The message reads, in part:
“For more than 30 years, this educational project has been presented by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as civil and religious associations, the authorities and academia. You are united by a large and noble goal: to direct your efforts to consolidating society, to patriotically educate the younger generation in the centuries-old historical, cultural, and nation-building experience of our people, and in traditional spiritual and moral values.
This year’s readings are devoted to a multifaceted topic, Orthodoxy and Russian Culture: The Losses and Acquisitions of the Past and the Image of the Future. It not only covers all eras of Russian history, but also provides an opportunity to discuss the most pressing challenges and problems of our time, and it will outline approaches to the long-term development of society in a dynamically changing world.
I believe that the 32nd International Christmas Educational Readings will attract much interest, and the participants’ initiatives will be popular in practice, enrich our sovereign worldview, and serve to strengthen church-public and church-state interaction for the benefit of Russia.”