The sin against the Holy Spirit goes unrequited in Maryland

The full import of what happened recently to Kristine Patico Koumentakos in Maryland has finally sunk in. It is so blasphemous that it is horrifying. Fr Raymond Velencia of the OCA publicised intimate details of a woman’s life that he heard in confession and counselling. Fr Alexey Karlgut of the Syosset apparat said the following to the victim, “As to allegations of violation of ‘pastoral confidentiality’ it should be stated that in the teaching, Doctrine, and Canonical rules, regulations, and tribunal for internal discipline and government of the Orthodox Church no such concept exists”. Rev Velencia was a “goals-oriented priest”, according to Rev Karlgut, and he is still the rector of St Matthew parish in Maryland.

Herman Swaiko is the diocesan ordinary responsible in this situation. Did he remove Rev Velencia for breaking the inviolability of the confessional? Did he discipline Rev Karlgut for supporting him?

NO!

He used Rev Karlgut in an attempt to force the victim to sign a waiver stating that she would not sue the Church over a legitimate grievance where the priest involved overstepped his authority. As bad as that is, it is not the open scandal of Herman supporting a priest who contemptuously broke the seal of the confessional. This is the sin against the Holy Spirit naked and unashamed. I know what the late Archbishop Kyprian would have done. He would have jumped in his car and talked to a friendly judge in Maryland. Vladyki Kyprian and the Maryland state troopers would have come up to Rev Velencia’s door. Vladyki would have kicked the door in, and a royal rumble between Vladyki and Velencia would have ensued. The Maryland state troopers would be there only to do the light work and pick up the pieces after Vladyki was finished. Velencia would have been dog-meat, and rightly so.

In my time, I have heard of only four instances where a priest violated the confessional, including this one. In three cases, the bishop responsible swooped in like an avenging angel and planted his size-12 firmly into the backside of the priest involved. The priests in these cases were defrocked so quickly that it seemed instantaneous. In this case, Herman Swaiko SUPPORTS the priest involved. This is clear prima facie evidence, even for the obtuse, that the OCA central apparat is EVIL.

Tsar Ivan Grozny After Killing His Son on 15 November 1581 (Ilya Repin, 1873)

This is what Herman Swaiko has done to Christ’s Church. He supports a priest who broke the seal of the confessional. 

A PRIEST VIOLATED THE SANCTITY OF THE CONFESSIONAL AND ABUSED ONE OF HIS PARISHIONERS.

I shall NOT be silent. I shall NOT be quiet. There is NO possible justification or explanation for the public airing of private confidences told to a priest in confession and counselling. I believe that this is grounds for a legal suit. I stand under correction in this, but I think that attorneys, physicians, and clergy are responsible before the law if they break such confidence. It is a violation of secular law as well as being an offence in the Church sense.

I stand mute in the face of such EVIL. It is beyond words. Herman Swaiko has the responsibility to remove Rev Velencia from the clergy as expeditiously as possible, and to issue an apology to the entire Church for his laggardliness in so doing. If he does not act, it means that he has deposed himself. I know of no bishop who has ever shirked his duty in such a circumstance. This is the only time that I have heard of a bishop, either now or in the distant past, supporting a priest who broke the seal of confidentiality that all clergy enjoy.

If anyone supports Herman Swaiko or Raymond Velencia in this, you share their guilt in their sin against the Holy Spirit. What shall it take for this crucifixion to end? If the OCA Holy Synod refuses to act, shall one of the other local Churches step in to restore a proper Orthodox order? I would say to His Holiness Aleksei, “It is time to act. The inviolability of the confessional has been raped”.

Is there anyone listening, dear God?

Vara Drezhlo

Thursday 8 May 2008

Editor’s Note:

The details on this sad situation have already been published on the internet on the website Orthodox Christians for Accountability. The URL for the posting involved is:

http://www.ocanews.org/news/Koumentakos5.3.08.html (in English)

I support Nicholas and Kristine Koumentakos completely and unreservedly in this. We all owe them our prayers, thoughts, and material aid (if needed). God bless you, dear, I stand by your side.

UPDATE:

There has been quite a bit of discussion of this case on the Orthodox Christians for Accountability site. Let’s keep this simple. A priest violated the confidentiality of the confessional. Full stop. His bishop did not remove him. Full stop. Two priests, Alexey Karlgut and George Washburn (in his posts on the Stokoe site), appear to justify this abuse by their public statements. Full stop.

In a well-run church, Metropolitan Herman Swaiko would be deposed by the Holy Synod without delay, and Frs Raymond Velencia, Alexey Karlgut, and George Washburn would be defrocked immediately. In Rev Washburn’s case, it can be explained by the fact that he lacks a proper Orthodox formation as a priest. The other two have no such defence.

A priest has violated the confidentiality of the confessional and of counselling. Why, the old Okhrana was not as invasive! Mr Washburn, what is so difficult in that to grasp? Your lawyerly parsing is offensive and noisome. Withdraw it immediately, or stand accused of complicity in this. I would like to hear from the last two solid hierarchs in the OCA, Vladyki Job of Chicago and Vladyki Seraphim of Canada. Speak, sirs, and don’t let Herman’s bullying stop you!

This is truly too much of a muchness. When I think of what I saw at St Nick’s last Saturday and compare it with this rubbish, I weep. Either condemn this monstrous act or stand complicit with it. It is that simple. 

 

A Flame was lit at St Nick’s…

I knew that Nicky and I just HAD to go to the joint MP/ROCOR service at St Nick’s last Saturday. Albany is only some 250 kilometres from the city, so, it was not an overly-long trip. We hopped in the car at 05.15, and we were off! Again, we chose not to take the main motorway. Instead, we took the Taconic State Parkway, which was much less crowded. We were on our way to Croton-on-Hudson in northern Westchester to park the car in a secure lot (without having to take out a mortgage) and catch the Metro-North train to the city. We had one unscheduled stop, but, we made fairly good time, and were in Croton by 07.50. It only cost us six bucks to park the car for the whole day. Any of you who know the prices for parking in the City know that is a steal. In fact, if you factor in the gas used, bridge tolls, and astronomical parking fees, it is cheaper to do what we did and take the train in (it was a 15 dollar fare round-trip for each of us).

We caught the 08.27 to Grand Central, and it was a fairly quiet and uneventful ride into town, and we arrived at about 09.25. Then, it was down into the subway station under Grand Central, I got the all-day passes (only 7.50, a bargain, considering that one ride on the bus or train is two bucks a throw), and we got on the platform for the Lex Ave IRT local. I was thrown for a loop at first, because it was a new subway car with a slightly different format for the line indication. The new job had a LED display in red, whereas the older Lex Av trains all had a white “six” in a green circle. See what happens when you are away… It was quite pleasant, but, the trip from 42nd to 96th was not long, a little under 10 minutes. From the subway stop, it wasn’t long to the church. You walk uptown one block, then, you turn left at 97th, cross Park and Mad, and St Nick’s is on the right-hand side in the centre of a rather ritzy block (it is the Upper East Side, after all!). Nicky wanted to approach from the left-hand side to take photos, and he took some nice shots. From the outside, the church looked rather normal. I looked at my watch, 10.05… drat! Five minutes late… oh, well.

We opened the door to the church, and… WHAM-O! Wall-to-wall people. I am not exaggerating, I am not using hyperbole. There was so little space that a baba couldn’t swing her cane, if she wanted to. Then, there was the sound of the clergy and the congregation singing the “Khristos Voskrese”… hundreds of voices. The effect was palpable, it was almost physical. It was like a mighty proclamation with the full force of Heaven shouted to the whole world! Of course, I joined in… I was absolutely FLOORED. I have heard this hymn hundreds of times, I have sung it hundreds of times, but, this time was SPECIAL. It was as though the Holy Fire had been transported from Jerusalem to Moscow to New York. There was an intensity that I have rarely felt. We MEANT every word and it SHOWED.

Khristos voskrese iz mertvykh, smertiyu smert po prav!

I sushchym vo grobekh, zhivot darovav!

(Christ is risen from the dead, trampling on death by death!

And upon those in the tombs, bestowing life!)

We were so crowded that we sometimes jostled one another as we crossed ourselves. Nonetheless, there was excellent order throughout it all. People were genuinely kind to one another in the crush, and we all helped those who were unfamiliar with the layout. There was a lovely family from Pennsylvania, Patty Marks, her son, and two daughters. It was their first time in New York, and they had such difficulty parking their conversion van. I met a nice fellow, Aleksandr, who is a “New Russian”, and he translated a plaque in the back of the church for some people who could not read it.

Americans and Russians together, there was no difference in us, we were all Orthodox Christians celebrating the unity of our Russian Orthodox Faith. The bonds of Christ’s love united us all. This did not come about through scholars, learning, or windy lectures. This was the result of the quiet work of Blessed Laurus the Silent of Jordanville. The only thing I can say is “Thank you, Vladyki!” The emotion was so strong that I was close to tears at times.  

As is the custom at St Nick’s, the Creed and the Our Father were sung in simple settings that we all knew, so, of course, we all joined in. I cannot describe to you adequately the atmosphere of the service. Yes, we were so packed that we could hardly move. Yes, there was the usual hub-bub of a Russian cathedral service. However, I simply do not have the words to describe the gut intensity of it all. This was something that I had dreamed of and longed for since 1991. It did NOT disappoint. There was a palpable power hovering over us, there was the sense that a great weight had been lifted off each of us individually. THE WAR WAS OVER. I remember the deluded sorts who told me, “The Reds are still in charge! These people are nothing but communists in disguise!” (Hmm… I did wear a bright RED hat at the service. Was that a statement? That’s for me to know…) Many people suffered for believing in unity in the 90s in time of the insane Ustinovshchyna, when the ROCOR dared to establish parishes in Russia (a clear violation of Ukaz 362). I despaired of seeing sanity and unity in my lifetime.

Nevertheless, it came! It came on silent cat’s paws, through the agency of Metropolitan Laurus of Blessed Memory. I cannot mention his role often enough. There was no cataclysm; unity came as silently as the fall of the Soviet Union. Of course, there were those who left (noisily, I might add) in a snit because the MP did not meet their definition of “repentance”. I agree with Fr Alexander Lebedeff. If all the clergy of the MP, from Patriarch Aleksei on down, were to beat themselves bloody with whips of barbed-wire whilst kneeling on jagged shards of glass, it would not be good enough for them. For me, it is simple. “God forgives!” I felt that way in August 1991 and I continue to feel the same way today. We were stubborn, wilful, and disobedient children. Our Lord Christ said, “Love one another as I have loved you”. Did we do that? I leave that question for you to answer in your heart of hearts.

I saw Bishop Merkury and Bishop Gavriil walk together as brothers, as they should. You could not tell the difference between the MP and ROCOR clergy and faithful, and that is as it should be. We have one heart, one soul, one blood, and one Orthodox Faith. Why, O Lord, did it take so long for that to be realised?

After the service had ended, I was looking for an e-mail priest friend of mine. Well, I despaired of finding him. However, talk about the Lord working in mysterious ways! I was chatting with someone in the ladies’ and I found out that she was a Matushka. “Oh, and who’s your husband?” When she said his name, I was surprised. She was his wife! Of course, we all got together and had a wonderful time. I also ran into Fr George and his Matushka (Dear me, I have forgotten your name! Please do leave a comment, dear, and I shall be able to contact you!), who I met at Jordanville at Vladyki’s funeral.  The overwhelming atmosphere was filled with Christian LOVE as I have rarely seen before.

To be honest, the rest of the day was taken up with some minor sightseeing as I took Nicky about town. We ate at Veselka’s in the Village, and I took him to Times Square. Nicky was a bit taken aback by the odd sorts to be found in the Village, to be sure! The ending was fairly anti-climactic. We hopped on the 17.56 train to Croton, picked up the car, retraced our steps and were home by 21.30.

The last six weeks have been hectic. First, there was Vladyki’s funeral. Then, there was Easter at Jordanville. Lastly, there was the unity service at St Nick’s. The intensity of it all was almost frightening. The flame of the revival in the Motherland has come here to America. I saw that flame lit at St Nick’s on Saturday. I would say to all in the OCA:

“It is time to come home. Leave all the silliness of the past behind. We want you and we are willing to forget the past. Only come forward and live!”

God willing, there shall be those with ears to hear.

Vara Drezhlo

Wednesday 7 May 2008  

 

Voice of Russia Listeners are Grateful that the Soviet Soldiers Crushed the Nazis in World War II

“We are grateful to the Soviet soldiers for the freedom they brought to Europe!” said a text message sent to the Voice of Russia by our listener Giancarlo Venturi in Rome, Italy. Giancarlo joined the hundreds of co-authors of the Voice of Russia’s Living Memory Book worldwide project devoted to the 63rd anniversary of the great victory over Nazi Germany during World War II.

This unique project pays tribute to the millions who died in that terrible war in a sign of our undying memory of all those who perished in the bloodiest war ever fought… The SMS messages we are getting from all over the world express their authors’ grief for the dead and their pride in the soldiers who scarified their lives to liberate mankind from the Nazi scourge. However, in his message to us, Neboija Radoslavlevic from Serbia worried about what he said is a thinly-veiled Nazi ideology making a global comeback, becoming even more inhuman and working from behind the scenes. “We should always keep in mind the fact that it was Soviet soldiers who killed the Nazi hydra when they entered Berlin”, Neboija wrote, adding that this is something some people now try to forget. His concern is fully shared by the author of a text message that we just received from Germany that said that the EU cannot become a single whole because some of its new members do not see Nazism as a crime, a clear reference to some former Soviet Baltic republics that recently joined the European Union.

Valentina Zlobina, the head of the Internet and multimedia service of the Voice of Russia said that even though some historians say that the events of the past war are closer to people of the older generation, the Living Memory Book project proves that young people in Russia and the rest of the world also take this matter very close to heart. In their messages they bow in respect to the war veterans and tell about their own relatives who fought in the war. We have already received hundreds of such messages and none of them has gone unanswered, Ms Zlobina said. The text messages in Russian and English keep coming in around the clock and are posted on the project’s website, which is http://www.ruvr.ru/09/index_eng.html.

The Living Memory Book action will run until 10 May and many messages are already being read out on our wavelength in 37 languages. Each one is getting a recording with the voice of the legendary Soviet announcer Yuri Levitan announcing the Great Victory that they can install on their cell phones. As part of the Hurray to Victory competition being held as part of the Living Memory Book project, we invite our listeners to send us video and photo materials about 9 May celebrations in your city or town. The results of the competition will be announced on 21 May and shall be posted on that very same website, http://www.ruvr.ru/09/index_eng.html and will also be announced on our programmes. The winners will receive the Voice of Russia’s Great Patriotic War multimedia album.

6 May 2008

Lada Korotun

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26664&cid=59&p=06.05.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Joint Service in New York is a Manifestation of Orthodox Unity

A joint service of the clergy of the patriarchal parishes in the US and clerics of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, which took place at St Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York on 3 May, demonstrated the growing unity inside the Russian Orthodox Church. The Divine Liturgy on Saturday was the first event of this type since the signing of the act of canonical communion within the Russian Orthodox Church. This document ended an almost century-long division caused by the Russian revolution of 1917.

The restoration of church unity means much to thousands of Orthodox believers and also to the descendants of white émigrés, who were forced to leave Russia more than 80 years ago. Archbishop Gavriil of Blagoveshensk and Tynda commented on the event, saying, “Almost a year ago a very important thing happened. Two branches of the same church signed an act of reunification. Today, we finally have a unique chance to hold a joint service together and share the joy of Easter”. 

The service involved over 60 clerics and hundreds of Orthodox believers attended. For the first time, the Kursk-Korennaya Icon of the Sign, which is considered to be the guardian of the Russians abroad since 1925, was displayed during the service. Bishop Merkury said, “This miraculous icon was taken from Russia to unite all Russian emigrants. That is why it is also called the custodian of all Russian believers abroad and is venerated so highly”.

“Joy and peace now reign supreme in our much-suffering Church,” Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia noted in his message to the participants in the Easter festivities. “A united Church is the spiritual foundation of a revitalised Russia”, his message emphasised. “We look with hope to the future of our common Motherland”. 

5 May 2008

Vyacheslav Solovyov

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26604&cid=59&p=05.05.2008 (in English)

 

7 May 2008. Out and About…

The display of military hardware on Victory Day is not meant to signal threat to anyone

The planned display of military hardware on Victory Day is not meant to signal threat to anyone. President Putin told this to the press after the Russian forces carried out the final rehearsal for the Red Square parade on 9 May. For the first time in 18 years, heavy ordnance will rumble past, including artillery pieces, tanks, and Topol mobile intercontinental ballistic missile systems. The sky will be darkened by Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers that are again patrolling the world’s oceans. Mr Putin told officials Russia does not plan aggression, but, it needs strong defence forces.

5 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26648&cid=48&p=05.05.2008 (in English) 

Memorial rally to be held in St Petersburg

Russian World War II re-enactors in St Petersburg

World War II veterans, survivors of the 900-day siege of Leningrad, former inmates of Nazi death camps, and young Petersburgers shall take part in a memorial rally today commemorating the “Road of Life”, which from September 1941 until March 1943 connected the besieged city with the mainland, bringing in much needed food, arms, and fuel and taking out the wounded, old people, women, and children.

6 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26657&cid=48&p=06.05.2008 (in English)

Russia offers help to Myanmar

Cyclone damage in Yangon

With the death toll in the Myanmar cyclone now exceeding 15,000, Russia offered relief supplies to the cyclone-battered nation. In a telegram to Tan Shveh, the head of the country’s military junta, on Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin, on behalf of all Russians, expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of the dead and wishes of quick recovery to the survivors. Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar Friday night, killing more than 10,000 people in one south-western city alone and leaving behind large-scale devastation in several areas of Yangon and the Irrawady delta. The military-run Myanmar government declared a state of emergency in five affected areas that are home to 24 million people, nearly half of all those living in this South Asian nation.

6 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26693&cid=48&p=06.05.2008 (in English)

President Putin said that the Russian government shall give top priority to the support of veterans

Russian veterans of the 2nd Great Patriotic War hand out St George ribbons

The Russian government shall give top priority to the support of veterans. President Putin said this at an award ceremony in the Kremlin to grant the honorary title of the City of Military Valour to Polyarny, Luga, Rostov-on-Don, Tuapse, and Voronezh. He said that such help is Russia’s debt to those who were killed while defending their Motherland. Mr Putin said that he had already signed a decree on additional social support for Second World War veterans and invalids. He has also given a prestigious Zhukov bonus to a large group of military officials and scientists for the development of the state-of-the-art weapons and military hardware. Today is Mr Putin’s last day in the post of Russian president. Dmitri Medvedev, who was elected President of Russia in March this year, shall take office on 7 May.

6 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26701&cid=48&p=06.05.2008 (in English)

7 May is the Day of Radio

vintage Russian radios

7 May is the Day of Radio. The Voice of Russia radio company marks its professional holiday together with its employee-veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. It is a long-standing tradition in the Voice of Russia to congratulate its war veterans in the run up to Victory Day on 9 May. The Voice of Russia veterans displayed heroism not only in the years of the war, Andrei Davidenko, the company’s First Deputy Chairman said, in peace-time they also put much effort into the development of radio broadcasting. No wonder that the Day of Radio became a national holiday in 1945. In such a way, the state underlined the role of radio in the cultural and political life of society and its contribution to the victory over Nazism.

7 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26718&cid=48&p=07.05.2008 (in English)

Reunions and ceremonies around Russia mark 63 years since Allied Victory over Nazi Germany

American World War II Red Army re-enactors (“197th Guards Division” from Florida)

Reunions and ceremonies around Russia mark 63 years since the Allied Victory over Nazi Germany on 9 May 1945. Veterans are getting apartments, cars, and memorial plaques. Military history enthusiasts are organising re-enactments and motorised visits to former battlefields. 

7 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26763&cid=48&p=07.05.2008 (in English)

Russia to help rebuild destroyed Orthodox holy places in the Serbian province of Kosovo

Destroyed school in Kosovo

The Foreign Ministry circulated a statement in Moscow on Tuesday to point out that Russia would take part in rebuilding destroyed Orthodox holy places in the Serbian province of Kosovo. Over 150 unique Orthodox cathedrals, monasteries, and convents have been destroyed or otherwise damaged in Kosovo since the year 2000, including those on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Russia will allocate funds and will also send architects, engineers, and art historians to Kosovo for the reconstruction and restoration of the holy places.

7 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26725&cid=48&p=07.05.2008 (in English)

 Editor’s Note:

Well, I have sport and culture shorts, so, this series covers society. There is more to Russia than just our religion, important as that is. 

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Demands that Russia Cancel Naval Parade in Sevastopol

Ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry demanded that Moscow cancel the proposed naval parade on 11 May in Sevastopol to mark the 225^th anniversary of the foundation of the Black Sea Fleet. The document was forwarded to the Russian Foreign Ministry. It said that a parade of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and a demonstration of military hardware are unacceptable for to the Ukrainian government. Moscow was asked to introduce corrections into the programme of the coming festivities and to concur with Ukrainian central executive bodies. Representatives of the Russian Black Sea Fleet said they have set the conditions of the forthcoming parade with the local authorities. Russian sailors were assured, that despite all this, that the festivities to mark the 225^th anniversary of the Black Sea Fleet would be held on schedule on 11 May. 

7 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26716&cid=45&p=07.05.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Editor’s Note:

The Ukrainian government is going to get nowhere with its demands. For all intents and purposes, Russia does not recognise the Ukraine as a fully-independent state, and the sad shape of its economy and government justify that stance. The parade shall be held, precisely as Russia planned it. Quite frankly, Uniate Galicians should keep their silence. Most Ukrainians are pro-Russian (in fact, 45 percent of the “Ukrainian” population is Great Russian), and if unrepresentative voices from the far west of the country complain, let them join Poland.

 

President Medvedev Sacks Zubkov Government

President Dmitri Medvedev (1965-)

President Medvedev dismissed the Cabinet of Viktor Zubkov. They are now caretakers pending a new government team under Vladimir Putin taking over on 15 May. In a parallel move, Mr Medvedev formally asked the Lower House of Parliament to give approval to his choice of Vladimir Putin for the next Premier. The speaker rewsponsible is Boris Gryzlov and the Chamber has received a formal Medvedev paper concerning this. Its executive is agreeing on the procedures for Mr Putin to accept the nomination. The vote on his candidacy is set for Thursday at noon. Given unconditional support by the parliamentary bloc of United Russia, A Just Russia, and the Liberal Democrats, Mr Putin as Premier is a done deal. Only the minority Communists are going to vote against him. Mr Putin is appearing before faction leaders tonight to answer questions ahead of his formal nomination.

7 May 2008

Aleksei Dyakonov

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26771&cid=56&p=07.05.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service 

 

Russia’s Third Post-Soviet President Sworn into Office

Dmitri Medvedev (1965-), President of Russia, taking the oath of office

Russia’s third post-Soviet president, Dmitri Medvedev, was sworn into office at an inauguration ceremony in Moscow today. Dmitri Medvedev’s inauguration became the fifth swearing-in ceremony in the history of the Russian presidency. This is now an already established tradition, a set of rituals symbolising the continuity and legitimacy of a handover of power. The current ceremony began with the outgoing head of state, Vladimir Putin, bidding farewell to the presidential guards, after which the National Flag and the Presidential Standard were carried into the Andreyevsky Hall of the Great Kremlin Palace, which was  filled with Russian and foreign dignitaries. The ceremony was attended by representatives of all branches of the government.

At noon, Dmitri Medvedev’s motorcade drove into the Kremlin through the Spasskiye Gates that are only opened once every four years for the inauguration of the head of state. The president-elect walked through the enfilade of the palace’s halls to the accompaniment of the Welcoming March. In his brief address to the crowd of Russian and foreign dignitaries before handing his successor the chain of office, the outgoing head of state Vladimir Putin said the following words.

“The swearing-in of the president-elect is a very responsible moment in the democratic process of power formation. This should be a unifying moment for all Russian regions, all national political forces, and all civil society. Today, it’s extremely important for everyone together to continue on course for the country’s development, which has already been taken and has justified itself”. Mr Putin believes that only this course can help Russia become a socially-oriented and truly-developed state, make innovative breakthroughs, and bolster its international position.

After that, President-Elect Dmitri Medvedev took the presidential oath of office. “I vow, in performing my duties as President of the Russian Federation, to respect and protect human and civil rights and liberties, to observe and protect the Constitution, to protect the sovereignty and independence, security, and integrity of the state, and to serve the people faithfully”. Valery Zorkin, the Constitutional Court Chairman, proclaimed Dmitri Medvedev President of the Russian Federation. Mr Putin handed Mr Medvedev the chain of office. The Presidential Standard was hoisted over the Kremlin Palace to the sounds of the national anthem.

In his 6-minute inaugural address, Mr Medvedev outlined the following priorities. “I took the presidential oath of loyalty to the people. Its first lines are a commitment to respect and protect human rights and freedoms, for they are deemed of the highest value for our society and determine the meaning and content of the entire state activity. I consider it my most important task to ensure the further development of civic and economic freedoms and the creation of new and broadest possible opportunities for the self-realisation of our citizens, citizens who are free and responsible both for their personal success and their country’s prosperity”.

After the inauguration, the new President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Dmitri Medvedev and former president Vladimir Putin inspected the presidential regiment in the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square. 

7 May 2008

Vyacheslav Solovyov

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26750&cid=56&p=07.05.2008 (in English) 

Voice of Russia World Service

 

 

President Putin’s Term in Office

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (1952-), former President of Russia

Today closes the eight-year Putin period in the history of Russia. How Vladimir Putin used his two presidential mandates makes a topic for long, in-depth discussion, but, to make this long story short, one can simply repeat what the former Chancellor of Germany, Gerhard Schröder, said. Herr Schröder said that Russia had, under Vladimir Putin, turned into a more democratic and more successful country. It emerged as a new factor of global stability, Herr Schröder said.

Let me point out that Herr Schröder’s point of view is shared by enemies of Russia, as well as prominent public servants and foreign policy-makers. But, the most important thing is this: the highest view of Putin’s performance in office is voiced by the people of Russia. Opinion polls show that almost eighty percent of Russians supported his line, and it is neither promises nor beautifully phrased declarations that can explain his popular support. For the past eight years, Russia has been growing faster than most other nations. Its GDP growth topped seven percent, which earned it the seventh position on the list of ten most-developed nations. It was in the years of the Putin Administration that a foundation was laid for the ambitious decision to turn Russia into the fifth-biggest economy of this planet by 2020.

Yet, I see the imprint of those most impressive macroeconomic indices on the lives of the rank-and-file Russians as the biggest result of the eight past years. Last year alone, people’s earnings grew twenty to twenty five percent, and the volume of housing construction increased by one-third. One thing the government proved unable to do is to curb inflation, which remains much too high. Economic indices and things other than economic indices serve to measure the positive results of Mr Putin’s performance in office. Vladimir Putin managed to unify Russia and returned to Russians a belief in their potential and ability to settle domestic and international problems. The Russia of the Putin period never hesitated to protect its interests in relations with the United States of America. It managed to map out moves to consolidate its position on the post-Soviet territory. It expanded contacts with China, India, and other countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

What seems very good is Mr Putin’s ability not to feel euphoric. Think on this: he added a call for continued action to the words of gratitude with which he addressed his own team and the outgoing Cabinet of ministers. In my view, his line will continue uninterrupted because he is expected to head the national Cabinet under President Medvedev. So, let us add our voices to the chorus of those who thanked him for eight years of painstaking effort and we wish him every success in what he is going to do in his new capacity of prime minister.

6 May 2008  

Viktor Yenikeyev

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26666&cid=56&p=06.05.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Russia is expected to strengthen its Positions Worldwide in the Near Future

Vyacheslav Nikonov (1956-), member of the Public Chamber of Russia

Russia is expected to strengthen its positions worldwide in near future, Vyacheslav Nikonov, the president of Moscow-based “Politika” Foundation said in an interview with The Voice of Russia. Commenting on the continuity in the political course of Russia, Mr Nikonov noted that the idea could be compared with the gold and currency reserves of Russia, as it guarantees stability both to every citizen of Russia and its foreign partners worldwide.

“Already, the continuity of our political course has brought some positive results. Just look at 2020 plan for Russia proposed by outgoing President Vladimir Putin. This is a programme of actions the next Russian president will have to implement. Obviously, Russia is developing its external policy, which is closely related with its national interests. President-elect Dmitri Medvedev defined the prior tasks in his pre-election speech: investment, innovations, and the development of state institutions. Under Mr Putin, these spheres received a boost, and over the next 4 years, the policy shall remain unchanged. It is also worth mentioning that, for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian elite are not split over the content of a programme of national development”, Mr Nikonov said.

Mr Nikonov insists that Russia now plays a significant role in global development process. This is not only due to its increasing economic potential, but, also thanks to its political resources as a G8 member and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Russia also has strong ties with the EU and NATO, so it can freely strengthen its positions worldwide. 

6 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26665&cid=56&p=06.05.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service