Moscow, 24 December 2007 (Interfax):
The Moscow Patriarchate is [apprehensive concerning] the careless attitude of some Moscow clergymen to their pastoral duties and urges Patriarch Aleksei II to [initiate] disciplinary actions against them. “Some young priests are disdainful of Church [guidelines] and think they can introduce their own rules. They often [abridge them], not [paying heed to] their high aims”, Archbishop Arseny of Istra said at the annual diocesan meeting of the Moscow clergy on Monday.
According to the bishop, when priests conduct services in a hurry, it produces a negative impression in believers and has a negative effect on parochial life as a whole. “The Church considers the current [guidelines normative], and the clerics [named] are not free [to change them]”, Archbishop Arseny stressed. He regretfully [mentioned some] characteristic “[irregularities performed] by priests when conducting prayer services”. Thus, some priests conduct the sacrament of baptism by effusion instead of total immersion; they do not read the Creed, and they do not even consecrate the water before [performing] the sacrament. “When some accuse us of ‘Latinism’, we have to say that it is not ‘Latinism’, it is [rather] just the ordinary [carelessness] and laziness of [some] priests”, he noted. The baptism of rich people is often turned into “a show, a theatrical performance, where everyone laughs and takes photos, and, unfortunately, the priest does nothing to draw public attention to the prayer”.
[The bishop also found that] hurried 15-minute pannikhidas and [priestly advice] to believers that the sacrament of anointing is a substitute for confession and washes out all [one’s] sins are also inadmissible. “It is necessary to find those [clergy] who neglect the [guidelines] and ask His Holiness the Patriarch to relieve them of priestly duties because it is an ‘intolerable burden’ for them”, Archbishop Arseny believes. He also stated that ordinary believers complain to the Moscow Patriarchate about very high prices for sacraments and candles. Archbishop Arseny said that some priests [“charge fees to absolve the sin of] abortion”. He stressed that such actions repulse believers from the Church.
Archbishop Arseny also reproached some Moscow clergy in being late to Liturgy regularly and urged them to “value the time of those who come to the divine service. The general excuse of such clergymen is traffic jams. However, we usually know [in advance] about this, so, it is necessary to plan one’s schedule [in advance]”, he said. Archbishop Arseny insisted that clerics who omit the confession obligatory to all clergymen should be suspended from celebrating Divine Liturgy. He also criticised priests who speak aloud in the altar and who sit during the services.
Archbishop Arseny also asked all Moscow clergy to set up a fax machine in every church for operational communication, because people who answer telephone calls in churches are often “not fit to accept information”. He also spoke about appearance of certain clergy. He believes it unacceptable for long-haired priests and deacons to wear “ladies pins” instead of [hair-ties] of ordinary elastic. “It only remains for them to tie it into a bow [to impart a feminine appearance]”, he noted [acidly]. To conclude his speech, Archbishop Arseny requested Patriarch Aleksei II “to take more effective measures” in order to eliminate deficiencies in parochial life.
Interfax-Religion
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