MINSK, 10 February (BelTA) – The fundamental values of Belarusian society are enshrined in the Constitution, they are important for everyone, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with representatives of religious communities on 10 February, BelTA has learned.
Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavl Veniamin, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, emphasized the need to preserve traditional Christian values, since their destruction will lead to the loss of the spiritual core, the unique foundations of Belarusian statehood.
“Protecting our society from rules of conduct and moral principles that go against our traditions is one of the most important tasks of the Orthodox Church,” he said. In this regard, the head of the Belarusian Orthodox Church recalled the participation of representatives of traditional faiths in drafting the updated version of the Constitution, the national security concept, legislative acts on culture, healthcare and other documents, and their suggestions to include provisions on spiritual foundations of Belarusian society in these documents. He thanked the head of state for the opportunity to take part in such a discussion.
“This practice has proved effective, and I believe it would be good to keep it up, especially since joint work helps to strengthen interfaith cooperation and understand each other better,” said Metropolitan Veniamin. He added that this meeting is another testimony to this.
Metropolitan Veniamin named two most pressing issues facing the church. These are patriotic education and preservation of traditional family values.
According to him, patriotic education should be based on spirituality, so that such values as love for other people, commitment to duty, devotion to the Fatherland and sacrifice rank high in the system of values of young people. In this regard, the Belarusian Orthodox Church has intensified cooperation with the Education Ministry and the Armed Forces. Many joint events are held to commemorate the Great Patriotic War and these activities cut across all religious denominations. Much attention is paid to building a sense of belonging through the work of search groups, Orthodox local history groups, and Orthodox youth brotherhoods.
“As is known, people become a nation thanks to a common legacy. And this legacy is best preserved and passed on through the family. Therefore, families play an important role not only in solving demographic problems, but also in supporting patriotic education,” Metropolitan Veniamin emphasized.
“The dehumanization of the family, the idea of it as a burden lies at the heart of liberal ideology,” he added. According to him, liberal ideology sees the family as something that limits freedom, although in reality it is family that gives a person a sense of purpose, an opportunity for spiritual rebirth.
“Unfortunately, some family traditions and the continuity of generations have been lost, in part because young parents of the 1990s and later used trendy Western books to raise their children. That is why it is so important today to offer young people an idea of a strong, friendly family without descending into archaism, but taking into account the reality of today and focusing on the future. An image of a happy family is based on Christian values of love, mutual assistance and the joy of joint work. I believe that if the state, public associations and religious organizations combine their efforts, we will succeed in promoting family education,” he said.
Having listened to Metropolitan Veniamin, the head of state emphasized that all the main values of Belarusian society are enshrined in the country's Constitution, and many of them were spelled out in this document with the approval and at the suggestion of representatives of religious denominations present in Belarus.
“Therefore, there is nothing to complain about. The rules of our life, enshrined in the Constitution, apply to everyone, they are profound and are based on our society's and people's understanding of where we are, and they outline the guidelines for us to move forward,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.
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