The Russian Orthodox Church and mission among the young
The post Soviet period was initially marked by a religious rebirth. But now young people are succumbing to a new wave of secularism. In Russia, which today wants to be the most Christian nation in the world, the number of divorces and abortions is ten times higher than the average of the most secular European countries. Patriarch Kirill: Safeguard the family
Moscow (AsiaNews) - On 25 July, the plenary session of the Ecclesiastic Superior Council of the Patriarchate of Moscow was held in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. The unfortunate title recalls that of the Party's "Supreme Soviet Council", but the topic dealt with was of paramount importance: youth pastoral care.
Delivering the opening address, the Moscow Patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev) defined the mission of the Church among the young "the most important task" facing the Orthodox community in Russia, which is not limited to certain sectors and some "diocesan specialists" . It is about "affecting the minds and hearts" of a generation that seems rather reluctant to continue the task of building the kingdom of Christ on earth.
As the patriarch observed, "conflict between parents and children is inevitable," and today, in Russia, the issue is crucial. After 30 years of "religious rebirth" in the country, which has brought people closer to faith and church in many ways, today's young people are undergoing a new wave of secularization, no longer due to propaganda of obligatory atheism of Soviet times but to the anti-Christian spirit of the current times.
The head of the Russian Church warned that "youth is the mirror of the older generations. Do not we like their ways? And where do they come from? " Many accuse "the external environment," but this should not juxtapose the natural environment, the family, the Church itself.
As Kirill recalls, "the family is the subject of the most intense communication of man's life; There is no more effective communication than the one that links people through the blood. " Then, if family members share the same faith, same beliefs, the same goals, the family will be able to withstand any assault of external forces.
The patriarch's words reflect the common feeling of the adult population in Russia, which feels besieged by an outside world that it does not understand or accept after having grown up in a world that was set apart by the walls of the twentieth century.
Hence the appeal to "respect for the elderly" and "the traditional values" without which the youth are lost in a disoriented and misleading reality. Nowadays, the patriarch bitterly observed, this respect is no longer automatically accorded as in the past, "because in the global communications world, older people are forced to continually confirm their authority, not with words, but with the facts. " It is not enough to appeal to the institutions, but everyone has to do their part, starting with fathers and mothers. The Church itself lives within this civilization, with these new means of relationship, with new communication technologies, and is called again to become "Greek with Greeks, and young with young people."
Today's missionaries, according to Kirill, must learn to preach on social networks, video blogs, and become experts in new formation practices such as role-playing games and interactive education, always with evangelical love, not only "chasing likes online". It is necessary to emphasize "the purity of our intentions, the sincerity of our positions," so that young people see people of true faith in the faithful and representatives of the people who are really interested in their lives.
The spiritual leader of Russian Orthodox believers warns of the danger of simply chasing young people on their grounds, using their language to gain consensus. It is not enough to attract young people by captivating and youthful ways. It should be remembered that "the soul of the little ones is always open to love and light, which often they do not find in the family."
The Patriarch does not ignore that, beyond all the appeals and laws in favor of the family and of traditional morality, Russia is still very fragile and wounded by decades of forced atheism and secularism. In the country that today would like to be the most Christian in the world, the number of divorces and abortions, it is ten times higher than the average of the most secularized European countries, as well as domestic violence and the number of homicides in annual statistics.
Despite all the great opposition to the rights of homosexuals in Russian society, the LGBT community has a huge percentage of adherents and practitioners in Russia, much higher than the more libertarian countries. The task of the Orthodox Church is immense, and the true religious rebirth of Russia is perhaps only just beginning, as Patriarch Kirill concluded.
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