Meeting of Patriarch Kirill with bishops, clergy and monastics, teachers and students of the Kyiv Theological Schools

On the premises of the Refectory Church (of Sts. Anthony and Theodosius) of the Kyiv –Pechersk Lavra the meeting with the bishops, clergy and monastics, teachers and students of the Kyiv Theological Schools.

Attending the meeting was the whole of episcopate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, who were on the Patriarch’s delegation.
Special category of guests were the representatives of the Ukrainian intellectuals (some 20 people), among whom there were writer Borys Oliynyk, scholar-historian, public and political leader, academician of the NAS of Ukraine Petr Tolochko, director of the Book Chamber of Ukraine Nikolai Senchenko, director general of the Kyiv-Pechersk Historical cultural reserve Sergey Krolevest, president of the Ukrainian Publishers and Booksellers’ Association Alexander Afonin etc.

The meeting lasted for two hours and touched upon the most burning issues of the Church and social life in Ukraine.

The meeting began with the greeting words of Rector of the Kyiv Theological Schools Archbishop Anthony and conferment of the degree of honorary doctor of the Kyiv Theological Academy on the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
At the beginning of his speech the Patriarch noted that the academic milieu is quite native for him, since for 10 years (from 1974 to 1984) Patriarch Kirill was rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and Seminary. “The Church academic milieu is unique. It sublimes and spiritualizes man”, said the First Hierarch.

“Remember that the years of study at theological schools are the best years of life, since it is the time when one’s first duty is the work over oneself”, in the first turn His Holiness addressed the seminarists present at the meeting.
Having underscored significance of the discipline at the theological schools, the Patriarch defined the spiritual component of the education as the basic one. “The urge to liturgical life has to become a part of one’s life, the need of the soul. Combining the intellectual and the spiritual, we’ll get a modern and highly educated person in the outcome”, stressed the Patriarch.
His Holiness has not passed over the other urgent problems: there is a need of new approaches to the youth that comes to the Church, one has to “bring the Church tradition closer to people, make it understandable.”

The problem of pastoral ministry in modern conditions was also touched upon. The means of outreach and execution of the pastoral ministry in modern situation have to be different, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church believes.
The Church has to make steps towards the society, to speak its language. The pastoral word should inspire people, and combination of theology and life is the principal objective, and e have to learn it from the Church Fathers”, said His Holiness the Patriarch.

The Patriarch also touched upon financial problems in his address. In particular, he noted that modern people are too much fascinated by money and count on its power too much.

The First Hierarch also expressed his anxiety that the Christian theology was captured by secular thought. In his speech he also referred to the problems of freedom in modern society and its understanding by the Church.

In response Archbishop Anthony, Rector of the Kyiv Theological Schools promised the Patriarch that both teachers and students of the Academy and Seminary will work in accordance with the instructions of the Patriarch.

Then the questions to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church were asked at the meeting. In particular, the participants took interest in the issues of personnel assignment and finance distribution ion the weak, rural parishes. The Patriarch related this issue to the demographic crisis and total migration of the population, and shared his experience of his own solution of the similar problems (in the 80-ties).

Some burning issues were also touched upon. Thus, speaking about the meeting with the President of Ukraine and the decisions made, His Holiness noted that the dialogue was frank and non-diplomatic.

“We understood that we need to find a way out of the church crisis in Ukraine”, noted the Patriarch. “But it is impossible to demand unity, insisting on preference of one’s particular opinion. The stance “everything or nothing” is non-constructive. The Church ha to be aware that it is a common house for everyone and to build relations with the world in this way. One should unite around a common idea, and now the autocephaly is not such n idea. Radical appeals for autocephaly are exclusively political.”

The Patriarch wished His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir and the assembly “the firmness in standing for faith, love of all, including those who do not love us”.
The certificates for obtainment of the collection of Gogol’s works in 17 volumes, which is now prepared for print, were handed to the Primate of the UOC, Rector of the Kyiv Theological Schools , the Kyiv-Pechersk Reserve and the Book Chamber of Ukraine, All Ukraine Association of the Museums, State Publishing House “Mystetstvo” and hegumeness Seraphima Shevchuk.

The Orders of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh of the 2nd and 3rd degrees were conferred on the scholar-historian, public and political activist, academician of the NAS of Ukraine Petr Tolochko and the head of the press-service of the UOC Vasily Anisimov.

Also the First Hierarch gifted the Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan with commemorative tablet. “Remember me too when you pray unto the icon. Pray for the unity of the Church, raise your prayers for the unity of the Ukrainian nation and all brotherly countries who came out from the basin of the Kyivan Rus”, said the Patriarch at the end of the meeting.

Source:

Snaps: fotolitopys.in.ua