The message reads, in part:
“The Russian Orthodox Church is one of the biggest and most authoritative public institutions in modern Russia, and the decisions of its highest council of hierarchs are therefore important for carrying out tasks of relevance to the entire country.
Paramount among these tasks is young people’s moral education and efforts to strengthen in society the fundamental values of Russia’s spiritual traditions: humanism, patriotism, tolerance towards other faiths, and good neighbourliness. It is especially important today for the Church and the state authorities to act in partnership to prevent ethnic and religious extremism and bolster the inter-faith and inter-ethnic harmony in our country.
At this council meeting you will express your views on many other important issues too, and I am confident that your decisions will help to reinforce the constructive dialogue between the Church, the state authorities, and civil society institutions, and further our society’s consolidation and prosperity.”