The Home of the Last Tsar - Romanov and Russian History

MOSCOW, June 19 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian Orthodox Church believes thatthe state should give a moral evaluation of the murder of the royalfamily in July 1918. The 90th anniversary of the tragedy in whichNicholas II and his family were killed, is "a suitable time" for it,"deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's external relationsdepartment Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin told reporters.

"As long as the state does not brand the murder ofthe tsar's family as a crime; doesn't tell who issued the order forexecution; doesn't give an evaluation at the level of symbolicallyimportant moral decisions, it will be difficult for Russia to move one,without ridding itself of historical spots on its conscience," Chaplinsaid.

He said he was not a supporter of calls for "penance in public."

According to the Church’s doctrine, penance istaken for personal sins, individually, in the sacrament of confession.However, in his view, a moral evaluation of this lawlessness on thepart of the state is necessary, so that this evil deed does not weighheavy upon the nation's conscience in the future.

Vsevolod Chaplin noted that last year, theProsecutor General's Office turned down the petition to rehabilitationthe tsar's family, because of the absence of hard evidence that thedeath sentence had ever been officially drawn.

But his decision should not cancel a courageousmove on the part of the society and the state - to condemn the massacreof the tsar's family, Chaplin said.