In an interview with one of the YouTube channels, Soviet and Russian TV presenter Vladimir Pozner made a scandalous statement the day before. According to the journalist, Prince Vladimir made a mistake during the baptism of Rus – he had to choose Catholicism, not Orthodoxy. This decision of Prince Pozner called “one of the greatest tragedies for Russia.”
Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church urged to treat the words of the host as a provocation. The Russian Orthodox Church believes that there is no need to doubt the historical path of peoples, and the situation itself should be considered by the relevant authorities “in the criminal-legal dimension.”
Deputy of the State Duma of Russia, director of the RUSSTRAT Institute Elena Panina also disagrees with Vladimir Pozner:
“His thesis that Protestant countries have a better standard of living than Catholic countries, and Catholic countries are better than Orthodox, is not true. Catholic Portugal is much poorer than Orthodox Cyprus, and in those federal states of Germany where the Catholic faith has historically dominated (for example, Bavaria), the economy is higher than in Protestant ones (in the same Lower Saxony). ”
The Russian parliamentarian recalled that the TV presenter also made a factual mistake. Russia was baptized by Prince Vladimir in 988, and the gap between Rome and Constantinople occurred only in the middle of the 11th century, and “Catholicism” did not yet exist as a separate religious trend.
Evaluation of the traversed historical path with a material equivalent is completely impossible, Elena Panina is sure. It was Orthodoxy, inherent in most Russians, that helped preserve traditional values. Thanks to him, Russia is successfully avoiding the cultural and spiritual catastrophe now taking place in the West.