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Public Council on Morals founded at conference in Minsk

The Public Council on Morals held its founding conference in Minsk on July 8, with prominent religious and art figures in attendance.

The Council was established after appropriate calls from the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church and the government-backed Union of Writers of Belarus (UWB).
Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting, Metropolitan Filaret, head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belarus, said that the establishment of the Council had been backed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who he said “has expressed his understanding of the church’s concern about the moral state of society.”

The 33-member Council includes representatives of the Orthodox, Catholic, Judaic and Muslim denominations, public associations and art unions, as well as art figures, educators and scholars.

UWB Chairman Mikalay Charhinets was elected to head the Council.

In an interview with BelaPAN, Heorhiy Marchuk, a member of the Council and secretary of the UWB, denied fears that the body would be used for censorship but said that it would study books and other works of art.

In particular, he said, members of the Council will sound out the public’s reaction to “controversial” books and pieces of art and provide recommendations to the government regarding “particular extremities” that cause “polar opinions and contradict society’s traditional values.”

Speaking about “moral problems” that the Council plans to address, Mr. Marchuk pointed to the “destruction of human personality and family values, the profanation of the biblical commandments, history and patriotic feelings.”

The Council plans to hold workshops and discussions “on certain subjects connected with the place of the good character in modern Belarusian literature, the role of Christianity in the artist’s work, relations between religion and secular morals,” Mr. Marchuk said. //BelaPAN