Meeting on Christmas Eve

January 5, President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev received representatives of the Kazan diocese of Russian Orthodox Church led by archbishop of Kazan and Tatarstan Anastasy on the occasion of Christmas which the believers will celebrate January 7.

Having congratulated the clergy and all Orthodox believers living in Tatarstan, with one of the biggest Christian holidays, head of republic wished them peace, consent and well-being. Congratulations to Tatarstanians in connection with coming Christmas were stated also by archbishop of Kazan and Tatarstan Anastasy, who noted, that each person according to his forces should aspire to warming people living by that divine love that fills heart of each believing person since the world around us still requires this love, help and support.

Having stressed a huge value of spiritual revival of the society reflecting internal need of believers, irrespective of their belonging to this or that religious faith, M.Shaimiev emphasized, that this important tendency will be supported in republic further. The traditional meeting in a presidential residence on the eve of Christmas became an occasion for discussing some problems present in this sphere. All issues inevitably arising during revival of belief from which the society many years was artificially alienated , certainly, are subject for resolving. As an example of safe resolving the situation connected to a chapel of Orthodox temple of Sacred Tatyana in Naberezhnye Chelny may be cited. Tension in religious sphere of the republic is not present. But, unfortunately, this tension is at times artificially is imposed to us from the outside, at a federal level by separate departments and short-sighted politicians, the President emphasized.

Having touched, in particular, the point about teaching bases of Orthodoxy at schools which was mentioned during the meeting, M. Shaimiev expressed opinion, that in Tatarstan it is necessary to consider this issue in view of specifics of our republic. The position of the President in this issue is shared also by archbishop of Kazan and Tatarstan Anastasy. The meeting of leaders of the basic religious faiths presented in the republic on which it is planned to develop the uniform approach to this problem demanding the closest studying is planned to the nearest days. We have our own position on this point. If there are any offers dictated to Tatarstan unilaterally, they will not be perceived and realized, M. Shaimiev declared.