The presence of the Church in the media space is a big topic that is related not only to the life of the Church, but also to the life of the country and to the life of a modern person. It becomes especially important today, when information is very significant for the formation of public opinion. The way the facts are interpreted and the emotions they are accompanied with, have an impact on the consciousness of people, on their psyche, and on their understanding of problems. 

It is important for us to understand what constitutes the core of the message with which the Church addresses people, society, and the world. This core cannot but correlate with the main message of the Church - the message of salvation. Everything else is secondary or tertiary. The most important thing that the Church should transmit to people is the message about salvation, about such an arrangement of human character and human relations, which forms the fullness of objective reality ...

I am firmly convinced that the word of the Church, even in conditions of conflict, should carry a reconciling force. It should not in any way be associated with aggressiveness and rigidity in the consciousness of people. It cannot break free of the main mission of the Church - to bear witness about the peace of Christ. 

Speech at the meeting of the Supreme Church Council in Moscow, April 3, 2012

The modern information environment closely monitors any news related to the Church, and here I would like to say this is not only about journalists, but also in general about the people who represent the Church in the eyes of a secular society. We must pay special attention to our way of life, to the words we speak, to the way we behave. Because through the assessment of one or another representative of the Church, most often a clergyman, people develop ideas about the whole Church.

This is, of course, a misconception. However, today, according to the law of this genre, it turns out that some errors in the actions or words of the clergy are instantly replicated and create a false picture by which people define their attitude towards the Church. One must constantly remember the responsibility that a presence in the public space imposes on Christians, especially on the clergy. 

Speech at the closing ceremony of the 5th International Festival of Orthodox Media “Faith and Word”, Moscow, October 31, 2012

Our time is often called the era of information. We can really see how information is gaining more and more importance in the lives of modern people. The mass media are now and then transformed from ways of obtaining information into an instrument of influence on the formation of a worldview. 

In these conditions, our response to the information challenges of our time should be based on two main principles. First,  the desire to testify to the Truth by prayer, word, and deed in whatever conditions we find ourselves. Secondly, professionalism, the ability to use these mass media tools in the work of the Church.

Report at the Bishops’ Council 2013, Moscow, February 2, 2013

Data streams from various sources claim to influence decision-making. This is what causes turbulence in the inter-net. The internet is always the intersection of interests, with the desire to influence another, or to shape their position so that it is acceptable to the influence group.

The Church is no exception. Of course, there are circles that are trying to influence the decisions we make, adjust our worldview, and forward our efforts in a direction that would correspond to the interests of these circles. There is nothing surprising in this. Today, the global internet operates according to this law.  Under such conditions, the Church cannot afford to ignore these factors associated with the informational impact on it as an institution and on each believer. 

The Church ship must confidently overcome the waves of the information sea and direct its way in accordance with the correct course. Just as it is important for a ship to be able to distinguish leading marks in order to pass the fairway correctly, so for you and me - for the Church, the people of God - it is important to be able to distinguish “leading marks” in the internet and not to lose that coordinate system, with the help of which it is only possible to navigate the Church ship along a very complex fairway, under the influence of powerful information waves.

...The common source of information for the Church is our common area of   responsibility; it is a matter of concern not only for central Church structures, but also for each diocese. Each bishop must realize his personal responsibility for this area. The indiscretion shown in any diocese can lead to con-sequences of such magnitude that harm would be done to the entire Church organism. So here both professionalism and an awareness of the danger that ill-considered steps and actions cause are in high demand.

The opinion of the Hierarchy, of the Church’s Plenitude, expressed through documents and statements of the Church officials, must be known at the level of every diocese, every parish, and every parishioner. This is our challenge. Every-thing we are going to talk about should be directed towards this goal. Everything that happens in the Church, especially what concerns the adoption of important, crucial decisions, must be brought to the consciousness of every believer. Responsible persons at all levels of Church life should take an active part in this.

Speech at a meeting of the Supreme Church Council April 12, 2013, Moscow, Cathedral of Christ the Savior 

We should not confuse the Church’s mission in the internet with the instant reaction to insignificant occasions, to which the world living “in the Twitter mode” very often urges us. One needs to react to something immediately, but one still needs to act with caution. The patriarch should only react to what is really relevant to the salvation of people. Therefore, my scale of reaction to the events is somewhat different from that of the heads of synodal institutions. They may need to react to more specific occasions and more promptly - but, again, observing the appropriate proportions and restraint.

We should not converse in Tweets when it comes to saving souls. Even living in conditions of a constant barrage of information, the Church is called to be true to its goal of caring for the souls of people. This most important goal should never go out of sight, hide behind other goals that naturally arise from the historical context, or away from the events that are happening around us.

The internet for us is primarily a space for evangelism. Everything we do in this environment should be directed towards a single goal - saving people, and this imposes responsibility on the choice of language, on the choice of interlocutors, and on the choice of topics. 

Speech at a meeting of the Supreme Church Council April 12, 2013, Moscow, Cathedral of Christ the Savior