Russian cleric calls for boosting public relations against terror
By Viktoria Sokolova
ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 29, 2004 Wednesday 8:56 AM Eastern Time
MOSCOW, September 29 — Terrorism and counteraction to this menace
were the main subjects discussed by the Council for cooperation with
religious organisations under the Russian president on Wednesday.
“The main issue is terrorism, mobilisation of public forces, the entire
spiritual resource of the country to make Russia capable of stopping
activities of terrorists,” Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad
Kirill said after the meeting.
Metropolitan Kirill called for “giving a new impetus to public
relations, in order to make the country capable of stopping war that
has not been declared but is being waged on Russia.”
All the Council members noted the importance of the meeting, especially
the fact that it was held under the chairmanship of Russian President
Vladimir Putin after a pause in its meetings.
The presidential Council meeting was held in the Kremlin.
The meeting also focused on discussing ‘activities of religious
organisations on consolidating the civil society and counteracting
to the global threat of terrorism and extremism.’
The Council has recently undergone changes.
By his decree the president included in the Council the head of
the Russian Orthodox Church of Old Belief, Metropolitan Andrian
(Chetvergov).
So now the Council consists of 22 members.
There are four hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, three muftis,
the Chief Rabbi of the Federation of Jewish Communities, the Head of
Buddhists of Russia, the Old Believers Metropolitan, a representative
of the Armenian Church, heads of Russian Catholics, Lutherans,
Baptists and Adventists, as well as seven secular experts among them.
Addressing the Council meeting Putin said it is inadmissible and
harmful to wreak wrath against terrorists on people of other faith
and other nationality.
“It is inadmissible to toe the line of criminals and terrorists, as
well as to wreak wrath against terrorists on people of other faith and
nationality, and it is even pernicious to do so in a multi-confessional
and multinational country,” Putin stressed.