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The fundamental multivolume edition of the Orthodox Encyclopaedia represents a systematic body of knowledge in all areas of church life and the main issues of governance, law, politics and culture. The encyclopaedia gives particular attention to the history of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Work on the encyclopaedia combines efforts by major religious and secular scholars from Russia and abroad. All Local Orthodox Churches are participating in the project. The Orthodox Encyclopaedia will be published under the general editorship of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and under the patronage of President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Volumes 34, 35 and 36 of the alphabetically organised encyclopaedia were presented during the meeting.

The Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office noted in his speech that in publishing the encyclopaedia, the authors do as much as possible to show the achievements of modern humanities and natural sciences through the prism of the Orthodox worldview, which makes the edition universal and indispensable for education. The scholars are working to collect the rich history and cultural heritage of Russian and worldwide Orthodoxy, focusing particularly on revealing its exceptional moral significance and its particular unifying role in Russia’s history. According to Mr Ivanov, the publication’s potential audience is not limited to narrowly focused specialists but will include a wide range of readers.

Sergei Ivanov also talked about the attempts to divide the peoples of the former USSR through the distortion of history and attacks on Russian Orthodox churches and priest, stressing that in this context, preparing the publication becomes even more relevant, and it is imperative to accelerate this work.