International Orthodox Christian News

Moscow, July 9, Interfax - The Moscow Patriarchate says that the present authorities should denounce the communist regime, both in word and practice. "The denouncement of communism was begin in 1990s, but we failed to see it through," Fr. Georgy Ryabykh, the acting secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, told Interfax-Religion Wednesday.

According to the priest, we need to continue denouncing communism today: "We have to honour memory of repression victims and their fortitude, open memorials, return cities and streets their original names, take Soviet symbols away from public buildings, remove monuments to bloody leaders from the central squares of Russian cities and the cemetery from the Kremlin wall."

"The only monuments that should stay intact are monuments related to the Great Patriotic War and scientific and cultural achievements of people during the Soviet era," Fr. Georgy said and called upon "avoiding the extremities of some Baltic countries." He stressed that it was crucial to reassess the Soviet past in view of the coming 90th anniversary of shooting the Imperial family.

"For some reason, we are avoiding to give a clear moral estimation of this evil act. But this estimation is needed and should be voiced in public actions and statements. Denouncement of this crime and recognizing the feat committed by the Tsar family would resist any revolutionary intentions in the national mind," the priest said. According to him, "patience and commitment of the Tsar family in following the evangelical commandments to the extent of sacrificing their lives brings a strong moral charge of patriotism and commitment to our Homeland."

"It would be a mistake to miss it in upbringing of a Russian generation," Fr. Georgy said. "If we wait to denounce the overthrow of lawful authority, we are risking to see this experiment repeated with the regard to the existing lawful authorities," he said.

Source:

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4914