Representatives of the Synodal Department for Church-Society Relations and the Media spoke at the XXVII St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

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Representatives of the Synodal Department for Church-Society Relations and the Media took part in the session "Efficiency and Justice: a Christian View of Socio-economic Development", which took place within the framework of the XXVII St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), held from June 5 to 8 at the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Center.
The participants of the session touched upon issues of justice as an economic category, the possibility of the existence of an "Orthodox economy", the responsibility of a Christian leader, as well as the realism of a reverse demographic transition, when the birth rate becomes the driver of the economy, the press service of the Department reports.
In particular, the session was attended by Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church-Society and Media Relations, MGIMO Professor, member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation Vladimir Legoyda and Editor-in-chief of Radio Vera, Acting Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church-Society and Media Relations Ilya Kuzmenkov.
The session was moderated by Roman Torgashin, Director of the People of Faith Endowment Fund.
Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, addressed the participants of the session with a welcoming speech, recalling the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin that "Russia chooses life, spirituality and creative work" and noting that the business community, citizens and the state should follow this path together.
The tone of the discussion was set by the interview of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the official SPIEF magazine. Russian Russian Orthodox Primate addressed the forum participants in this interview and raised the eternal themes of justice and salvation, attitudes to wealth and patronage, as well as spoke about the influence of various branches of Christianity on the development of entrepreneurship, about the Orthodox corporate culture and the Russian view of the economy.
The participants of the panel discussion "Efficiency and Justice: a Christian view of socio-economic development" noted the depth and versatility of the interview and shared their thoughts on its main aspects.
Speaking about the interview with His Holiness the Patriarch, Dmitry Chernyshenko stressed that religious worldview and traditional values penetrate into all spheres of public relations today, and therefore it is very important to hear the opinion of Orthodox leaders on justice, business ethics, social responsibility, corporate culture, domestic traditions, patronage and charity.
Vladimir Legoyda, in turn, noted that "faith must permeate the whole life" of a person. This is exactly the idea, according to the speaker, contained in the interview of the Primate of the Russian Church to the official magazine of the SPIEF.


Vladimir Legoyda pointed out the basic mistake, which is the need to choose between religion and business. According to the representative of the Church, if there is a religious approach to life, then many problems and dilemmas of entrepreneurs who have come to the faith are leveled and "entrepreneurship ceases to be an area that must be fought."
For his part, Ilya Kuzmenkov noted the "general spirit of mentoring" in the interview with His Holiness the Patriarch. On the one hand, the Primate urges "not to look too simply at complex socio-economic issues, but on the other hand gives a simple universal answer to these challenges."


According to Ilya Kuzmenkov, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church answers the question of wealth and salvation that worries many Orthodox entrepreneurs, saying that "it is not wealth itself that is important, but the attitude towards it." As an example, the speaker cited the patron saint of Russian entrepreneurship, Reverend Joseph Volotsky.
Based on the words of the Gospel, other participants in the discussion, in turn, noted that Orthodoxy does not exclude wealth, just as poverty is not a guarantee of salvation. The speakers spoke about the importance of creation and giving as opposed to greed and hedonism, about the need for everyone to act like a Christian in their place, which will be the path to justice.
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is a unique event in the world of economics and business. Over the years, the Forum has become the world's leading platform for business representatives to communicate and discuss key economic issues facing Russia, emerging markets and the world as a whole. The SPIEF has been held annually since 1997. Since 2006, the Forum has been held under the patronage and with the participation of the President of Russia.

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