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KROTOV'S DAILY
March 14, 2001, 23.45 PM, Moscow
Don't worry: everything is much worse!
I've recieved the English translation of an agreement between Russian
Orthodox diocese of Ryazan (south from Moscow) and the secular power
of Ryazan town and Ryazan region. The American friend who send it
was very anxious: isn't this document a sign that religious liberty
in Russia is on the brink?
Don't worry: everything is much worse. Such "treaties"
are most typical for Russian life already for five years. There
are treaties between the Patriarch and federal ministries and departments,
between bishops and military or police or regional parliaments etc.
Still, these agreements don't work. They have no immediate consequences.
The freedom of religion is violated very often but without thinking
about laws, treaties and agreements - simply because this or that
official decided to violate the law to the advantage of the Moscow
Patriarchy. Very often people don't have any document to verify
that their rights have been violated.
I think the main problem is that each confession in Russia struggles
by oneself. Baptists defend their own rights and never think about
defending Roman Catholics, Roman Catholics don't defend Baptists
etc. Western help is generous but small. American Christians mostly
help to missionaries, American academical milieu help to researches,
and practically no one help to those who struggle for religious
freedom.
All too often the help is given only to thise people who are "not
too clever," who are more skilled in fund-raising and PR than
on the struggle for freedom. Enough to say that Templeton Prize
for promoting religious freedom was given several years ago to Andrey
Zolotov, Moscow Russian Orthodox journalists, who is quite far from
the idea of equal rights for all religious movements.
Well, I think its sad but normal freedom never come from the cold.
Freedom is either insider either phantom.
AGREEMENT No. 148-1
between the Administration of the Ryazan Region, the Ryazan Regional
Duma (Parliament), the Ryazan City Administration and the Ryazan
Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church.
October 11, 2000 Ryazan
The Administration of Ryazan Region, Ryazan Regional Duma (Parliament),
Ryazan City Administration, Ryazan City Council (Parliament) and
Ryazan Eparchy of Russian Orthodox Church with the purpose of unification
of the efforts for spiritual revival of the society, strengthening
of the Russian statehood and the order on the territory of Ryazan
Region agreed upon the following:
To cooperate on the basis of the Constitution of the Russian Federation
, the Laws of the Russian Federation, the principal propositions
of the International Convention for the Rights of Child in executing
the Agreement.
To organize on the permanent basis the Coordination Committee of
representatives of the Administration of Ryazan Region, Ryazan City
Administration and Ryazan Eparchy of Russian Orthodox Church on
the issues of moral and spiritual education of children and the
youth.
To continue the conferences, seminars, round tables on the issues
of spiritual culture, education and charity.
To give support and enable elaboration, execution and expertise
of certain projects of spiritual education, moral education, culture,
charity. To enable elaboration of educational programs on culture,
history and morality and their introduction into the variable part
of the curriculum.
Not to allow any educational actions and programs in the educational
process contradicting to the traditional spiritual and moral norms
of our nation.
To cooperate in improving training and education of the teachers
at Ryazan State Pedagigical University and at Ryazan Regional Post-Graduate
Educational Development Institute in the areas of spiritual education,
patriotic education and the basics of Russian Orthodox culture and
formation of healthy lifestyle.
To give support and enable strengthening of the family and its
moral foundations.
To give support and enable elaboration of complex program aimed
against drug addiction and the use of the substances that change
psychological state of mind.
To give support to development of Russian Orthodox alternative
education, Russian Orthodox organizations for children, Russian
Orthodox summer camps for children, Russian Orthodox mass media.
To give support and enable founding of Russian Orthodox Cultural
Center with the purpose of unification of the efforts of secular
and religious institutions in the areas of spiritual and moral education
of the youth.
To conduct joint undertakings devoted to the memorable dates of
the Russian history.
The Governor of Ryazan Region Vyacheslav N. Lyubimov
Chairman of Ryazan Regional Duma (Parliament) Vladimir N. Fedotkin
Mayor of Ryazan Pavel D. Mamatov
Chairman of City Council (Parliament) Anatoly I. Mukhin
Metropolitan of Ryazan and Kasimov Simon
(signatures and seals)
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