Pope Francis praises the Russian head of the Old believers for his "attitude of peace"

On May 7, Russian head of the Worldwide Union of Old Believers (Old believers are Eastern Orthodox Christians who maintain the liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian Orthodox Church as they were before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow between 1652 and 1666) Leonid Sevastianov received a personal handwritten letter from Pope Francis.

The letter was addressed also to Svetlana Kasyan, a famous Russian opera singer and Leonid’s wife. The Pope thanked them for their “attitude of peace” adding “we Christians must be ambassadors of peace, carrying out peace, preaching peace, living in peace.”

Letter from Pope Francis to Leonid Sebastianov

The two religious leaders Leonid and Francis know each other well, and it’s pretty obvious that the latter finds a more friendly ear with the first than with Patriarch of Moscow Kirill, in these times of war. Kirill has been using his position to help Kremlin’s propaganda justifying the war in Ukraine, whilst Leonid Sevastianov, still living in Moscow, has bravely voiced his opinion that Kirill was seriously erring, and that war was at least questionable: “We do not know why this war: for what reasons? For what objectives?” he said, not avoiding the term despite the Russian law forbidding the use of the word “war” when speaking about Ukraine invasion by Russian troops. And as regards Kirill: “Logic would have it that Easter be a moment of humanity, and not of politics. But Kirill’s statements indicate otherwise. And they denote heresy.”

Those are strong statements that echo those of Francis in Corriere della Sera after he spoke to Kirill: “The patriarch cannot transform himself into Putin’s altar boy.”

Francis is also a big fan of Svetlana Kasyan, and recently she released her first solo album which she called “Fratelli Tutti”, in homage to the Pope’s encyclique published a year before. The title and the concept of the album, heading for universal peace amongst people of any country and any faith, was kind of prophetic: there is more than ever a need for more understanding, more love, more brotherhood. That is also the message of Sevastianov, a message that he would love to get across to the political leaders of the country he lives in.

These last months, Kirill has been disavowed by hundreds of Orthodox leaders and priests all around the world, but also in Russia, despite the risk that anyone criticizing the war and its defenders takes. In the future, when this will be over, it might happen that the Russian Orthodox Church entirely loses its power even in Russia, and who knows who will be able to gain spiritual leadership then. In fact, it might be anyone but the current leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church, which has already too much compromised itself into politics and warmongering.

Old Believers denounce illegal detention of peaceful family in Belarus

As reported by the World Union of Old believers, The Old Believers living in the historical region of their historically traditional regional residence in the Republic of Belarus became victims of the violence unfolding in this country before the whole world. On September 27-29, the Old Believers stated, the spouses German and Natalya Snezhkov were detained in the city of Gomel, after which the Belarusian authorities removed their young children – Aglaya and Matvey – to an orphanage.

Their supposed ‘crime’ was “simply to support the protests against falsification of the last presidential elections in Belarus”. The Snezhkovs did nothing illegal and did not violate the law in any way. Acting upon their rights, guaranteed by both international and national Belarusian laws, they peacefully, without weapons and even without slogans, took to the streets of their hometown together with other residents of Gomel demanding fair elections – according to the law. A few hours after this action, policemen came to the Old Believers’ home and carried out a search, after which the head of the family was taken away and then, a couple of days later, his wife was arrested and the children were taken away. The World Union of the Old Believers regards these actions as “an act of intimidation and an attempt to suppress the human freedoms given by God to openly express their moral views on the ongoing processes in society”.

The Old Believer tradition fosters in a person such qualities as utmost honesty, pedantic execution of the law, conscientiousness and responsibility in work, in social and family life. “It is not surprising that the carriers of these high moral qualities cause fear among ill-wishers” said the spokesperson of The World Union of Old Believers.

When speaking on behalf of the many millions of Old Believers throughout the world, their representative demands that “the Belarusian authorities immediately release the captured Snezhkov family. We intend to follow their fate, provide them with all possible legal and material assistance, turning, inter alia, to international institutions that ensure the protection of human rights. May the Lord give peace and prosperity to the long-suffering land of Belarus!” said the representative of the World Union of Old Believers.