On November 1, the World Thematic Conference of Compatriots Living Abroad opened in Moscow, in which Metropolitan Korniliy of Moscow and All Russia took part. The conference is usually held on the eve of the National Unity Day, which is celebrated in our country on November 4. This year, it is dedicated to the theme “Strengthening traditional spiritual and moral values as the key to the unity of Russian compatriots.”
More than 150 participants from 82 countries – Russian people living abroad – gathered in Moscow. They are leaders and activists of public associations, representatives of government, and clergy of various faiths, as well as heads of Russian foundations and non-governmental organizations. As one of the speakers at the conference said, “we are Russians, because we all speak Russian, it is native to us, and we were brought up in Russian culture.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, addressed the participants of the Conference with a greeting speech. He noted that Moscow, through his ministry, provides support to the Russian-speaking community, regardless of the country of residence, the international situation, and the actions of unfriendly countries.
Old Believer communities outside Russia are islands of the Russian language and culture in the near and far abroad. People often travel thousands of kilometers to get to a distant community and experience the atmosphere of 17th-century Russia, which was preserved by forced migrants – the Old Believers. At the conference one could see representatives of Old Believer communities from Bulgaria, Romania, Australia, North and South America. Of course, they are supported not only by the state, but through the inter-Old Believer cooperation as well.
It is traditional that one of the honorary guests of the conference was the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia Korniliy, who took part in the plenary discussion “Spiritual Traditions of Russia and the Russian Abroad.”
In his speech, Metropolitan Korniliy said:
— The descendants of Old Believers living abroad are drawn to Russia, to their native land, where their ancestors are buried. Old Believers-compatriots say that they feel closer to God in Russia. We believe that God guides and supports them in their desire to return to their homeland.
…Russia today faces an important task: on the basis of its spiritual and moral values, to gather, attract, and unite all the morally healthy forces of the whole world. Today Russia faces a daring challenge. It is necessary to protect the rights of the Russian people to speak their own language, honour their customs and traditions, and remember the exploits of their heroes.
Metropolitan Korniliy emphasized that the awareness of the need to preserve the people on the basis of their spiritual and moral traditions has become a kind of national idea in our country. The Old Believers have been preserving cultural, moral, family, linguistic, and other traditions for more than three hundred years since the tragic church schism. A strong Orthodox faith will help our entire society to return to them.
— Old Believer diasporas abroad have long been an object of study for scholars and journalists. Scholarly understanding of the phenomenon of the Old Believers should not be limited only to theoretical research, since today’s Old Believers are not a fossilized fragment of Holy Russia, but a living embodiment of its past. It is also the present and, I am convinced, the future of Russia as well!
