The head of the diocese shared his views on the consequences of a divided society
Answering the question of the reader of "KP-Ryazan" about the attitude of the Church to the division of society into those who have QR codes and those who do not, Metropolitan Mark of Ryazan and Mikhailovsky noted the following:
"The alleged law is already causing division in the society. Already today a number of parties in the State Duma have spoken against the innovation and have stated that they will vote against it as well.
Vaccinated people condemn the unvaccinated for not being able to return to normal life because of them. And the unvaccinated respond that the new vaccine does not help and does not save them from the disease, and cite the relevant statistics from countries around the world.
In the Church we also see different perceptions of the situation. But I can say one thing for sure, the Church can not recommend to the state to introduce the regime of QR codes and take fines from offenders. Because by its nature the Church is not and cannot be part of the repressive apparatus of the state.
Of course we understand the state's concern about the number of people who fall ill and the number of deaths and we respect the efforts of the state to solve this problem, but not with such harsh methods. Such harsh measures are already further dividing society, which now more than ever needs to unite in the face of external threats.
The Gospel says, 'Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and the house divided against itself will fall' (Luke 11:17). So the Church does not divide her children into unvaccinated and vaccinated, into those who have and do not have a QR code. All people are children to God. And the Church is concerned when she sees the actual violence of some children against others and prays for a peaceful resolution of the situation."
Source: ryazan.kp.ru (Russian)