President: I am for different points of view, but I am against violations of the law

Interfaith peace, training of clergy and participation of the Church in social processes was didcussed today by the President and Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavl, High Priest of All Belarus Veniamin.

The high authority and multifaceted activities of the Church have always been a guarantee of stability on the Belarusian soil. And in interaction with the state, its creative power brings even greater contribution. Alas, but now we see how actively some people are trying to bring discord between confessions, to play on the feelings of believers, deliberately using their trustfulness. Some ministers are frankly going into politics, forgetting their true purpose. And politicians become so-called religious judges and allow themselves to be sharp-minded, without thinking about the consequences this could have.

Preventing discord among believers, preserving inter-faith peace and prosperity in the country remains a constant priority for which the state and the church are responsible together.

This is the first time that the new head of the Belarusian Orthodox Church visited the Independence Palace.

The High Priest is from Brest Region, he served in the army. Immediately after graduating from BSU, he entered the Minsk Theological Seminary. Since then his life has been connected with constant service to God and people.

The Orthodox Church is expected to actively participate in the public life of the country.

"It is very fashionable to say that the church is separated from the state. From the first days of my presidency, I have been speaking and repeating tirelessly: the Church, especially the Orthodox Church, is the main pillar of our state, especially now that the world has gone mad and lost its spirituality. How can the church be separated from the state, be outside the state? It can't be. It is a pillar, one of the main pillars of the state," said Alexander Lukashenko. "The church has always been and will always be the spiritual foundation of our state. I can't imagine that our denominations, including the main one - the Orthodox Church - are outside the state," added the President.

Metropolitan Veniamin: We are concerned about the state and have analysed how we could help.

Belarusians have always managed to avoid inter-confessional conflicts. The nation is tolerant. Representatives of 25 different confessions live in the country. Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims - everyone has his own way.

Revival of shrines and monuments of the country's history, charity, cultural and educational activities, construction of new churches. Every year, funds are allocated from the state budget for all these activities.