MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/. Russia and conservative political movements in the West could work together to counter the spread of radical liberal ideas globally and advocate for traditional values, Canadian journalist John-Henry Westen, CEO and co-founder of the media platform LifeSiteNews, told TASS.
Westen recently visited Russia as part of an international delegation hosted by the Russian Orthodox Church.
"There is a clear potential for collaboration among those defending life and family in Russia, Africa, and certain political movements in the United States. While conservatives in Canada and Europe face an uphill battle, the alignment of societal and governmental support for these values in Russia creates a strong foundation for mutual support and dialogue in this global struggle for life and family," he said.
Westen noted that for Western conservatives, "the support they can get from Russia would truly be amazing, and it would work well, because there in Russia, as now with the conservatives in the United States, there's more of a possibility, because the government's actually supporting you. I do see very much an opportunity for collaboration and support." He added, "In Russia, I witnessed authentic steadfastness on issues of life and family."
Sharing his impressions of Russia, the Catholic Canadian journalist said that interacting with Orthodox believers was "profoundly moving." "Visiting Sergiev Posad, witnessing the Divine Liturgy with Patriarch Kirill, and speaking with the bishop of Sergiev Posad and Dmitrov Kirill were of great importance to me. I particularly loved the veneration of the relics as the Orthodox, as do the Catholics, have a great tradition of venerating the relics of the saints. And believe it or not, I was so impressed because I was able to venerate the relics of Saint Stephen, the first martyr, and it was incredible for me," Westen shared.
Reflecting on the Moscow-wide religious procession on September 7, the journalist remarked that "the West had no coverage of it." "Just seeing an Orthodox procession dedicated to the faith, with 400,000 people taking part in it carrying enormous banners of Our Lord, is truly astounding. But no, we didn't see any coverage of that here in the West. When I got there, I was stunned to see the videos," he concluded.