President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko calls for unity among peoples and within the Church. The Head of State made this statement while visiting the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk on the occasion of the Nativity of Christ, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko calls for unity among peoples and within the Church. The Head of State made this statement while visiting the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk on the occasion of the Nativity of Christ, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
"There are some overlaps in terms of needing to separate, to distinguish, and so on. You know, life will put everything in its place. One should never run ahead of the locomotive. One should never set out to solve issues that do not exist today. It absolutely does not hinder us today that we are together with fraternal peoples – Russians, Ukrainians, and other peoples and nationalities living in our states, within the bosom of Orthodoxy," stated the Belarusian leader.
"As for what has ripened today, and what needs to be resolved in the Church and in the state, I said this at the Synod. This has nothing to do with the fact that we must necessarily cut everything to the quick and separate today. We should not do this. We need to be calm, solve the tasks that exist today, and look a little ahead," the President noted. "We should not look too far ahead. Otherwise, we may make mistakes. In our difficult times, this is unacceptable. And we need to be very careful in order to orient ourselves in this turbulent and uncertain world."
Alexander Lukashenko noted that on the occasion of the Nativity of Christ, people turn to eternal unifying values. "We always talk about virtue, about the sources of spiritual strength. In this temple, I would like to speak about such a value as our Church, about our main Christian churches. It is they who have always been and, I hope, will be at the centre of this unity. They will be the main force uniting peoples, the nation. In this case, you and I," stated the President.
According to him, the Belarusian authorities, in the person of the Orthodox Church, have a very good partner, a proponent of all good ideas in the state, such as the restoration of holy sites, support for the family, morality, and cultural values. "The Church has always lent its shoulder to our people. Moreover, it has been at the epicentre of all events related to these great values," added the Head of State.
Alexander Lukashenko considers the pastoral word important in the context of confusion in the modern world, where it is sometimes very difficult for a person to orient themselves and understand the processes taking place around. "And our church, I will not hesitate to state this without excessive modesty, is the most responsible church in the world. The most honest, the most sincere," the President noted. "Our church has never equivocated, never lied to its people. But it must be said that we also did not give cause for the church to behave improperly."
The church and the situation within it will always depend on the people themselves. "Whatever our people are like, so will be the church. The same applies to the authorities. This must always be remembered. And you (Metropolitan Pavel. - BELTA's note) said very correctly that the year was not easy. But the coming year, like the past one, will depend only on us," the President said.