Paul
Goble
Staunton, June 20 – Religious leaders
from the Kyzyl bishopric of the Russian Orthodox Church and from the Union of
Buddhists of Tuva, with the enthusiastic backing of the republic’s political
elite, today formed a Buddhist-Orthodox Inter-Religious Council to serve as an
interface between the government and the faithful and help both overcome social
problems and tensions.
Sholban Kaara-ool, the head of the
republic, told the group that he was pleased that the leaders of the two faiths
had taken this step, one that Patriarch Kirill had proposed when he made his
first pastoral visit to the republic, and a move that reflect “the special
energy” among believers there (tuva.asia/news/tuva/6348-sovet.html).
“There are few regions both the
Dalai Lama and the Patriarch of All Rus have both visited,” he continued, and
it has been a honor to receive these “two great spiritual leaders” and to
observe the cooperation between the Buddhists and Orthodox Christians each of
them called for.
Bishop Feofan of Kyzyl and Tuva and
Tenzin Tsultim,, the kamba-lama of Tuva, told the gathering that the council
was being set up to coordinate “the joint activity of the traditional religious
organizations” and “the strengthening and development of dialogue” between the
two of them.
Such dialogue and cooperation, the
two of them said, were necessary to ensure and support “inter-religious and
inter-ethnic peace, the achievement of accord and stability in society, the
prevention of conflicts on an ethno-confessional basis, the strengthening in
society of traditional spiritual values and dialogue with the organs of state
power of the republic.”
The two religious groups elected
both a presidium and confirmed the membership of an experts group, consisting
of both ethnic Tuvan (and presumably Buddhist) and ethnic Russian (and
supposedly Orthodox Christian) scholars from local universities, to provide advice
and carry out research in support of the council’s goals.
Sholban Kara-ool in his remarks
added that “friendship between peoles is especially strong if there is agreement
on basic platforms like traditional faiths.
Like seeds thrown on fertile ground, all these efforts of our spiritual
leaders will bear fruit.” That is what Patriarch Kirill wants and it is what
the Dalai Lama said he also hopes to see.
In Tuva, the republic head
continued, “all religions and traditional faiths coexist peacefully. This is
our achievement which must be protected and increased.” But he added, “we
understand that competition exists between confessions.” Every individual has a
right to choose, but “for us, the fundamental cooperation of the traditional
religions is very important.”
He said that he was particularly
pleased that the council would work closely with the government and at the government
could cooperate not with the Orthodox Church and the Buddhists of Tuva
separately but rather together, thus making joint actions and the development
of common positions easier.
Such cooperation, of course, might
focus on common holidays, Sholban Kara-ool concluded, but it could also help
address the far from simple social situation in the republic, including the
problems of alcoholism, drug addiction, and “the psychological adaptation of
people to new circumstances.”
At least three things make this otherwise
somewhat obscure development important.
First, it could set a precedent for the formation of such councils in
other regions, starting with the Buddhist republics and extending into the
Muslim ones. Second, it could prompt an
expansion of the definition of “traditional” religions, especially in places
with many Protestants or Old Believers.
And third, in Tuva itself, the
invocation of the authority of the Dalai Lama in this way indicates that the
Buddhists of the Russian Federation, including primarily the Tuvans, the
Buryats and the Kalmyks, are likely to step up their pressure on Moscow to
allow the exiled Tibetan leader to come for another visit, something that will
inevitably complicate Moscow’s relationship with Beijing.
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