The Patriarch Kirill emphasized the importance of mutual respect for the cultures and faiths of Russia and Tajikistan during the International Ioannovsky Readings in Dushanbe. The Russian Orthodox Church's website published his address.
He highlighted that the interaction between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Muslim community in Tajikistan is crucial amidst attempts to sow discord between nations. The religious leaders are urged to unequivocally condemn terrorists and not allow faith to be used as a weapon.
The Dushanbe Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church organized the sixth International Ioannovsky Readings on April 12 at the Russian-Tajik (Slavic) University. The theme was "Orthodoxy, Islam, and national culture: losses and acquisitions of the past, the image of the future."
The event was organized by the Dushanbe and Tajikistan Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian-Tajik (Slavic) University, the Russian Desk of the "Russian World" Foundation at the Slavic Cultural and Educational Center with the support of the Russian Embassy in Tajikistan, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Council of Ulema of the Islamic Center of Tajikistan, the Committee on Religious Affairs, and the Regulation of National Traditions, Ceremonies, and Rites under the Government of Tajikistan.
The event was inaugurated with welcoming remarks from the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Tajikistan, Semen Grigoryev, the head of the Council of Ulema of the Islamic Center of Tajikistan, Saidmukarram Abdulkodirzoda, Bishop Pavel, the Bishop of Dushanbe and Tajikistan, and the Rector of the RTSU, Professor Mashrab Fayzullo.
