Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev Thinks that We Should Not Pass Judgement on Women Who Come to Services in Trousers or Bareheaded

Metropolitan Hilarion Kapral of New York and Eastern America (1948- ), the First Hierarch of the ROCOR, with parishioners in Perth, Australia at Ss Peter and Paul parish on 13 July 2008. None of these people are clad in outlandish “Orthodox dress”. THIS is as it should be…

Moscow, 29 January 2009 (Interfax):

Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Vienna and Austria feels it is wrong to give someone’s external appearance top priority, rather than caring about their spiritual state of mind. “We can not elevate the wearing of skirts to being an important church doctrine”, he said on Thursday, responding to the questions of radio listeners on a programme broadcast on the Russkaya Sluzhba Novostei (Russian News Service). Recognising that there are customs regarding the proper form of dress at the services, and that this tradition should be respected whenever possible, he, at the same time, expressed the view, “If a woman comes to services without a headscarf or in trousers, then, no one, either clergy or laity, is entitled to blatantly point this up. You can talk with her; you can explain that we in the Church have a tradition that women come to services with their heads covered”.

But, he noted that this tradition “is not universal”, and, for example, in foreign countries “it is not only not respected, but, for example, it would be impossible in France to require a woman to wear a skirt, which means to French women that they must look like Muslims. In France, women generally do not wear skirts at all, they only wear trousers. So, should we abandon our French parishioners on the grounds that they do not wear skirts?” Bishop Hilarion asked.

In his opinion, firstly, we should pay attention to the spiritual state of a person, on why they came to services and what led them there. “But, we should pay no attention to how they are dressed and how they appear. There shall be no change in the existing customs of the Church. But, to be reasonable, the priest must keep a clear mind, in order to differentiate the important things from the merely secondary”, Bishop Hilarion emphasised. In saying this, Vladyki Hilarion remembered an incident from his own pastoral experience, when a girl came to services “totally confused”, and she said to him, “You know, I’m very sorry that I came like this, dressed in trousers”. In order to reassure his parishioner, and put her in a prayerful mood, Bishop Hilarion, who, at that time, was only a priest, answered her by saying, “You can take it easy. I also wore trousers to church”.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=28596 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

In the end, I think that good-sense is going to prevail. There is an organic change occurring as we speak, it is coming form the people, not imposed from above. I believe that the dress code for women is going to undergo a subtle shift. Feminine trousers shall become acceptable attire at services, but, we shall continue to cover our heads (where it has fallen into disuse, I see it returning). After all, Apostle St Paul laid stress on a woman covering her head at prayer, he said nothing about skirts! Is this an issue to break Church Unity over? I think not…

Patriarch–elect Kirill: Christianity Should Not Be a Museum!

Patriarch-elect Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all Russia (1946- ) at a molieben at the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow on 31 January 2009

A long-standing friend of ours, Hieromonk Dmitri Pershin, the Head of the Publishing Department of the Synodal Department for Youth Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, prepared an anthology in 2001 entitled Mission to Youth: A Strategy for the Church. At the Congress of Orthodox Youth, he recorded a statement by Metropolitan Kirill, which he included in this collection for the leaders of the youth divisions of the MP. Very earnestly, Metropolitan Kirill described his attitude to young people, giving previously unknown stories from his life. With the permission of Hieromonk Dmitri, we publish here some excerpts from those speeches of Metropolitan Kirill.

Hieromonk Dmitri said, “The most unexpected thing about it is that despite Metropolitan Kirill’s variegated career in the Church, the whole of his appeal to the young people was a very bright monastic story, an event that happened to him when he was still a child, about a schemamonk who was a starets, a story of joy in Christ”. As we see it, even then, the newly-elected First Hierarch of the MP very accurately formulated how he saw our Church and how he would like to renew it, to give us communion with God in all joy…

The following is from his speech to the Orthodox Youth Congress in 2001…

Can a Bishop Smile?

Now, what about the exterior appearance of a believer? Let me tell you a story. God blessed my life with the experience of a relationship with a holy man. When I was six or seven, my parents brought me to the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery to see the famous starets Semyon. I remember that I was terribly afraid of this old man and his cell. But, then, they brought me to his cell dug into the mountain-side near the Assumption Cathedral. Upon entering the room, which had a small window, I saw the starets coming towards me, clad in bright vestments. He simply shone, as if the sun dropped into the shadows. Starets Semyon was joyful and radiant, and I shall remember this meeting with him until the end of my days. Then, I said to myself that this, probably, is a holy man. Christianity… it is eternal joy, but, it is not an assumed “100 dollar” smile, rather, it is an abundantly growing joy in the Lord and in the world of God.

Directly opposite to this, and, alas, far more common, is the wearing of sombre-coloured clothing, with a gloomy expression and not a hint of a smile. What kind of joy is this? Is this what a believer is supposed to be? I have a relative who rung me up and demanded, “Why were you smiling when you spoke on television? Bishops are not supposed to smile”. This is a profoundly mistaken idea of what the appearance of a Christian should be. The outlook of a believer on life should be characterised by calm and wisdom, and faith should inform inner joy. A believer in Christ has no need to sit in sackcloth and ashes. This is not a new theme in the history of Christianity. Let us remember the Word of God, Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly (Matthew 6:16-18).

Therefore, we must be free from having to comply with the false and hypocritical understanding of the Pharisees. Similarly, we ought not to place rigid and constricting limits on young people in the church. We should not impose a rigid dress-code, forbid all fun and joy, condemn participating in sport, or ban the listening of secular music. When we put chains upon the freedom of action of our newly-arrived brothers and sisters, we not only commit an unacceptable and unreasonable attack on their faith, but, by our own hands, drive away from the Church people who seek the Truth of Christ…

Patriarch-elect Kirill censes the tomb of his predecessor, Patriarch Aleksei Rediger (1929-2008).

On Propriety

One morning, on the road to church, I ran into a group of young women. All, as one, looked exactly the same; they stood out amongst the ordinary townspeople, for they were dressed strangely, not in everyday clothing. It turned out that a local priest only allows women to come to service dressed in this pseudo-Orthodox uniform. So, they must go to church in some ugly black frock. All of this has nothing to do with Orthodoxy, propriety, dignity, or modesty. This is a parody of the Church; it is a mockery. To embrace this kind of folkloric, museum-like, and ‘dress-up’ Orthodoxy signals to society and our fellow man that our faith has nothing to do with modern life. But, the true place of Orthodoxy is in the midst of the stream of life and it should be the habitat of our innermost feelings.

How to Talk With Young People

I can remember my first experience of participating in youth work. This was way back in 1968 in Prague, where I was sent to participate in a Christian Peace Congress. There was a large youth section, which included more than 200 people… In 1968, I recall that it was a time of youth rebellion in Europe, which, in the West, was called a revolution… Young people everywhere went on strike, brandished weapons, organised demonstrations, and fought street battles with the police. Naturally, the emotions of those days spilled over in the statements of our youth section. I did not feel very comfortable in this atmosphere. But, especially, I did not like it when an old Protestant theologian came to speak to us, one who was thought to have a brilliant mind, and, suddenly, he addressed us in the language of the youth subculture. I think that our rejection of such apparent mimicry of the young was common to all such gatherings.

Everyone must remain true to himself, and when I speak of the need to learn to speak in a language understandable to young people, I do not mean that we should use the slang or jargon fashionable at the moment amongst our youth. I am talking about the ability of a priest, when he speaks before a youthful audience, to penetrate to the essence of real life and address the spiritual challenges of the new generation, and to respond to them by using the Word of God. We do not have any other foundation for a dialogue with the world. However, to formulate our message to young people, we must use simple and clear language…

Eight Little-Known Facts from the Life of Vladyki Kirill

When he was only three to four-years-old, the future Patriarch loved to “serve” at home. He said, “I wore ‘vestments’ that my Mum sewed for me, and when I was six or seven, I could already serve a molieben or litiya without error”.

When he was in secondary school, the future hierarch had a passion for physics and decided to enrol in university. His spiritual father dissuaded him by saying, “There are many good physicists in the USSR, but, there are not enough good priests”.

In the Leningrad Spiritual Seminary, Metropolitan Kirill started to offer special classes for female students. It was a revolution! Future priests did not have to look for future wives out on the street, and the evils inherent in an entirely-masculine institution were kept to a minimum.

He is the only bishop of the MP who has his own weekly television programme, Слово пастыря (The Pastor’s Word), which has been broadcast on Pervy Kanal (Channel One) for the past 14 years. In 2004, Vladyki Kirill wrote a book with the same title based on the series.

In 2007, Vladyki Kirill joked about his sensational meeting with local rock musicians, the frontmen of the bands Alisa and DDT. In jest, he said, “Rock musicians must be spiritually and physically strong men, to withstand the constant impact from high decibel levels. You need to drink milk to counteract it”. With great enthusiasm, he added, “If at least one person thinks about the meaning of life after attending a rock concert, then, the sacrifice of the rockers was not in vain”.

In an interview, he confessed that he suffered from shyness all his life. “This very much affected my attitude, on how I built relations with people. I can say that I only learned how to control my feelings at the age of fifty”.

Every evening, Vladyki Kirill puts on his sweats and takes his beloved Caucasian Sheepdogs for a walk. Usually, they take a 5 or 6 kilometre (3.1 to  3.7 miles) jaunt.

33 years ago, he began to ski. Since then, every winter, he likes to go off to the mountains and go skiing.

29 January 2009

Olga Tyagnibeda

Anna Velichanina

Komsomolskaya Pravda (Komsomol Truth)

As quoted in Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=print&div=9529 (in Russian)

Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev Cites Barrier to the Patriarch Meeting the Pope of Rome

Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Vienna and Austria (1966- ), the Representative of the MP to the European International Institutions

A meeting between the new Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia and the Pope of Rome is possible, but, would require the end of proselytising by Roman Catholic monastic orders, according to a statement issued on Saturday by Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Vienna and Austria, the Representative of the MP to the European international institutions. “A meeting with the Pope was never excluded by the late Patriarch Aleksei”, he said. He identified the proselytising of Catholic monastic orders as the principal obstacle to a meeting. “Certainly, officially, Catholics say that there is no proselytism, but, it exists de facto, and we point up such facts in our dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church”, Bishop Hilarion said on a live broadcast of the TV programme Vesti v Subbotu (News on Saturday).

On Tuesday, a Local Council of the MP in Moscow chose Metropolitan Kirill Gundyaev of Smolensk and Kaliningrad as its new patriarch, replacing Patriarch Aleksei II, who led the church’s post-Soviet revival for 18 years. Metropolitan Kirill, 62, became the patriarchal locum tenens of the largest Local Church in world Orthodoxy after the death of Patriarch Aleksei in December at the age of 79. He is seen as a liberal figure in the largely-traditionalist MP and conducted dialogue with the Vatican as head of the MP Department of External Church Relations.

Benedict XVI, the Pope of Rome, welcomed his election on Wednesday. “May the Almighty also bless your efforts to seek that fullness of communion which is the goal of Catholic-Orthodox collaboration and dialogue”, Pope Benedict said in his message. Metropolitan Kirill has met Pope Benedict several times.

Bishop Hilarion said the main thing was not a meeting between the two church leaders, but, how relations between the churches could improve, making them “not competitors, not contenders, but, allies. Most important is not whether this meeting will take place or when it will take place, but, whether we will manage together with the Catholic Church to build a model of mutual relations that would exclude the chance for proselytism”, he said.

Relations between the MP and the Vatican, which split from Orthodoxy almost 1,000 years ago, were strained since the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, mainly over accusations that the Catholic Church stepped up its activities to convert Orthodox believers. The Vatican denied this. The dispute prevented Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005, from visiting Moscow and meeting with Aleksei II.

31 January 2009

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090131/119905556.html (in English)

Editor’s Note:

There is MUCH more to this than meets the eyes initially. DO read it twice (and carefully, at that). The positions of the MP and the Vatican are diametrically opposed in many ways.

Rome wants full communion, with the Orthodox submitting to them as junior and subordinate partners. In Benedict’s own words, “May the Almighty also bless your efforts to seek that fullness of communion which is the goal of Catholic-Orthodox collaboration and dialogue”. Furthermore, he implies that Kirill is in favour of such a false Florentine-style union. In short, the Vatican has not changed its spots, it merely thinks that if it speaks slowly enough and loudly enough, we poor and benighted Orthodox shall finally understand that they are the top dogs in Christendom. Fat chance of that, I say.

In contrast to this, Bishop Hilarion said that the two parties are “not competitors, not contenders, but, allies. Most important is not whether this meeting will take place or when it will take place, but, whether we will manage together with the Catholic Church to build a model of mutual relations that would exclude the chance for proselytism”. The MP is offering relations based on the recognition that both bodies are equal and that Rome has NO superiority to Moscow in anything. Besides this, the Vatican must cease all of its proselytism, especially by the Galician Uniates. The MP is aware of this activity and demands its immediate cessation.

Benedict is moving too quickly, based on erroneous Western media reports and wishful thinking in some quarters of the Curia. There is a silver lining in this. It may brown off Kirill and Hilarion so thoroughly that any talk of union, even on the part of the Roman schismatics, will be killed outright. God grant that such be so…

The New Patriarch Made His First Decision: He Does Not Need the Glory of a “Reformer”

Metropolitan Kirill Gundyaev of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (1946- ), the Patriarch-elect of Moscow and all Russia, at the St Sergius-Holy Trinity Lavra in Sergeyev Posad

Yesterday, the Local Council of the MP, which had elected Metropolitan Kirill Gundyaev of Smolensk and Kaliningrad as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia the day before, completed its work. The new First Hierarch of the MP has already made his first official statement, making it clear that “no reforms shall descend from above; I shall not traumatise the people”. Meanwhile, a debate has unfolded about possible staff changes in the leadership ranks of the MP.

Despite the fact that Metropolitan Kirill is considered to be a “modernist” in Church terms, one of the first statements that he made after his election was couched in conservative terms. “God forbid! We’ve already had one patriarch go down in history with the name of a reformer”, he said, as quoted yesterday by Interfax. “But, there are changes that grow organically from within the lived experience of the people. Did the life of the Church remain static and unchanging during the life of my predecessor? So, shall you who call my predecessor, His Holiness Patriarch Aleksei, a reformer?!”

One could say that a radical transformation of church life began yesterday. Thus, according to Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Vienna and Austria, a debate unfolded at the Local Council of the debate unfolded on the status of this body. Individual delegates proposed to limit the powers of the Local Council to purely deliberative functions, and to transfer all decisions of substance, particularly in the area of faith and dogma, to the Archpastoral Council (the members of this body are the 140 ruling bishops, whilst the Local Council adds clerical, monastic, and lay representatives). Metropolitan Kirill noted that, throughout the history of the Church, the ecumenical councils established dogma and doctrine, and these bodies were composed entirely of bishops. Nonetheless, the newly-elected patriarch reassured the faithful, “No reforms shall descend from above; I shall not traumatise the people”. He called the laity and clergy to actively seek out answers at further conferences, and, perhaps, he would create a new forum for such debate.

However, in the lobbies, the Council delegates discussed possible staffing changes in the leadership ranks of the MP. Will the patriarch reward his supporters and punish his opponents who came forward during the election campaign? Recall the key role played in the election of Kirill to the patriarchal office by the senior members of the Holy Synod, Metropolitans Vladimir Sabodan of Kiev, Philaret Vakhromeyev of Minsk, and Yuvenaly Polyarkov of Krutitsky and Kolomna. They declined to campaign for the patriarchal throne at the very beginning of the election process, and Metropolitan Philaret gave a boost to Vladyki Kirill at the end, as he was one of the three candidates named for consideration by the Local Council, but, he took himself out of the running, calling on his supporters to vote for Kirill. Observers in the MP told Kommersant that they found this attitude of the senor hierarchs remarkable, “They have everything except for the post of patriarch, but, they refused the honour”.

“But, the main thing is that Metropolitan Kirill always proceeded from the position of not making any [pre-election] promises. He did this to preserve his freedom of action in decision-making”, said Deacon Andrei Kuraev, who seemed to be Metropolitan Kirill’s PR man before the election. Vladimir Legoida, the editor of the Orthodox journal Foma (Thomas), also believed that if there are personnel changes in the MP, if such occur, they will not depend on the personal feelings of Vladyki Kirill. “We should not forget that holding office in the MP is not that sort of thing”.

Most in the Church doubt that Vladyki Cyril has designs of humiliating his opponents. A source close to the MP leadership told Kommersant, “Here, for example, take Metropolitan Feofan of Stavropol, who is considered to be a supporter of Metropolitan Kliment. Now, the elections are over, so, let’s look at the facts. Feofan is a successful manager of a diocese in a convoluted situation. Why should the patriarch remove him?” However, it is necessary for the new patriarch to attend to at least two questions. Firstly, he has to find his replacement as the head of the MP Department for External Church Relations (DECR). Secondly, he must name a new archpastor to the Diocese of Smolensk and Kaliningrad. Kommersant learned from informed sources in the MP that the new head of the DECR will likely be the current Deputy Chairman of the DECR, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, or Bishop Mark Golovkov of Yegorevsk. However, there are some in the Church that do not exclude that this post could be offered to Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev. Most believe that the post of archpastor of the Diocese of Smolensk and Kaliningrad shall be taken by one of the vicar-bishops. According to information received by Kommersant, Bishop Seraphim, the vicar-bishop of the Diocese of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, is being considered for the post, but, some think him quite young for the job, as he is only 48-years-old.

However, nevertheless, some experts associate with the election of a new patriarch the beginning of changes in church policies. Aleksandr Dugin, a member of the Presidium of the World Russian People’s Congress, said, “The church will begin a new phase, but, its fundamental basis shall not change, I am sure. If, in the time of Patriarch Aleksei II, the ‘foreign policy’ of the church was moderate and rather defensive, now, it shall go on the offensive. Vladyki Kirill shall lead the Church into society and assert the core values of Orthodoxy. The MP shall come out against postmodernism, liberal culture, and libertine individuality”. In support of his words, he recalled that the Declaration on Human Rights and Dignity, in which the liberal system of values of the contemporary bourgeois world was subjected to severe criticism (which, in turn, caused indignation on the part of many “human-rights activists”), was formulated by Metropolitan Kirill.

The enthronement of the new patriarch is set for 1 February. After entering his new post, he will move to the working residence of the First Hierarch of the MP in Chisty Pereulok in Moscow. Also at his disposal will be the official residence in the Daniilovsky Monastery, the dacha in Peredelkino near Moscow, where he lives, and special apartments in many stavropegial monasteries.

29 January 2009

Yuliya Tarututa

Pavel Korobov

Kommersant (The Businessman)

As quoted in Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=print&div=9531 (in Russian)

Love Russia

Novodevichy Monastery (Vladimir Sobolev, 2001)

For some time now, I’ve been exploring the marvels of Russia and its citizens in this column. Some familiar facts and rituals, so commonplace for Russians, turned out to be a great and mysterious novelty to foreigners. Russia is famously an enigma wrapped in mystery, with its numerous questions and controversies, and these peculiar features make us what we are. Trying to find out more, I understood why I am Russian. Never before have I felt so patriotic. Never before have I taken such a pride in my country and its people. I discovered myself with you, dear reader. Looking afresh at all these peculiarities, I learned a lot to pass on to you. I hope the process was enlightening for both of us. I am not a connoisseur of Russia, though. Nobody can be, as this land embraces an extremely wide range of creeds and ideas, customs and traditions, feelings and faces.

Once, in primary school, a teacher asked my class to draw a picture of Russia and left it up to us to choose what to draw. Everyone could choose a personal vision, some image which defined their homeland. A child’s perception of the world is an honest one. We drew many pictures of matrioshkas, bears, Russia’s giant territory on the map, and so on. My picture showed a birch tree that was growing into a beautiful lady. For me, this was a tangible image of my country. The lady symbolised the entire nation, the birch tree an image of something strong, but, fragile. Thus, in her simple way, the teacher helped us to understand the meaning of the proud name ’Russia’. I hope I have helped you uncover this magnificent country. Not entirely, of course, as that’s impossible even for Russians. Now that you know more about my Motherland, I want you to love Russia as well. To love a country that you can’t understand with your mind alone, as Fyodor Tutchev wrote in one of his lyrical masterpieces:

You will not grasp her with your mind

Or cover with a common label,

For Russia is one of a kind -

Believe in her, if you are able…

This stanza has already been quoted in one of my columns, but, its sense is so deep that it reflects the feelings of many Russians. Yes, believe in her as the poet said. This country needs belief, for despite all its strengths, it has a feminine spirit. Like every lady, it wants some love and warmth throughout its existence. Since Russia is feminine, it hides a number of secrets that “cannot be grasped with your mind”, but, they all make her unique. It is always wrong to judge by surface appearances, whether we think of people or their countries.

Don’t apply some common yardstick and don’t believe those who speak about Russia in generalities. Stereo­types exist for every nation and every country. We tend to accept the favourable ones and focus our attention on the negative and critical opinions of others. In Russia, we rarely say farewell, so, I say goodbye. Please, discover my country yourself. It’s not that difficult, just feel it, and let it feel you. But, I ask you… love Russia. If you manage to find this love inside you, you will understand this country a bit better.

29 January 2009

Daria Chernyshova

A Russian Briefer

Moscow News

http://mnweekly.rian.ru/columnists/20090129/55365357.html (in English)

Prime Minister Putin Presents Measures to Overcome the Current Economic Crisis

This Voice of Russia multimedia presentation focuses on the speech given by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at the Davos Economic Forum. Click on the URL below, then click on the image of Prime Minister Putin (the same as the image above) or on the blue words to the right of the image. Both methods shall get you to the presentation.

URL:

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=39632&cid=206&p=29.01.2009

Russian Businessman Funds Pro-God Ad Campaign on London Buses

On Thursday, a Russian TV producer said on he was launching a “There is God” advertising campaign in London to counter atheist posters displayed on buses in January. Posters reading, “There is God. Don’t Worry. Enjoy your life!” will appear on London buses in March, said Aleksandr Korobko, the head of the London-based Russian Hour satellite TV channel. A campaign organised by the British Humanist Association (BHA), which has raised 140,000 UK pounds (199,261 USD. 7.003 million roubles. 154,346 euros) instead of the planned 5,500 UK pounds (7,878 USD. 275,128 roubles. 6,064 euros), put slogans reading, “There’s probably no God. Now, stop worrying, and enjoy your life” on 800 buses. The campaign drew protests from religious organisations and believers, but, advertising regulators said it was not in conflict with legislation.

“Who said faith in God does not allow us to enjoy life?” Mr Korobko said, describing how his surprise at the posters eventually evolved into an alternative campaign. Mr Korobko said that his channel had signed a contract with CBS Outdoor to put “There is God” posters on 25 London double-deckers from 9 March. The posters will have photographs of a Russian monastery on them. He said that he had discussed the idea with Russian Orthodox Church officials in London and Moscow and they approved the project. “We are living in difficult times, when crisis is being extensively ‘promoted’… people need a life-asserting message”, he said, adding the campaign was financed by the channel.

Speaking ahead of the atheist campaign, BHA chief executive Hanne Stinson told the BBC, “We see so many posters advertising salvation through Jesus or threatening us with eternal damnation, that I feel sure that a bus advert like this will be welcomed as a breath of fresh air. If it raises a smile as well as making people think, so much the better”, she said.

29 January 2009

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/society/20090129/119878848.html (in English)

Russian Orlyonok Children’s Centre to Aid the Crisis-Hit Artek International Children’s Centre in the Ukraine

Artek International Children’s Centre… one can see why Yushchenko wanted to sell it to greedy developers… by God; he makes Bush and Cheney look prudent and honest in comparison!

On Thursday, the Orlyonok (Eaglet) Children’s Centre in Russia, a former Soviet-era pioneer camp, said on it would donate one-day’s proceeds to the cash-strapped Artek International Children’s Centre in the Crimea in the Ukraine. “We heard that Artek is going through tough times, and that their staff, who are our colleagues, have been scraping by without a salary since last autumn, so, we decided to help our friends”, a spokesman quoted the centre’s General Director Aleksandr Djeus as saying. “Funds from Orlyonok will be soon transferred to Artek’s account”, the spokesman said.

Located in the southern Crimea not far from Yalta, Artek is famous as the main Soviet-era pioneer camp. It took children in year-round since the 1930s, and even carried on working during World War II, when the centre moved to the Altai. In 1983, the camp was visited by US peacemaker Samantha Smith. The camp remained a unique international meeting place for children of all ages from all over the former Soviet Union and other countries after the break-up of the USSR when it fell under Ukrainian jurisdiction, but, it closed in January 2009 due to a lack of funds. It is currently supervised by the Ukrainian Presidential Property Management Committee. The Russian analogue of Artek, Orlyonok (Eaglet), was established in 1960 and it is located on the Black Sea coast near the town of Tuapse. Today, it is the main children’s centre in Russia. “Orlyonok and Artek have much in common. Artek is 30 years older than Orlyonok, so, that is why, when the educational system was being established, Orlyonok’s children learned from Artek’s children and always considered Artek as their elder brother”, the spokesman said.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko instructed Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Timoshenko to look into and take urgent measures to prevent the possible closure of Artek. During a video link between Kiev and Moscow devoted to the problem, Artek’s chief doctor, Mikhail Bezugly, blamed speculators for orchestrating its financial woes.  He said they plan to take over the centre’s land, which is valued at some 100,000 dollars (3.514 million roubles. 77,417 euros. 70,220 UK  pounds) per 100 square metres. Boris Novozhilov, the General Director of the Artek Centre, said in Kiev on 16 January that the facility could cease to exist within a year as the government had not provided any funding for the former Soviet recreation camp for three years. Mr Novozhilov announced a hunger strike on 19 January, and he was hospitalised with heart problems on Monday.

29 January 2009

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090129/119869439.html (in English)

Editor’s Note:

First, Yushchenko stripped weapons from active units of the Ukrainian forces, sold them to the warmongering Saakashvili, and pocketed the cash. Then, he orchestrated the gas crisis in early January. Now, he has been caught trying to sell a venerable children’s centre to greedy developers, no doubt intending to pocket the vig. The Right Honourable Bugs Bunny would say, “What a maroon!” Let’s be honest… this fellow makes Dick Daley look like a Sunday School Superintendent (don’t forget… Yushchenko’s wife is from Chicago… is there something in the water there?). By God, he makes Blago look HONEST… and that’s saying a lot! What we need is for the Right Honourable Gentlepig from Warners to say, “That’s all, folks!” Why must the people of the Ukraine suffer needless pain and sorrow due to harebrained nationalistic pipedreams? Pray for them… they deserve better.

The Sixteenth

Delegates at the Local Council at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow, 27 January 2009

Metropolitan Kirill Gundyaev of Smolensk and Kaliningrad was elected the new Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, the sixteenth in the list of patriarchs, by the Local Council that just passed in Moscow. At the election, he won 508 votes, comprising 72 percent of the delegates to the Council, that is, he won a majority of the votes, as is stated in the regulations. The election of Kirill as patriarch did not cause a sensation, because, after the death of the previous Patriarch, Aleksei II, he was the Patriarchal Locum Tenens. Indeed, on the first day of the Archpastoral Council, he scored nearly half the votes of the bishops of the MP (97 out of 198).

The other candidate for patriarch, Metropolitan Kliment Kapalin of Kaluga and Borovsk, received only 169 votes, 24 percent of the ballots cast at the Council. A third contender, Metropolitan Philaret Vakhromeyev of Minsk and Slutsk and all Byelorussia, as Expert Online has already reported, withdrew his name from consideration about two hours before the vote candidacy in favour of Metropolitan Kirill. 702 delegates were authorised to vote, 700 out of that number actually cast a ballot, of which 677 were found valid and 23 were judged invalid. Metropolitan Isidor of Yekaterinodar and the Kuban, the head of the Accounts Commission of the Local Council, announced the results of the vote from the pulpit of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

President Dmitri Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin both telephoned their congratulations to Patriarch-elect Kirill. On the announcement of the election of the 16^th Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, the bells in the belfry of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour rang out. First, the great Tsar Bell was rung; then, all the remaining bells were rung in the rhythmic style of the 18^th century. At the same time, church bells in the Kremlin were rung in an ancient manner known as the “Reut”. At the entrance to the hall of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, several hundred people gathered with banners reading, Ваше Святейшество, поздравляем! (Your Holiness, congratulations!) and Кирилл – патиарх! (Kirill – Patriarch!). After the news about the election of Metropolitan Kirill as the First Hierarch of the MP, the crowd spontaneously exploded with shouts of Ura! and they began to chant Наш патриарх Кирилл – Господь благословил (Our Patriarch Kirill – Lord, bless him!), and they also shouted Многая лета! (((Lord, grant him) many years!) for the newly-elected patriarch. Many embraced and kissed each other.

“With full awareness of the responsibility involved, I take this lot that is handed to me, the patriarchal ministry. It is great, it is responsible, but, in the heart of this ministry is the cross of Christ, a cross of such a size that only the one who bears it can understand and feel the full weight of it”. With these words, the newly-elected patriarch addressed the more than 700 delegates of the Local Council assembled at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. He cited the words of his predecessor, the late Patriarch Aleksei II, “who repeatedly spoke of the great cross of the Patriarchal ministry. But, the First Hierarch bears this cross, not through his own strength, but, the archpastors, pastors, and the People of God bear this cross together with him, because the Church itself bears this cross together with the patriarch. So, as the bearing of the cross is shared, so, the responsibility is shared, and the glory is shared as well”, the newly-elected patriarch said. “Assuming from your hands this manifestation of the Will of God, I beg you to forgive my weaknesses, help me with your wise counsel, and aid me in bearing the patriarchal ministry”, Vladyki Kirill added.

Episcopal Delegates to the Local Council at Christ the Saviour Cathedral on 27 January 2009

The newly-elected First Hierarch emphasised, “Most of all, it was due to your petitions and prayers in the days leading up to the decision of the Local Council, uttered by innumerable people, coming from loving and faithful hearts”. After that, each of the bishops approached the newly-elected patriarch and congratulated him. Then, Vladyki Kirill went amongst the believers, who met him with rejoicing. The new patriarch blessed the gathering and thanked them for their prayers, support, and labour.

Let us recall, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (in the world, Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyaev) was born 20 November 1946 in Leningrad. From the third generation of priests in his family, Kirill was religiously-inclined from an early age. He likes to tell how, when he was only three or four, he liked to “serve” at home, wearing vestments that his mother made for him, and when he was six or seven, he could already “serve” a molieben or litiya without errors. At school, Volodya Gundyaev was the only student who was not in the Young Pioneers. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the Leningrad Theological Seminary, and, then, he studied at the Leningrad Theological Academy, graduating with honours in 1970. Metropolitan Kirill is considered part of the school of Nikodimovtsev, the disciples of the famous Metropolitan Nikodim Rotov of Leningrad and Novgorod, which laid the foundations of the modern dialogue of Christians of different confessions.

Many of the bishops of the MP were students and disciples of Metropolitan Nikodim, including the late Patriarch Aleksei II. Specifically, Vladyki Nikodim convinced Vladimir Gundyaev to enter seminary, and tonsured him into monasticism on 3 April 1969 with the name of Kirill. The Sixteenth patriarch of the MP has passed many steps on the religious “career ladder”. Starting with a position of an instructor of dogmatic theology and the Assistant to the Inspector of the Leningrad Theological Academy and Seminary (LDAiS) (at the same time was the personal secretary of the Metropolitan Nikodim), he then became the representative of the MP at the World Council of Churches in Geneva. Then, for ten years, from 1974 to 1984, he worked as the rector of the LDAiS. In 1976 he became Bishop of Vyborg, and, a year later, he was elevated to the dignity of Archbishop. On 26 December 1984, he became Archbishop of Smolensk and Vyazemsk. Since 1986, he has ruled the parishes in Kaliningrad oblast. In 1988, his title became Archbishop of Smolensk and Kaliningrad. From 13 November 1989 he was the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the MP. On 25 February 1991, he was elevated to the dignity of metropolitan.

Metropolitan Kirill has taken an active part in the development of the fundamental documents of the church in recent years, in the process of the reunification of the MP and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and in establishing relations with the Catholic Church. He is also known as an eloquent speaker. On 6 December 2008, the day after the death of Patriarch Aleksei II, Metropolitan Kirill was elected the Patriarchal Locum Tenens.

The formal installation of the new Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia will be held on 1 February.

28 January 2008

Expert Online

As quoted in Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=radio&div=1074 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

Kirill’s close relationship with Nikodim Rotov bothers many, including me. Nikodim was an equivocal figure at best, and he was known to be soft on the papists. God willing, Kirill shall not sell us out to the papists or be a “moderniser” as some ignorant Western press sources are claiming. As I say, the jury is still out. I shall stand with Kirill as long as he holds the traditional Orthodox Faith full and entire. If he were to “modernise” or sell out to Rome…

The Most Horrible Tragedy of the Second World War Ended 65 Years Ago

Here is a multimedia presentation on the siege of Leningrad by Voice of Russia. Click on the URL below, then, click on the picture of the Road of Life (it is the same as the image above) or on the blue words to the right of the picture. Both shall get you to the presentation. The narration is in English.

URL:

http://ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=39486&cid=206&p=27.01.2009

Never, never, never again! All honour to the victims and all glory and respect to the survivors! Never forget that the Nazis and their collaborator allies did this. Remember this when we you hear Yushchenko and the Balts praise those who aided the Nazis… THIS is what they are praising. Let God see and judge!