulate our viewers on the coming Christmas. The world we live in is not easy. And our conversation with you highlighted many of the problems. But what would I like to say. The Nativity of Christ, the advent of the Savior into the world in general, is the beginning of a new era, a new era. This is an event that gives a person tremendous strength and strengthens his optimism.

At Christmas services we sing a wonderful hymn "God with us". These are biblical words. God is with us, he understands the tongue, that is, understand, peoples. Because God is with us. Indeed, through the coming into the world of the Savior, God is with us. And by establishing a connection with the Lord, we are able to gain great strength to solve problems in our personal, family, and social lives. Therefore, may the blessing of God rest upon all our people and over our country.

Thank you very much for this amazing interview.

January 7, 2016 on the air of the TV channel "Russia 1" was shown Christmas interview His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' to TV presenter, Director General of the Russian international information agency "Russia Today" Dmitry Kiselev.

— Your Holiness, thank you for this already traditional Christmas interview. But this year our conversation differs from all the previous ones in that Russia is fighting. How should a believer deal with this? It is clear that we are talking, first of all, about the Orthodox, but also about Muslims too.

“Killing a person is a sin. Cain killed Abel, and, having embarked on the path of committing sin, humanity found itself in a situation where a violent way of influencing a person, a group of people, countries quite often turns out to be a means and a way to resolve conflicts. This, of course, is the most extreme and most sinful way. But the gospel contains amazing words, the essence of which is that blessed is he who gives his life for another (see John 15:13). What does this mean? This means that participation in certain activities that may result in death may be justified. The gospel clearly describes in what cases this is possible - when you give your life for others. Strictly speaking, the idea of ​​a just war is built on this. Even Blessed Augustine tried to describe the parameters of such a war in the distant 5th century. Now, perhaps, there are somewhat different ideas, but the essence remains the same: military actions are justified when they protect a person, society, and the state.

What is happening today in seemingly distant Syria, which in fact is not far at all, it is literally our neighbor, is the defense of the Fatherland. Many people today speak clearly about this, because if terrorism wins in Syria, it has a huge chance, if not to win, then extremely darken the life of our people, bring misfortunes and disasters. Therefore, this war is defensive - not so much even a war as pinpoint influences. But, nevertheless, this is the participation of our people in hostilities, and as long as this war is defensive in nature, it is fair.

Besides, we all know very well what terrible misfortunes terrorism brings. Our people went through terrible trials - Beslan, Volgograd, it is impossible to list them all. We are burned by this pain, we know what it is. What about our plane that was shot down over Sinai? Therefore, everything that happens is retaliatory defensive actions. In this sense, we boldly speak of a just struggle.

In addition, there is another very important point. Through our actions, we are participating in the salvation of so many people in Syria and the Middle East. I remember how in 2013, when we celebrated the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', the Patriarchs and representatives of all the Local Orthodox Churches came to Moscow. We met with Vladimir Vladimirovich in the Kremlin, and the main topic was to save the Christian presence in the Middle East. It was a general appeal to the President. I do not want to say that it is this motive that is decisive, but it is about protecting people who are unjustly destroyed as a result of terrorist actions - including, of course, the Christian community.

Therefore, like any war and any military action associated with the death of people, and this war is grief and can be a sin. But as long as it protects people's lives and our country, we treat it as a just act aimed at achieving just goals.

— Your Holiness, you are talking about saving people, but this war (I mean the war in Syria and our military operation as part of it) complicates the position of the Orthodox in the world - they are in any case associated with Russia ...

“As they say, there was nowhere else to go. The position of Christians in Syria, Iraq, and many other countries has reached an extreme. Today, Christians are the most oppressed religious community, not only where there are clashes with Islamic extremists, but in many other places, including prosperous Europe, where public display of Christian feelings, such as openly wearing a cross, can lead to the person will be removed from work. We know how Christianity is being squeezed out of the public space - in many countries today the word "Christmas" is not used. Christians are really in a very plight, and what is happening now in Syria, it seems to me, will not worsen it. On the contrary, we know cases of return from captivity, we know cases of the liberation of Christians and entire Christian settlements, places of their compact residence. From the reaction we receive from our brethren, it is quite clear that they are looking forward to Russia's participation in this liberation war, in these actions aimed at overcoming terrorism.

Q: In that case, to what extent is what is happening in Syria now a religious war? What can be opposed to fanatics, who, as they say, are driven by faith? What is the nature of this phenomenon?

— It has already become commonplace to say that this is not a religious war, and I join this attitude towards this conflict. Let me give you a historical example. Relations between Christians and Muslims in history have not been cloudless. We know that there were cases of forced conversion to Islam and the conquest of the Christian territories of Byzantium. But, if we leave out of the brackets the actual military operations, which were always accompanied by losses on both sides, then there has never been anything like what is happening now in the Islamic world.

Take even the example of the Ottoman Empire. There was a certain order of relations between religious communities. The keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher are still in the hands of an Arab Muslim. This is all from those very Turkish times, when a Muslim was responsible for security, for keeping Christian shrines. That is, such a way of interaction between communities was developed, which, of course, cannot be called the most favored nation regime, but people lived, performed their religious duties, there were patriarchates, the Church existed - and all this in antiquity, in the 1st millennium or in the so-called dark Middle Ages .

But enlightened times have come - the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century. And what do we see? The genocide of Christians, as we have just said, is the extermination of the Christian population. The presence of Christians in Iraq, Syria has decreased by an order of magnitude, people are fleeing from fear of being destroyed by entire families ...

There is such a thing as fanaticism, that is, an idea brought to the point of absurdity. So, fanatics believe that they have the right to decide the fate of people, that is, to freely decide whether the Christian community should exist or not - most often, that it should not exist, because Christians are “infidels” and are subject to destruction. This fanatical idea itself, carried to the point of absurdity, is opposed to the religious idea, contrary to God. God did not call anyone to destroy in the name of relations with Him, or, better, for the sake of displaying a religious feeling. Therefore, behind fanaticism, in the end, is godlessness, only the dark mass of people who are involved in these terrible actions do not understand this. To act in this way is to reject God and God's world.

Are fanatics atheists?

- Fanatics are de facto atheists. Although they will talk about their belonging to the faith and even perform certain religious rites, but according to their convictions, according to their views, these are people who deny His will and God's world. Otherwise, it could not be. In order to create a terrorist community, people need to be inspired to hate, and hatred is not from God, it comes from another source. Therefore, when we talk about so-called religious fanaticism, extremism and terrorism, we are talking about a phenomenon associated with a person's refusal to be a believer and be in union with God.

- The world is split, and maybe the fight against terrorism is a chance for it? Can the fight against terrorism unite humanity, and if so, on what basis?

“Perhaps, tactically, it will reconcile some forces to solve common problems, but the fight against someone can never unite. We need a positive agenda. We need a system of values ​​that would unite people, and let me take this opportunity today to say something about the phenomenon of religious terrorism that I have never said before.

How are people lured into the terrorist community? With money, drugs, some kind of promises - all this, so to speak, non-idealistic factor works in fully. And there is no need to idealize everyone who enters this community. Very many are driven by exceptionally rigid pragmatic interests - to profit, to win, to steal, to seize. The same use of Syrian oil fully testifies to the presence of a thirst for profit, conquest. But there are also honest people, or at least those who join the ranks of terrorists for really religious reasons. I am sure that there is, because people most often respond to the call of extremists in mosques, after prayer, but how can you influence a person who has just prayed to make him take up arms? It is necessary to connect his religious feelings, his faith with very specific arguments aimed, among other things, at participation in military operations and on everything else that accompanies terrorist activities. And what can be an argument - have we ever thought about it? "You become a fighter for the Caliphate." “And what is a caliphate?” “And this is a society where faith, God is at the center, where religious laws dominate. You are creating a new civilization in relation to the one that is now established in the world - godless, secular and also radical in its secularism.

We now see that this godless civilization is really attacking, including the rights of people, which are proclaimed almost the highest value - but you can’t wear a cross. Parades of sexual minorities can be held, this is welcome - and a million-strong demonstration of French Christians in defense of family values ​​is dispersed by the police. If you call unconventional relationship sin, as the Bible tells us, and you are a priest or pastor, you can not only lose the opportunity to serve, but also go to prison.

I can continue to give simply terrible examples of how this godless civilization is advancing. And that's what they point fingers at to young people who are seduced by extremists. “Look at the world they are building – the world of the devil, and we invite you to build the world of God.” And they respond to it, for this they go to give their lives. Then they can use drugs, and anything else, but in order to arouse a person to fight, you must first show him the enemy. That is what they do, naming specific addresses and saying why certain people are enemies in relation to you, and perhaps in relation to the entire human race.

Therefore, it is necessary to reconcile not on the basis of the fight against terrorism. We all need to think about ways to develop human civilization, we all need to think about how to combine modern scientific and technical or, as they say now, post-industrial society with those spiritual and religious values ​​without which a person cannot live. The Church can be oppressed, pushed aside, people can be deprived of the opportunity to fulfill their religious needs, but religious feelings cannot be killed, and this is well known. It is necessary to combine human freedom with moral responsibility. Every person should be given the opportunity to live in accordance with God's law. There is no need to limit the manifestation of religious feelings and at the same time there is no need to limit the freedom of human choice. If we can combine all these constituent parts, then we will build a viable civilization. And if we fail, then we are doomed to constant struggle and constant suffering. It is impossible to try to build the future by tug-of-war, by winning one model over another, by creating some artificial forms of human community that do not correspond to either moral nature or religious feeling. And if humanity manages to achieve a moral consensus, if this moral consensus can somehow be included in international law, in legislation, then there is a chance to build a fair global civilizational system.

— Here you are talking about a chance and mentioned France. In France, after these terrible terrorist attacks in Paris, the public response to them was a call to prayer - and this is in a country where, according to statistics, Christians are already a minority, less than half. So what was it? Taking advantage of the chance you were talking about?

“It was a natural reaction of people. You know, the same thing happened after September 11 in New York - churches of all denominations and religions began to overflow with people. The same thing happened when the seemingly completely atheized Soviet society turned to God during the Great Patriotic War. The temples were crowded; as I was told by people who participated in the hostilities, there was not a single atheist on the front line. When a person comes face to face with a danger that he cannot overcome on your own and even together with others, he turns to God, and indeed he hears this God's answer! Otherwise, they would not contact Him.

Therefore, while leading us through some trials, the Lord, of course, is waiting for our conversion. And in this sense, I highly appreciate what is happening in our country today. I do not idealize what is happening, but I see how slowly, not without difficulty, but there is a certain convergence of the two principles in the life of our people, how there is a certain synthesis of the material, scientific, technical beginning, the aspiration of people to a prosperous life with the growth of their spiritual needs. I cannot say that we have achieved much. We may be at the very beginning of the path, but this is a very correct path. When I see young people, educated, prosperous, with a bright, strong faith in their hearts, - You know, the soul rejoices. You see the image of the new Russia - in fact, it is worth living for.

— Your Holiness, when you talk about our country, then, of course, we recognize Russia. On the other hand, you have more than one country of yours, for example. Ukraine is also your country, and the Russian Orthodox Church lifts up prayers every service for Ukraine, for the suffering. How do you assess the processes that are going on in Ukraine?

— For me, Ukraine is the same as Russia. There are my people, the Church, which the Lord blessed me to lead in this historical period of time. This is my joy and my pain. This is the reason for sleepless nights and the reason for the high enthusiasm that sometimes visits me when I think about people who defend their convictions, their right to remain Orthodox with such strength and faith.

What is happening in Ukraine today, of course, fills the heart with anxiety. We are witnesses scary stories with the capture of temples. Ptichye village, Rivne region. Several women, two priests sit huddled together for several days - cold, electricity is off, no heat, no food, no water. Miraculously, one managed to make a phone call and we learned about what was going on inside. And there is a roaring crowd around, demanding to throw these people out and hand over the temple that they built, which belongs to them, to another religious group, which we call schismatics, which does not belong to the canonical Church. The court stands for the rights of the believers of our Church, but no authorities protect these rights.

Maybe someone will say: “Well, what are you talking about a particular case? You look at the life of the country as a whole.” But what does this say? People have chosen the so-called European path of development - well, they have chosen and chosen, no one is tearing their hair on their heads about this and no one is trying to interfere with this path. Well, follow this path! Is terror a factor in modern European life, with all its costs, which we talked about? Is it possible in this way to attract people to the European path of development, when for many it is associated with blood and suffering? I'm not talking about the hunger and misfortune of many people ...

And this is what I would like to say, and I know that my words will be heard in Ukraine. All this struggle is going on, including for a united Ukraine, for the preservation of its unity. But how can unity be maintained in this way? After all, people who do not want to repeat the experience of the village of Ptichye, they will fight with all their might so that the authorities condoning such a seizure of churches and the oppression of believers do not come to their homes! This means that this kind of policy encourages the division of the Ukrainian people. Therefore, from a pragmatic point of view, this is stupid. It is necessary to unite people, but it is possible to unite, which everyone knows by example family relations, only love, openness, readiness to hear. We need to make efforts to make everyone feel good, we need to calm down the too zealous who are trying to rock the boat, we need to give others a chance to prove themselves. But, unfortunately, nothing of the kind is happening in Ukraine today. I have only one hope, that there is a Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a Church-confessor, which really unites the people today. None political force does not unite the people, not a single political force works for a united Ukraine, especially those very loud talking people who proclaim the idea of ​​a conciliar Ukraine as their political program. They do not work for this program, but the Ukrainian Orthodox Church works, which unites both the east and the west, both the north and the south, which humbly but courageously speaks the truth, which leads people to unity, and only in this way and only with this unifying factor can be linked to the prosperous future of Ukraine.

I pray for His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, for the episcopate of our Church, for the clergy, for the believing people, and I believe that in this way Ukraine will be preserved and will be a prosperous, peaceful, calm country, friendly towards its neighbors, open towards Europe. No one will feel bad about this, so God forbid that it be so.

“Ukraine is going through difficult times not only in the spiritual, but also in the material sense. The people fell into poverty, and the economic crisis affects both Russia and many countries of the world. People who only yesterday considered themselves to be the middle class are becoming poorer and begin to feel poor, even if they live not in poverty, but in a material sense worse than yesterday. They have a certain low self-esteem, and recently there has been such an ideological construction that is valuable only a good life, A bad life not needed at all. This leads to the fact that someone may even end up committing suicide, someone falls into despair, gives up ... Still, the value of life - how does it change, and does it change, in conditions of an economic crisis, in conditions of a lack of something ?

I think it all depends on what's inside the person. After all, we went through, and our parents went through the most difficult periods, from an economic point of view, much more difficult than now. Now, in general, the severity is relative - a person earns a little more or less, but God forbid that the economic situation worsens, but in general, there is no tragedy in the country today. Therefore, weak-nerved, internally weak, empty people are disappointed. If you associate all your well-being only with money, if well-being is measured by the quality of your vacation, the material conditions of life, then the slightest reduction in consumption can seem like a monstrous tragedy. And what does it mean? And this means that the person is not very viable. He cannot always live in some especially favorable conditions; and even if the conditions are materially favorable, then after all, everything happens in his soul. And how often do well-to-do people go through a crisis? family life, through despair, how many suicides among rich and prosperous people!

The only thing that should be fought against, which should never be allowed, that we need to eradicate, is to eradicate poverty. There is a difference between poverty and poverty. This is very well said by Dostoevsky in Crime and Punishment. There Marmeladov philosophizes about this, that poverty does not destroy pride, that is, a certain self-confidence, but poverty sweeps people out of human communication ...

- "Poverty is not a vice, poverty is a vice" ...

- In fact, poverty throws a person out of society. Who will communicate with the unfortunate tramp who spends the night on the street, who will let him into the house? A poor man, cleanly dressed, intelligent, will be let in, and they will talk, and they will be hired, but the beggar is all, he is an outcast. But after all, these are our people, these are not some aliens who have descended to us. And if you delve into the history of these poor people? Often they were prosperous a year or two ago, but various circumstances - raider seizure of an apartment, loss of work, loss of health - lead to such a state.

Therefore, one of our national tasks should be to ensure that there is no poverty in Russia, that there are no homeless people in Russia. The Church is trying to do everything in its power to help, warm in the winter, wash, dress, give advice, buy a ticket home. These are not very significant measures, but a program for the complete eradication of poverty must be adopted on a national scale.

But even with all this, we will not solve the problem of human happiness. No reduction in interest rates and increase in income will not play a decisive role. I say this because it is now on everyone's lips, people are very worried about what is happening with their investments in banks, with loans, with everything else. This, of course, is important, I am not minimizing this problem, but I want to say that it does not in the first place determine what human life and human happiness mean.

But on what concerns the internal state, you need to work every day. After all, what is faith? This is a way of constant self-control and influence on your soul, on your consciousness. When we pray in the morning and in the evening, we must subject ourselves to careful analysis. I know that it is sometimes difficult for people to read prayers, because it doesn’t work very well in Slavonic, and there seems to be not enough time, but there is enough time to think about yourself, reflect on your life, about the day you have passed. So do it before the face of God! Subject your actions to analysis, control them, ask God for forgiveness and admonition so as not to repeat mistakes. I spoke incorrectly with someone, raised my voice to someone, pulled someone down, caused pain to someone, offended someone, deceived someone ... If we talk to God about all this and ask for His help, then we we will change ourselves, we will change our inner world. We will become stronger, and our well-being depends on this inner spiritual strength, in my opinion, to a much greater extent than on external material factors. Although these factors should not be minimized, given all that we have said in connection with the miserable existence of many of our citizens.

— Your Holiness, I cannot but ask this question in the coming year. We will be celebrating the 1000th anniversary of the Russian monastic presence on Mount Athos. How should this holiday be celebrated?

- This is very an important event in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, in the history of Athos and, of course, of all universal Orthodoxy. On Athos, in our monasteries, on the eve of this holiday, a grandiose restoration work was and is being carried out. Private benefactors are investing heavily in the restoration of Russian Athos monasteries, and we very much hope that by the celebration of this event our monasteries will be transformed, which fell into disrepair during the 20th century, because there was no influx of monks, ties with Russia were severed.

Also in our country, scientific conferences will be held, numerous research projects and publications. We want to involve our scientific community, our intelligentsia and, of course, our people in this celebration. Why? Yes, because Athos was, is and will be a center of special spiritual significance for us, for all our people. Surprisingly, Athos has played, is playing and will apparently continue to play important role in the Christianization of our society. After all, many go there for the sake of exoticism - just to see what kind of place it is where women are not allowed, where monks govern themselves, some kind of state within a state ... They come - and feel in their hearts the grace of God that dwells there, and forever keep in touch with Athos. For many, this connection leads to God and strengthens their spiritual life. Therefore, the anniversary, in addition to cultural, historical significance, is also of great spiritual significance for our people.

- What will be most important for your flock in Russia and the world in the coming year? What to avoid, what to strive for?

I can't give any specific advice right now. Because for each person all this is very individual, and what is good for one may not be very good for another. And some general advice, general wishes do not touch the mind and heart too much ... But I would like to say about very important things that will help in the implementation of plans and overcoming life's difficulties.

We have already talked about the fact that it is good every morning and every evening, standing before God, to analyze your life, repent and act in accordance with this analysis in the future, but now I would like to talk about prayer in general. This is a very special phenomenon, because God created us autonomous, including from Him. He gave us such freedom that we can believe in Him or not, live by His law or not live, turn to Him or not turn. Then we simply live according to the laws and elements of this world. There are physical laws, and we live according to these laws, or we ourselves create some laws and live according to them. And prayer is a way out of this autonomy. The man says: "You created me this way, but I want to be with You." Prayer is drawing God into your own life. Through prayer, we kind of make God our co-worker. We say: “Help me, come into my life, limit my freedom,” because very often we do not know what to do. So they come to the priest and say: “Father, should I get married or not?”, “Should I get married or not?” I always say to confessors: “Be careful with such answers, how can you know?” These are the questions a person should turn to God, as, perhaps, smaller questions related to everyday life. When we ask God, when we pray, we connect with Him, God is really present in our life, and we become stronger. Here is the first thing I would like to wish people: learn to pray. Learning to pray means learning to be strong, and what hinders our relationship with God in any way is when we deliberately sin. Of course, we can repent - sincere repentance removes sin and responsibility for it, but, which is very important, if we consciously live in unrepentant sin, then our prayers do not reach God. Sin is the only wall that really separates us from God. There is a wall, and there is no this contact, the circuit does not close ...

- Unrepentant sin?

- Unrepentant sin. Therefore, when we realize that we are doing bad things, we need to repent, first of all, before God, well, and if someone has the strength and ability, then in the temple before the priest. This is the second thing I would like. By the way, confession is not before a priest, but before God, the priest is only a witness to the fact of repentance. The sinner was excluded from church communion, he could not take communion, he could not enter the temple, and therefore there had to be a witness to his repentance in order to say: “Yes, he can come, he can pray with us.” This is where the tradition of repentance comes from in the presence of a priest, but before the face of God.

Well, the last thing I would like to say. Our lives become pleasing to God if we simply do good deeds. Many people need these good deeds - from the closest ones with whom we live, to those with whom we meet in the line of work, in different life circumstances. If we learn to do good, we will become happy people, because good multiplies good. This is what I would like to wish to myself, to you and to everyone who listens and sees us.

— Thank you very much for this important interview, Your Holiness. Thank you.

Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

Video recording of the host's conversation with the patriarch.

Time: 43 minutes.

To make me want to say His Holiness Patriarch Kirill's Christmas interview online, I know that my words will be heard in Ukraine. All this struggle, including it, is for a united Ukraine. To preserve its unity. But how can unity be maintained in this way? After all, those people who do not want to repeat the experience of the village of Ptichye, they will fight with all their might against the fact that the authorities condoning such seizures of churches and the oppression of believers do not come to their homes. So this kind of policy, it encourages, as it were, the division of the Ukrainian people. Therefore, from a pragmatic point of view, this is all stupid. We need to bring people together. And you can unite, everyone knows this by the example of family relationships, only with love. Openness, willingness to hear, make efforts to make everyone feel good. Calm down too zealous who are trying to rock the boat. Give others a chance to prove themselves. But nothing of the kind today, unfortunately, is happening in Ukraine. I have only one hope that there is a Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a Church of Confessors, which really unites the people today. East and west, north and south, who humbly but courageously speak the truth. Leads people to unite. But only in this way and only with this factor can the prosperous future of Ukraine be connected.

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"War is always sorrow." Christmas interview with Patriarch Kirill

On January 7, 2016, the Rossiya-1 TV channel aired the traditional Christmas interview of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' to Dmitry Kiselev, journalist and TV presenter, Director General of the Russian international news agency Rossiya Segodnya. We offer the readers of Pravmir the text and video of this interview.

– Your Holiness, thank you for this already traditional Christmas interview. But this year our conversation differs from all the previous ones in that Russia is fighting. How should a believer deal with this? It is clear that we are talking, first of all, about the Orthodox, but also about Muslims too.

“Killing a person is a sin. Cain killed Abel, and, having embarked on the path of committing sin, humanity found itself in a situation where a violent way of influencing a person, a group of people, countries quite often turns out to be a means and a way to resolve conflicts. This, of course, is the most extreme and most sinful way. But the Gospel contains amazing words, the essence of which is that he is blessed who gives his life for another (see John 15:13).

What does this mean? This means that participation in certain activities that may result in death may be justified. The gospel clearly describes in what cases this is possible - when you give your life for others. Strictly speaking, the idea of ​​a just war is built on this. Even Blessed Augustine tried to describe the parameters of such a war in the distant 5th century. Now, perhaps, there are somewhat different ideas, but the essence remains the same: military actions are justified when they protect a person, society, and the state.

What is happening today in seemingly distant Syria, which in fact is not far at all, it is literally our neighbor, is the defense of the Fatherland. Many people today speak clearly about this, because if terrorism wins in Syria, it has a huge chance, if not to win, then extremely darken the life of our people, bring misfortunes and disasters. Therefore, this war is defensive - not so much even a war as targeted impacts. But, nevertheless, this is the participation of our people in hostilities, and as long as this war is defensive in nature, it is fair.

Besides, we all know very well what terrible misfortunes terrorism brings. Our people went through terrible trials - Beslan, Volgograd, it is impossible to list them all. We are burned by this pain, we know what it is. What about our plane that was shot down over Sinai? Therefore, everything that happens is retaliatory defensive actions. In this sense, we boldly speak of a just struggle.

In addition, there is another very important point. Through our actions, we are participating in the salvation of so many people in Syria and the Middle East. I remember how in 2013, when we celebrated the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', the Patriarchs and representatives of all the Local Orthodox Churches came to Moscow. We met with Vladimir Vladimirovich in the Kremlin, and the main topic was to save the Christian presence in the Middle East. It was a general appeal to the President. I do not want to say that it is this motive that is decisive, but it is about protecting people who are unjustly destroyed as a result of terrorist actions - including, of course, the Christian community.

Therefore, like any war and any military action involving the death of people, this war is grief and can be a sin. But as long as it protects people's lives and our country, we treat it as a just act aimed at achieving just goals.

– Your Holiness, you are talking about saving people, but this war (I mean the war in Syria and our military operation as part of it) complicates the position of the Orthodox in the world – they are in any case associated with Russia…

As they say, there was nowhere else to go. The position of Christians in Syria, Iraq, and many other countries has reached an extreme. Today, Christians are the most oppressed religious community, not only where there are clashes with Islamic extremists, but in many other places, including prosperous Europe, where public display of Christian feelings, such as openly wearing a cross, can lead to the person will be removed from work. We know how Christianity is being squeezed out of public space - in many countries today the word "Christmas" is not used.

Christians are indeed in a very difficult situation, and what is happening now in Syria, it seems to me, will not worsen it. On the contrary, we know cases of return from captivity, we know cases of the liberation of Christians and entire Christian settlements, places of their compact residence. From the reaction that we receive from our brethren, it is quite clear that they are looking forward to Russia's participation in this liberation war, in these actions aimed at overcoming terrorism.

– In that case, to what extent what is happening in Syria now is a religious war? What can be opposed to fanatics, who, as they say, are driven by faith? What is the nature of this phenomenon?

– It has already become commonplace to say that this is not a religious war, and I join this attitude towards this conflict. Let me give you a historical example. Relations between Christians and Muslims in history have not been cloudless. We know that there were cases of forced conversion to Islam and the conquest of the Christian territories of Byzantium. But, if we leave out of the brackets the actual military operations, which were always accompanied by losses on both sides, then there has never been anything like what is happening now in the Islamic world.

Take even the example of the Ottoman Empire. There was a certain order of relations between religious communities. Until now, in the hands of a Muslim Arab - the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is all from those very Turkish times, when a Muslim was responsible for security, for keeping Christian shrines. That is, such a way of interaction between communities was developed, which, of course, cannot be called the most favored nation regime, but people lived, performed their religious duties, there were patriarchates, the Church existed - and all this in antiquity, in the 1st millennium or in the so-called dark Middle Ages .

But enlightened times have come - the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century. And what do we see? The genocide of Christians, as we have just said, is the extermination of the Christian population. The presence of Christians in Iraq, Syria has decreased by an order of magnitude, people are fleeing from fear of being destroyed by entire families ...

There is such a thing as fanaticism, that is, an idea brought to the point of absurdity. So, fanatics believe that they have the right to decide the fate of people, that is, to freely decide whether the Christian community should exist or not - most often, that it should not exist, because Christians are “infidels” and are subject to destruction. This fanatical idea itself, carried to the point of absurdity, is opposed to the religious idea, contrary to God. God did not call anyone to destroy in the name of relations with Him, or, better, for the sake of displaying a religious feeling. Therefore, behind fanaticism, in the end, is godlessness, only the dark mass of people who are involved in these terrible actions do not understand this. To act in this way is to reject God and God's world.

Are fanatics atheists?

– Fanatics are de facto atheists. Although they will talk about their belonging to the faith and even perform certain religious rites, but according to their convictions, according to their views, these are people who deny His will and God's world. Otherwise, it could not be. In order to create a terrorist community, people need to be inspired to hate, and hatred is not from God, it comes from another source. Therefore, when we talk about so-called religious fanaticism, extremism and terrorism, we are talking about a phenomenon associated with a person's refusal to be a believer and be in union with God.

– The world is split, and maybe the fight against terrorism is a chance for it? Can the fight against terrorism unite humanity, and if so, on what basis?

- Perhaps, tactically, it will reconcile some forces to solve common problems, but the fight against someone can never unite. We need a positive agenda. We need a system of values ​​that would unite people, and let me take this opportunity today to say something about the phenomenon of religious terrorism that I have never said before.

How are people lured into the terrorist community? Money, drugs, some promises - all this, so to speak, non-idealistic factor works to the fullest. And there is no need to idealize everyone who enters this community. Very many are driven by exceptionally rigid pragmatic interests - to cash in, win, steal, grab. The same use of Syrian oil fully testifies to the presence of a thirst for profit, conquest.

But there are also honest people, or at least those who join the ranks of terrorists for really religious reasons. I am sure that there is, because people most often respond to the call of extremists in mosques, after prayer, but how can you influence a person who has just prayed to make him take up arms? It is necessary to connect his religious feelings, his faith with very specific arguments aimed, among other things, at participation in military operations and on everything else that accompanies terrorist activities. And what can be an argument - have we ever thought about it? "You become a fighter for the Caliphate." “What is a caliphate?” “And this is a society where faith, God, is at the center, where religious laws dominate. You are creating a new civilization in relation to the one that is now established in the world - godless, secular and also radical in its secularism.

We now see that this godless civilization is really attacking, including the rights of people, which are proclaimed almost the highest value - but you can’t wear a cross. Parades of sexual minorities can be held, this is welcome - and a million-strong demonstration of French Christians in defense of family values ​​is dispersed by the police. If you call non-traditional relationships a sin, as the Bible tells us, and you are a priest or pastor, you can not only lose the opportunity to serve, but also go to prison.

I can continue to give simply terrible examples of how this godless civilization is advancing. And that's what they point fingers at to young people who are seduced by extremists. "Look at the world they are building - the world of the devil, and we invite you to build the world of God." And they respond to it, for this they go to give their lives. Then they can use drugs, and anything else, but in order to arouse a person to fight, you must first show him the enemy. That is what they do, naming specific addresses and saying why certain people are enemies in relation to you, and perhaps in relation to the entire human race.

Therefore, it is necessary to reconcile not on the basis of the fight against terrorism. We all need to think about ways to develop human civilization, we all need to think about how to combine modern scientific and technical or, as they say now, post-industrial society with those spiritual and religious values ​​without which a person cannot live. The Church can be oppressed, pushed aside, people can be deprived of the opportunity to fulfill their religious needs, but religious feelings cannot be killed, and this is well known.

It is necessary to combine human freedom with moral responsibility. Every person should be given the opportunity to live in accordance with God's law. There is no need to limit the manifestation of religious feelings and at the same time there is no need to limit the freedom of human choice. If we can combine all these constituent parts, then we will build a viable civilization. And if we fail, then we are doomed to constant struggle and constant suffering. It is impossible to try to build the future by tug-of-war, by winning one model over another, by creating some artificial forms of human community that do not correspond to either moral nature or religious feeling. And if humanity manages to achieve a moral consensus, if this moral consensus can somehow be included in international law, in legislation, then there is a chance to build a fair global civilizational system.

- Here you are talking about a chance and you mentioned France. In France, after these terrible terrorist attacks in Paris, the public response to them was a call to prayer - and this is in a country where, according to statistics, Christians are already a minority, less than half. So what was it? Taking advantage of the chance you were talking about?

“It was a natural reaction of people. You know, the same thing happened after September 11 in New York – temples of all denominations and religions began to overflow with people. The same thing happened when the seemingly completely atheized Soviet society turned to God during the Great Patriotic War. The temples were crowded; as I was told by people who participated in the hostilities, there was not a single atheist on the front line. When a person comes face to face with a danger that he cannot overcome on his own and even together with others, he turns to God - and indeed he hears this God's answer! Otherwise, they would not contact Him.

Therefore, while leading us through some trials, the Lord, of course, is waiting for our conversion. And in this sense, I highly appreciate what is happening in our country today. I do not idealize what is happening, but I see how slowly, not without difficulty, but there is a certain convergence of the two principles in the life of our people, how there is a certain synthesis of the material, scientific, technical beginning, the aspiration of people to a prosperous life with the growth of their spiritual needs. I cannot say that we have achieved much. We may be at the very beginning of the path, but this is a very correct path. When I see young people, educated, prosperous, with a bright, strong faith in their hearts, - You know, the soul rejoices. You see the image of the new Russia - in fact, it is worth living for.

– Your Holiness, when you talk about our country, then, of course, we recognize Russia. On the other hand, you have more than one country of yours, for example. Ukraine is also your country, and the Russian Orthodox Church lifts up prayers every service for Ukraine, for the suffering. How do you assess the processes that are going on in Ukraine?

- For me, Ukraine is the same as Russia. There are my people, the Church, which the Lord blessed me to lead in this historical period of time. This is my joy and my pain. This is the reason for sleepless nights and the reason for the high enthusiasm that sometimes visits me when I think about people who defend their convictions, their right to remain Orthodox with such strength and faith.

What is happening in Ukraine today, of course, fills the heart with anxiety. We are witnessing terrible stories with the capture of temples. Ptichye village, Rivne region. Several women, two priests sit huddled together for several days - cold, electricity cut off, no heat, no food, no water. Miraculously, one managed to make a phone call and we learned about what was going on inside. And there is a roaring crowd around, demanding to throw these people out and hand over the temple that they built, which belongs to them, to another religious group, which we call schismatics, which does not belong to the canonical Church. The court stands for the rights of the believers of our Church, but no authorities protect these rights.

Maybe someone will say: “Well, what are you talking about a particular case? You look at the life of the country as a whole.” But what does this say? People have chosen the so-called European path of development - well, they have chosen and chosen, no one is tearing their hair on their heads about this and no one is trying to interfere with this path. Well, follow this path! Is terror a factor in modern European life, with all its costs, which we talked about? Is it possible in this way to attract people to the European path of development, when for many it is associated with blood and suffering? I'm not talking about the hunger and misfortune of many people ...

And this is what I would like to say, and I know that my words will be heard in Ukraine. All this struggle is going on, including for a united Ukraine, for the preservation of its unity. But how can unity be maintained in this way? After all, people who do not want to repeat the experience of the village of Ptichye, they will fight with all their might so that the authorities condoning such a seizure of churches and the oppression of believers do not come to their homes! This means that this kind of policy encourages the division of the Ukrainian people. Therefore, from a pragmatic point of view, this is stupid. It is necessary to unite people, but it is possible to unite, which everyone knows from the example of family relations, only with love, openness, readiness to hear. We need to make efforts to make everyone feel good, we need to calm down the too zealous who are trying to rock the boat, we need to give others a chance to prove themselves. But, unfortunately, nothing of the kind is happening in Ukraine today.

I have only one hope, that there is a Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a Church-confessor, which really unites the people today. Not a single political force unites the people, not a single political force works for a conciliar Ukraine, especially those very loud-speaking people who proclaim the idea of ​​a conciliar Ukraine as their political program. They do not work for this program, but the Ukrainian Orthodox Church works, which unites both the east and the west, both the north and the south, which humbly but courageously speaks the truth, which leads people to unity, and only in this way and only with this unifying factor can be linked to the prosperous future of Ukraine.

I pray for His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, for the episcopate of our Church, for the clergy, for the believing people, and I believe that in this way Ukraine will be preserved and will be a prosperous, peaceful, calm country, friendly towards its neighbors, open towards Europe. No one will feel bad about this, so God forbid that it be so.

– Ukraine is going through difficult times not only in the spiritual, but also in the material sense. The people fell into poverty, and the economic crisis affects both Russia and many countries of the world. People who only yesterday considered themselves to be the middle class are becoming poorer and begin to feel poor, even if they live not in poverty, but in a material sense worse than yesterday. They have a certain low self-esteem, and recently there has been such an ideological construction that only a good life is valuable, and a bad life is not needed at all. This leads to the fact that someone may even end up committing suicide, someone falls into despair, gives up ... Still, the value of life - how does it change, and does it change, in an economic crisis, in a lack of something ?

I think it all depends on what's inside the person. After all, we went through, and our parents went through the most difficult periods, from an economic point of view, much more difficult than now. Now, in general, the severity is relative - a person earns a little more or less, but God forbid that the economic situation worsens, but in general there is no tragedy in the country today. Therefore, weak-nerved, internally weak, empty people are disappointed.

If you associate all your well-being only with money, if well-being is measured by the quality of your vacation, the material conditions of life, then the slightest reduction in consumption can seem like a monstrous tragedy. And what does it mean? And this means that the person is not very viable. He cannot always live in some especially favorable conditions; and even if the conditions are materially favorable, then after all, everything happens in his soul. And how often quite prosperous people go through a crisis of family life, through despair, how many suicides among rich and prosperous people!

The only thing that should be fought against, which should never be allowed, that we need to eradicate, is to eradicate poverty. There is a difference between poverty and poverty. This is very well said by Dostoevsky in Crime and Punishment. There Marmeladov philosophizes about this, that poverty does not destroy pride, that is, a certain self-confidence, but poverty sweeps people out of human communication…

- "Poverty is not a vice, poverty is a vice" ...

- In fact, poverty throws a person out of society. Who will communicate with the unfortunate tramp who spends the night on the street, who will let him into the house? A poor man, cleanly dressed, intelligent, will be let in, and they will talk, and they will hire him, but the beggar is all, he is an outcast. But after all, these are our people, these are not some aliens who have descended to us. And if you delve into the history of these poor people? Often they were prosperous a year or two ago, but various circumstances - a raider seizure of an apartment, loss of work, loss of health - lead to such a state.

Therefore, one of our national tasks should be to ensure that there is no poverty in Russia, that there are no homeless people in Russia. The Church is trying to do everything in its power to help, warm in the winter, wash, dress, give advice, buy a ticket home. These are not very significant measures, but a program for the complete eradication of poverty must be adopted on a national scale.

But even with all this, we will not solve the problem of human happiness. No reduction in interest rates and increase in income will not play a decisive role. I say this because it is now on everyone's lips, people are very worried about what is happening with their investments in banks, with loans, with everything else. This, of course, is important, I am not minimizing this problem, but I want to say that it does not in the first place determine what human life and human happiness mean.

But on what concerns the internal state, you need to work every day. After all, what is faith? This is a way of constant self-control and influence on your soul, on your consciousness. When we pray in the morning and in the evening, we must subject ourselves to careful analysis. I know that it is sometimes difficult for people to read prayers, because it doesn’t work very well in Slavonic, and there seems to be not enough time, but there is enough time to think about yourself, reflect on your life, about the day you have passed. So do it before the face of God! Subject your actions to analysis, control them, ask God for forgiveness and admonition so as not to repeat mistakes. He spoke incorrectly with someone, raised his voice to someone, pulled someone down, caused pain to someone, offended someone, deceived someone ...

If we talk to God about all this and ask for His help, then we will change ourselves, we will change our inner world. We will become stronger, and our well-being depends on this inner spiritual strength, in my opinion, to a much greater extent than on external material factors. Although these factors should not be minimized, given all that we have said in connection with the miserable existence of many of our citizens.

– Your Holiness, I cannot but ask this question in the coming year. We will be celebrating the 1000th anniversary of the Russian monastic presence on Mount Athos. How should this holiday be celebrated?

– This is a very important event in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, in the history of Athos and, of course, of all universal Orthodoxy. On Athos, in our monasteries, on the eve of this holiday, a grandiose restoration work was and is being carried out. Private benefactors are investing heavily in the restoration of Russian Athos monasteries, and we very much hope that by the celebration of this event our monasteries will be transformed, which fell into disrepair during the 20th century, because there was no influx of monks, ties with Russia were severed.

Also in our country, scientific conferences will be held, numerous research projects and publications will be carried out. We want to involve our scientific community, our intelligentsia and, of course, our people in this celebration. Why? Yes, because Athos was, is and will be a center of special spiritual significance for us, for all our people. Surprisingly, Athos has played, is playing and, apparently, will continue to play an important role in the Christianization of our society. After all, many go there for the sake of exoticism - just to see what kind of place it is where women are not allowed, where monks govern themselves, some kind of state within a state ... They come - and feel in their hearts the grace of God that dwells there, and forever keep in touch with Athos. For many, this connection leads to God and strengthens their spiritual life. Therefore, the anniversary, in addition to cultural and historical significance, is also of great spiritual significance for our people.

– What will be most important for your flock in Russia and the world in the coming year? What to avoid, what to strive for?

I can't give any specific advice right now. Because for each person all this is very individual, and what is good for one may not be very good for another. And some general advice, general wishes do not touch the mind and heart too much ... But I would like to say about very important things that will help in the implementation of plans and overcoming life's difficulties.

We have already talked about the fact that it is good every morning and every evening, standing before God, to analyze your life, repent and act in accordance with this analysis in the future, but now I would like to talk about prayer in general. This is a very special phenomenon, because God created us autonomous, including from Him. He gave us such freedom that we can believe in Him or not, live by His law or not live, turn to Him or not turn. Then we simply live according to the laws and elements of this world. There are physical laws, and we live according to these laws, or we ourselves create some laws and live according to them. And prayer is a way out of this autonomy. The man says: "You created me this way, but I want to be with You." Prayer is drawing God into your own life. Through prayer, we kind of make God our co-worker. We say: “Help me, come into my life, limit my freedom,” because very often we do not know what to do.

So they come to the priest and say: “Father, should I get married or not?”, “Should I get married or not?” I always say to confessors: “Be careful with such answers, how can you know?” These are the questions a person should turn to God, as well as, perhaps, smaller questions related to everyday life. When we ask God, when we pray, we connect with Him, God is really present in our life, and we become stronger. Here is the first thing I would like to wish people: learn to pray. Learning to pray means learning to be strong, and what hinders our relationship with God in any way is when we deliberately sin. Of course, we can repent - sincere repentance removes sin and responsibility for it, but, which is very important, if we consciously live in unrepentant sin, then our prayers do not reach God. Sin is the only wall that really separates us from God. There is a wall, and there is no this contact, the circuit does not close ...

- Unrepentant sin?

- Unrepentant sin. Therefore, when we realize that we are doing bad things, we need to repent, first of all, before God, well, and if someone has the strength and ability, then in the temple before the priest. This is the second thing I would like. By the way, confession is not before a priest, but before God, the priest is only a witness to the fact of repentance. The sinner was excluded from church communion, he could not take communion, he could not enter the temple, and therefore there had to be a witness to his repentance in order to say: “Yes, he can come, he can pray with us.” This is where the tradition of repentance comes from in the presence of a priest, but before the face of God.

Well, the last thing I would like to say. Our lives become pleasing to God if we simply do good deeds. Many people need these good deeds - from the closest ones with whom we live, to those with whom we meet in the line of work, in different life circumstances. If we learn to do good, we will become happy people, because good multiplies good. This is what I would like to wish to myself, to you and to everyone who listens and sees us.

– Thank you very much for this important interview, Your Holiness. Thank you.