Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended the opening ceremony of Orthodox Religious and Cultural Center of Baku and Azerbaijan Diocese on November 15.

The president first visited Holy Myrrhbearers Cathedral, and then toured the Orthodox Religious and Cultural Center which is built on its site.

President Aliyev was met by Archbishop of Baku and Azerbaijan Father Alexander and Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Allahshukur Pashazade.

The President met with representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archbishop of Berlin and Germany Theophanes, Vicar of the Moscow Diocese Archbishop Yevgeniy of Verey, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, the leaders of religious communities of Azerbaijan, and other guests.

Archbishop Alexander of Baku and Azerbaijan spoke about the history of the church, saying that the Holy Myrrhbearers Cathedral was built in 1907. All the conditions were right in the cathedral for Orthodox people living in Azerbaijan to carry out their religious practices.

Then, President Aliyev toured the Orthodox Religious Cultural Centre. The four-storey building, the construction of which began in 2012, has premises for various activities, including conferences and seminars, and the necessary conditions for the functioning of the Sunday school for the purpose of church education.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Aliyev congratulated everyone on this occasion.

"This is a significant event in the life of our country. We have been waiting for this, and, of course, the opening of the centre is an indicator of inter-religious relations in Azerbaijan," he said.

According to the president, the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Azerbaijan have a great history, but unfortunately, like all other religious monuments, Holy Myrrhbearers Cathedral was also subjected to destruction. Mosques, synagogues and Catholic churches have met the same fate. Many were destroyed in the early years of Soviet power, but have now been restored.

The temple was built at the beginning of the 20^th century with the active participation of an Azerbaijani philanthropist, and was rebuilt in the period of independence at the expense of an Azerbaijani businessman. The Religious Cultural Centre was built at the expense of the Azerbaijani state.

"This is also an indication of how inter-religious relations are carried out in Azerbaijan," President Aliyev said.

The president went on to say that this practice is very positive and has deep roots. The same can be said of the restoration of mosques, which is mostly done at the expense of the state. The same can be said of the synagogue, which was built at the expense of the state, and the Catholic Church, in the restoration of which the state also took part.

"We are restoring all religious monuments, and Azerbaijan is a country where religions and people, who have always lived in peace, harmony and cooperation, interact," President Aliyev said.

According to the head of state, multiculturalism is both the state policy of Azerbaijan and a way of life. At the Baku International Humanitarian Forum recently held for the third time, the topic of multiculturalism was the most discussed issue.

President Aliyev said the event has a great symbolic meaning. "This day is based on the history of our country, our people, and is the result of the policy we are conducting. And at all events on all holidays - Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic, and Jewish - the leaders of all denominations are always together at one table. This is also, I think, one of the precious treasures of our country."

Archbishop of Baku and Azerbaijan Father Alexander addressed the event, emphasizing that this is not just an event that will be a new impulse in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church in Azerbaijan, but also an event that will be a manifestation of a process that is called multiculturalism.

"I always remember the words of Heydar Aliyev - he pronounced a remarkable phrase that I always cite in my speeches: multi-nationalism is our wealth. This is the meaning of the internal policy of the Azerbaijani Republic. This is very important," he said.

According to Archbishop Alexander, Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, who has visited Azerbaijan three times, devoted a whole paragraph to the state of religious life in Azerbaijan in his report to the Episcopal Council in February.

Archbishop Yevgeniy of Verey read out the message of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.

"I sincerely congratulate all those present at the opening of the Orthodox Religious-Cultural Centre in the Azerbaijani capital. It is significant that this important event coincided with the 10th anniversary of the restoration of the Cathedral of the Holy Myrrh-Bearers," the letter said.

Patriarch Kirill testified that the state leadership of Azerbaijan pays attention to the needs of the Orthodox community in the country and actively supports many projects of the Baku Diocese.

Chairman of the Department of Muslims of the Caucasian Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade said that "today is the day of tolerance."

"...our fraternal relations with Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church, they continue today, Inshallah, and will continue in the future. I recently received a letter from His Holiness Patriarch. The letter proposed holding a joint summit in the future. It is not agreed yet, but this summit will be held in 2014 in Russia or Azerbaijan," he said.

Chairman of the Religious Community of Mountain Jews of Baku Milikh Yevdayev said that in Azerbaijan there are no disputes on inter-religious and inter-ethnic grounds, strife, or other unpleasant incidents.

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin said, "We are not only discussing issues of church life. Together with His Holiness Sheikh and other religious communities of the country, we are discussing the prospects of inter-religious dialogue in Eurasia and the world...We will meet in Russia and in Baku in order for this positive experience we have, the experience of joint activities and the experience of communication, to influence to a greater extent what is happening in the world in the sphere of relations between Christians and Muslims, in the sphere of relations between religion and the state, and in the field of inter-religious peaceful dialogue."