In the media started talking about the trip of the Russian President in Paris. Not in a romantic journey on important business: to open the exhibition at Versailles devoted to Peter I. do take Advantage of Mr Putin a happy opportunity to meet the new President of France Emmanuel Macron, who recently Kremlin propaganda put a spoke in the wheel during the election campaign?
Famous Italian Federica Mogherini — high representative of the European Union for foreign Affairs and security policy — allowed himself to speak truly blasphemous thing: that Russia is not a superpower. Say, GDP per capita is too small…
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, ongoing battles around the two Church bills. Against documents in which no mention of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, made the whole front from the head of the ROC Patriarch Kirill and ending the Ukrainian Orthodox grandmothers, confident in the fact that the Ukrainian “junta” is going to take away their temples.
Your opinions on all three topics with the “Explorer” said the Russian politician, President of the Russian public movement “Union of Right Forces” Leonid Gozman.
— What really is Putin going to France? If he planned to meet with the Macron? Will meet? And if so, whether something to bargain for?
— I do not know whether his meeting with the President of France, but it is clear that Putin wants to break the international isolation that Russia is becoming more severe and more painful.
In addition, I think there is a special task — to give a positive signal to President Makron, because during the election campaign those who have charge of the propaganda, of course, made a very big mistake and stupidity, openly siding with marine Le Pen and doing a very hard campaign against the Makron.
In any case, it was stupid — whoever Le Pen and whoever macron. Just to interfere in the Affairs of others is foolish. But it was done.
And now macron — President, I have to agree.
So even if you are not planning a meeting, he still says some words in address France, French culture, traditional ties — something. It definitely gets in the French press.
Federica Mogherini said that it is difficult to call Russia a superpower for the simple reason that the Russian economy is very sad. In particular, she recalled that GDP per capita in Russia is lower than in most EU countries. In your opinion, do the economic criterion here can be called a major?
— I wouldn’t have to give a value of terminology — who’s the superpower and who is not a superpower. For the neighbors of the Russian Federation, I think there are two important criteria: first — how the armed forces of the Russian Federation and other structures can be dangerous for them, the second kind of foreign policy conducted by a country. How does our population, I think anyone but our population is really not interested anymore.
According to these criteria, unfortunately, Ukraine is better than anyone else knows that Russia is a serious factor. Unfortunately, I can’t say that today a positive.
You know about the conflict on the basis of “Church” laws. These documents are faced with tremendous resistance from the Russian Orthodox Church and its Ukrainian structure — the UOC-MP, despite the fact that none of them mentioned the Moscow Patriarchate. What, in your opinion, is the resistance, and how the story ends?
— The end of this story, I don’t know, but it is clear that the Russian Orthodox Church in the form in which it exists, is not only a religious organization, how many state is the state structure. And it is a state structure, of course, the Russian Federation.
At the time there were rumors that all metropolitans were members of the KGB. I can’t confirm that. But the fact that the bishops were the nomenclature of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee — it was quite obvious. In a sense, such a combination remain today.
Therefore, the resistance of the Russian Orthodox Church is the resistance, first of all, the Russian state, which of course doesn’t want to lose this channel of influence.
And, I think, a bill which the Church undertakes not to carry out anti-Ukrainian activities — I think it is a little or blahoprejeme words. For example, can be adopted such a law. Further, the ROC will do something. You say that it is anti-Ukrainian activities. They say that it is not anti-Ukrainian activities. But, maybe, such a law also needs something. I can’t judge.
But the change of jurisdiction of the parish — this thing is not specifically against the Russian Orthodox Church. It is for the rights of believers.
If I am a believer, if I go to the temple, and there are several denominations that are close to me in spirit, that is why I and other parishioners of this parish can’t decide: is this Patriarch we don’t like, we don’t trust him, but the mouths of these people, we think God says. Why not? This is important, is freedom.
I think this should be the right of every parish — in a democratic way to solve this issue, but understand that with this decision comes certain consequences. For example, if that Church, which belonged to the parish, something financed, but now it will not Fund. People need to make an informed decision.
Freedom should be extended to believers too, and it turns out that religious people like serfs. Believe in the Lord — here’s the Church, here Bishop, here’s a Metropolitan, but with them and live. And for what reason? Because people are not serfs, and the normal free.
By the way, for the Russian Orthodox Church is indeed a very painful topic, because they always talk about the protection of canonical territory. I don’t know how in this sense behaves Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate…
— No, they’re of such statements does not allow.
— Well, well done. But Patriarch Kirill is trying to protect the “canonical territory,” and faith is not about territory, it is about people. What is the canonical territory of the Church can be? In my opinion, no. The Church has traditions, it has moral authority. Or no moral authority.
I think the ROC is a very big problem with moral authority. Remember the scandal with the guy, who was convicted for catching pokemon in the temple, the denial of Jesus Christ. It would seem that if the Church had the moral authority — you did Patriarch Kirill: “Brothers and sisters, look at that! Write your letter to this scumbag Sokolovsky”. And Sokolov would get 10 million emails. Now that would be an indicator of the attitude of the society, it would be understandable that the guy did something that is not necessary so to conduct. And he would understand it, and society would understand that actually there are things that are not spelled out in the law and any moral standards that should not be broken.
But the Patriarch did not. Why? Because he understands that nobody would have written.
