The Presidium of the Interreligious Council of Kalmykia Met in Elista

On October 31, 2020, a meeting of the presidium of the Interreligious Council of Kalmykia, dedicated to National Unity Day, was held at the Spiritual and Educational Center of the Kazan Cathedral in the city of Elista.

The work of the presidium was led by its co-chairs: Archbishop Justinian of Elista and Kalmykia, Shajin Lama of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche, and Mufti of the Muslims of Kalmykia Sultanakhmet Karalaev.

During the meeting, the heads of the religious communities of Kalmykia declared the importance of preserving interreligious and interethnic peace in society and expressed satisfaction with the existing level of dialogue among representatives of the traditional religions in the region.

The members of the presidium of the Interreligious Council of Kalmykia also voiced words of support for the republic's medical workers for their daily selfless labor in combating the spread of the coronavirus infection.

The heads of the communities agreed to hold a wreath-laying ceremony in Elista on National Unity Day in memory of the 100th anniversary of the Crimean evacuation, at the memorial sign to the victims of the fratricidal war. By common decision, the proposal to prepare, together with representatives of Kalmyk scholarship, a round table “The Kalmyks in the ‘Russian Exodus’” dedicated to the theme of the exodus of participants of the White movement from Crimea in 1920 was supported.

Discussing the theme of the Russian Exodus, Archbishop Justinian told the members of the presidium about his recent participation in the international conference “We Have No Land Other Than Crimea,” held in Yalta.

Also, as part of the presidium meeting of the Interreligious Council, its members congratulated Archbishop Justinian of Elista and Kalmykia on the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ministry.