Moscow (AsiaNews) - Russia and other states have the right to their own model of relations between religion and state, one that is different from that of the United States. Hence, they should not apologise for it, said Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations, as he commented the recent report by the United States State Department on international religious freedom.
"I have been reading this report for many years, and I think it becomes more and more balanced. It is good that the topic of Christians' exodus from some countries of the Middle East is mentioned, that not only countries which have political difficulties with the United States are criticised, but so are its allies."
For Chaplin, the study is right in covering anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and "the topic of the latter is voiced in the reports more and more often, but it doesn't say anything about systematic Christianophobia as a special phenomenon practiced in some countries of the West."
"Russia and other nations are usually criticised for giving preference to certain religious communities and fighting extremism," he noted. "We need to stop and apologize for it."
"Certain religious communities enjoy support in our civilisation as is the case in most countries of the world," whilst the "actions of dangerous religious or pseudoreligious groups are eliminated," the priest said.
According to him, representatives of Orthodox and Islamic civilisations can equally criticise the United States for not extending support to Orthodoxy or Islam.
At the same time, he believes that "that model of state detachment from key religious and public questions, which America formally sticks to, is marginal to the contemporary world. Most peoples perceives relations between religion, state and society in a different way."
Lastly, "I would like to stress that we should not be afraid of declaring that our understanding of relations among religion, state and society is correct. Our approach has been tested for centuries and secured peace in society as I have mentioned," Chaplin said.
Among these societies, there is not only Russia but also China, India, Latin America and the Middle East. (N.A.)