Gernot Facius on the Orthodox Church

On Thursday, May 17th, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), which split off from the former in 1917, will sign the document confirming their canonical reunification. German journalist Gernot Facius observes with concern the growing influence of the Orthodox Church in Europe, especially as Greece, Bulgaria and Romania already have predominantly orthodox populations. "Particularly regarding the difficult subject of human rights and religious freedom, the Moscow Patriarchate's views differ from those of the West. In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it sees the humanism of the Enlightenment at work, which undermines the theological humanism of Christianity and leads people 'away from God'. ... And much to the horror of Western observers of the Russian religious scene, the Metropolit [The Most Reverend Kyrill] identifies with the orthodox-patriotic state ideology that also pervades Vladimir Putin's speeches: the nation creates faith and religion. Is orthodox religion to be a national project? Is this religion as folklore for strengthening an identity that has become ill-defined? It's unthinkable that this concept of a tight bond between the nation and religion could be compatible with the Western tradition of separation of Church and State."

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