16 May 2008. A Shot of Culture, if you please…

Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra stages a concert in Washington

Maestro Vladimir Spivakov (1944- ) conducts a concert at the Dom Muziki (House of Music) in Moscow

The Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, directed by Vladimir Spivakov, successfully staged a concert in Washington. Its tour of North America now underway is devoted to the 30th anniversary of the orchestra, which will be marked next year. The programme of the concert included works by Shostakovich, Hayden, and Schoenberg. The group played Allegro by Mozart as an encore. The audience was especially thrilled by Tango by the Argentinean composer Piazzolla. Its solo part was played by guest-artist accordionist Nikita Vlasov, scholarship holder of the Spivakov Charitable Fund.

15 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27072&cid=51&p=15.05.2008 (in English)

Russian pavilion opens at Cannes festival

For the first time, a Russian Pavilion will be open at the International Village during the 61st Cannes Film Festival planned to be held from 14 to 25 May. It is expected to host major events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Russian film-making. Within the next few days, guests and participants of the festival will have an opportunity to watch some modern Russian films and attend a series of consultations with leading producing companies to discuss the process of film-making in contemporary Russia. 

16 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27075&cid=51&p=16.05.2008 (in English)

Two Russian films take part in Cannes Film Festival

Two Russian pictures, a comedy by Sergei Dvortsevoi and a documentary film by Diana Mkrtchyan have been put up for contest shows of the Cannes film festival. Diana Mkrtchyan shot her half-hour picture about ethnic Armenians who fled Azerbaijan to land in Moscow while studying at a script-writers’ and film directors’ school and working for the Voice of Russia.

16 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27109&cid=51&p=16.05.2008 (in English)

Faina Ranevskaya Festival kicks off in Taganrog

Faina Ranevskaya (1896-1984), honoured Russian actress

The southern Russian city of Taganrog is honouring the memory of stage and movie actress Faina Ranevskaya, listed as one of the ten outstanding actresses of the 20th century in the British Who Is Who book of 1992. A Ranevskaya festival is about to open in there, and a two-metre bronze monument to Ranevskaya will be unveiled in front of the house where she was born. Moscow-based actors will be privileged to open the Taganrog festival with recollections of their meetings with Ms Ranevskaya. Provincial theatres have brought their new productions to the Ranevskaya Festival.

16 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27108&cid=51&p=16.05.2008 (in English)

Russian film director Aleksandr Sokurov and opera diva Galina Vishnevskaya win a UN prize

Film director Aleksandr Sokurov (1951- )

Russian film director Aleksandr Sokurov and the opera diva Galina Vishnevskaya (1926- ) won a United Nations prize for a movie about the Russian counter-terrorist operations in the Northern Caucasus. Ms Vishnevskaya plays the grandma of a young Russian officer on deployment to Chechnya. She beat two Western movie stars, Vanessa Redgrave and Angelina Jolie, for the prize.

16 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27113&cid=51&p=16.05.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

 

16 May 2008. Out and About…

Ukrainian Parliament falls victim to political intrigues

The Ukrainian Parliament fell victim to political intrigues, initiated by members of the majority, including representatives of the democratic “orange coalition”, not the opposition. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said as much in an interview for the BBC, adding that the situation could be settled by means of constitutional reform. He planned to deliver his annual message to the Verkhovnaya Rada (Parliament) on 12 and 13 May, but, he failed to do this because the tribune was blocked by his former allies from the Yulia Timoshenko bloc.

15 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27058&cid=45&p=15.05.2008  (in English)

PACE refuses to classify the famine in the USSR in the 1930s as deliberate genocide against the Ukrainian people

Konstantin Kosachov (1962- ), Russian delegate to the PACE

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe refused to classify the famine in the early 1930’s in the USSR as deliberate genocide against the Ukrainian people. In a television interview Friday, Russian delegate Konstantin Kosachov called attention to the millions of deaths suffered amongst other ethnic groups during that tragic period. 

16 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27117&cid=48&p=16.05.2008 (in English)

Editor’s Note:

The so-called “Holodomyr” is not recognised outside certain “Orange” factions in the Ukraine and the Galician diaspora. The tragedy of that time hit us all. Russians, Ukrainians, Azeris, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Jews… yes, ALL suffered in the years of collectivisation. To confine it to one group and to deem it “genocide” spits in the face of the truth. Pray for the repose of the souls of ALL the victims, it is the only decent thing to do.

Russian national TV is running a viewer contest for the greatest compatriot of all time

Russian national television is running a viewer contest for the greatest compatriot of all time. The nominees number about 500, to be shortlisted down to 12. Each of the finalists shall be featured in a separate programme. The winner will be announced in late December.

16 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27111&cid=48&p=16.05.2008 (in English) 

Serbian patriotic parties form ruling coalition

Vojislav Kostunica (1944- ), leader of the Serb patriotic coalition

Serbian patriotic parties agreed to form a ruling coalition following the results of the 11 May snap parliamentary election. Democratic leader Vojislav Kostunica, the head of the Serbian Radical Party Tomislav Nikolic, and Socialist leader Ivisa Dacic singed an agreement on the priorities of the newly-formed government, which is expected to accept no supporters of President Boris Tadic. Amongst the top tasks for the near future, the coalition leaders listed the struggle for Serbian territorial integrity, rapid economic growth, and further integration of Serbia (with Kosovo as a constituent part) into Europe.

16 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27102&cid=45&p=16.05.2008 (in English)

Golden Knight Film Festival Shows the Harmony of Life by Means of Art

Nikolai Burlyaev (1947- ), People’s Artist of Russia, actor and film director

The Golden Knight Film Festival is a forum of Slav and Orthodox nations open to the entire world. This statement belongs to the initiator and president of the Golden Knight International Film Festival, the prominent Russian actor and director Nikolai Burlyaev. The whole history of the forum which is due to open for the 17th time on 22 May proves that his words are true. Filmmakers of 30 countries shall arrive in Moscow, including France, Syria, Hungary, Iran, Uzbekistan, Canada, Greece, Mexico, Israel, and Sweden; they are not all representatives of the Christian world. Why is the Golden Knight film festival a point of attraction for them?

In the opinion of Mr Burlyaev, “Many confess that the Golden Knight film festival is, probably, the only venue for a meeting of representatives of positive trends in the world’s cinematography. The human heart clearly distinguishes between what is positive and elevating for the human soul and what is not. We represent cinema that is a source of inspiration for the human soul”. This idea is clearly seen in the forum’s motto, which is “For Christian moral ideals”. Life shows us that the moral ideals of various nations and persons of various confessions practically coincide or are consonant, at least. This is why amongst the winners of the Golden Knight festival were a film by South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-Duk, The Bow, telling about eternal love, the work of Serb director Kovacevic, My Brothers’ Sons, a story of a big family which lost all of its men in the wars of the 21st century, and Pavel Lungin’s film The Island, featuring a man who became a monk to atone for his crushing guilt.

The international jury of the Golden Knight film festival appreciates most the films that bring forth the idea of a person’s moral transformation, or their spiritual development. Present-day audiences need such films badly. A proof of this is the almost 40 Golden Knight Clubs in 11 countries, including Finland and China. On the programme of the forthcoming festival are 220 films of all genres and styles, including feature films and animated cartoons. There are many films representing contemporary Serb and Balkan cinema as a whole. This is characteristic for the Golden Knight Festival. It gives its most enthusiastic support to cinema emerging from trouble-spots where external forces interfere in the lives of people, often trampling basic norms of human morals. There is another prominent trend, an abundance of films from Western Europe. Notably, Germany has sent the biggest number of works for the competition of student début films. This means that the younger generation of European filmmakers shares the ideas and values asserted by the Golden Knight Film Festival.

In addressing festival participants, Patriarch Aleksei of Moscow and all Russia said that their aim is to show the harmony of life by means of art. This is one of the most difficult, but, yet, feasible tasks of art in the contemporary world.

15 May 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27052&cid=62&p=15.05.2008 (in English)

 

President Medvedev says that Modernisation of the RVSN is a “Prime Necessity”

President Dmitri Medvedev (1965- )

President Dmitri Medvedev emphasised the vital need to continue the modernisation of the Strategic Rocket Forces (RVSN) to meet global threats. “During the 1990s, we, due to various reasons, both subjective and objective, spent peanuts on missile defence, and its development all but stalled”, Mr Medvedev said during a visit to a strategic missile division northwest of Moscow, his first working trip since he officially took office last week. “In recent years, however, we’ve been picking up here and earmarked 25 billion roubles (1.054 billion USD. 676 million euros. 539 million UK pounds) for this purpose in the near future”, the president added. Mr Medvedev said that within the next few years the government would allocate all necessary funding for the RVSN, which he said must be able to face the current level of threats in the contemporary global situation. 

Currently, strategic missile forces are being reequipped. They are receiving new mobile Topol-M ICBM launchers. The rocket installed in this system achieves high speed faster than previous models. The design of the engines and control equipment guarantees a flight that is unpredictable to the enemy. The range of the rocket is 10,000 kilometres (6,213 miles). The rocket division the president visited is the first one equipped with this system. Mr Medvedev could monitor how the officers on duty control the launching of a rocket. Concerning the participation of the Topol-M missiles in the recent parade celebrating the 63rd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, the president emphasised that it was not muscle-flexing, but, it was an expression of honour to the Russian armed forces and their traditions. The Russian nuclear missile force is one of the foremost factors in our military doctrine in containing aggressors, guaranteeing security and maintaining stability in international relations.

15 May 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27074&cid=58&p=15.05.2008 (in English)

 

God created not only people, but, also little green men

Vatican Observatory at Castel Gondolfo

The chief astronomer of the Roman Catholic Church called extraterrestrials his brothers.

The Lord is One over the Entire Universe

An article entitled “Extraterrestrials: My Brothers” in the official Vatican newspaper LÓsservatore Romano caused a stormy response in many quarters all over the world. Of course, one reason is that the author is not your common-garden UFO nutter. Rather, it is written by Fr José Gabriel Fuñes, SJ, an astronomer well-respected in scientific circles and the head of the Vatican Observatory at the papal summer residence in Castel Gondolfo. However, most likely, the content of the article reflects the views found in the higher reaches of the Catholic hierarchy.

Rev Fuñes postulates that it is possible to combine a belief in both the existence of God and in the existence of intelligent life on other planets. He said that one does not contradict the other in the least. Moreover, he starts with the assumption that intelligent experiential life-forms do exist, including those with civilisations that are far past us in development. “The Lord God, Who is One over the entire universe, created them the same as He did us. If on the earth there are myriads of God’s creatures, then, there can be others elsewhere”, he concludes.

“It is not for us to limit His creative freedom”. Rev Fuñes continued by quoting Francis of Assisi who considered all creatures on earth his brothers and sisters. “So, why can’t we relate in the same manner to extraterrestrials? How are they brothers? Indeed, they are a manifestation of the mercy of God”. According to Fr Gabriel, our extraterrestrial brothers have the same reason as human beings, and were created for salvation and atonement by Jesus Christ, and also receive the Divine Mercy.

The Vatican is Hiding Something

For the experts, the assertions of Fr Gabriel are not surprising. For some 10 years now, the Vatican has given increased attention to the question of intelligent extraterrestrial life-forms. John Paul II, the previous Pope of Rome, said personally in 1999 that the omnipotent Lord was free to create intelligent life where He willed, not only on the earth.

However, the UFO nutters, their imaginations heated by conspiratorial novels, suspect that the Vatican is hiding something. They pass about rumours concerning the existence of a secret Vatican commission for the study of contacts with extraterrestrials that analyses information sent to it from the Vatican nuncios and embassies throughout the world. They believe that the Vatican works closely with many intelligence services, that it finances secret institutes, and that it leases a powerful telescope in Arizona in the USA. Is it not preparing its flock for an official encounter with these newcomers, the existence of which is already fully known to the Vatican?

It is Better to Sit Quietly

For some, the fact that we are not alone in the universe makes the heart leap for joy. There are those that dream of the incomprehensible goods that our “brothers” shall bring to humanity. However… what if they are malicious? How are the newcomers portrayed in the majority of sci-fi films? They plot evil against us… to kill us… and to rob us blind! They are just like us…

As if to assuage such fears, Fr Gabriel writes that extraterrestrials may be free from the effects of original sin, that is, they are immortal, not liable to disease, and they live according to the laws of God, as Adam and Eve did before their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The main thing is that they would be creatures absolutely devoid of malevolence.

That is not a fact, many retort. On 16 November 1974, American researchers sent a radio message aimed to reach an extraterrestrial civilization 25,000 light-years away from the radio-telescope at Arecibo in Puerto Rico. There was an immediate and perturbed cry from many quarters. Now, the International Astronomical Union recommends that scientists restrict the search for intelligent extraterrestrial life-forms to the passive reception of signals from space, avoiding the active transmission of data. After the Arecibo scandal of 1974, the US Congress decided to enact a complete prohibition of radio messages to other worlds from the territory of the USA. They said it was better to sit quietly… and not attract attention.       

An Opinion of an Enthusiast

You shall not be Able to Hide from the Newcomers

“I do not think that it shall be necessary for us to hide from anyone”, said Aleksandr Zaitsev, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics at the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN). “If one assumes that there is a powerful and aggressive civilisation far ahead of us in development, you shall not be able to hide. If their technology is so advanced that they can attack the earth, that means that long ago they have latched on to our radio transmissions, for example, our satellite television, and they know everything about us. Conversely, if there is somewhere a civilisation that is equal in development to us, then, if we make radio contact, we run no risk. Neither of our technologies is advanced enough to fly from one star to another in a sufficiently short time”.

The Opinion of the Orthodox Church

The Bible says Nothing about Extraterrestrials

“Theoretically, we cannot deny that there may be, somewhere, in the depths of the universe, intelligent extraterrestrial life-forms”, said Bishop Mark of Yegorevsk. “However, the Bible says nothing about this. There are not even hints that God, besides man, created other extraterrestrial intelligences. Indeed, the Scripture seems to deny their existence”.

15 May 2008

Vladimir Lagovsky

Komslmolskaya Pravda

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24452 (in Russian)

 

The Moscow Patriarchate did not participate in the Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue due to the Policies of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Estonia

Moscow, 16 May 2008 (Interfax):

The Moscow Patriarchate cited the unilateral actions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Estonia, relative to the MP church structure already existing in that country, as the sole reason for their “coerced departure” from the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue (in Ravenna). “As a result of our departure caused by the unilateral actions of the EP, a position was formulated in the general Orthodox-Catholic dialogue without the participation of the largest local church in world Orthodoxy (the MP: Interfax)”, according to a statement of the communications service of the MP Department of External Church Relations (DECR) posted on the official website of the MP.

In October 2007, the delegation of the MP left the session of the mixed Orthodox-Catholic Theological Commission in Ravenna because of the presence of representatives of the so-called “Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church”. The EAOC was founded in 1996 by the EP on the canonical territory of the MP, in spite of opposition to this move expressed by the MP, ergo; the EAOC is still unrecognised by the MP as a legitimate body. The representatives of the EAOC were invited to the Ravenna conference without first seeking agreement from the MP. The DECR is taken aback by this “unilateral action” of the EP. It should be remembered, the EP has rejected all proposals from the MP and other local churches that the Orthodox Churches in America and Japan participate in the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue on the grounds that their autocephaly is “not acknowledged throughout the Orthodox world”.

“Obviously, if we use the same criteria in regards to the EAOC, that body cannot participate in the deliberations of the international commission of the theological dialogue between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic churches”, the DECR document further emphasises. The MP refuses to recognise “any binding force” in any document issued by the mixed theological commission without the participation of its representatives. One such document is the paper released after the conclusion of the October 2007 session in Ravenna, which is concerned with the role of the primacy of the Pope of Rome in the ecumenical church.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24498 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

The above is a précis of a longer official document edited by Interfax. It is not an official release of the MP DECR, although it does quote the official source.    

 

A Unique Memorial to Tsar St Nikolai II shall be Unveiled on his Day of Remembrance in Yekaterinburg

A Portrait of Tsar St Nikolai Aleksandrovich (Ilya Repin, 1896)

Yekaterinburg, 16 May 2008 (Interfax):

A unique memorial to Tsar St Nikolai II the Passion-bearer fabricated entirely from materials found in the Ural region shall be unveiled on his Day of Remembrance at Ural Mountains State University in Yekaterinburg. The 140^th anniversary of the birth of the last Russian emperor, Tsar St Nikolai II, is on 19 May. A decree of Tsar St Nikolai established the first VUZ (Institute of Higher Education) in the region, a school known today as Ural Mountains State University. The new memorial is in honour of that founding, the university press service reported to Interfax.

According to the press-release, all elements of the icon and its shrine (kiot) are going to be done in mosaic-style using precious stones from the Ural region such as rubies, garnets, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, and other gems. The corona of the tsar-martyr is made from chased and figured gilded silver, and figured silver lace decorates the cover (oklad) of the icon. The shrine for the icon is to use white-red Pushtun marble; the red splotches appear on the face of the stone as if it is oozing blood. This is to symbolise the tragic fate of the last Russian emperor, who was shot, together with his family and his servants, in Yekaterinburg.

At the dedication of the memorial, Archbishop Vikenty of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye shall serve a molieben. As part of the events planned for the Day of Remembrance for Tsar St Nikolai II, students from the university shall take part in a sports festival and an athletic competition called “The Miner”.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24486 (in Russian) 

 

The Moscow Patriarchate asks the Returned Penza Hermits to Resume a Normal Christian Life

Members of the doomsday cult that was holed up in the cave in Penza oblast

Moscow, 16 May 2008 (Interfax):

Sources in the Moscow Patriarchate hope that the Penza hermits, who on Friday left their cave and returned to the outside world, shall think over what happened and, as a result, return to the bosom of Orthodoxy. “Surely, we are glad that those who voluntarily closed themselves up in a cave now return to normal human life. One would hope that this experience would prove to them that salvation is only found in the inner podvigi (an almost-untranslatable Russian word, the closest is “struggles” or “exploits”: editor’s note) that we perform in the place where the Lord has placed us”, Fr Georgy Ryabykh, secretary of press affairs of the MP Department for External Church Relations, said to Interfax-Religion on Friday.

In the view of Fr Georgy, the whole story of the Penza hermits reminds everyone in Russian society about the requirement of having “a serious approach to the spiritual life”, and of the necessity “to turn to those time-tested models of spirituality found in the traditions of the Orthodox Church. The example of the Penza hermits shows that the neglect of these traditions may lead to very tragic consequences both in regards to one’s ordinary life and in respect to spirituality, as well”. He expressed the hope that “with God’s help, these people may obtain both bodily and spiritual healing, and that He shall give them the strength to return to the standards of Christian life preserved in the Orthodox Church”.

Rescuers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the police had completed their search for the bodies of two hermits who had allegedly passed away during the say in the cave in Penza oblast. “A second corpse was discovered in the cave in close proximity to the place where the hermits hid themselves, and examinations showed that there was a real possibility that there was a threat of ptomaine poisoning. We proposed to the hermits that they leave the cave voluntarily, and the people in the cave agreed. Early in the morning on Friday, they came to the surface”, said Vladimir Provotorov, the chief official of Bekovsk raion.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24487 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

“Going to a Penza cave” has passed into modern Russian as a proverbial saying concerning those who try to flee the real world. We have such in contemporary Orthodoxy in the West. One such example was the sad story from Paris I posted today. Another case is the people in America who put their hope in a dead theologian rather than the Orthodoxy of the ages.

One cannot rail at such sorts, for they are not evil, but, they are, indeed, deluded. The only thing that grounded Orthodox Christians can do is to pray that such people receive light, so that they can return to ordinary Orthodoxy and live. God willing, such shall happen.  

The Serbian Media Report that the Church of Serbia may elect a New Patriarch because of the Ill-Health of Patriarch Pavle

Patriarch Pavle of Serbia

Moscow, 15 May 2008 (Interfax):

Today, leading Serbian newspapers report that a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Church of Serbia decided on 14 May that there could be an election for a new patriarch. However, official representatives of the Holy Synod refused to comment on the media reports. “The topics under discussion are decided by the Holy Synod itself. Furthermore, they may change the agenda. I do not know if the election of a new patriarch is one of the resolutions of the Synod”, stated Archpriest Savva Jovic, the chief secretary of the Holy Synod. He also said that “all the speculation in the media about who is going to be the next patriarch is groundless, for this is something decided by the Holy Spirit”.

Patriarch Pavle, who is 93-years-old, did not participate in the latest session of the Holy Synod. On 13 November 2007, he was hospitalised, and for the last six months he has handled the affairs of the Serbian Church from his bed in the Belgrade Military Medical Academy. Quite often, the patriarch receives visits from prominent Serbian politicians and other secular figures in his room.

Shortly, the patriarch’s attending physicians shall transmit their medical opinion on the status of the health of the patriarch to the Holy Synod. Sources in the clinic said that his condition is as it was before. “The patriarch is in good spirits, but, sometimes, he has trouble breathing, he becomes weak, and he runs a fever. However, normal medical care usually alleviates all these symptoms”.

Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and Primorsky attends the patriarch in hospital daily. Many consider that the Montenegrin bishop may be the possible successor to Patriarch Pavle as First Hierarch of the Serbian Church. Patriarch Pavle is the 44^th First Hierarch of the Serbian Church. In 2007, he celebrated 50 years of episcopal service and his 17^th anniversary in the patriarchal dignity, according to the website Sedmitsa.ru.

Interfax-Religion      

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24468 (in Russian)

 

President Medvedev Visits the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma

Ipatiev Monastery, Kostroma

Kostroma, 16 May 2008 (Interfax):

President Dmitri Medvedev visited the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma whilst he was on an official trip to the city. The monastery was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1432, but, it was founded much earlier, probably around 1330, through the efforts of the Tatar murza Cheta. In particular, the monastery is known for the fact that Mikhail Romanov, the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty, lived here for six years with his mother, the Nun Marfa, before ascending the throne. The Zemsky Sobor elected him tsar here in 1613, and he was proclaimed the ruler of Russia in the Holy Trinity cathedral, which Mr Medvedev also visited.

The library of the monastery preserves one of the most precious early Russian manuscripts, the Ipatievsky Chronicle. The president also visited the Epiphany convent, the largest monastic house in the city, which was established in 1426. At present, the sisterhood cares for 40 elderly women and invalids, and it also runs an orphanage for girls. The main holy item in the convent is a wonder-working icon of the Mother of God “of Feodorovskaya”, which Nun Marfa used to bless her young son Mikhail before he became tsar. Up to the present time, more than 100 attested miracles have occurred due to the prayers said before this icon.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24474 (in Russian)