On October 26, in Fatima, Portugal, at the Fourth General Assembly of the World Apostolate of Fatima, a documentary by Nikolay Goryachkin “Russia – Fatima: A bridge or a wall?” was presented, that interprets the history of Russia in the light of the events of Fatima . From interviews with political scientists, sociologists, theologians, philosophers and historians, the message of Fatima is presented as “space for dialogue between Orthodox and Catholic Christians”, “appeal to prayer” and denunciation of “the communist persecution”.
During this presentation, Nikolay Goryachkin, of Russian and Belgian nationality, shared that the end of the war “is no longer on the side of Russia or Ukraine, it is on our side, on the side of prayer, only prayer can bring peace”. He reiterated that “our weapon is prayer, there is no other way, I see no solution even with the support of Europe, or with the entry of the United States. (…) We have to think to stop killing each other and to start thinking about forgiving, although it’s still early for that.”
About the devotion to Mary, the author and film director, an Orthodox Christian, said that “Our Lady is honoured in our country, we call Russia the Country of Our Lady. (…) I like to be in Fatima, here I feel peace, when we pray before the image of Our Lady we realise that there is salvation, it is in God’s peace”. In his interpretation, the message of Fatima is an appeal that “the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church pray together for peace, for the conversion of sinners”, “to bring humanity to Christ”.
Nikolay Goryachkin is the director, producer and owner of the TV production «Blagovest Media International». He is the author of more than 25 films, shown in more than 40 countries in 19 languages, focusing on the ecumenical dialogue and specifically the dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox.
The documentary “Fatima ‐ Russia: a bridge or a wall?” is a co-production of Blagovest Media International (Russia-Belgium), with 4L Communications (Ireland) and the World Apostolate of Fatima of Great Britain and Ireland.
