Embracing Values: The Family as the Fundamental Cell of Society
Joaquim Magalhães de Castro
Under the pertinent theme “young Christians and family values”, the third edition of the Christian Youth Forum took place, from the 8th to the 14th of July, on a beautiful island in the River Neva located about a hundred kilometers from Saint Petersburg. It was attended by some representatives of the Catholic Church of the Russian Federation.
The event organizers warmly greeted the participants and presented a report on “Christian values in the universe of modern youth”, hoping that young people would remain steadfast in Christian love and be ready to face the challenges that Christians face today.
Natalia Maslennikova and Anastasia Orlova, two of the most prominent Catholic figures in this country, were able to exchange opinions, around this paramount theme which is “the family as a fundamental cell of the social fabric”, with theologians from the male monastery of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located in the city of Vladimir. For centuries, several icons considered protectors of the Russian nation have been kept there.
In addition to Catholic elements and those from the Russian Orthodox Church (which constituted, of course, the overwhelming majority of participants), members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Belarusian Orthodox Church and several Protestant churches were also present. Speaking to the Fides news agency, Natália Maslennikova, who has been participating in this annual forum since its first edition, was impressed by “the ease with which friendships are established” at events of this kind. And because the work groups are mixed, regardless of each one’s religious confession, the path to knowledge of the Other becomes easier.
“The differences that exist between us did not constitute an obstacle, but rather arouse mutual interest,” guaranteed Natália. From dialogue, friendships are born, horizons broaden and new memories are created, “to which we can always return thanks to our thoughts”.
Deep and varied, the meeting program alternated between seminar lectures throughout the morning and workshops in the afternoon, during which comic strips and stand-up comedy shows were produced, always with ‘family’ as the central theme. Among the workshop promoters, a Catholic couple stands out, Anna and Aleksandr Kuripko, parents of seven children, responsible for the ‘Family Academy’ project. The evenings were dedicated to getting to know each other, with question and answer sessions about the respective religious denominations and moments of meditation inspired by some of the verses from the Gospel.
In Christian family life, values such as love, respect, forgiveness, humility, fidelity, prayer, generosity, service, ethics and integrity play a central role. These values, inspired by the teachings of Jesus Christ, guide the actions and relationships of family members, promoting an atmosphere of harmony, understanding and mutual care.
“For us Catholics, moments like these are fundamental,” said Natalia Maslennikova. Russian Catholics live in an essentially Orthodox Christian context and, therefore, frequently interact with people of this confession: at work, at school, in their free time and often also within their families, given the high number of mixed marriages.
Natália is optimistic: “I am sure that events like this help to heal the deep wounds created by the internal divisions of the Church throughout history: we hope that, through experiences like this, today’s young people will be at least one step closer close to the original unity of the Church, as Jesus desired.”
In the two previous editions, the Christian Youth Forums focused on the theme of “online evangelization and charitable involvement within civil society”. During the 2022 edition, for example, ‘Christian Youth in the Media Space’ (an always current theme) was the motto followed. This meeting would be attended by more than seventy representatives of Christian denominations from twenty-two regions of Russia, and other countries such as Germany, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Belarus.
Addressing the participants via video conference, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow said that all of Russia would highlight the importance of young people’s participation in the infosphere and “their growing capacity for dialogue with the older generation”. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church hoped that this forum would open “new perspectives for bearing witness about the Church in the rapidly changing media space.” And this is already a new reality.
Young people have been learning about specific characteristics of the testimony of the gospel on the internet, and thus the word of God grows and multiplies. The media space with its rules and subtleties allows “finding new ideas about Christ” with people of the same age and helping to broaden the horizons of the evangelical mission. At the same time, it allows for a thorough and diligent investigation that is impossible to carry out if we act alone.
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