When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
Russia

"We're Not Clowns!"- Russian Patriarch Orders Clerics To Stop Going Viral

Patriarch Kirill isn't amused
Patriarch Kirill isn't amused
Olga Kalinina and Natalya Romashkova

MOSCOW - Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, is calling on all members of the clergy to carefully watch what they say and how they live their lives, especially in light of the way modern information travels fast.

Without naming names, he referred to some recent cases where the actions of clergy members have reflected badly on the Church, and the Patriarch particularly urged clergy members to refrain from jokes or “outrageous statements,” noting that certain statements could have double meanings or be misconstrued.

The Patriarch continued by saying that inappropriate remarks from clergy members often stemmed from a lack of responsibility on the part of the gaffe-maker.

“We have to be responsible for everything we say, especially things said in the public sphere. Sometimes things get too emotional and we lose control,” he said during a forum on faith and words at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, where representatives from 155 dioceses were assembled.

“People are tired of outbursts - of sharp words that don’t make much sense but are spoken just to get a reaction and to promote oneself,” Kirill said to the gathered clergy.

“We have been witness to ridiculous statements made by clergy members - not just to their village or city. They stupidly blurt something out and then it buzzes around the Internet for two months, with people parsing all of the dumb jokes. And all that time the Church is trying to make important announcements about family and marriage, but all anyone is interested in talking about is the dumb little jokes made by a priest,” Kiril continued. "We're not clowns."

He added that clergy members are hereby banned from participating in talk shows, because the whole point of shows is to encourage guests to joke and in some cases make fools of themselves.

The Patriarch also called on Orthodox journalists to “look at the world through the prism of your Christian faith.

“You shouldn’t be looking at the world though rose-colored or black-colored glasses - you should only have the prism of your faith in front of you, and you should look at the world through it,” he said.

Digital masses

There have been three recent events where the Church caused an Internet sensation, but not in exactly the way it would like.

Last April, a well-known Orthodox deacon and religious scholar Andrei Kuraev suggested that young believers should break up a concert by Madonna by telling police that there was a bomb in the concert hall.

Later the priest announced that his suggestion had been a joke, but repeated that his point was that the concert had to be cancelled because Madonna’s appearance violated laws against homosexual propaganda.

Kuraev also said in August, that the members of Pussy Riot would be certain to win their appeal if they were willing to call the actions of the Ukrainian feminist group Femen “blasphemy.” In solidarity with Pussy Riot, Femen’s members had taken down an Orthodox cross in the center of Kiev.

In terms of living a sin-free life, the Orthodox Church has refused to take responsibility for the priest who caused a major traffic accident while driving drunk. The Church complained that if the drunk driver had had any other profession, no one would have been talking about it. But since he was a priest, people were using the drunk-driving accident as ammunition against the Church.

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Society

Is Disney's "Wish" Spreading A Subtle Anti-Christian Message To Kids?

Disney's new movie "Wish" is being touted as a new children's blockbuster to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary. But some Christians may see the portrayal of the villain as God-like and turning wishes into prayers as the ultimate denial of the true message of Christmas.

photo of a kid running out of a church

For the Christmas holiday season?

Joseph Holmes

Christians have always had a love-hate relationship with Disney since I can remember. Growing up in the Christian culture of the 1990s and early 2000s, all the Christian parents I knew loved watching Disney movies with their kids – but have always had an uncomfortable relationship with some of its messages. It was due to the constant Disney tropes of “follow your heart philosophy” and “junior knows best” disdain for authority figures like parents that angered so many. Even so, most Christians felt the benefits had outweighed the costs.

That all seems to have changed as of late, with Disney being hit more and more by claims from conservatives (including Christian conservatives) that Disney is pushing more and more radical progressive social agendas, This has coincided with a steep drop at the box office for Disney.

Keep reading...Show less

The latest