Voices from Russia

St Andrei Rublyov (Vladimir Chorny, no date (1990s-2000s?))

Moscow, 30 January 2008 (Interfax):

The Club of Orthodox Maecenases and the Russian Centre in Tallinn shall present an exhibition, The ‘Measured Icon’: Its History and Its Present in the Estonian capital. It shall open on the eve of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple in mid-February. “At the end of 2007, we celebrated the 90^th anniversary of the founding of the Cathedral in Revel, and we are glad to announce the news of this next significant event, an exhibition of Russian icons. This asserts the indissoluble ties of Orthodoxy in Estonia with the Church in Russia, it shows our support for our Russian compatriots in Estonia, and it is a part of our effort to strengthen relations between our peoples”, Andrei Poklonsky, the chairman of the Club of Orthodox Maecenases, said to Interfax on Wednesday.

In accordance with an old Russian tradition, the “measured icon” is ordered upon the birth of a child by his godparents. It depicts the saint who is the heavenly patron of the child. Its size corresponds to that of the child, hence, the name for this type of icon. “Today, the revival of the ancient Orthodox tradition of the ‘measured icon’ is an attempt to restore the torn thread of our link with the great past of Russia, as a contribution to the reassertion of our traditional family values and morals”, Mr Poklonsky said. The exhibition shall present copies of “measured icons” from the Arhangel’sk Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, the Novodevichy Monastery, the collection of the Moscow Theological Academy, and also modern examples of the genre. Participants in the opening of the exhibition shall include the composer Grigori Gladkov and the television presenter Oksana Feodorova.

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Moscow, 30 January 2008 (Interfax):

Fr Vsevolod Chaplin, the Deputy Head of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, believes that Russia cannot survive if it does not win the struggle against nationalist and religious extremists. At the 16^th annual Christmas Reading in Moscow on Wednesday, Fr Vsevolod stated, “It is extremely important to oppose radicalism in all its forms so that the many attempts from all quarters to drive Russians apart and separate us are unsuccessful”. In his view, the attempts [by the West] to weaken Russia by using economic, military, intelligence, and diplomatic methods have failed. “They attempt to use ‘divide and conquer’ tactics against us, so, they try to sow strife between our peoples. In the past, some of these manoeuvres have succeeded”, Fr Vsevolod noted.

“We must keep radical forces from gaining any popular support. We must mark all who make provocative racist remarks and who slanderously accuse state and church figures with false charges of crime and sin as provocateurs and liars”, he said. Fr Vsevolod said emphatically that this was a pressing duty of public authorities, legislators, and the media. He thought that contemporary society was “too blasé concerning radicalism, it did not see it as the dangerous illness it is, and all too often, it just lets people ‘have it out’ with one another”. Fr Vsevolod believes that this torpidity can lead us “into a state of near death”. He warned that the present public stability in Russia is not a “given certainty”, and he urged everyone to make all possible efforts to counteract the development of radical forces in society.

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Kazan, 30 January 2008 (Interfax):

The First Muslim Youth Spartakiad Shall Take Place in Kazan, it shall run from February to June of this year. “Participants shall come from Muslim educational institutions, from the Russian Islamic University, and from the ranks of the young imams in the mosques”, Il’giz Fakhirev, the head of the Kazan executive committee for gymnastics, said to Interfax on Wednesday. He reminded us that, in the past, a number of mosques in Tatarstan had held sports competitions amongst their imams and parishioners. This generated great interest and was much enjoyed by the participants and spectators alike.

“Several of our youth organisations proposed that we hold a Spartakiad in Kazan. God willing, it shall grow into an all-Tatarstan event, and we hope that it shall eventually attract athletes from all over the Volga Federal Okrug (region)”, Mr Fakhirev said. The event is open to competitors between the ages of 18 to 30. The men shall face off in mini-football (soccer), swimming, Tartar fighting, table tennis, tug-of-war, arm wrestling, and basketball matches. Women shall compete in swimming, table tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Mr Fakhirev emphasised that all competitors shall follow the rules of Islamic law, and special modest sports clothing shall be provided for all participants. “We shall showcase the strong and the agile, we shall present our Muslim sports fraternity”, he said.

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The Baptism of Grand Princess St Olga (Sergei Kirillov, 1992) (Painting One of the triptych Holy Rus’)

Moscow, 30 January 2008 (Interfax):

Archbishop Pavel Vyshgorodsky (of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the MP), the Deputy Superior of the Kievo-Pecherskago Lavra, protested the sale of playing cards with the image of Grand Princess St Olga. “As a Christian, as a bishop, and as a member of the clergy, I do not countenance blasphemy of sacred things, whether such mockery is open or implied. I am against the circulation of these playing cards with the image of Grand Princess St Olga categorically. These cards must be withdrawn from sale immediately”, Vladyki Pavel stated. “We shall use all means available to us; we shall go to the secular courts if necessary, because holy things were indeed profaned. First of all, please, I ask all of all of you to be sober and not be led astray by your anger, because, if you do so, you shall have to answer for it, if not now, then, on the Last Day”, he noted. Vladyki Pavel urged “everyone to vote in favour of truth”, and he emphasised the point that “this mockery should not stand in our country, with its ancient heritage of Christianity and its strong Orthodox traditions”. This was reported Wednesday on the official website of the Moscow Patriarchate.

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A Russian soldier venerating the relics of Grand Prince St Aleksandr Nevsky

Moscow, 30 January 2008 (Interfax):
A military unit composed entirely of Orthodox believers was activated in Vladimir oblast. “I received my call to the colours whilst I was at the Optina Pustyn, I arrived here without knowing where to find it on the map. My spiritual father said that service to the motherland is compulsory for all Orthodox Christians”, stated Junior Sergeant Denis Fedorov in an interview with Vremya (Time) on the First Channel. Colonel Andrei Lopatin, the commander of the unit, testified that “there is no harassment in my unit, I shall not allow it. I find that believers make better soldiers than unbelievers”. A working monastery dedicated to St Zosima is part of the unit’s permanent base. The soldiers attend services regularly and they sing in the choir, which is led by Honoured Artist of Russia Leonid Pavlov. Mr Pavlov comes to the base every Saturday to hold rehearsals for the singers.

Editor’s Note:

There are two things I would like to add. Firstly, this is a creative approach to deal with the problem of dedovshchyna (literally, “rule of the grandfathers”). This is the pernicious practise of older conscripts bullying and humiliating their younger mates. If this works, it shall no doubt be extended further in the army. Secondly, it is a clever way of getting around the present lack of chaplains in the Russian forces. True, many units are now served by priests from the regions in which they are based. Unfortunately, such clergy also have parochial duties to attend to as well. In this case, the monks have the obedience of attending to the spiritual needs of the troops exclusively.

Think of it! A unit of Orthodox warriors ready to defend Faith and Motherland. Isn’t that INSPIRING? One can follow the Optina fathers (who honour sacrificial military duty) or one can be deluded by the “Orthodox Peace Fellowship” (who advocate shirking and draft-dodging). I know where I stand… what about you?

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Moscow, 30 January 2008 (Interfax):

President Ramzan Kadyrov of Chechnya supports the teaching of religion as an established part of the curriculum of the state schools. “I support this proposal, for spiritual and moral training must be taught in our schools”, he said in a radio interview on Ekho Moskvy. Mr Kadyrov mentioned that he advocates the teaching of the principles of Islam in the Chechen state schools. “If our young people were taught what Wahhabis truly are, we would have no conflict, and no new Basayevs and Khattabs would appear”, he said. Mr Kadyrov believes that terrorists in Chechnya “used Wahhabi ideology to further their interests”. He thinks the education of the younger generation should not only be in the hands of the parents, “for in all other subjects this is not the case”. Mr Kadyrov deplored some current trends amongst youth, saying, “What are some young people doing now? They go about undressed, this leads to lewd behaviour and other evil things”. President Kadyrov thinks that the study of religious principles in school helps to foster in students a proper love of the motherland and a due respect for their elders.

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Moscow 29 January 2008 (Interfax):

The Moscow Patriarchate criticised some members of the clergy for their isolationist attitudes, saying that this prevents a fruitful dialogue between the Church and secular society. “Today, there are noticeable isolationist currents in the Church that advocate an avoidance of the representatives of other religions and an aloof stance towards the secular authorities. In general, they accuse those who have dialogue with those outside of the Church as traitors to Orthodoxy”, said Metropolitan Kyrill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, the head of the Department of External Church Relations of the MP, at the 16^th annual Christmas Readings in Moscow. Vladyki Kyrill stressed that we must discuss the problem of isolationism in the Church “in a conciliar fashion”, however, we cannot solve it by “simply counting the votes, and finding the majority position”. He reminded his listeners that, in past Church disputes, the Holy Fathers often “defended the truth whilst remaining in the minority”.

Vladyki Kirill emphasised that “today, dialogue with the secular world is not treachery, it is not against Orthodoxy, but, it is the very means of injecting Christian values into the life of our secular society. If the Church were to withdraw from such a dialogue, it would indicate that the mission and evangelical imperative of the Church have failed”. He stated that contemporary society suffers from a crisis of belief that cannot be dismissed simply “by anathemas from the ambo or rambling monologues from the Penza caves or other such remote backwaters”. Vladyki Kirill believes that the only fruitful path for the Church today is to emulate the Holy Fathers, “who Christianised Classical Art” and used the achievements of the pagan Greco-Roman culture in order to draw their contemporaries to a greater understanding of the truth. He reminded us that contemporary secular culture has preserved its Christian roots, despite its wanderings, and the pressing task of the Church is “to not allow this link to be broken”.

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Moscow, 29 January 2008 (Interfax):

Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsky, the Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate, criticised Russians copying the Western celebration of lovers on 14 February, St Valentine’s Day. “For some reason, human rights activists do not speak against this, but, they should”, Vladyki Kliment said on Tuesday at the 16^th annual “Christmas Reading” in Moscow. He feels that the ideology of free love celebrated in the contemporary Western observance is alien to the traditions of Russian culture. Vladyki Kliment urged Russians to cultivate their own Orthodox holidays. In particular, he proposed that 14 February be declared the Day of the Orthodox Family.

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Krasnogorsk, 29 January 2008 (Interfax):

About 3,500 young people from all over Moscow shall participate in the main events of Orthodox Youth Day on 21 February at the “Olympic” Sport Palace in the Chekhov neighbourhood; this is according to a press release received by Interfax form the Moscow Oblast Youth Affairs Committee. There shall be a mini-football (soccer) tournament and other competitions between the different youth groups as part of the festival programme. One of the main events shall be a competition for young photographers entitled “Moscow Area Orthodoxy”. There shall be open-air merrymaking for the young people and there shall be popular amusements offered to all participants. The leading figures of the Moscow oblast, including Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna (the patriarchal vicar), shall attend the events commemorating Orthodox Youth Day.

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New Hieromartyr Maksim Sandovich of Lemkovshchyna, murdered by the Hapsburg authorities for rejecting the Unia

Moscow, 28 January 2008 (Interfax):

Yuri Boldyrev, the leader of the Orthodox Path organisation in the Ukraine, believes that the Vatican is interested in creating a “national” Orthodox Church in the Ukraine. “The true aim of the Vatican in encouraging a “national” Orthodox Church in the Ukraine is to further the advance of Catholicism to the east”, Mr Boldyrev stated in an interview with the magazine Profil’ (Profile). In his view, the Holy See has attempted “for a thousand years” to weaken the unity of Orthodox in the Ukraine with their Russian co-religionists. “The Vatican attempted to put the Ukraine under its domination and to ‘correct’ the ‘historical mistake’ of Grand Prince St Vladimir by using the political and military force of nearby Catholic states”. He observed further that, in the sixteenth century, the Vatican “took advantage of the political weakness of Russia” and extended its power over Galician Rus’. It imposed the Union of Brest on the Orthodox subjects of the Polish state (then extending to the west bank of the Dnepr). As a result, today, “Galicians differ significantly in culture and thought from all other Ukrainians”.

 Mr Boldyrev described how he saw the plans of the Vatican unfolding. “Here is their scenario for the Catholicisation of the Ukraine. First, a ‘national’ Orthodox church would be created. Then, the Ukrainian Uniates would join it in a ‘patriotic’ union. Do recall that some of the Ukrainian nationalist Orthodox schismatics already mention the Pope of Rome in their services. This is not a new idea. It was not born today, and it was not born in 1991. These are but the contemporary manifestations of a thousand-year process. The present partisans of the creation of a “national” church are not honest about the meaning of their plan. Some, no doubt are ignorant dupes. Others are being sly and deceiving. Do not forget that the building of the Uniate cathedral in Kiev on the left bank of the Dnepr is an accomplished fact”, noted Mr Boldyrev.

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