Archbishop Viktor of Baryshivka: Dialogue is doomed if the principles of respect and freedom are violated

Archbishop Viktor of Baryshivka in an article for politica.com.ua noted that dialogue is not only an integral part of the Orthodox Christian experience, but also plays an important role in the mission of the Church to bring the good news of salvation to the whole world.

“The theology of dialogue in Orthodox Christianity is based on the belief that God reveals Himself to people, becoming one of us, which indicates His desire to communicate with humanity. God is not a distant and aloof Deity, Who does not interfere in the events taking place in the world, but is a God Who is actively looking for a relationship with His creation,” the bishop noted.

“On the other hand, the holy fathers constantly emphasize that every person has a God-given free will, and therefore is not obliged to accept God’s fellowship. The Lord does not violate the gift of freedom that He has given us. On the contrary, He invites us to dialogue while respecting our individuality and freedom. Thus, the Church teaches that one of the conditions for dialogue is the absence of coercion. A fruitful conversation in which the parties are able to hear each other can only take place under the condition of mutual acceptance,” he added.

The archbishop recalled that, “in the Orthodox Christian tradition, the main means of dialogue with God is prayer. Through prayer, a person opens himself, his heart and soul to fellowship with God and responds to his invitation to enter into a personal relationship based on the key concepts of love and freedom. Prayer, then, is not just a means of asking for something, but rather a way to deepen your relationship with God.”

“In addition to dialogue with the Creator, the Orthodox Christian tradition also emphasizes the importance of dialogue between people. The Church is seen as a community of believers who come together to worship God and participate in the Holy Sacraments. But the Church is also a community of people called to love and serve one another. That is why dialogue between people is seen as an essential aspect of this community, that is, the Church,” the hierarch noted.

The bishop emphasized that “Our Lord Jesus Christ especially emphasized the importance of proper communication between Christians. “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). As we see from these words, a necessary condition for dialogue is love. Moreover, it is love that is the sign by which we Christians can testify to our faith in God. This means that where there is no love, there is neither faith nor Christianity. There is no God there.»

“Today, when there is a lot of talk in our state about dialogue in society, about dialogue between Churches, we must remember that it is worth not only caring about the possibility of exchanging thoughts, but, first of all, looking for ways of mutual understanding on the foundation of respect and freedom. Dialogue is doomed when these principles are violated. Everything that is based on violence and humiliation of other people is a form of self-affirmation and a means to destroy relationships. Agree that it is difficult, or even impossible, to conduct a dialogue during the endless bombardments or at gunpoint. It is also difficult to communicate with people who uninvitedly come to someone else’s house with fittings or a grinder, hiding behind slogans about “freedom” and “love” for the Motherland, ”said the archbishop.

“Therefore, the preamble of the dialogue is the cessation of violence, and all other forced attempts to find a common language, unfortunately, will lead nowhere,” he summed up.