CIAC Meeting on 15 October 2009

On 4 February 2010, a multi-confessional rally championing the values of the Christian family is scheduled to take place in Moscow. That was the primary result of a meeting of nearly 20 church leaders at headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchy in Moscow on 15 October. The possibility of a much larger, three-confessional youth conference for Summer 2010 is also under discussion – such a conference last took place in 2001.

The event on 15 October was only the second meeting of  the “Christian Inter-Confessional Advisory Committee for the CIS-Countries and Baltics” (CIAC) since 2001. Created in 1993 to foster dialogue between the former Soviet Union’s three Christian confessions, it held major conferences in 1994, 1996 and 1999.

The CIAC is now led by Ilarion, Archbishop of Volokolamsk and since early 2009 head of the ROC’s Department of External Church Relations, Pavel Pezzi, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Moscow Diocese, and Rev. Vitaly Vlasenko, Director of External Church Relations for the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. Vlasenko serves in this capacity as the representative of all Russian Protestant churches. “The Patriarch has kept his word,” the Baptist concluded following the meeting on 15 October. At the CIAC’s last meeting on 2 October 2008, then-Metropolitan Kirill had assured that inter-Christian relations would move forward even if “I cannot claim that all matters of dispute have been resolved.” Kirill preceded Ilarion as head of the Orthodox external affairs department.

Questioned after the meeting, Vlasenko explained that in this initial phase of renewed relations, the biggest common denominators need to be addressed. An Orthodox release on the 15 October meeting therefore lists the struggle against drugs, alcoholism, pornography, a “cult of consumption and violence”, abortion and suicide as basic to all Christians. “We need to start with something on which we all agree,” the Baptist added. “Once we have a stronger, more trusting relationship in place, we can take on more complicated and controversial issues.” The possible youth conference next summer may highlight an issue such as finding a suitable marriage partner within Christian circles.