At the Patriarchal and Synodal Residence in the Danilovoi Stavropol Monastery in Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, head of the World Russian People's Council, on October 31, 2024, headed the work of the Bureau of the Presidium of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Opening the meeting, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia addressed the audience with an introductory speech, in which he outlined a number of topical issues for discussion. Russian Russian Patriarch, in particular, said: "Our meeting is taking place on the eve of the plenary session of the World Russian People's Council, which, as you know, will be held on November 28 and will be devoted to an important topic — "The Russian world: external and internal threats." We are talking about threats not only to our national well-being, but also to our Fatherland itself. 

Among the external challenges to the Russian world, the most urgent threat today is the fighting, as a result of which our brothers and sisters are dying every day. I am talking not only about the citizens of Russia, but also about the citizens of Ukraine. Since in reality we are one people, I will not stop talking about it — with a common spiritual and cultural code, with a common heritage, with common historical origins and, finally, with a common destiny. We see that the continuation of the conflict, its persistent escalation by external forces that are interested in aggravating the tragic division of the Slavs, leads to the fact that the conflict may escalate into a direct clash between Russia and NATO countries. And this, in turn, is already a world war, threatening not only the Russian world, but also the whole of humanity.
Thank God, the Russian leadership is showing a wise and balanced position on this difficult issue. On the one hand, it does not succumb to brazen provocations, forgive me for the rude word, and on the other hand, it continues to resolutely defend our compatriots in Crimea and Novorossiya, as well as consistently and patiently convey to the whole world exactly what Russia stands for in this conflict and what basic principles, rights and freedoms it protects.
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After almost three years of active military operations, one can see that among fellow citizens there is a certain fatigue from reports from the fronts. Some people prefer not to notice everything that is happening at all — the pain, suffering of their brothers, those who are on the front line and who live in regions under fire. Many are not ready to give up personal comfort, the usual level of a prosperous life. Of course, we are not talking about those caring compatriots, ascetics, volunteers who collect material assistance, deliver humanitarian supplies, support fighters and injured civilians. Thank God that the ideals of solidarity, mercy, and mutual assistance live in our people and manifest themselves vividly today. However, a large number of entertainment events, entertainment shows on TV channels, and frivolous carelessness contrast very strongly with what is happening now in the zone of a special military operation, where our people, especially young guys, are dying.
We can say that this problem exposes some spiritual ulcers. We need to think about the causes of this phenomenon and ask: do these ulcers threaten our civilizational identity? Don't they indicate some kind of malfunction in our cultural code? Is it possible to imagine something like this during the Great Patriotic War? And in any situation when the country was in danger?
I will also mention a very strange phenomenon that is currently being observed — some attempts to revive paganism. I have already had to express my concerns about this at a meeting of the Supreme Church Council, which took place on September 24 this year. The main pathos of the speeches of neo-Pagan preachers is associated with the idea that Christianity supposedly excludes personal heroism and valor. The falsity of this thesis is obvious, our holy warriors are the best confirmation of this, but the fact of the emergence of neo—paganism with its cult of brute force and cruelty takes place, including in the army environment. There are attempts to instill neo-Pagan sympathies in the educational space as well. You don't have to mention Natalia Poklonskaya's name, but it's not just about her. In particular, I know that a number of public schools in the regions have decided to celebrate Halloween, which is popular in Western culture, renaming it Veles' Night to give a touch of an allegedly native Slavic holiday. Such a substitution of values, falsification of national history, and diminution of the role of Christianity in the creation of statehood of our people is a kind of challenge to the true values of the Russian world.
I would like to mention one more problem — the danger of reducing the level of school education. First of all, we are talking about a decrease in literacy among the younger generation. Unfortunately, the ability to speak logically and competently, accurately express their thoughts orally and in writing, is not the property of many young people. At the same time, it is obvious that a decrease in the educational level carries the risk of degradation of national culture. I would like to emphasize that we need to take seriously all these new words, a new way of communicating among young people, the emergence of categories of thought that were absolutely unacceptable yesterday. After all, today's youth are tomorrow's adults.
Another problem, in my opinion, is very, very disturbing, is the demographic crisis, which in a sense calls into question our very future. The demographic crisis is one of the most important internal threats, to which I have already devoted a report at the plenary session of the World Russian People's Council in 2019. I talked about this a lot last year, thinking about strengthening the institution of the family and promoting traditional family values in society. The topic of the demographic crisis should remain on the agenda of our Council.
Another challenge is migration. The emptiness that arises due to insufficient fertility attracts immigrants from the outside. The problems related to migration in our country are of great concern today. I raised this topic last year at the plenary session of the RNC and in other public speeches. I am convinced that it is important to continue an honest conversation about this today. Of course, topics such as the use of cheap labor and profit are touched upon here, but something similar has happened in the past. For example, slavery also provided free labor, but this form of farming was abandoned! The serf peasantry also provided cheap labor — but all this failed, turned out to be ineffective and morally reprehensible! So is the use of cheap labor to the detriment of the integrity of our people, due to the undoubted risks that accompany the attraction of a large number of migrants who are not related to us either culturally, spiritually, or even historically.
Another problem that is being talked about a lot now is artificial intelligence. The threats associated with the development of artificial intelligence have not yet been fully studied, as, however, artificial intelligence itself with its capabilities has been little studied. The topic is complicated and requires a lot of professionalism, but it is necessary to talk about it. It is important to understand that the most terrible thing here is the loss of identity both at the level of an individual and at the level of the whole society. Or, as some say, are these false fears? But for me they are not false, because artificial intelligence is an undoubted force, and no one can predict its real development, no one! There are, of course, fantastic "horror stories", but there are also very serious warnings from thinking people about the danger of uncontrolled development of this artificial, but real force.
Another topic is the tension between ethnic and religious communities in Russia. A topic that is being hushed up, which they do not like to talk about, but in our environment, first of all, we must think and talk about it. Relations between ethno-religious communities may also be at risk. I am sure that the only way to combat this threat is to develop close trust—based cooperation to solve common tasks. It is necessary to master the culture of mutually respectful dialogue, to be able to listen and hear each other, but at the same time not to lose prudence, because prudence prevents the appearance of significant risks. And in the context of power—society relations, especially on the ground, I believe that it is not worth pushing through pre-prepared decisions on this topic if they meet objections from below. It is necessary to discuss, consult with people and, if possible, seek compromises. The worst thing is when administrative and political decisions are imposed from above — "it will be so, and that's it!" — and people do not agree with this. The appearance of a large number of migrants, the theme of filling Russia with a multitude of people who are not connected with it either culturally or religiously, is an undoubted risk. But there may not be any risk, and tragic consequences can be avoided if you seriously deal with it now.
Constructive cooperation between different groups of our society is impossible without common goals, and common goals are impossible without common values. It is necessary to determine the value foundation on which the building of the Russian world rests. But our position on this issue cannot be reduced to a defensive and conservative one. For young people, such a position is unacceptable already due to the fact that young people do not live in the past, but always look to the future, and it is necessary to look for common ground and new ways to solve this problem."

Russian Russian People's Council "The Russian World: External and Internal Challenges", which will be held on November 27-28, 2024 in Moscow, was then considered the issues of preparation for the upcoming plenary and sectional meetings of the XXVI World Russian People's Council, which will be held on November 27-28, 2024.