Radonezh Film, TV and Radio Festival / Statement of Principle

In the midst of horror, violence and malice which reign over the stormy sea of modern life, behold the shining islands of Orthodox Christianity. Those who seek peace and love, who seek salvation, come here in hope of protecting what is the most noble and lofty in men ? of protecting their humanity.

Today, when the whole gamut of social engineering schemes has been tried and miserably failed, when the mankind is seemingly facing dead end on its way to the future, in is only the Good Tiding of Christianity, like an olive branch in the mouth of the dove, brings human heart back to life. And then, according to the Scripture, the mouth speaketh out of the abundance of the heart.

This Festival is for those who have dedicated their lives and creative work to the witness of Love, Truth and Freedom. Its objective is to give testimony for the real presence of love in this world ? because love is the only true answer to the world of evil. It is only love which makes man remain human; it is only love which is capable of true creativity. This is what the real humanism is all about, this is the meaning of the real human values.

That law of the victory of love over the world has been expressed by St. Serge of Radonezh, one of the greatest Russian Saints. Up to this day his words are convincing for anyone whose objective is to "vanquish the hateful strife of this world by the contemplation of the Holy Trinity". This is the reason why we have made these words the logo of our Festival: they unite the journalists of all Orthodox nations which make up one Orthodox Church out of separate Orthodox islands.

The Festival materials are addressed to everyone, both religious and nonreligious people who wish to partake of the spiritual treasure of the Orthodox Church. There are programs for children, Q&A sessions by leading Orthodox pastors and scholars, materials on Church history, Christian literature, music, art, etc. TV and radio documentaries help present up-to-date image of the religious life in Russia and abroad.

The ideals of Russian all-encompassing compassion, of the Orthodox unity, spiritual brotherhood, human dignity and Christian love are extremely strong. In the words of F. Dostoevsky, they are the only means to bring together our whole society. Likewise, they make a solid foundation of the unity between the Slavic nations of Russia, Ukraine and Belorussia, as well as other brotherly Orthodox nations. Moreover, these ideals link together all nations forlorn in the hostile "New World order", nations incapable of separate resistance to the aggression of the secular power of the global control.

Orthodox TV and radio has become a major factor in life of the whole generation of the viewers and listeners through the basics of the Orthodox faith, presented in full clarity by our best and brightest pastors and Bishops, theologians and intellectuals, by the most prominent preachers of our Church. It has made them aware of their national roots, of their public duty. The demand of hearing the Word of God is so high in our people that many Orthodox TV and radio programs get duplicated on cassettes in thousands of copies all over the country.

We are firmly convinced that Orthodox TV and radio can be a powerful agent of unity in our nation, an agent of her spiritual health, an agent of resistance to separatist influences. It is an ample response to the aggression of sects and cults, to the Satanic and terrorist propaganda of evil and destruction.