By StaffROME-RUTHENIA 10 October 2025 (NRom)
In a recently-released patriarchal letter entitled In omni generatione, His Apostolic Highness the Most Holy Prince-Bishop Radislav I, Roman-Ruthenian Pope, Supreme Pontiff of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church, offers a strong and compelling reminder of the Church’s eternal mission amid the shifting sands of politics and national identity. Speaking with the authority of the Apostolic tradition, His Holiness warns against the seductions of nationalism and partisanship that threaten to entangle the Bride of Christ in worldly loyalties. Instead, His Holiness calls clergy and faithful alike to reaffirm their true citizenship in the Kingdom of God, where mercy triumphs over power and truth stands above ideology. This letter serves as both a rebuke and a beacon, urging believers to remain steadfast, compassionate, and unafraid as witnesses to a faith that transcends every earthly empire.
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Complete text of the Patriarchal Letter In Omni Generatione:
(Text in Latin and Old Russian follow)
In every generation, the Church must remind the world that our first allegiance is not to any flag, party, or political philosophy, but to the Kingdom of God. Nations rise and fall, parties change their colors and slogans, yet Christ alone is constant. When the Church forgets this, when she lets herself be caught in the nets of nationalism or ideology, she loses her prophetic voice and becomes merely an echo in the world’s discordant symphony.
Clergy especially are called to shun party and partisan politics, for political parties merely seek to use the Church for their own ends. They try to convince the faithful that they alone are the right Chris-tian path, but quickly turn when the Church disagrees, even often suggesting that the party or the nation or a political leader is the true litmus test of religious authority and legitimacy. It is, we must always remember, the Church that proclaims what is Christian, moral, and ethical — and that Church is One, Holy, Apostolic, Orthodox, and Catholic. In some countries, those not of the apostolic faith proclaim to speak for what is Christian, so often creating a bizarre blend of pseudo-Christianity, politics, and nationalism. Stranger still is that often those of the apostolic faith, seeking a Christian society, follow along, ceding their Apostolic birthright to others. This must be al-ways and everywhere avoided, and we must be ever-vigilant against it. This must be always and everywhere avoided, and we must be vig-ilant to keep the Bride of Christ free from worldly entanglements.
Now, it is not a sin to love one’s homeland, whether it is the place you were born or a land of your ethnic heritage. Love of culture, land, and heritage can be holy in proper measure and when it reflects di-vine charity — in which case it stems from the Christian command to love one's neighbour. But when love becomes pride, and pride be-comes contempt for others, then the nation itself has become an idol. We see it when leaders speak of power more than mercy, and when policy is made without compassion. We see it when people start to think ill on the other side of a border rather than seeing in them the face of Christ. The Gospel does not ask us to make the world in our own image. Rather, it asks us to see Christ in the stranger, the sick, the poor, and the immigrant — for "I was a stranger, and you wel-comed me."
Too often, political life today has become a theater of anger, where winning is valued more than wisdom and cruelty is mistaken for strength. The Church must not imitate this spirit, and the faithful must not be drawn into such behavior. Moreover, the faithful must not consider such behavior to be the authentic Christian path. We are not to be the chaplains of any earthly empire, but the conscience of all.
Our calling is to stand where others fear to stand: between ene-mies, among the suffering, within the storms that always arise. We do not speak with labels such as liberals or conservatives, right-wing or left-wing, but as Christians — Apostolic, Orthodox, Catholic Christians. We are to love truth more than empty, worldly victory, mercy more than comfort, and God more than ever-fleeting nations.
The Church existed before any kingdom, empire, or republic, and will endure when all have passed away. So many rulers over time have pledged the destruction of the Church on earth, and yet here we stand. We have outlasted every single one of them and will continue to do so. The Church cannot be destroyed, and when it looks dire and the church stands at a precipice, Christ and His Holy Church will conquer. Therefore, let us live as citizens of heaven, faithful, compas-sionate, and unafraid. And let us pray for the conversion of all secular leaders and all people to the Holy Faith of Christ.
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In omni generatione, Ecclesia mundum admonere debet primam nostram fidelitatem non ad ullam vexilli formam, factionem, aut philosophiam politicam pertinere, sed ad Regnum Dei. Gentes sur-gunt et cadunt, factiones mutant colores ac clamores suos, Christus autem solus manet immutabilis. Cum Ecclesia hoc obliviscitur, cum se ipsam implicari sinit retibus nationalismi aut ideologiae, vocem suam propheticam amittit, et fit tantum echo in symphonia mundi dissonante.
Praesertim clerici vocantur ut partium politicarum consortia de-vitent, quippe quae Ecclesiam ad suos fines uti tantum velint. Saepe persuadere conantur fidelibus se solos esse veram viam Christianam, sed statim se vertunt, cum Ecclesia dissentit, etiam suadentes fac-tionem, nationem, aut ducem politicorum esse verum criterium aucto-ritatis ac legitimitatis religionis. Meminisse semper oportet Ecclesiam esse quae definit quid sit vere Christianum, morale, et honestum — eamque Ecclesiam unam, sanctam, apostolicam, orthodoxam et ca-tholicam esse.
In quibusdam nationibus, quae fide apostolica carent, sibi vindicant loqui pro Christiano nomine, saepe monstrum quoddam pseudo-Christianitatis, politicae et nationalismi conficientes. Mirabilius etiam est quod nonnumquam fideles apostolici, Christianam societatem quaerentes, his consentientes nativum suum apostolicum ius aliis tradunt. Hoc semper et ubique vitandum est, atque oportet nos sem-per vigilare, ne Sponsa Christi vinculis mundanis implicetur.
Non peccatum est patriam diligere, sive sit terra nativitatis, sive gentis originis. Amor culturae, terrae, ac hereditatis sanctus esse potest, si modum servat et caritatem divinam reflectit, ex praecepto Christiano quod iubet nos proximum diligere. Sed cum amor in su-perbiam vertitur, et superbia in contemptum aliorum, tunc ipsa natio idolum facta est. Id cernimus cum duces de potestate plus quam de misericordia loquuntur, et cum consilia sine compassione statuuntur. Id cernimus etiam cum homines trans fines alios suspectos habere incipiunt, nec amplius in eis vultum Christi agnoscunt. Evangelium non mandat ut mundum ad nostram imaginem fingamus, sed ut Christum in peregrino, in aegroto, in paupere, in advena videamus: “Hospes eram, et suscepistis me.”
Nimis saepe vita politica hodierna facta est theatrum irae, ubi vincere plus valet quam sapientia, et crudelitas pro fortitudine habe-tur. Ecclesia hunc spiritum imitari nequit, nec fideles tali morum ra-tione decipi debent. Quin etiam, tales mores numquam pro via Chris-tiana habendi sunt. Non sumus cappellani cuiuslibet imperii ter-restris, sed conscientia omnium.
Vocationem habemus stare ubi alii timent stare: inter inimicos, inter dolentes, in mediis tempestatibus quae semper oriuntur. Non loquimur titulis liberalium aut conservativorum, dexterae aut sinis-trae, sed tamquam Christiani — Apostolici, Orthodoxi, Catholici. Veritatem plus quam inanem victoriam, misericordiam plus quam commodum, Deum plus quam caduca regna diligere debemus.
Ecclesia ante omnia regna, imperia, ac res publicas exstitit, et per-severabit cum omnia haec transierint. Tot principes per tempora in-teritum Ecclesiae minati sunt, et tamen adhuc stamus. Omnes illos superavimus, et superaturi sumus. Ecclesia destrui non potest; et cum omnia desperata videntur, cum ipsa ad praecipitium stare videtur, Christus et Ecclesia eius sancta triumphabunt.
Ergo vivamus ut cives caeli, fideles, misericordes, et intrepidi. Et oremus pro conversione omnium ducum saecularium ac totius populi ad Sanctam Fidem Christi.
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Въ каждомъ родѣ и племени Церковь обязана напоминать міру, яко первѣйшее наше послушаніе должно быть не знаме-ни, не партіи, не политическому мудрованію, но Царствію Божію. Царства возстаютъ и падаютъ, партіи изменяютъ свои цвѣта и лозунги, но Христосъ Единъ пребываетъ неизмененъ. Когда же Церковь забываетъ сіе и дозволяетъ себѣ быть уловленною въ сѣти национализма или идеологіи, тогда она утрачиваетъ свой пророческій гласъ и становится токмо от-звукoмъ въ раздвоенномъ гомонѣ міра.
Особливо же духовенство призывается отвращатися отъ партійности и политическихъ влеченій, понеже партіи ищутъ лишь употребити Церковь въ своихъ тщеславныхъ намѣреніяхъ. Они стараются убѣдити вѣрныхъ, яко только они хранятъ истинный христіанскій путь, но вскоре отвра-щаются, аще Церковь не согласна съ ними, и нередко дерза-ютъ утверждати, яко партія, или народъ, или властелинъ по-литическій — суть мѣрила истинной вѣры и законности. Все-гда же подобаетъ памятовати, яко Церковь есть та, яже воз-вѣщаетъ, что есть христіанское, нравственное и благочести-вое, и та Церковь — Едина, Святая, Соборная и Апостольская. Въ некіихъ странахъ иные, не держащіеся апостольской вѣры, осмѣливаются глаголати отъ имени христіанства, создавая странное смешеніе ложнаго благочестія, политикі и национа-лизма. Еще же страннѣе то, яко иногда и сыны вѣры апо-стольской, желая устроити общество христіанское, следуютъ за ними, уступая свое апостольское достояніе чуждымъ. Сего подобаетъ всегда и всюду избѣгати и бодрствовати, да не бу-детъ Невѣста Христова связана мірскими узами.
Не есть грѣхъ — любити Отечество, будь то земля, въ коей кто родился, или страна отеческаго рода. Любовь къ куль-турѣ, къ землѣ и къ наследію можетъ быти свята, аще пребу-детъ въ должной мѣрѣ и отражаетъ любовь Божію; ибо тогда она проистекаетъ изъ заповѣди Христовой — любити ближ-няго своего. Но когда любовь обращается въ гордыню, а гор-дыня — въ презрѣніе къ инымъ, тогда народъ самъ становит-ся идоломъ. Мы видимъ сіе, когда вожди глаголютъ болѣе о силѣ, нежели о милосердіи, и когда уставы творятся безъ со-страданія. Мы видимъ сіе, когда человѣцы начинаютъ по-мышляти зло о тѣхъ, что за границею, не видя въ нихъ образа Христова. Євангеліе не заповѣдуетъ намъ творити міръ по своему образу; оно велитъ узревати Христа въ странствую-щемъ, въ болящемъ, въ нищемъ и пришельцѣ, понеже рече-но: «Былъ есмь странникъ, и пріяхосте Мя».
Слишкомъ часто нынѣшняя политическая жизнь становит-ся позорищемъ гнѣва, идеже побѣда цѣнится болѣе, нежели мудрость, и жестокость почитается силою. Церковь не должна подражати сему духу, и вѣрніи да не увлекаются таковыми нравами. Еще паче — да не почитаютъ сіе истиннымъ путемъ христіанскимъ. Мы не должны быти капелланами какова-либо земнаго царства, но совѣстью всякаго.
Призваніе наше — стояти тамъ, идеже иные боятся стояти: между врагами, среди страждущихъ, въ мразѣ бурь мірскихъ. Мы не глаголемъ языкомъ партійнымъ — ни либеральныхъ, ни консервативныхъ, ни десныхъ, ни лѣвыхъ, — но яко христіане: Апостольскіе, Православные, Соборные. Мы долж-ны любити Истину болѣе, нежели тщетную побѣду мірскую, милость — болѣе, нежели покой, и Бога — болѣе, нежели су-етныя царства земныя.
Церковь существовала прежде всякаго царства, имперіи или республики и пребудетъ, когда всѣ они прейдутъ. Многіе властители во времена различныя клялись истребити Цер-ковь на земли, и вотъ — мы стоимъ нынѣ. Мы пережили ихъ всѣхъ и пребудемъ впредь. Церковь не можетъ быть разру-шена, и даже когда видится, яко она стоитъ на краю бездны, Христосъ и Святая Его Церковь восторжествуютъ. Сего ради да живемъ яко граждане Небеснаго Царства — вѣрніи, мило-стивіи и безстрашніи. И да молимся о просвѣщеніи всѣхъ вла-стителей мірскихъ и всѣхъ человѣковъ ко Святѣй Вѣрѣ Хри-стовой.
