Deacon Andrei Kuraev Called St Vladimir the Baptiser of Russia “A True Rocker”

Deacon Andrei Kuraev (1963- ), professor at the Moscow Theological Academy (MDA) and popular preacher

Moscow, 12 May 2008 (Interfax):

Deacon Andrei Kuraev, professor at Moscow Theological Academy, believes that Grand Prince St Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles of Kiev and modern rockers have a lot in common. “Prince Vladimir was a real true rocker. He knew how to choose… Rock is a culture of protest; it does not give polite refusals. A personality says ‘no’ when it refuses to obediently bear the burden of all the clichés drummed into it”, Fr Andrei said at a concert of the group DDT, which is now on a large concert tour around the Ukraine in honour of the 1020th anniversary of the baptism of Russia.

“When an individual refuses to think and choose, others do it for them, and then, kitsch bubblegum music (‘the pink mouth of a hungry dog’ in the original, a quote from a famous Russian rock song: editor’s note) rules your mind, together with ads and glam”, Fr Andrei noted. He also noted that the most important SMS message a person may get in their life, warns, “Wake up, Neo, the matrix is after you!” He wished that the audience would decide in their hearts to go “to the Dnieper, from there, to Jerusalem, and then, up to Heaven”.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24396 (in Russian)

Archbishop Hilarion Becomes Head of the ROCOR

Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney, the new First Hierarch of the ROCOR

New York, 12 May 2008 (ITAR-Tass):

Archbishop Hilarion Kapral of Sydney, Australia, and New Zealand was elected the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR). Voting for the office was held Monday at a conference of the ROCOR Council of Bishops in New York. Enthronement of the newly elected First Hierarch is scheduled for this Sunday, 18 May.

His Beatitude Hilarion’s predecessor, Metropolitan Laurus Skurla, died on 16 March at the age of 80. Metropolitan Laurus became the symbol of the reunification of the ROCOR with the Moscow Patriarchate. The event took place on 17 May 2007 when Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia and His Beatitude Laurus signed the Act of Canonical Communion. The document put an end to a split between the two branches of the Russian Church that lasted for almost eight decades.

As ROCOR hierarchs gathered for the session of the Council of Bishops, spokesmen for the Moscow Patriarchate voiced the hope that the newly-elected First Hierarch would continue Metropolitan Laurus’s policy of solidifying the reunification. During the metropolitan’s funeral in Jordanville NY.  Archbishop Hilarion said it is necessary to continue moving along the course that the two Churches embarked upon. “Now, thanks to this unity, our Church is growing stronger by the power of God’s mercy”, he said.

The Bylaws of the ROCOR say that its First Hierarch has the title of Metropolitan and is elected by the Council of Bishops for life. Apart from being the chairman of the conferences of the Council of Bishops and the Synod of Archpriests (I did not have access for a Russian original for this, do they mean the Holy Synod?: editor’s note), the ruling metropolitan also takes care of the internal and external affairs of the Church. He has the power to convene the Councils of Bishops and the All-Diaspora Councils where representatives of the laity take part along with the clergy, to compile reports on the situation in ROCOR, to communicate with other autocephalous Orthodox Churches on the issues of church life, to maintain contacts with secular authorities in various countries, and to address ROCOR’s entire congregation with pastoral epistles and moral instructions.

The ROCOR is governed by the Council of Bishops that convenes annually and has the status of the supreme body for issuing edicts, as well as governance, adjudication, and control over activities of the Church. Apart from electing the First Hierarch, the Council also resolves general issues pertaining to the faith, morals, liturgical life, church discipline, educational and missionary activities, and it is also a court of adjudication in the last instance. It handles all affairs related to matters of principle in treating with contemporary schisms and false teachings, and to legal defence of the interests of the ROCOR in the courts and its representation before all other governmental agencies.

ITAR-Tass

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=12669853&PageNum=0 (in English)

 

The Moscow Patriarchate Once Again Confirms its Intent to Refrain from Common Prayer with Non-Orthodox

Patriarch Aleksei’s gift to the Archbishop of Paris. An example of an allowable act with heterodox Christians.

Moscow, 12 May 2008 (Interfax):

The Moscow Patriarchate reiterated that it thinks it is impossible for Orthodox believers to conduct services together with members of other Christian confessions. “Yet again, we would like to confirm our intention to refrain from participating in joint prayers with the heterodox”, Priest Aleksandr Vasyutin, a member of the Secretariat for Inter-Christian Relations of the MP Department for External Church Relations, said to Interfax-Religion. According to Fr Aleksandr, this question acquired urgency in the process of organising the 13th General Assembly of the Conference of European Churches which is scheduled for July 2009 in Lyons in France.

Fr Aleksandr, who is also a member of the organisation committee of the Assembly, said that “unfortunately, the standpoint of the Moscow Patriarchate finds little understanding amongst members of other local Orthodox Churches”. As a case in point, he told us that at a recent meeting of the organisation committee, Metropolitan Emmanuel of France (Ecumenical Patriarchate) said in reply to the proposal to refrain from interconfessional prayers that “the standpoint of the Moscow Patriarchate on this matter reminds him of a husband who has a wife, but, he refuses to sleep with her”. Besides this, the EP representative posed a question. “Why do members of the Moscow Patriarchate always refuse to participate in common prayers with the heterodox, whilst Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia participated in joint prayer with Catholic clergy in the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris during his stay in Paris in October 2007?”

“There is no need to repeat the information that was broadcast widely in various church and secular media outlets that the service at Notre Dame de Paris was an Orthodox molieben, where the clergy of the Catholic Church were only observers, including Andre Vingt-Trois, the Archbishop of Paris. So, there are no grounds for calling this a joint service or common prayer”, Fr Aleksandr emphasised.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24381 (in Russian)

World’s Leading Investment Banks say that the Russian Rouble Is the Most Promising Currency Today

Russian 100 rouble notes

The world’s leading investment banks state that the Russian rouble is the most promising currency today and recommend that their customers buy up roubles. According to the Bloomberg business information agency, this advice has been given by the large American investment firms Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, and also by the Deutsche Bank. Western bankers point out that the Russian rouble is becoming a most lucrative investment amid the continuing world financial market instability. Experts predict that the Russian rouble shall become one of the world’s reserve currencies.

12 May 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26898&cid=46&p=12.05.2008 (in English)

Editor’s Note:

I remember a sarcastic young commenter on You-Tube who called themselves “4USMCR”. They claimed, without documentation, that the Russian economy was weak, and that all Russians would end up “begging outside of monasteries”. Well, 4USMCR, do you wish fries with your order of crow supreme, and do you wish to supersize it?

 

Estonian Farmers Face Flatulence Tax on Cattle

Tallinn, 8 May 2008 (RIA-Novosti):

Estonian farmers received tax notices for methane emissions from their cattle, the country’s opposition party, the People’s Union of Estonia, said on Thursday. Ruminants produce large quantities of methane gas through belching and flatulence when they digest grass, which accounts for about 15 to 25 percent of overall gas emissions, according to different estimates. A single cow produces on average 350 litres (92 US gallons 76 Imperial gallons) of methane and 1,500 litres (396 US gallons 329 Imperial gallons) of carbon dioxide per day.

“For Copa-Cogeca, an organisation that unites farmers of the European Union, the information received from Estonian farmers came as a huge surprise, and they could not recall a similar precedent in any EU country”, said the party’s spokesman, Jaanus Marrandi. No other EU country imposes a flatulence tax on farmers. A year after joining the Kyoto protocol, authorities in New Zealand proposed introducing a flatulence tax, saying that New Zealand cattle are responsible for 90 percent of the country’s methane emissions and 43 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/world/20080508/106906451.html (in English)

Editor’s Note:

My, my, my… are they going to install meters on the cattle to measure “emissions” and charge the farmer accordingly? Why, in future, they shall forbid the sale of pickled eggs and beer in combination because of the increased level of human “emissions”. Ridiculous. I know how to cure the enthusiasm of “greenies” for such measures. We should issue them all wellies, rubber gauntlets, and shovels so that they can collect the “natural produce” from the byre so it can be “recycled” for further use. Meanwhile, the poor farmer can sit down and enjoy a cold brewsky or two at the end of a long day. I think THAT would cure the PETA busy-bodies, and right smartly!

Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney elected ROCOR head

Archbishop Hilarion Kapral of Sydney, the new primate of the ROCOR

New York, 12 May 2008 (Interfax):

Archbishop Hilarion (Kapral) of Sydney, Australia, and New Zealand was elected the new primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations told Interfax-Religion. The election took place during a session of the ROCOR’s Archbishop’s Council in New York. Archbishop Hilarion became acting Chairman of the ROCOR Holy Synod after the death of ROCOR primate Metropolitan Laurus of New York and Eastern America, and was seen as his likeliest successor. Under the new order, his candidacy requires the approval of Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia.

Archbishop Hilarion (Igor Kapral) was born on 6 January 1948, in Canada. In 1972, he graduated from Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville. In December 1974, he was tonsured as a Riassofor monk with the name of Hilarion. In December 1975, he was ordained to the deaconate. In 1976, he became a hierodeacon. The following year, he graduated from Syracuse University with a master’s degree in Slavic Studies and Russian Literature and was ordained to the priesthood. In December 1984, at the age of 36, Father Hilarion was appointed bishop of Manhattan. In June 1996, he was transferred to the diocese of Australia and New Zealand and raised to the rank of archbishop. In 2006, he was elected first deputy chairman of ROCOR’s Synod.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24403 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

This was posted by Interfax at 21.17 MDT (13.17 EDT). It is 13.45 EDT now, and it is not up on the ROCOR website. In short, a Russian source thousands of miles away had a prepared statement ready, whilst the local sources did not. It is sad that we must get our information from a source far removed from New York. This, perhaps, indicates that there is a bit of work needed to be done on the efficiency of the administration. God willing, the new metropolitan can do so.

 

We Cross the Rubicon Today

Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville NY

Today, the Holy Synod of the ROCOR is electing a new First Primate. There are three main contenders with a realistic chance of winning.

Archbishop Hilarion Kapral of Sydney (1948- ) is the favourite in many eyes. He is of Ukrainian background from Western Canada and received his monastic formation and theological training at Jordanville. If this were an election taking place in the old conditions of isolation, I would concur. However, one must never forget that Moscow has a veto in the process. Hilarion may be considered too closely tied to Jordanville and Moscow wishes to curtail its independence and wilfulness (as was shown by the explicit orders of Metropolitan Juvenaly to ban all OCA clergy from the funeral of Vladyki Laurus). In addition, Hilarion does not wish to leave Australia. One must remember that Jordanville controls most of the information flow in the ROCOR, therefore, Hilarion Kapral may be a lesser figure than the one painted by certain Holy Trinity Monastery circles. It would not be surprising to see Hilarion elected, but, it would surprise me less to see another get the prize.

Archbishop Mark Arndt of Berlin (1943- ) is, perhaps, the ROCOR bishop most closely tied to Patriarch Aleksei, as His Holiness sent his condolences regarding Vladyki Laurus via Vladyki Mark. He is a convert of German nationality with a monastic formation in Serbia and theological education at the theological faculty in Belgrade. He has the advantage of being non-Jordanville in Moscow’s eyes. Again, does Vladyki wish to leave Western Europe? Do recall that a candidate may refuse election (this holds true for Hilarion Kapral, or any other candidate, for that matter)…

Archbishop Kirill Dmitriev of San Francisco (1954- ) is the “dark horse” in this election. He is of Russian background from San Francisco and received his monastic formation in the Holy Land and his theological education at St Vladimir Seminary in Crestwood NY(!). He is known for his uncompromising stance towards the schismatics who left the church after 17 May, and his views concerning the moribund OCA are as harsh.

Who shall cross the finish line first? God alone knows, I don’t. However, I am not going to hold my breath waiting for an announcement today. The ROCOR website is known for its laggardliness in posting news, so, we may not know until tomorrow. May God guide the bishops.

Vara Drezhlo

Monday 12 May 2008   

Vladimir Putin Puts Together a Cabinet

Premier Vladimir Putin (1952-) (left) with President Dmitri Medvedev (1965-) (right)

President Dmitri Medvedev approved a new government under Vladimir Putin. In the words of Mr Medvedev, “The two months we’ve been working together is enough time to arrive at full agreement on who does what in the new Cabinet. Decisions on the matter are going to be easy and quick”.

All key ministers keep their posts. There are new federal ministries for sport, tourism, and youth affairs, and a new federal agency for relations with countries in the former Soviet Union. The Natural Resources Ministry shall receive additional powers to protect the environment. There shall be seven Deputy Prime Ministers, including Cabinet staff head Sergei Sobyanin, former Premier Viktor Zubkov and the new Russian negotiator with the World Trade Organisation Igor Shuvalov. The latter two men are First Deputy Premiers.

Facing the line-up, Mr Putin spoke about tasks before it, “The overwhelming support for this government in the legislature means that all these tasks can and must be addressed in close cooperation with law-makers. Most importantly, all factions are welcome, regardless of how they voted on my candidacy for Premier”. Mr Putin told his government that new challenges ahead call for intensified work in all fields. He ordered the ministers to work to raise the minimum legal wage, reform pensions, upgrade education, and radically improve the standard of public health care. He also announced that the next plenary meeting of his Cabinet in a few days’ time shall discuss legislative proposals for a three-year national development plan, for streamlining taxation, and for significantly improving retirement benefits. 

12 May 2008

Aleksei Dyakonov 

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26923&cid=56&p=12.05.2008 (in English)