Bishop Diomid Dzyuban of Anadyr and Chukotka (1961- ), deposed by the MP Archpastoral Council
Yesterday, Bishop Diomid of Anadyr and Chukotka directed a scandalous missive to the clergy of the MP denouncing its leading hierarchs. Diomid placed Patriarch Aleksei of Moscow and all the Russias under an “anathema” along with two metropolitans, Kirill of Smolensk and Philaret of Minsk. Diomid accused them of opposing the restoration of an autocratic monarchy in Russia. He emphasised that he shall no longer associate with the bishops who condemned him at the Archpastoral Council and he called the MP a “heretical church”. It is good to recall that the late Archpastoral Council issued a document saying “the Church has no preference for one political system over another, such as the one existing at present”. Diomid saw this as an anti-monarchist action, so, he sent out his protest on the anniversary of the shooting of the imperial family.
In turn, the MP called the statement of Diomid “nonsense”, and asked the faithful to pray that he would come to his senses. “When God abandons and punishes a man, He deprives him of his reason. This is precisely what happened in this case. I regret that [Bishop Diomid], who began his way in the church as a sincere and believing man, abandoned church unity, a joyous church life, Christian witness, and openness to people of different faiths and persuasions in favour of the adulation of a small set of followers who suggest to him that he is the true spiritual leader of Russia”, Fr Vsevolod Chaplin said in an interview with Rossiskaya Gazeta (The Russian Newspaper). Fr Vsevolod hopes that the Lord shall send a miracle so that Diomid shall come to repentance and amend his ways.
Aleksandr Dugin, a political scientist and member of the Presidium of the World Russian People’s Congress, noted that the statement of Diomid was nothing but a repetition of the schism that occurred in the 1920s in Russia (Mr Dugin is referring to the heresy of Renovationism: editor’s note). He said that the statement of the rebellious bishop is disastrous for modern Russia, but, he emphasised that no schism was going to arise as a result. However, he feels that the ensuing scandal shall strengthen the traditionalist wing of the hierarchy. “I am certain that outside forces interested in weakening the church were behind all of this, Mr Dugin concluded.
18 July 2008
Tamara Miodushevskaya
Argumenti i Fakti (Arguments and the Facts)
Quoted in Interfax-Religion
http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=print&div=8731
Editor’s Note:
Since Thursday, Diomid has dropped out of sight. He has gone north, to the part of Russia that is closest to Alaska. Is he planning to skip to the US to avoid facing the music of the MP Holy Synod? If he stays in Russia, the OMON would track him down and deliver him to Aleksei. If he does skip to the States, that is all we truly need at present. Another loony voice on the right-wing, to go along with Panteleimon, the HOCNA bunch, the varied GOCs, and the “true ROCOR” (specify which one of several). However, he is not going to harm the Church substantially. He SHALL make a great deal of noise, though… why do I have the impression that I have heard it all before?
BMD
