On October 30, 2024, a letter initiated by Catholic pastor Manfred Deselaers was published. Since 1990, this pastor has served in the parish of the city of Oświęcim / Auschwitz, and since 2008 he has been the vice president of the Krakow Foundation “Center for Dialogue and Prayer” on the territory of this former concentration camp.
A special website was created for the distribution of the letter – https://www.lettertorussia.eu/, and one can contact about his/her signature at lettertorussia2024@gmail.com. The text of the letter is available on the website in several languages – English, German, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian. Clergymen and Christian believers from Germany, Poland, Ukraine and Russia also joined the first signatories.
After the introduction, the letter has the following points: “How do we see the current war?”, Forgiveness, Conversion and Reconciliation. Below are some excerpts from this letter.
“With this letter, sent to the Christians of the Orthodox Church in Russia, we want to stop the hatred and destruction that is escalating in a terrible spiral. This letter is like a hand we extend with the hope that someday it will be accepted”.
“As Christians, we need a spiritual perspective of the confrontation and a spiritual approach to it. This means we need to think about how we can bring God’s love inside the confrontation. We Christians should always be looking for solutions beyond political and military considerations”.
“The reconciliation of Germans and Poles, which is often cited as a model, began even before the defeat of Germany … The process of reconciliation in Germany began with those who had previously resisted National Socialism by defending basic human rights. Small groups of people played a major role … Often these initiatives faced tremendous resistance. Today we are grateful to them because they prepared the way for the fundamental renewal of German society”.
“The meaning of the war is that Russia does not recognize the independence of Ukraine and wants its destruction. Ukrainians must become part of the Russian world or disappear. This is genocide … Why do Russian people think that if they don’t rule Ukraine, they can’t be considered Russian?”
“With every bomb Russia drops on Ukraine in the name of Christ, it kills its own Christianity. There is talk of the war being waged in defence of traditional values. But are there really more of them in Russia than in Ukraine or the West? Divorce and abortion statistics in Russia are very high. There is not much active religious life, and attendance at church services is often less frequent than in Western countries. Does anyone really think that the Christian faith of the people of Russia and Ukraine is strengthened by bombing?”
“Today Russia is waging a war against Ukraine, which is justified by Christian arguments and called sacred. This is creepy idolatry and a betrayal of Christ himself. Why doesn’t Russia build its culture on Christian witness of love and mercy, on unconditional respect for the dignity of every human being?”
“We pray for the conversion, not the death of our enemies. We do not want the destruction of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church, but their healing. We pray for a Russia in which living Christianity will contribute to respect for the dignity of every human being and the building of a civilization of freedom and love”.
“We all need a culture of faith that trusts in God, who is love. We need a civilization of love in Russia, in Ukraine and in the West. That is our common responsibility … We know that there are many Christians in the Russian Orthodox Church who do not want the Church to be politicised, but who seek Christian faith, hope and love, and the closeness of God in the sacraments. There are Christians in Russia and in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, Russians and Ukrainians, who oppose this war and who have often paid dearly for their beliefs, have had to go to prison or emigrate”.
The letter ends with the following words: “We want to say to all people in Russia that we believe that a common, peaceful future is possible … We know that faith is empty if it is not followed by actions. Let us look for suitable ways!”
The text of the letter in Russian is available at https://www.lettertorussia.eu/письмо-христиан
