Metropolitan Hilarion refrained from going to Ruslan and Ludmila at the Bolshoi Theatre fearing "bold" episodes

Moscow, December 5, (SOURCE: Interfax) - Head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Hilarion decided not to go to the Bolshoi Theatre to the new staging of Mikhail Glinka opera Ruslan and Ludmila as he was told there were revealing scenes in the performance.

"I was invited to Ruslan and Lyudmila, but they told me that naked women would spring out to the stage in the end. Just imagine a cleric at such a performance! But as I haven't seen it and I won't see it, I can't criticize it" the church hierarch also famous as a composer said in his interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily.

According to the Metropolitan, this staging at the Bolshoi Theatre reflects the current cultural situation. "Many of my acquaintances, who visited this opera after the Bolshoi Theatre opened, were shocked. But it only reflects the state of culture. The things happening to our art cause anxiety," he said.

He also spoke for revolutional changes of the role television plays in social life and accepted with sadness that Russian TV audience is entertained with "amusing pop programs promoting violence and depravity," "criminal are presented as heroes, sexual immorality is advertised." "We want our television to play educating role, rather than the role of corrupter of morals and manners," the Russian Church hierarch stressed.