Recently, it became known that Anglican Church was going to set a quota for its clergy for priests from ethnic minorities of Great Britain, and at the same time to introduce "anti-racistic training" in church schools.

It’s important to note that this policy is relevant to anything, but not to christianity. Of course, you can talk about the difference in perception of priesthood in Orthodox Church and in Anglican Church. But anyway the service of God means the synergy — the cooperation between God and man.

Yes, people appoint and ordain priests. But all this doesn’t happen without God’s participation, not to mention the desire for the priesthood that the Lord gives to some people. «You did not choose Me but I chose you…» (John 15:16) — says Christ to apostles. There’s a special sacrament in priestly ministry. This is the pre-election of a person by the Lord, and the free choice of the one who wants to become a priest, as well as the free choice and responsibility of the one who ordains a person to the priesthood. And now this sacrament is narrowing down to quotas.

Neither in Scripture, nor in Tradition do we encounter anything like this. And demonstrating fighting against racism in this way is inappropriate in principle, because we know that in Christ «there is no distinction between Greek and Jew.» (Colossians 3:10; 3:11). So, it means that a person who aspires to the clergy must have only qualities that match with this aspiration. First of all, this is the love to God and neighbors, obeying the Scripture, matching definite canonical standards, but not belonging to one or another race.

Similarly, it is absurd to introduce "anti-racist teaching" in church educational institutions, because where people are loved as God's supreme creation, by definition, there can be no racism. And the Church always taught and teaches exactly this: the love for a person in general. Christ himself left this teaching to us. Let’s recall at least the parable of the good Samaritan: closer to a person is the one who has shown him mercy, regardless of his status, rank, origin or nationality.

Of course, there were no black slaves, racial segregation, or anything like that on our land. But we experienced a frightful revolution when classes and strata of the society considered privileged (clergy, nobility, merchantry etc.) were declared almost outlawed and subjected to repression and persecution in favour of those who were considered oppressed - workers and peasants. How this turned out for our people, we remember perfectly: everyone suffered, and we still feel spiritual and cultural losses. In the «free western world» todays repression, as we can see, is out of the question, but it’s worth starting small for repeating it there, possibly, in more «modest» forms.

However, in no case should everything that happens cause us gloating at the stumbling "godless West." Now it’s more important to monitor ourselves and our own society searching for similar signs in ourselves. If some idea no matter by which beautiful wrap it is covered conflicts to the teachings of Christ, it’s an obvious sign of apostasy. And if Church stops witnessing about the Truth and pointing society at the right path, we will face all the same that we can see in our western brothers.

Recorded by Natalia Goroshkova