A House without a Master: The 40th Day Farewell of Patriarch Aleksei Took on the Nuances of a Political Campaign

Quo Vadis?

Today, the forty-day period of mourning for Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia ends. During this time, churches served Pannikhidas, and the clergy said prayers for the repose of the soul of the departed patriarch. Believers strived to maintain the spirit of unity that came upon them when they went to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour to pay their last respects at the coffin of His Holiness. Along with this, in the buildings of the diocesan administration, hard work was in full swing. A Local Council of the MP is close at hand, which is to elect a new First Hierarch. In the media, experts discussed the chances of this-or-that candidate. Indeed, some of the bishops even went so far as to say that there were those who “were not fit to wear the white hat of the patriarch”, that is, the white cowl surmounted by a golden cross. In general, the atmosphere was not very consistent with the solemnity of a moment where one has the occasion to touch eternity. However, we can safely predict that, in the two weeks remaining before the Council, the light shall shine on many things, and numerous surprises await us.

Customarily, one either speaks well of the dead, or, one keeps a decent silence. However, Aleksei II was a rare exception to the rule, when over the many years of his life and in the past forty days, we heard much good about him, but, we found out that we knew practically nothing about him. These days can be a good opportunity for us to reflect on his tragic fate. For example, do we know the story of how the boy Alyosha lived in German-occupied Tallinn (he was 10-years-old when Estonia became a part of the USSR)? Or, about his ordination to the episcopate… at the age of 32! Do we know about his career as a bishop in the time of Patriarchs Aleksei I and Pimen? Or, what about the difficult course of the patriarchal election in June 1990, where he won in the second round of the voting over Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan of Rostov (now Metropolitan of Kiev), which was not expected according to earlier calculations. Or, his participation in the “Letter of the 53″ to Gorbachyov in early 1991 calling for the application of a “firm hand” (later, he disavowed his signature to the letter). Or, how his peacekeeping efforts in the autumn of 1993 failed, and, nevertheless, blood was spilled all the same…

The Patriarch was a great man because he was a witness and a participant in momentous events. Historians of the Russian Church in the 20^th century agree that he was neither a deep theologian, nor an eloquent preacher, nor was he a renowned mystic. Hence, we hear all sort of talk about his love of children and animals, the consideration he paid to everyone he met, his gentle look, and his soft smile. They overlook one immutable fact… Aleksei II did not name a successor; he did not name an heir. Moreover, as he was an experienced administrator, he did everything in such a way that, when we place any present-day figure next to him, we find that none of them measures up to his stature. Precisely, it is this fact that gives a sense of drama to the upcoming elections.

Favourites or Outsiders?

Metropolitan Kirill Gundyaev of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (1946- ), the putative front-runner in the patriarchal election

Since taking over the power of the Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Metropolitan Kirill Gundyaev of Smolensk and Kaliningrad has been changing before our very eyes. He changed his gait, his manner of speech, and even his facial expression. If before he was a sharp polemicist, today, he seems the pillar of statesmanship. The most visible evidence of this was his sermon on Christmas night at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. He reminded everyone that the Greek word for “crisis” is translated into Russian as sud (court of law). Metropolitan Kirill said on that occasion, “Today, if we see an economic crisis, it means that this court finds a sort of universal human iniquity”. Noting that the economic crisis did not begin in Russia, Vladyki Kirill appealed personally to President Dmitri Medvedev, “You know that the people support you, and I think that this support should inspire you to lead us in a courageous resistance to this scourge, which, perhaps, is the most X (this word was ambiguous: Novoye Izvestiya) we will have to meet face-to-face”.

A Politician…

Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsa and Kolomna (1935- ), the Patriarchal Vicar for Moscow, a known rival of Metropolitan Kirill

Some would say in relation to Metropolitan Kirill, to praise him, that the patriarch needs to go boldly into national politics and he should do so openly, for it is necessary for our country today. But, then again, there are those that find this attitude anathema. Metropolitan Kirill’s activities in the last 40 days can do him well as far as the election is concerned, but, it could, possibly, bring him misfortune. His lead in the pre-election race is not as clear as it seems at first sight. It is no coincidence that the next evening after his sermon on the economic crisis at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Metropolitan Yuvenaly Polyarkov of Krutitsa and Kolomna wished to Vladyki Kirill “on behalf of the Holy Synod and all the clergy, that God would give you wisdom and understanding, so, that in these remaining days before the Local Council, you could bring the delegates of the Council into prayerful and blessed unity, so that the grace of the Holy Spirit would descend on them and bring an election of a new First Hierarch of our Church, to continue upon the path of salvation to bring spiritual rebirth to our people”. Such wishes can be interpreted as a warning.

Metropolitan Yuvenaly is one of those who are considered rivals of Metropolitan Kirill. He has serious advantages in his favour, including many years of experience in the management of a large diocese (he is the Patriarchal Vicar for Moscow and the surrounding regions: editor’s note), and has much authority amongst the clergy. A major disadvantage is his age, for he is 73-years-old. This same factor hobbles Metropolitan Philaret Vakhromeyev of Minsk and Slutsk, probably, the most serious theologian in the episcopate and a man with an impeccable reputation. In addition to his advanced age, Metropolitan Philaret is thought by many in the MP to be a supporter of ecumenism, and some accuse him of almost being a secret Catholic.

The “dark horse” in this election is Metropolitan Kliment Kapalin of Kaluga and Borovsk. During the past 40 days, he almost never appeared in public. However, it became obvious that he had a very strong lobby. Thus, we saw the scandal surrounding the election of delegates to the Local Council from the spiritual academies and seminaries. The Academic Councils of the Moscow and St Petersburg spiritual schools expressly stated that gross violations occurred. According to a faculty member of the Moscow Spiritual Academy, “The discussion on the academic council passed quietly, without any of the alleged ‘partisan conflict’, but, there was complete unanimity on the council concerning our understanding that the Rector’s meeting proceeded abnormally, and that there was a violation not only of procedure, but, also, church ethics”. In turn, the Rector of the Kostroma Spiritual Seminary, Archimandrite Gennady Gogolev, testified to the forced removal of the Chairman of the Education Committee of the MP, Archbishop Yevgeni Reshetnikov of Vereisk, from the administration of the procedure of the election of delegates to the Council. Archimandrite Gennady is convinced that this occurred due to pressure from Archbishop Dmitri Kapalin of Tobolsk, who, incidentally, is the brother of Vladyki Kliment.

Finally, let’s look at two more pretenders to the patriarchal throne. The first is a very powerful figure, whilst the second is rather farcical. The decision of the episcopate of the Ukrainian Autonomous Orthodox Church (MP) (they are a third of the bishops of the MP) to advance Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev as a candidate for the patriarchate came as a complete surprise. For, after all, Metropolitan Vladimir was the main rival to Patriarch Aleksei II in the patriarchal election of 1990. Then, the Press Service of the UAOC (MP) reported that Vladyki Vladimir had not yet taken a final decision. But, just the other day, he answered a direct question from a journalist, “Will you stand for patriarch in the election?” Metropolitan Vladimir answered in an equally-clear manner, “Everything depends upon the Will of God”.

A different matter is Metropolitan Sergei Fomin of Voronezh, who has said twice, “The Patriarch can be anyone, including me”. Everyone has a right to state their claim, but, in this case, the ambition involved looks rather excessive.

Conciliar Hodgepodge

Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan of Kiev (1935- ), the First hierarch of the UAOC (MP), shall he run or shall he be the kingmaker?

The question of questions is before us… shall this be a free election? Fears in this regard are so serious that some have even spoken in favour for casting lots, as was done in the patriarchal election in 1917. Members of the Holy Synod try to reassure everyone by saying that everything shall be fair, because the vote shall be a secret ballot. But, who can exclude the fear of a notorious conspiracy, or, the establishment of factions, such as the bloc of Ukrainian bishops? Furthermore, the bishops, after advancing three candidates for the patriarchal office, shall have an unlimited influence on the delegates of the Local Council, for these shall be ordinary monks, clergy, and laity.

It is worthwhile to speak separately of the last class of delegate. In the already-selected “troikas”, there are numerous characters that give reason to suspect that the Council will not escape a crafty fight on the floor. For example, a delegate from the Diocese of Barnaul is Yuri Nizhegorodtsev; he is the chairman of a pharmaceutical company. The Diocese of Rostov gave the honour of participating in the election of the patriarch to the owner of the joint-stock company Don Tobacco, the Deputy Chairman of the RF Gosduma Committee on Budget and Taxes, Ivan Savvidi. The Diocese of Kursk will send to the council the Deputy Head of the Interaction with Political Parties and Public Organisations of the Kursk Oblast Administration, Aleksandr Shapovalov. From the Diocese of Ivanovo-Voznesensk, the layman Valery Ivanov, the chairman of the Oblast Public Chamber, will go to the Council. The clergy of Nizhniy Novgorod  chose the Chief of the Regional Office of the Federal Tax Service, Nikolai Polyakov. From the Diocese of Yelitsa, Oleg Klimenko, the deputy-chairman of the Government of the Republic of Kalmykia, is going to Moscow. The Diocese of Vladivostok is represented by an actress from the local Drama Theatre, Larissa Belobrova, who, besides being the wife of the governor, Sergei Darkin, owns large stakes in a fishing company and a bank. The overwhelming majority of lay delegates are workers from the staff of the various diocesan offices, which will be prepared to vote as their bishop will say.

The Council, not the preceding Archpastoral Council, must decide which way the ship of our Church shall move in future. Will it sail boldly into the raging sea or shall it seek a quiet backwater? This layout makes the current election unique, different from all the previous ones, where all the delegates were taken only from those at the highest levels of the Church.

A New Patriarchal Memorial Designed by Tsereteli

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, showing the Patriarch’s Bridge on which the memorial plaques are going to be installed

Meanwhile, the Moscow city government decided to place two memorial plaques in honour of Patriarch Aleksei II on the Patriarch’s Bridge near the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Etched upon the tablets with great artistry, one shall read, “A bridge in memory of His Holiness Aleksei II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia. Executed according to the project of architect M. M. Posokhin and artist Z. K. Tsereteli”. In addition, “Fierce Zurab” intends to erect a monument in Moscow to the late patriarch. The sculpture for it was completed in 2003, and it is stored, at present, in the exhibition complex of the Russian Academy of Fine Arts at Prechistenka.

In like manner, St Petersburg also decided to honour the memory of Aleksei II. Metropolitan Vladimir Kotlyarov appealed to Governor Valentina Matvienko of the city, with a request to name Medical Centre Hospital Number 2 on Uchebny Lane and Secondary School Number 355 the town of Pushkin after His Holiness. Also, Metropolitan Vladimir asked that the Karpovsky Bridge across the Karpovky River in the Holy Monastery of St John be renamed the Patriarch Aleksei II Bridge and that the Lavrsky Park near the Theological Academy be named after the late patriarch. The authorities of the Northern Capital are ready to meet half of the request, as for the renaming of the hospital and the school, everything is in order. But, with the bridge and the park there are difficulties since these are historic names, and one cannot even think of renaming them until at least 50 years have passed after the patriarch’s death.

Thus far, the Russian capitals have merely planned and let contracts. In Estonia, they settled the issue of honouring the late patriarch rather more simply. The Tallinn city government supported the idea of naming one of the city squares after Aleksei II, according to a proposal made by Mayor Edgar Savisaar. In his opinion, “The best monument to this outstanding man will be a church”. Let us remember what Estonia meant to Aleksei II, it was not only the place where he spent his childhood, but, it was also one of the places where he carried out his episcopal ministry. The square will be the one located in front of a church, whose construction the patriarch blessed during his last visit to his homeland in the autumn of 2003. At that time, he consecrated the cornerstone of the church…

What is this, if not life after death?

13 January 2009

Mikhail Pozdnyaev

Novoye Izvestiya

As quoted in Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=print&div=9411 (in Russian)

The Memory of Patriarch Aleksei II was Honoured in Tallinn

Patriarch Aleksei Rediger of Moscow and all Russia (1929-2008), may his memory be eternal!

On Tuesday, a Pannikhida on the fortieth day after the death of Patriarch Aleksei II was held in Tallinn at the Cathedral of St Aleksandr Nevsky Cathedral. Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia, who headed the Moscow Patriarchate for more than 18 years, died on 5 December 2008 in his eightieth year. The Pannikhida was served by clergy headed by Metropolitan Kornely Yakobs of Tallinn and all Estonia, and it was attended by representatives of the Foundation of St Andrew the First-Called, headed by its president, Sergei Shcheblygin, as well as Russian Ambassador to Estonia Nikolai Uspensky.

The guests from Russia visited the graves of the parents of Aleksei II, which are located in the cemetery of St Aleksandr Nevsky, laid a wreath at the monument to Soldier-Liberator (the “Bronze Soldier”) at a military cemetery, and watched the construction of an Orthodox church in the Tallinn area community of Lasnamäe. In the autumn of 2003, Patriarch Aleksei visited Estonia and blessed the cornerstone on the grounds of the future church-building. The main sacred object of the planned cathedral would be a miraculous icon of the Mother of God, “She Who is Quick to Hear”. On 7 January, the Tallinn City Administration approved a decision to name the area before the new church, calling it Patriarch Aleksei II Square. Mr Shcheblygin, speaking for the Foundation of St Andrew the First-Called, told journalists that after the delegation returns to Moscow, the Foundation will consider providing financial support for the construction of the cathedral. “After we return from this trip, we will, once again, put the issue before the Stewardship Council on the need for this assistance. if our economic situation allows it, we will be happy to take part in the construction”, he said.

Patriarch Aleksei II (Aleksei Mikhailovich Rediger) was born in 1929 in Tallinn in the family of a priest. In 1950, he graduated from the seminary in Leningrad and was ordained to the rank of priest. In 1953, he graduated from Leningrad Theological Academy with the degree of candidate of theology, in 1961, he was consecrated the Bishop of Tallinn, in 1964, he became an archbishop, and, in 1968, he became the Metropolitan of Tallinn and all Estonia. Since 1990, Aleksei was the First Hierarch of the Patriarchate of Moscow and all Russia.

14 January 2009

Nikolai Adashkevich

RIA-Novosti

http://www.rian.ru/society/20090114/159144020.html (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

In connection with this story, one must be clear on which Estonian Church was offering prayers for His Holiness. There are two Orthodox bodies in Estonia, one, under the MP, is canonical and recognised by world Orthodoxy. The other is a renegade body organised by the EP merely to steal property and money in Estonia (it proposes to RENT church properties to the MP with the connivance of the Estonian nationalists), it is considered uncanonical, and it is recognised only by the EP (thus, placing it outside the pale of the Orthodox pleroma). The MP body is by far the larger, and this is a clear warning to all that the EP believes it has the right to interfere on the canonical territory of any Local Church (as it has proven in the USA and Britain, by the way).

Kaufft nicht bei Bartholomew!

Observers Find Symbolism in the Date of the Death of Patriarch Aleksei II

Patriarch Aleksei Rediger of Moscow and all Russia (1929-2008).

Moscow, 6 December2008 (Interfax):

Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and All Russia died on the eve of the feastday of St Aleksandr Nevsky, whilst certain important milestones in his biography were connected with this saint, Interfax-Religion reported. Thus, the first responsible task given to the 16-year-old Subdeacon Aleksei in 1945 was to prepare the Cathedral of St Aleksandr Nevsky in Tallinn for its reopening ceremony. Archimandrite Aleksei was consecrated Bishop of Tallinn and all Estonia in that cathedral sixteen years later, in 1961. Then, Bishop Aleksei (the future Patriarch) refused to allow the Soviet government to close St Aleksandr Nevsky Cathedral. Many years later, Aleksei II insisted on returning the relics of St Aleksandr Nevsky from the Museum of Religion to the St Aleksandr Nevsky Lavra, and it became a very important event for the whole Church.

The Union of Orthodox Citizens (SPG) noted that St Aleksandr Nevsky left his mark in history as a “man who struggled for a prostrate Russia, he fought for Orthodoxy, and he won the victory, as he did not allow division in the country and the Church. Thus, His Holiness Patriarch Aleksei did not allow division in the Russian Orthodox Church”, Kirill Frolov, the head of the Moscow division of the SPG, said. Saying that Aleksei II passed away the day after the feast of the Presentation of the Holy Virgin into the Temple, he stressed that “the whole epoch of Patriarch Aleksei was a presentation of Russia to the Church, and, today, we can say that our First Hierarch brilliantly fulfilled the main mission of his life”.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=5478 (in English)

Patriarch Aleksei II: “Glory to God for all Things!”

Patriarch Aleksei Rediger of Moscow and all Russia (1929-2008) at Easter services at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow in 2008

Russia and, indeed, the entire Orthodox world grieved at the passing of Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia. We devote the following material, which are quotes from His Holiness concerning his pastoral ministry and his service to God, to the memory of the late First Hierarch of the Moscow Patriarchate. When the question of electing a new patriarch arose in 1990, Patriarch St Tikhon appeared to a monk and said that there was no fit to carry the burdens of the patriarchal office except for Aleksei. Believers often repeat His Holiness’ motto, “Love is higher than the law; mercy is higher than legality”.

Aleksei II carried out his first obedience in the Church when he helped to carry in water for a baptism at the age of six. By the age of ten, he knew the liturgy by heart. At first, his parents (the father of the patriarch was a rector of a parish in Tallinn in Estonia) were amazing at their son’s rapid development. So, they turned for advice to some wise monks. The monks said, “If this is serious, do nothing to hinder it”. One of the most striking childhood memories of Aleksei II was a pilgrimage to Holy Transfiguration-Valaam Monastery on Lake Ladoga. Many years later, he said, “My soul was touched by the pure spring of Russian holiness”. From his earliest years, Aleksei II knew that he would, of necessity, become a priest. He realised what the monastic path meant. His Holiness said, “I understood fully what my fate would be. I would not have a family or children. But, at the same time, I realised what I was gaining if I rejected earthly happiness. I would reject such in favour of another and larger love, a love for God that would enable me to completely dedicate myself to the service of all the people”.

His first parish was the Church of the Epiphany in the small Estonian town of Ykhvi. From the first, Fr Aleksei encountered many serious problems in this rather small town. In the period after the end of World War II, many people arrived in the region because of employment opportunities. There were many accidents at the works, and many labourers died as a result. In his recollections, the patriarch wrote, “As a pastor, it was necessary for me to deal with complex situations arising out of many different social problems”. It was difficult for His Holiness to embrace monasticism in those times. He recalled, “Then, the faith was persecuted, it was deprived of the very means of existence, and it was necessary to staunchly defend the interests of the Church. The government forbade us to give Holy Communion to young children, they incessantly kept forbidding church services, and they were relentlessly closing churches. But, the most terrible effect of all this was the closing of many monasteries”.

In the autumn of 1961, soon after he took monastic vows, Aleksei became the Bishop of Tallinn and all Estonia. Almost immediately, he had to exert great efforts to prevent the government from closing 36 parishes. However, because of the support that Patriarch Aleksei I gave him, the young bishop was able to find the means for the restoration of many churches in the Baltic region. After some 30 years, the Local Council of the MP elected Aleksei II to sit on the patriarchal throne. In this time, Russia went through great changes in the country and in its values, and it was necessary to start many things from scratch. His Holiness answered the question, “What was the hardest problem in your years of archpastoral service?” by saying, “It was necessary to bring the church into the 21^st century, and I felt an enormous responsibility as the patriarch, as the head of the MP, to act for the future of the Church. In 15 years, we restored and established over 20,000 churches”.

Much was done simply through the enthusiasm of the people. Churches were rebuilt, spiritual seminaries were restored, and lost values were rediscovered. Patriarch Aleksei said, “In those years, we received many blessings from the Lord, we found the relics of St Seraphim of Sarov, the relics of St Aleksandr Nevsky were returned to the Metropolitan of St Petersburg (Vladyki Aleksei doesn’t mention that HE was the Metropolitan of St Petersburg at the time: editor’s note), and the icon of the Mother of God of Tikhvin was returned to Russia, after 60 years of being kept abroad. God loves Russia; therefore, He awaits from us our thanksgiving for all this. If our people do not find God, they shall not find any rest or happiness or prosperity”.

With fondness, Patriarch Aleksei often remembered the beginning of his pastoral ministry. He often said, “Glory to God for all things!” after reflecting on all the events that had passed, including those first difficulties, which tempered the young priest and laid a firm foundation for his great service in future times.

5 December 2008

Svetlana Andreyeva

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=92006&cid=434&p=05.12.2008 (in Russian)

Civilisation Ukrainian-Style: Vandalising the Memorials to the Soldiers of the Anti-Hitler Coalition

Reunion of SS and UPA Nazi collaborators and their supporters in 2006 in the Ukraine. This is evil.

The Ukrainian government, which is very particular about emphasising the status of the Ukraine as a civilised European nation, is attempting to revise the history of the Second World War. In Lvov oblast, in the city of Komarny, the local administration authorised the demolition of a memorial built to pay tribute to the Red Army soldiers who fell liberating the Ukraine from the Nazi aggressors. The permission for this vandalism, as representatives of veterans’ organisations called it, was issued by the commission for the victims of war and political repression and the national service for the protection of the national cultural heritage. No requests for permission to proceed were filed with the Russian Embassy in Kiev. Moreover, Russian diplomats learned of what happened from the press.

Today, what are left of the memorial and the soldiers’ graves are broken slabs and piles of earth. Teenagers are photographing the bones scattered all over the place on their mobile phones. This mockery of the soldiers of the anti-Hitler coalition took place with the full connivance of the government. The municipal authorities assert that the decision to relocate the remains to the city cemetery was taken to guarantee them better maintenance and protection. City officials have no idea how many soldiers were buried in the city park, however, they know the exact number of the graves of the members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which fought alongside the Nazis.

It is no accident that for official Kiev, the Nazi collaborators who served with Waffen-SS are national heroes. It claims that the destruction of the memorials to the victors in the war against Fascism is necessary because they are a symbol of the “Soviet-Bolshevik era”. The Ukrainian leadership is just following Estonia, where a Memorial to the Soldier-Liberator was demolished on the eve of Victory Day as a remnant of the Soviet past and the graves of Soviet soldiers and officers were profaned. An expert, Vladimir Zharikhin, said that all this suggests that the vandalising of the graves of the soldiers of the anti-Hitler coalition was an act of state vandalism. “At first glance, the events in Lvov and Estonia seem surprising; since both these countries argue they are a part of the European community and live by European principles, whereas, in reality, they are rogue states. I use the word ’state’ advisedly, for it’s clear that decisions of this sort were passed down from the top”.

Meanwhile, work is underway in one of the district centres in Hungary to transfer the remains of Soviet soldiers to the city cemetery, where they are to be reburied with honours and a memorial will be built. The permission to do that was obtained from the Russian Embassy in Budapest. In contrast, the Ukraine and Estonia didn’t trouble themselves to negotiate the issue with Moscow before demonstratively destroying war memorials. A number of European news outlets described the demolition of the memorial in Lvov as “legitimised vandalism”.

28 November 2008

Aleksandr Vatutin

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=91092&cid=22&p=28.11.2008 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

Memorial at Poklonnaya Gora near Moscow in honour of the allies of the Anti-Hitler Coalition. Honour their memories and respect the living veterans. They are heroes and worthy of glory.

Most Americans believe, in all innocence, that the Baltic states and the Ukraine are ancient structures only recently taken over by the Soviets in 1945. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Ukraine never had an existence as a state prior to 1991, and the Baltic states were independent only during the period of 1920-39. Thusly, these regions have little experience in ruling themselves and they lack a stable political culture. For instance, Latvia and Estonia use ruses to disenfranchise the Russian population, for if the Russian population were to vote, they would make common cause with good-sense Balts to throw the right-wing neo-Nazis out. No wonder the Bushies LOVE them! They are as much frauds as GWB was!

If Americans were to know how Nazi collaborators are honoured in these four countries, they would vomit in disgust. Their loud and active North American diasporas lead a vigorous campaign to silence all those who speak of the foul cooperation of the nationalists with the Nazis. The Holocaust would not have been possible without the active and willing participation of Galicians and Balts. When you support the Baltic states or the Ukraine, you support those who honour those who helped to murder millions of helpless and innocent Jews, Roma (Gypsies), Poles, Byelorussians, Russians, and (yes!) Ukrainians.

Detail of the Poklonnaya Gora memorial

Stand for the truth. Honour those who fell in the terrible battle to defeat the Nazis, whatever country they came from. It should be like the monument at the main Russian war memorial at Poklonnaya Gora near Moscow. It shows British, French, American, and Soviet soldiers standing together. Honour the remaining veterans and give them respect. Give no support to those who glorify the Nazis and their filthy cause. It is that simple.

Third Committee of the UN General Assembly Adopted a Russian Draft Resolution Aimed Against Neo-Nazis

Roman Shukhevich (1907-50), a thief, terrorist, and three-time murderer. He collaborated with the Nazis (he was a Stürmbannführer in the SS), and bandits under his command murdered at least 100,000 Poles, not to mention Jews, Magyars, Roma (Gypsies), and Orthodox Carpatho-Russian Russophiles. He is the hero of the Galician Uniates. Reflect well on that… they glorify an amoral and nihilistic monster. May God see and judge.

On Tuesday, the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly adopted a Russian-tabled draft resolution on the inadmissibility of certain practises that help to fuel contemporary outbursts of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance. A total of 122 delegations voted for the draft document, 54 countries abstained, and only the US representatives voted against it. The resolution emphasises the need to condemn propaganda and organisations based on ideas of racial superiority or any attempt to justify or encourage racial hatred or discrimination. Such attempts help to promote the spread and multiply various extremist political parties, movements, and groups, including neo-Nazis and skinheads, the resolution stated.

Commenting on the need to approve the draft, Grigory Lukyantsev, a Russian representative to the UN, drew attention to the fact that “monuments to the Nazis are solemnly unveiled in certain countries, and the dates of their liberation from Nazi oppression are announced as days of mourning”, whilst those who oppose the whitewashing of the historical record to eliminate the memory of the soldiers who fought against the Nazis during World War II are thrown into gaol. “In our view, it is totally inadmissible to glorify those who are involved in Nazi crimes, including whitewashing former SS members, including Waffen-SS units, for it was recognised as a criminal organisation by the Nürnberg Tribunal”, Mr Lukyantsev said, in a clear reference to the former Soviet Baltic states.

Recently, Moscow publicly accused Latvia and Estonia of officially lionising their Nazi lickspittles and cancelled a planned visit to Moscow by Latvian President Valdis Zatlers. The Latvian government said that Russia is exaggerating the whole issue, and said that Russia ignored the fact that, during World War II, many Latvians sided with the German Nazis and about as many fought in the ranks of the Red Army. All this means that what they are now doing now should not be seen as glorification of Nazism, but, only an attempt to reach a “national compromise”.

Russia levelled the same accusation at the Ukrainian government, which made the anniversary of their pro-Nazi nationalist army and of its commander, Roman Shukhevich, something like a national holiday. Explaining his decision to vote “no” on the draft resolution, the US representative said that whilst he “shared the repugnance” at any attempt to glorify Nazi ideology, he still believed that freedom of expression must be protected. Ukraine, Georgia, Moldavia, and 51 other countries abstained, but, after the vote, the Ukrainian representative said that neo-Stalinism also promoted dangerous levels of anti-Semitism and racial intolerance, and failure to include it in the draft resolution was the reason behind his delegation’s abstention.

21 November 2008

David Brian

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=35381&cid=87&p=21.11.2008 (in English)

Fr Vsevolod Chaplin says that the EP Should Not Trespass on the Canonical Territories of the Other Local Churches

Moscow, 13 November 2008 (Interfax):

The Moscow Patriarchate believes that the Ecumenical Patriarchate should abandon its universalist ambitions and it should open itself to fraternal inter-Orthodox dialogue. “When a question arose regarding the status of the Church in Estonia, the EP unilaterally and without any consultations established its own parallel structure there. Brothers do not act like that”, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, the deputy head of the MP Department for External Church Relations, said in the course of a programme on the television channel Soyuz (Union).

Fr Vsevolod, along with other spokesmen for the MP, spoke on the situation in Estonia, where the EP set up the so-called “Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church” in 1996, a body not recognised by any other Local Church in the Orthodox world. He noted that the Orthodox world should be united so that the Local Churches could answer the challenges of the contemporary world together. “We should always be careful, polite, and sincere with each other, and we should always seek out an exchange of ideas if we should encounter problems over different visions of the future of the Church, different traditions, or different particular opinions. It is only on this basis, through a constant fraternal dialogue within the Church, that we can strengthen the unity of the Orthodox world, as is commanded by Our Lord”, Fr Vsevolod is convinced.

As far as the Estonian question was concerned, he stated, “It is utterly wrong to make use of political movements to tear believers away from the body of their Mother Church. As soon as factions in the Church think that they can benefit from political changes, if they think that they might obtain this by humiliating their brothers and sisters, by trampling on their rights, history shall hold them up to scorn. Therefore, the MP does not act like our brothers from the EP do”, he emphasised. “When we were petitioned to establish our jurisdiction over part of the Georgian Church, we said clearly that the solution of the question of who has pastoral guidance of the faithful in South Ossetia and Abkhazia is possible only through direct dialogue between the Patriarchates of Moscow and Georgia”, he said. Fr Vsevolod also questioned the assertion of the EP that “the entire Orthodox diaspora, that is, all the Orthodox believers living outside the canonical territories of the recognised Local Churches, is under its authority”.

He observed that, in practise, this means that ethnic Greek bishops are assigned to dioceses in the diaspora. “These bishops are in complete subordination to the Phanar, they act only in its interests, and they force the people in the diaspora, that is, people of entirely different nationalities, to kowtow to these interests. Most Orthodox nationalities do not agree with this at all, and that includes Russians, Ukrainians, Moldavians, Serbs, Bulgarians, Orthodox Arabs, amongst many other peoples. The faithful of the different Local Churches have different traditions, different ideas on pastorality, and use different languages”, Fr Vsevolod reiterated. In his view, we cannot breach the ancient Church traditions, therefore, it is important to structure the life of the Orthodox diaspora “so that each group, which relates to one or another Local Church historically, shall preserve the right to preserve its entire Church tradition, including its language, its distinctive way of serving the liturgy, and its own pastoral approach, as they were formed in their particular motherlands and Local Churches. Moreover, the faithful living in the diaspora from the various Orthodox homelands wish to preserve a spiritual connection with their motherland and with its Local Church. No one has the right to or can deprive them of this link against their will”, Fr Vsevolod emphasised in conclusion.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=27316 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

(Drum rolls and blaring trumpets sound)

If you are sensing the announcement of yet another infamous “Big Green Weenie Award”… you are entirely correct! Less than half of the Russian text found its way into the English translation.

FOR SHAME, INTERFAX!!

The translator (or translators) appears to be soft-headed concerning the Catholics and the EP. Chunks of Russian text go missing that make the point. That is CRIMINAL.

The EP has to be taken down a peg or two. Black Bart is not the “Orthodox pope”, and the Orthodox world does not answer to the Phanariot conventicle. Over 70 percent of the Orthodox faithful worldwide are in the MP. Since 1453, it has been the centre of the Orthodox world. It is the largest Church, it is the strongest, and it is the only Church capable of withstanding the heterodox unaided. Russia stands against the materialist nihilism of the West; the Phanar has surrendered to it, being led by a cabal of Masonic prelates. Russia is being kind; it is giving every chance for the EP to repent and return to ordinary Orthodoxy. If not, the EP may cease to exist. After all, Rome was once a recognised Orthodox patriarchate…

Kristallnacht: The Prelude to the Jewish Holocaust

A Jewish boy in the schul. Is he the Rav’s son or is he the grandson of the president of the congregation? We remember Kristallnacht so that the new generation does not suffer the same thing.

It has been 70 years since the massive anti-Jewish pogrom of Kristallnacht, or crystal night, in Nazi Germany. The tragedy that occurred in the Third Reich on the night of 10 November 1938 can be more precisely described as “a night of smashed windows”. Shops, businesses, and homes belonging to Jews were subjected to attack. As a result of the outrage, 91 Jews were killed and hundreds were injured, 267 synagogues were destroyed and burnt, 7,500 Jewish-owned businesses were ransacked, and many Jewish cemeteries were violated.

The action was sponsored by the leaders of the Nazi Party, who blamed the Jews for all Germany’s troubles and proclaimed anti-Semitism the core of their domestic policy. The persecution of Jews started in 1933, shortly after the Nazis came to power. In the beginning, there was a boycott of Jewish goods. Later, Jews were forbidden to work in the entertainment and information sectors, and to teach in any school, from primary school to higher school. The Nürnberg laws adopted at the 1935 congress of the Nazi Party gave a legal form to the de facto deprivation of political and civil rights of the Jewish people of Germany. This was followed by forced deportations. Justly, the “crystal night” can be called a prelude to the Holocaust. After the “crystal night”, the Gestapo received orders to arrest 20,000 Jews, many of whom were later sent to concentration camps. This was also the fate of most of the Jews still remaining in the country. The decision to massacre the Jews was taken in 1942.

Today, it is well to remember the tragedy that happened in November 1938, since Europe is seeing a whitewashing of Nazism. In the opinion of political scientist Vladimir Semendei, “Pro-fascist sentiment and anti-Semitism are advocated not only by some marginal extremist groups. To a greater or lesser degree, this is supported by the government in some of the countries of so-called ‘New Europe’. Historians and public figures should constantly put in plain words what Nazism was really like”. This primarily pertains to the Baltic states and the Ukraine, where attempts are made to present the Nazis as heroes and one observes a revisionist view of the results of World War II.

10 November 2008

Yevgeni Kryshkin

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=88981&cid=22&p=10.11.2008 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

One should reflect on the fact that the neocons support the neo-Nazi juntas in the Ukraine and the Baltic states. In the former, Nazis are praised because they aided Galician Uniate nationalists; in the latter, Russians are deprived of citizenship, even if they were born there. Great beacons of democracy! America should step back and let nature take its course. To continue to support such states is tantamount to spitting on the graves of all the World War II veterans and giving tacit support to the death camps. These people WILLINGLY aided the Nazis and WILLINGLY aided the Nazi extermination of the Jews. Think deeply on that…

Recent Attempts by Eastern European Governments to Glorify the Nazis are Criminal

Parade in honour of Latvian SS volunteers in Riga held with the full support of the Latvian government. For shame!

Russia condemned the recent attempts [in certain parts of Eastern Europe] to glorify the Nazis and their accomplices and urged that the United Nations quash the efforts in some quarters to whitewash the history of the Second World War. Russian representative Ruslan Bakhtin said this in a statement during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly Committee on Special Political Issues. Moscow repeatedly voiced its criticism of policies pursued by the Estonian, Latvian, and Ukrainian governments, who glorify Nazi collaborators as national heroes today. This is all the more inadmissible in the light of two memorable dates that the world community will officially mark next year, namely, 70 years since the outbreak of the Second World War, and 65 years since the opening of the Second Front by the Western Allies.

In this context, pro-Nazi sentiment can be seen as a challenge to and desecration of the memory of those who gave their lives to liberate the world from the Nazi plague. President Viktor Yushchenko conferred posthumously the title of Hero of the Ukraine on Roman Shukhevich, one of the chieftains of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which fought alongside the Third Reich, and signed a decree on celebrating the day of the formation of the UPA. Latvia annually holds processions of former members of the Latvian Legion of the Waffen-SS, which was involved in mass executions of the Jewish population of the region. Today, Kiev and Riga choose to ignore these facts, which is a crime against the historical record, said political analyst Yevgeni Satanovsky.

Mr Satanovsky said, “It is no secret that the extermination with diabolical cruelty of both Jews and hundreds of thousands of Gypsies and Poles in the Ukraine and Lithuania has been covered up. Today’s Poland, part of a ‘New Europe’ that deliberately lays before the world community all sorts of accusations against Russia, carefully avoids any official mention of the victims of the Nazis, the Poles that were killed in the Ukraine. The hands of such people as Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevich were sunk deep in the blood of tens of thousands of people”.

Meanwhile, officials in the Ukraine and the Baltic countries do not see the honouring of former SS legionnaires as a revision of history. Kiev and Riga point out that they only pay tribute to people who fought for their countries’ independence. They don’t bother to think that if Nazi Germany had won the war, the Ukraine or Latvia could have simply forgotten about their much-sought-after independence. In accordance with Germany’s “Plan Ost” (Plan East), the territories of the two countries were to have been Germanised, whilst the Ukrainian and Latvian population were to have been sent to concentration camps.

25 October 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=87476&cid=22&p=25.10.2008 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

This is a point for all Americans (and all Westerners, in general) to reflect upon seriously. The American neocons support the whitewashing of the Nazi crimes of World War II; it is, indeed, a form of “Holocaust denial”. Unfortunately, those whom the neocons would ally the USA with are the spiritual descendants of those who willingly aided the Nazis in the extermination of the ancient Jewish community of Eastern Europe (not to mention thousands of Roma, Poles, and others the Nazis considered “untermenchtum”). If not that, the neocons favour those in the Balkans who took part in the murder of some 600,000 Orthodox Christians in Yugoslavia. It should be mentioned that Senator Biden was the willing pupil of a Catholic priest who was a sympathiser of the Ustashi murderers in Croatia. It is why he is so vehemently anti-Russian and anti-Serb.

This is one of the reasons why I refuse to vote for the four main candidates in the upcoming US presidential election. Mr Biden is reflexively anti-Orthodox, whilst Mr McCain supports the neo-Nazis in the Ukraine and the Baltic states unreservedly. Ms Palin is an ignoramus TV-presenter who is putty in the hands of Mr McCain’s neocon advisors, whilst Mr Obama has given no sign of abjuring the advice of such Democratic neocons (yes, there is such a thing) as Strobe Talbot, who belongs in a prison jumpsuit for his actions in the Balkans.

It is a hard thing being an Orthodox Christian in this present election. I cannot, in good conscience, give any advice on whom to vote for, given the list of candidates presented to us. DO vote for your representative and senator (if on the ballot), for such people are not as compromised as the four major figures are.

May God preserve us…

The Conference of European Churches is Distressed by the Decision of the MP to Suspend its Membership in the Organisation

Moscow, 13 October 2008 (Interfax):

The Conference of European Churches regrets that, last Saturday, the Moscow Patriarchate decided to suspend its membership in the organisation. Earlier, the MP Department of External Church Relations reported, “The reason for this decision was that, in contravention of the Constitution and rules of the CEC, it refused to consider the membership bid of the Estonian Autonomous Orthodox Church, which is a self-governing Church under the aegis of the MP”. The DECR noted that in November 2007 the CEC accepted a bid for membership form the so-called “Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church”, a body that is under the EP, but, is not recognised by any other Local Orthodox Church. Meanwhile, the President of the CEC, Pastor Jean-Arnold de Clermont, in a statement issued to Interfax-Religion on Monday, said, “The CEC is deeply distressed by the decision of the MP to suspend its membership in our organisation”. In his opinion, the position of the CEC is that before it can make a decision regarding the membership of the EAOC (MP) in the organisation, it is necessary for the EP and MP “to reach a consensus” on the disputes surrounding the Church question in Estonia. At the same time, Rev de Clermont stated that at the meeting in February 2009 of the Presidium of the CEC, “We must try to make specific progress in finding a solution that shall be acceptable to the MP”.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=26897 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

Why was a search for consensus not an issue in November 2007 when the EP group made its application for membership? This reeks of US State Department manipulation of the EP. Do recall that the Phanar has lately made noise regarding making the Phanar an exterritorial enclave in Istanbul, much like Vatican City in Rome. This is a project backed by neocons in Foggy Bottom. It has little support elsewhere, especially not from the Turks, I must say! It is an attempt to ape the papacy, not in any of the good ideas it has had, mind you, but, in all of its worst Papo-Caesarism. It is certainly not Orthodoxy.

I should add a note concerning “canonical churches”. Many in the USA, especially Anglo-Saxon converts are misled on this point. One such convert even posted on their site that there were “16 canonical churches” in the USA. What bilious rot and nonsense! There can only be ONE canonical Church on a given territory. That Church can give permission to others to operate, to be sure. However, it does not break the principle that there is one canonical Church per territory. Which Church is canonical? That is simple. It is the Church that first established an episcopate in a given land. That is to say, the USA, Canada, and Alaska are the undisputed territory of the MP, as it was the MP that first planted a hierarchy here. There is no doubt that others can operate, but, only if they receive the blessing of the canonical Church (which in the US, Canada, and Alaska is NOT the EP).

All other definitions of “canonicity” are specious. SCOBA is nothing but an EP-sponsored talk-shop that has nothing to show for its existence. Unity is not going to be reached using a “political” model, which is all one hears at present. There shall be no “American Orthodox Church” until the church has been rooted here for some 500 years. Russia embraced the Faith in 988, and it became autocephalous in 1448. We have a long path to travel before there is an “American” Church, and no amount of bloviating from recent Angliochian converts or rants from cloistered intellectuals can change that.

We have much work to do… the result shall not be seen in our lifetime… or in those of our grandchildren. However, the future is worth our effort.