MINSK, 2 November (BelTA) - The words and actions of the clergy should not have a divisive impact on society, Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, told the media, BelTA has learned.
Metropolitan Veniamin had his first personal meeting with Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko for a detailed conversation about many aspects of the development of the church, society and the state. "We discussed these issues, exchanged views, made plans for the future: how and what can be done for the benefit of our people and solve the issues that modern life now presents," he said.
The transformations taking place in the modern world and their impact on the Belarusian society were discussed, Metropolitan Veniamin noted. "We talked about the situation related to both COVID and protests. We tried to see this situation from different sides to take into account different opinions and understand the reasons of the current situation in Belarus and what the further path of our Fatherland should be to preserve peace, harmony, and sovereignty. Relations with Russia and Western countries were also on the agenda. It is important to maintain peace and external balance, so that the country should remain sovereign and develop independently,” the head of the Belarusian Orthodox church noted.
At the request of journalists, the Metropolitan expressed his opinion on some cases when the clergy gave harsh assessments of the social and political events as they communicated with parishioners. “Every person, a citizen of our Fatherland is entitled to their opinion, and this is provided by the relevant law and church laws. However, we must know when and how to express our position. We, the clergy, should remember that the church is a meeting place of people holding different political views. It is also important to remember that the church is the house of God and that the clergyman should be careful with words and actions not to divide our society,” Metropolitan Veniamin said.
