On November 29, 2024, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society and the Media V.R. Legoida held a meeting via video-conference with the heads of information departments and press services of the dioceses of the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts.
The meeting raised important issues related to information work and interaction between the Church and the public.
In particular, V.R. Legoyda drew the attention of the meeting participants to the performance of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia at the plenary session of the XXVI World Russian People's Council (WRPC) on November 28, as well as to his opening address at the opening session of the Supreme Church Council on September 24, in which the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church spoke about the risk of the spread of neo-paganism in the army and in the educational space. The Chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society and the Media emphasized the importance of this topic for the information work of dioceses and urged the following to pay special attention to this issue.
One of the topics of the meeting was the migration problem, which was also touched upon in his report at the plenary session of the XXVI VRNS, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill stressed that «disproportionate replacement of the indigenous population by migrants — carriers of a different civilizational code, a different historical experience — can lead to a critical cultural imbalance in our country. And this, in turn, poses an undoubted threat to the Russian world, the value core of which is Orthodoxy.
In addition, the chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society and the Media reported on the visit of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church to the educational center «Sirius» on September 29 and noted that with the blessing of the Patriarch on the federal territory, starting in 2025, it is planned to hold a forum on the relationship between science, religion and art as ways of knowledge. It is expected that this forum will become regular and will be a center of dialogue between representatives of the scientific community, traditional religions and the arts to discuss significant public issues.
The interaction of dioceses with various public organizations was also discussed during the meeting. VR. Legoyda called on his colleagues to provide pastoral care and maintain contact with public associations that are open to dialog with the Church.
At the conclusion of his speech, the chairman of the Department drew attention to the exceptional importance of work in the information space to preserve the memory of the new martyrs and confessors who suffered during the years of persecution of the Church.
Legoyda called on colleagues to provide pastoral care and maintain contact with public associations that are open to dialogue with the Church.
In the second part of the meeting with a brief report on the activities of Slavgorod Diocese in the line of church-state interaction was made by the head of the department for relations between the Church and society and the media and information department of the Slavgorod Diocese Deacon Michael Mezhovikov. In particular, he told his colleagues that at present the Slavgorod Diocese is actively cooperating with the Public Council at the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Saratov Region, with which a cooperation agreement has recently been concluded.
At the end of the meeting there was an exchange of views among the participants. Everyone was able to ask questions and receive answers.
At the end of the meeting, the participants exchanged their views.
A total of 48 people took part in the meeting with the staff of the dioceses of the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts.
A total of 48 people took part in the meeting with the staff of the dioceses of the Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts.
Synodal Department for the Relations between the Church and society and the media/Patriarchy.ru
