Voices from Russia

It was not merely the burial of a holy man that we witnessed yesterday… we saw the end of a discrete era in Church history. With the interment of the earthly relics of Vladyki Laurus, the shape of Church life as we have known it since 1965 also came to an end.

Firstly, the ROCOR as it has been since 1920 has ceased to be, exactly as its founders had intended in the first instance. There is no doubt that the reconciliation that took place on 17 May 2007 between the ROCOR and the MP at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow was in exact accordance with the wishes of Metropolitans Antony Khrapovitsky, Anastassy Gribanovsky, and Philaret Voznesensky of Blessed Memory. This reconciliation did not only re-establish communion between the ROCOR and the MP, it also reintegrated the ROCOR as a constituent (albeit, autonomous) part of the MP. That is to say, the independent body headquartered in Jordanville NY in the US, under the provisions of Ukase 362 of Patriarch St Tikhon Bellavin, ended its existence voluntarily, in full compliance with the desires of its architects.

The ROCOR is now again in the bosom of the Mother Church, and there is no doubt that it shall act as the agent for unity of Russian Orthodox Christians in the lands outside of the canonical territory of the MP. That is to say, the MP shall use the existing legal structures and the accumulated pastoral experience in the diaspora of the ROCOR to unite all Russian Orthodox outside of Russia under its omophor. This is a very important role, and a bright new page in the history of the ROCOR is yet to be written as a result of it. The ROCOR is NOT going to cease to exist, by any means! Rather, it has only given up an “independence” that had become a negative factor in its way of life.

The theological left-wingers can no longer hurl the epithet “uncanonical” at the ROCOR. Indeed, the reconciliation of 17 May 2007 occurred without the concurrence of one of the major Renovationist bodies (one whose canonical legitimacy is totally dependent on the MP, by the way) that claims to be an agent for church unity in one of the parts of the diaspora. This means that the ROCOR, not this group, is now considered by Moscow to be the legitimate focus for canonical Orthodoxy in the region concerned. What am I talking of?

The “jurisdictional war” that existed between the OCA and the ROCOR is now over, and history shall record that the latter was victorious through its faithfulness to the fullness of Church tradition and that the former died of its own inner contradictions and incoherence. This is one of the major factors in the realignment in Orthodoxy that is occurring as I write this. The Church world that was shaped by Metropolitan Philaret Voznesensky and Fr Alexander Schmemann after 1965 is drawing to a rapid close.

Metropolitan Laurus was very much a man formed in that milieu; he was one of the major players in that era. He did not write books; he did not make speeches. Indeed, Vladyki was well-known as a soft-spoken man who did not raise his voice. Schmemann wrote many books, he delivered many speeches, and he was going to “drag the Church into the modern world” whether it wished to come or not. Vladyki was a champion of prayer, a podvizhnik, as we say in Russian. I do not think that he has left us a single writing of book length. Nevertheless, God blessed the silent work of Vladyki, and the noisy exertions of Schmemann… it is best not to speak out loud the judgement on that.

Vladyki was a champion of true Church unity, a unity that is founded in a common profession of the traditional Faith “once delivered unto the saints”. Schmemann replaced the traditional Faith with notional ideas culled from his unsupervised readings of the Fathers and questionable modern figures such as Pavel Florensky, Sergei Bulgakov, and Aleksandr Vvedensky (the leader of the Living Church heresy in Russia).

It should be noted that the Fathers are often contradictory; this is because they wrote in response to specific situations in the Church. One situation may have demanded rigour in discipline; another may have required compassion and healing. Each was a unique case, handled upon its own merits. The Church continues that Tradition. That is why it is so dangerous for new converts to dabble in the Fathers. Without a sense of the lived Church Tradition and the lived Church experience, they go off onto tangents that can be delusions and dangerous. It has led to a current problem with Calvinist and Jansenist pietism amongst Orthodox in the US, in particular. The Church is not a condemnatory conventicle; it is a place of healing, of reconciliation. Many have forgotten that, unfortunately.

From 1965 onwards, there arose a dispute about the very nature of the Church, especially in the diaspora setting. Vladyki Laurus was a paladin of Tradition, but, he taught by his example, not his words. He SHOWED us what to do. He was an exemplar, not a lecturer. Schmemann was the opposite; he was nothing but an empty, dry, and windy scholastic, with nothing to show for his efforts except for paper and ink. Vladyki said nothing, but, did much. Schmemann said much, but, at our vantage point, we can see that he accomplished little, if anything.

I do not think that many of us recall the 1970s and 1980s without a shudder of disgust at what went on. A wise old baba said at the time, “The priests are having a fight, and the people are suffering”. Extremists claimed the right to speak in both camps, and unrepresentative voices shaped the tenor of Church life. In particular, I am thinking of the antics of SVS in Crestwood and Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Brookline. Both extremes are wrong, and we Orthodox Christians should stick to the “golden mean” taught by such wise modern fathers as Metropolitan Antony Khrapovitsky. Vladyki Laurus taught the “golden mean”, and he did his best to combat the extremists. This does not in any way imply that the entire brotherhood at Jordanville followed his salutary example. I wish that such were true! The sickness of the time pervaded the entire Church, and all that Vladyki could do was to mitigate it (nevertheless, no small service!).

It was a time of Count Grabbe, Hieromonk Panteleimon of Brookline, Gleb Podmoshensky, Alexander Schmemann, Laurence Mancuso, and other such jumped-up frauds. It appeared as though the entire Church had lost its reason. If one ventured a good-sense opinion on Church matters, the extremists of either stripe descended, and a very nasty ad hominem attack was launched on the poor person involved. In the midst of all of this was Vladyki with his still small voice. He stood for the actual Tradition; he taught the authentic Faith without diminution. In short, Vladyki did not live in normal times, yet, he stood for the normal and ordinary Orthodoxy of the ages. This is his main contribution, that he brought forward for us the standards of the timeless Faith without the admixture of the dross of that era. We owe Laurus Skurla a debt of gratitude for that alone.

There are those who would desire to speculate on the future shape of the Orthodox polity. I am not privy to any important discussions, so, anything that I could offer would not be useful. Nevertheless, we are on the brink of changes in Church life both in the diaspora and in the Orthodox heartland that shall upset the current order of Church organisation. The ROCOR shall continue to be, but, as an integral component of the MP, probably with the MP bishops and parishes abroad added to its ranks. The OCA is so sickly that it may die within the year. Its healthy parishes and clergy shall pass into the ROCOR, and what shall happen to the faithless “liberal” remainder is anyone’s guess. The EP is poised for conflict with the MP, and communion may be broken between them. The current conflicts in the Ukraine, the Baltic states, and the diaspora are only a foretaste of the discord to come. The EP is claiming to be the Orthodox “papacy” and the chance of a new Unia between it and the Vatican are high. All that stands between Bartholomew and his ambitions is the united force of the MP and ROCOR.

That is another salient legacy of Vladyki. We can face this coming crisis united… we are not fighting with one another. We are being given a short breathing space, a “honeymoon”, if you will. Shortly, we shall have to “gird up our loins” and fight for the Orthodoxy that Vladyki Laurus preserved for us. Vladyki Hilarion Kapral shall march hand-in-hand with Fr Vsevolod Chaplin. Vladyki Mark Arndt shall be the comrade of Vladyki Vikenty of Yekaterinburg. Fr Seraphim Gan shall bear the arms of Vladyki Aleksei, our beloved patriarch. We shall stand TOGETHER FOREVER.

In the midst of it all, we shall keep the example of our father amongst the saints, Metropolitan Laurus Skurla the Silent Confessor of Jordanville, as our banner. Let no one criticise me for speaking thusly. In Orthodoxy, the people proclaim the saints. All the Church does is to recognise this, and to ensure that popular clamour does not lead to error.

We have lost a beloved archpastor on earth, but, we have gained a new heavenly intercessor.

O MOST HOLY FATHER LAURUS THE SILENT CONFESSOR, PRAY FOR US SINNERS!

Vara Drezhlo

Saturday 22 March 2008

A view of Chelyabinsk from the river

Irina Arkhipova, the renowned Russian singer and former soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, is convinced that “we should fire all the divas”. For many years, Ms Arkhipova, a true prima donna of the opera stage, has supported young talents. With this in view, she acts as the sponsor of the Opera: A New Generation international festival that is held annually in different locations throughout Russia. This year, it was held in a major industrial and cultural centre in the southern Urals, Chelyabinsk, from 11 to 23 March.

Participating in the festival were singers who were recent laureates of international competitions, now giving performances on Russian and foreign opera stages. Involved are the opera houses of Moscow, St Petersburg, Munich, Milan, Mannheim, and Minsk. As a host, the Chelyabinsk Opera and Ballet Theatre plays a most active role in the festival, for the invited soloists star in its performances. All in all, there are six operas and a gala concert on the programme.

This holiday of youth, beauty, inspiration, and talent was opened by Bizet’s opera Carmen with Ksenia Vyaznikova, soloist of the Moscow Helicon Theatre, singing the starring role. Two festival performances shall be directed by Maestro Diego Crovetti, guest conductor from Milan. This is the first meeting of the Italian maestro with the orchestra, soloists, and choir of the Chelyabinsk Theatre. Maestro Crovetti was satisfied with the joint effort; he believes that Italian and Russian people have a natural bent for music, and that they have much in common.

On 13 March, Donizetti’s opera L’Elisir d’Amore was presented on the festival’s stage. It was the début of Fyodor Ataskevich, a young soloist of the Chelyabinsk Opera Theatre. His career began in 2005 when he won the International Glinka Competition of Singers, a contest whose main sponsor is also Irina Arkhipova.

21 March 2008

Natalia Viktorova

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=24587&cid=62&p=21.03.2008 (in Russian and English)

An Orthodox church in Tver

On 14 March, the International Bach Festival opened in the city of Tver on the upper approaches of the River Volga. It is being held for the 16th time and it many believe it to be one of the most dazzling music events in Russia. Maestro Garry Grodberg, a renowned organist and brilliant interpreter of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, was one of the founders of the festival. He is convinced that Bach’s music, even the most dramatic, aspires to radiance and humanity, and believes that everyone can have a dream of that ideal.

On 21 March, on the German classicist’s birthday, he will perform on the stage of the Tver Philharmonic Society as a part of the festival’s programme. Such a performance by Maestro Grodberg has become a traditional part of the festival. This concert is the culmination of the crowded programme of his season of concerts. According to Maestro Grodberg, Tver is a city of rich cultural traditions. It possesses one of the best pipe-organs in Russia, and a remarkable concert hall in terms of acoustics.

Music themes at the Tver Festival differ from year to year, for example, in previous years, it concentrated on “Bach and Mozart” and “Bach and the music of German Romanticism”. This year, the festival’s theme is “Johann Sebastian Bach and the great Italians”. Classical music aficionados in Tver have a chance of listening to compositions of great Italian composers such as Vivaldi, Rossini, and Verdi. Compositions of Bach’s predecessors were also included in the concert programme.

The main participant in the festival is the Tver Philharmonic Orchestra under Andrei Kruzhkov. In 2007, it was awarded with the most prestigious artistic prize in Russia, the Gold Medal for Achievements in the Musical Performing Arts. The orchestra will give several concerts of chamber music and perform with prominent soloists. Amongst them are the Russian violinist Mikhail Fedotov and cellist and organist Aleksandr Knyazev. There also new names for the Tver listening public on the festival’s posters such as violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky from Great Britain, clavecin player George Kiss from France, and the Israeli Chamber Orchestra.

21 March 2008

Larissa Roshchina

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=24585&cid=62&p=21.03.2008 (in Russian and English)

Maestro Aleksandr Rudin, director of the Musica Viva Chamber Orchestra in Moscow

The world-renowned Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow shall present a programme entitled A Portrait of Haydn against the Background of Vienna. This is not, however, a fine arts presentation, it refers to the Posvyashchenie international music festival which has been held every spring since 2000. In previous years, this music festival drew attention to some European and Russian 19^th and 20th-century composers. This year, the figure of the Austrian classicist Franz Joseph Haydn is central at the festival. His compositions and those of his contemporaries shall be performed by musicians from Russia, Estonia, and Hungary.

The Posvyashchenie festival is a project of the Moscow Musica Viva Chamber Orchestra which is popular with both the Russian and the foreign public and it cooperates with famous performers. Twenty years ago, it was started by Aleksandr Rudin who succeeded in creating an individual style for the orchestra.

In the festival programme, Musica Viva turns to works and composers whose names were unjustly forgotten. And there were many of them in the epoch of 18th-century Classicism, which is the era most widely represented in the orchestra’s repertoire. Certainly, Maestro Rudin is not alone in his interest in that era. Yet, unlike many contemporary performers, he is not inclined to be an ardent advocate of historicism or to copy faithfully old manners of performance. Speculating about various interpretations of music written 300 years ago Maestro Rudin said the following.

“There is a scrupulously scientific approach that mandates a careful study of the musical instruments, the history, and even the politics of that age. later, all of this is used in the interpretation of the composition. This is a noteworthy approach, but, it is not enough. Music should be felt, the interpretation of music involves emotion, and that emotion is conveyed to the audience. If this happens, music lovers leave the concert enlightened by a new thought or new feeling”.

On the programme of the current 9th Posvyashchenie festival are five concerts to be given from 16 March to 6 April. They include compositions of Mozart, Beethoven, Salieri, Dittersdorff, Schubert, and Krause. Aleksander Rudin and the Musica Viva Chamber Orchestra intend to convey to the audience their feeling of admiration of 18th-century Vienna, a centre of exuberant music life.

21 March 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=24589&cid=62&p=21.03.2008 (in Russian and English)

Editor’s note: A big THANK YOU to George Skok of Canada for clearing up a slight error in fact concerning the information on the choirs. Mr Skok, your communication was not only welcome, it enhanced the piece. Thank you, again. Pray for this poor sinner.

As we live only some 120 kilometres from Jordanville, and it is a fairly easy 90-minute motor for us, Nicky and I attended the funeral of Metropolitan Laurus Skurla on Friday. This post is concerned only with the events of the day; my thoughts on the consequences of the occasion shall be in another post I shall entitle The Passing of a Man… The Passing of an Era.

It was a fairly pleasant and uneventful motor to the monastery. We chose to take Route 20 rather than the Thruway (the main limited-access motorway in the region), as we felt that the time-savings would not be worth the toll. We were correct. Another reason for choosing this route is that it is more scenic than the Thruway. Indeed, there was a good deal of early spring views to be enjoyed! There was a marked lack of traffic, and often we were the only vehicle visible on the road. There was even a lack of congestion in Richfield Springs (the largest town closest to the monastery), but, we chose to come a bit early to avoid the crowds.

When we arrived at the monastery, there were more cars present than for Easter, which is usually the largest event of the year. I estimate that there were about 250-300 cars parked, and most had full loads, so, my estimate is that 1,000 to 1,200 people were present for the services. We saw two vehicles with diplomatic licenses; so, one can reasonably conjecture that the Russian consul from New York and the Russian ambassador from Washington were in attendance. In addition, Nicky reports that he saw more New York State Police patrols in the vicinity than usual. There were also some beefy fellows speaking Russian… hmm… possible OMON protection for the ambassador?

There was such a crowd present that very few faithful could be accommodated in the main church upstairs. Therefore, direct live video feeds were placed in the lower church and the seminary auditorium. I can say from personal observation that both locations were so packed that “an apple could not fall to the floor”, as the old Russian saying has it.

We observed the Russian media crews arriving, and there were two satellite trucks visible. One was set up right outside the “white house”, the old seminary building that is now the seminary dormitory. The funeral was a major item for the secular Russian media, a sign that the Orthodox revival in Russia is genuine and proceeding well. Both the American and Russian flags were flying from the pole outside the “white house”, with the American flag uppermost (as it should be, I might add, as the event occurred in the USA).

Light refreshments, coffee, and tea were set out for the early arrivals in the seminary hall. We met Nicky’s mother Helen (his father is buried in the cemetery, but, there was no time to visit his grave, alas), his sister Christina, brother-in-law Sima, and nieces Katya and Natalia. Nicky went to be with his brother Sergei in the main church. Sergei is a VERY large sort, and, no doubt, it was easy for him to “make a hole” for the two of them in the crowd. I elected to stay in the auditorium. One of the fellows came round and passed out candles to all of us.

At 11.00, the lights were dimmed in the auditorium. Everyone disposed of the remnants of the refreshments, and a hush fell over the crowd. We all lit our candles, and the service began at 11.05 (Remarkably on time for a Russian affair! Miracles never cease!). The first twenty minutes was taken up by Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Kolomna and Krutitsy reading messages of condolences from Patriarch Aleksei, Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev, President Vladimir Putin, and President-elect Dmitri Medvedev. Then, Archbishop Hilarion Kapral of Sydney, Australia, and New Zealand spoke for less than five minutes. These addresses were all in Russian.

At that point, the service proper began at 11.30. Metropolitan Yuvenaly stood in the position of honour and was the main celebrant. The responses were sung by the seminary choir and by a mixed choir. The latter was the ROCOR Synodal Choir from New York City, augmented by a few voices from other parishes, directed by the Synodal choir director, Peter A. Fekula. The most visibly affected member of the clergy was Fr Seraphim Gan, Vladyki’s personal secretary. He was openly in tears and his strong emotions were visibly etched on his face. I have never seen such a stark expression of grief in my life. My heart went out to him. Pray for him, if you will.

A few portions of the service were in English, which was the first time that I ever heard such in the main church. Another notable fact was that some of the ROCOR clergy who spoke in Russian did so with strong American accents and with a slight hesitancy in delivery. That, I believe, is telling. The service lasted until 14.50, a time sufficient for my candle to burn down to its nub. Yes… I did get some wax on my clothing… my emotion was rather strong, and I was not watching as well as I should have.

Metropolitan Yuvenaly was the first to give the final farewell. Then, it was time for all of us to do likewise. The service was stopped, and the people in the lower church and auditorium were given the opportunity to venerate Vladyki’s relics. On our way to do so, we met Protodeacon Gregory, Nicky’s brother. It was a press of people at the church, but, everything was quite orderly and calm. When I came to Vladyki’s relics, I noticed Fr Seraphim Gan standing at the foot of the coffin. A personal word of condolence would have been out of place, so, I simply said quietly, “A saint”. He nodded his head in vigorous agreement. How I wished to embrace him and assuage his grief, but, that would not be seemly under the circumstances.

We exited the church and returned to the seminary. There was coffee for the clergy, and hot water for tea for the rest of us. Then, the bells sounded, which was the signal for the procession to begin. I elected to stay in the auditorium as I was injured in a fall last week, and did feel up to taking part in the procession. It was broadcast, so we in the auditorium did not miss a thing, though. Vechnaya Pamyat was sung, and the procession with the relics to the cemetery began. They circled the church three times, and Vladyki was then laid to his rest. Nicky tells me that Vladyki was buried next to Archimandrite Kyprian, the famous iconographer.

Finally, it was over, and the time was 16.30. There was a memorial meal for higher clergy and VIPs in the monastery refectory, and there was a buffet set up in the seminary auditorium by some of the local Orthodox women. There were so many people that we had to eat standing up. People came from all over the USA and Canada, and from abroad as well. I do daresay that I ran into an Australian gal in the ladies who asked me if I was from Australia because I used the word “bloody”. On a light note, we both noted that we preferred Cooper’s to Foster’s (all those “in the know” need no explanation!).

Our drive back home was uneventful, an anticlimactic ending to a VERY intense day. This was a VERY special occasion. I do daresay that I have never experienced such before, and I expect that I shall not experience the like again this side of the veil. Words fail me utterly in the description.

Pray for us sinners, O Holy Father Laurus!

Vara Drezhlo

Saturday 22 March 2008

Dima Bilan won the national selection competition for the Eurovision 2008 song contest, and for a second time will represent Russia in one of the world’s oldest and most popular TV shows. The popular Russian singer took part in the Eurovision 2006 song contest in Athens where he sang “Never Let You Go”. This brought him some success, for he won second prize.

Yet, Dima was not quite satisfied with this, and he intended to make another attempt to rise to the peak of the musical Olympus. Earlier this month, he scored his first victory on the way to Belgrade, where the Eurovision song contest will be held this year on 24 May. Dima won a competition over tough rivals… 27 young, but, already famous Russian singers, including Sergei Lazarev and Julia Mikhalchik, who were competing for the right to perform in the contest. Traditionally, the performance of the participants was initially assessed by a professional jury, later, TV viewers who watched the live broadcast joined in the voting. They voiced their opinion by phone, on the website of the selection competition, and through SMS-messages. Their sympathies were with Dima Bilan.

The singer thanked the TV viewers for their love and support in a moving way. He said that his work on the song “Believe Me” shall continue. He intends to enrich the arrangement and to stage a dazzling presentation so that his song could win over European listeners.

The Eurovision song contest has been held annually since 1956. Among the Russian performers that have won places amongst the five finalists in recent years were Alsu and the groups Tatu and Serebro.

21 March 2008

Tatyana Zavyalova

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=24583&cid=62&p=21.03.2008 (in Russian and English)

Nikolai Soraich, suspended OCA bishop of the Diocese of Alaska, he who ordained a sex offender knowingly to the minor clergy

Firstly, as per usual, let us set the stage by giving a quotation from the press.

Nikolai to Attend Synod

In a story published yesterday in the Kodiak Daily Mirror, Bishop Nikolai announced he would attend a special meeting of the Synod to be held next week.

Alaska Diocese Official Visits Kodiak as Worshippers Continue to Commemorate Bishop put on Leave

Orthodox Church in America officials confirmed Wednesday that Archpriest Alexander Garklavs is now in Alaska and one of his first stops was Kodiak. Church leader Metropolitan Herman appointed Rev Garklavs administrator of the Alaska diocese on 8 March, after Bishop Nikolai Soraich was put on mandatory leave for refusing to depart Alaska during an investigation into alleged charges of abuse. The bishop, who still refuses to leave, said on Wednesday that he would be happy to meet with Fr Garklavs, but hasn’t as of Wednesday.

Rev Garklavs likely stopped in Kodiak first because the island is one of the few Orthodox parishes in Alaska that defied Metropolitan Herman’s order to stop commemorating Bishop Nikolai in services. In a recent letter addressed to his congregation, Rev Innocent Dresdow said he would continue to commemorate Bishop Nikolai because he has been offered no canonical reason or official notification to do otherwise. “Although it is true that various communiqués have been posted on various websites, including the OCA website, I have received no official instructions from The Holy Synod”, Innocent wrote in the letter. “All of the official directives of the OCA, as it impacts this parish, have come to me in the mail and in hard copy. Therefore, I assume that something so significant as ceasing to commemorate a bishop would be afforded at least the same level of orderliness and decorum”.

Fr Innocent said he would defend his stance even at the cost of his priesthood. “I have been willing and am willing to suffer slander, insinuation, false accusation and potentially the loss of my priesthood in order to defend the integrity of the church”, he wrote. “What is at stake here is not a war between personalities or bishops. What is at stake here is whether or not the church will function as it has functioned for 2,000 years or whether it will decline into the ordinary and ungodly”. It is unknown if Rev Garklavs delivered written orders to Fr Innocent. Fr Innocent didn’t return phone calls and Rev Garklavs could not be reached Wednesday.

In other developments, the Holy Synod of Bishops will hold a special session on 27 March in New York (sic) to address the situation in Alaska. Bishop Nikolai, who feels angry and betrayed by the actions of his fellow bishops, said he welcomes the meeting and confirmed he will attend. “I sent a letter asking for the bishops’ help (regarding the situation in Alaska) and their response was to tell me to get out of town”, the bishop said. “I think (the meeting is) important and things need to be discussed in my presence to talk about all of these things”.

Bishop Nikolai reiterated that he has no plans to step down and that the church has no grounds to remove him. “You have to follow the rules with how they’re written”, Bishop Nikolai said. “If I was to comply with something that was not right, then I’m accepting the fact that we’re breaking the rules and that every other rule can be broken, too”. He said there is a process and he’s happy to follow the process “in every detail”.

20 March 2008

Ralph Gibbs

Kodiak Daily Mirror

As cited in Orthodox Christians for Accountability

http://www.ocanews.org/news/KodiakMirrorNikolaiStays3.21.08.html (in English)

There one has it, emphatically and without ambiguity! Nikolai believes that everyone has to applaud his ordination to the clergy of a known, convicted, and registered sexual offender. There are not only canons, but, also well-known traditions, customs, and established practises of the Church that forbid such an action clearly, without a doubt, and with categorical precision. For Nikolai to feign ignorance of such is truly breathtaking and beyond the pale!

Nikolai is counterattacking vigorously, and he has a veritable consilium of spin doctors pleading his cause. This case is virtually a repeat of the sordid situation in Yekaterinburg in 1999. Nikon spread abroad his individual notions on theology and church life, as has Nikolai. There were protests of high-handedness and corruption on the part of Nikon, as there are of Nikolai. There were reports of homosexuality in high church places in the case of Nikon, and the same is true in the case of Nikolai. Courageous clergy put their careers, reputation, and priesthood on the line to oppose an evil bishop in the Diocese of Yekaterinburg, and gutsy clergy such as Fr Thomas Andrew, Fr Peter Asokar, and Fr Michael Oleksa are doing likewise in the Diocese of Alaska.

There is a VERY good thing that comes out of such troubles. The sheep are separated from the goats, and with no doubt of who is of what sort. Let us remember the Church definition of the word “confessor”. A confessor is one is who stands for the Faith in times of difficulty and confusion, and who is not afraid to pay the cost, if necessary.

Recall Athanasius contra mundum (Athanasius against the world)! Look at the price that St Maximos the Confessor paid! See the resolution of St Mark of Ephesus! Bring to mind the firmness of the opposition of Bishop Pyotr Mogyla to the Jesuit Unia! Do not forget the penalty that the late Fr Dmitri Dudko suffered for his allegiance to Christ and his Church! The priests in Alaska are cut from the same cloth. They deserve our prayers and support. They are CONFESSORS. Their voice not only deserves to be heard, it has the full force of the tradition, history, and convention of the Church behind it.         

As an old friend of mine is fond of saying, “No matter if you slice it thick or thin, baloney is still baloney”. Indeed! Nikolai ordained a known sex offender to the clergy. This alone is grounds sufficient for his dismissal in ignominy. His persecution of Fr Michael Oleksa is well-known, copiously documented, and is not a matter of conjecture (I must admit that I do not see doctrinal matters in the same light as Fr Michael, but, his stance concerning Nikolai is without blemish).

The Holy Synod of the OCA has a definite choice to make in this matter. It must either remove Nikolai immediately from his position as ordinary of the Diocese of Alaska or stand exposed as a group of weaklings unable and unwilling to apply the standards of the Church. If Nikolai is not removed, it may be the beginning of the final act for this sickly organisation.

Why must we live in “interesting times?” May God have mercy on us all.

Vara Drezhlo

Saturday 22 March 2008      

Valery Gergiev, Artistic and General Director of the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg

Ahead of Catholic Easter, which is coming tomorrow, we at the Voice of Russia World Service wish to pass on our good wishes to those of our listeners who are preparing to celebrate this happy occasion (editor’s note: I add my greetings on the holiday, as well. May all my Catholic and Protestant friends have a lovely and beautiful day!). Russian Orthodox believers traditionally celebrate Easter in April, and, on 27 April, the world-famous conductor Valery Gergiev shall open a traditional Easter music festival he helped to organise.

90 concerts in 20 cities across Russia… world-renowned musicians from Russia, Germany, Belgium, China, and Estonia… In a surprise break from previous such events, which focused mainly on music written by Russian composers and Russian Orthodox music, this year’s festival shall also feature an Easter oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach played by the choir and orchestra of the Collegium Vocale of Ghent from Belgium led by Fillip Herrweg. A chamber choir from Estonia shall offer, of all things, Orthodox chants penned by the famous Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. In another first, these Estonian Roman Catholic musicians have been invited to sing in a Russian Orthodox church!

Mr Gergiev said, “I believe this year’s festival should be seen as a very natural handshake by such Western classics like Bach, Haydn, and modern Russian composers Gubaidulina and Shchedrin. As the festival’s artistic director, I’m looking for exactly such harmony… We usually play music by Shostakovich, Prokof’ev, or Rakhmaninov, everyone knows that, but, you can’t play Russian music only at an Easter festival, you know… That’s why you’ve got to look for some happy medium”.

22 March 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=24618&cid=62&p=22.03.2008 (in Russian and English)

Jordanville NY, 22 March 2008 (AP):

Hundreds of people gathered in upstate New York yesterday for the funeral of a man who played a key role healing an 80-year-old schism in the Russian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Laurus, head of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, was found dead Sunday in his residence at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, about 60 miles northwest of Albany. The 80-year-old had reported feeling ill for several days.

Dozens of priests and bishops packed the candlelit front room of the cathedral at the monastery for the Liturgy and funeral service, dressed in ornate purple vestments to symbolise mourning. Attendees included Orthodox leaders from around the US and Canada, representatives from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and Metropolitan Juvenaly, a leader of the Moscow Patriarchate. Among those who delivered eulogies were Mitred Protopriest George Larin of the Holy Virgin Protection Church in Nyack NY, and Bishop Onufry of Kiev from the Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the MP.

WCAX TV-3 News (CBS): Vermont’s Own

http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=8054361 (in English)

The famous circus clown Karandash (Mikhail Rumyantsev) with his faithful dog, Ink Spot

A bronze statue of the famous Soviet circus clown Mikhail Rumyanstev is to be erected in Moscow. He drew applause for a half century from the early 1930s by appearing in the circus ring in a ridiculous hat, with an absurd walking stick in his hands, and in the company of a trademark Scottish terrier named Ink Spot. Rumyanstev’s stage name was Karandash (“Pencil”). He entertained Soviet troops on the battlefronts of the Second World War as often as he could.

17 March 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=24345&cid=51&p=17.03.2008 (in Russian and English)