The House of Romanov Doubts the Authenticity of the Remains Found in Yekaterinburg

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The House of Romanov announced that the remains found near Yekaterinburg and buried in the crypt of Ss Peter and Paul Cathedral in St Petersburg may not be those of Nikolai II and his family. “Certainly, alas, we can’t rule out such a possibility”, Aleksandr Zakatov, the Director of the Chancellery of the House of Romanov, told Interfax on Wednesday. He emphasised that the priests who officiated at the burial of the Yekaterinburg remains on 17 July 1998 “didn’t use any particular name at the service. In any case, the remains were those of martyred people, victims of the terror. No one says that we should disturb their bones again, even if we can prove that they’re not the Romanovs. What’s done is done. May they rest in peace. However, we must settle the truth”. He noted that when the first debate about the authenticity of Yekaterinburg remains surfaced, the head of the Romanov House, the late Grand Prince Vladimir Kirillovich suggested that we temporarily bury them in a church or chapel, then, do an honest, open, and verifiable examination without haste and excitement. “However, in the 1990s, no one listened to the position of the Grand Duke; they wanted to make a political show by a certain date. The result was disastrous. The investigators and officials themselves did their best to sow distrust amongst the faithful and the public of their expertise”, Zakatov said. In his view, the state commission “ignored the position of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Imperial House. If there are doubts, neither the Church nor the House of Romanov is guilty of the sin of leading people astray. Those who try to pressure the Church into issuing scandalous findings only drive the situation into a dead end. It’s possible that only the next generation of Russians could look into this matter calmly and objectively”.

In July 1991, archaeologists opened a gravesite at the Old Koptyakovskoy Road near Yekaterinburg; it contained the remains of nine people. It’s assumed that they belong to members of the royal family, Nikolai II, his 46-year-old wife Aleksandra, their daughters 22-year-old Olga, 21-year-old Tatiana, and 17-year-old Anastasia, as well as members of their entourage, 53-year-old Yevgeni Botkin , 40-year-old Anna Demidova, the 62-year-old Aleksei Trupp, and 48-year-old Ivan Kharitonov. On 29 July 2007, during archaeological excavations 70 kilometres south of the first grave, at a depth of 60 centimetres, investigators found bone and tooth fragments. The identity of the victims and circumstances of their deaths wasn’t determined at the time of the excavation, but the location and nature of burial gave reason to believe that the remains were those of two children of Nikolai II, Tsarevich Aleksei, and his sister Maria. Vladimir Solovyov, an investigator with the SKP RF, who headed the team carrying out the official inquiry into the murder of the royal family, told Interfax in January that he had no doubt that the remains discovered near Yekaterinburg were the remains of the imperial family. “We’re fully confident that the identification of the remains of the royal family is 100 percent correct”, Solovyov said. Solovyov worked on the criminal case and investigation into the murder of Nikolai II and his family since 1993. On 14 January 2011, he signed an order terminating the criminal case.

9 March 2011

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=39804

Editor’s Note:

Maria Vladimirovna (MVR) is a typical pretender… full of pretence and pride, lacking in power and resources. Why would she issue such a statement now? The only possible explanation is that the Church is ready to accept the Yekaterinburg remains as genuine, and that would upset MVR’s applecart completely. To begin with, she’s isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, and if the Church was to accept the remains as genuine, it would close this chapter of Russian history, it would lay the topic to rest. She’d have to find another hobbyhorse to ride! Patriarch Kirill’s shown himself to be an innovative leader who’s not afraid of making controversial decisions. If he accepts the remains, it’ll help the reconciliation process between the “Red” and “White” streams in Russian life. Reflect seriously on the fact that MVR wants to keep such tensions alive. I say that the Yekaterinburg remains are genuine, we must say so, and that if obscurantists don’t want to admit that, well, let them stew! Let the remains of the Royal Martyr Passionbearers lie in peace in St Petersburg… enshrine the new remains in the Spas na Krovi in Yekaterinburg… that would write a fitting end to this chapter in our history.

BMD

Romanov Pretenders believe that Lenin and Sverdlov were Involved in the Execution of Nikolai II

The Romanov pretenders don’t believe the conclusion of the RF SKP that there’s no evidence that the execution of Tsar Nikolai II and his family was on the direct orders of Soviet leaders such as Vladimir Lenin and Yakov Sverdlov. “We believe that there’s much evidence”, Aleksandr Zakatov, the Director of the Office of the House of Romanov, told Interfax on Thursday. He explained that the memoirs of Leon Trotsky and those of other Bolshevik leaders contain evidence that Sverdlov and Lenin directly ordered the execution of the tsar’s family. “We must restore the full picture. A number of documents remain classified. The inventory of the items in Lenin’s office, made after his death, hasn’t been declassified. There’s no basis for their remaining secret”, he said, saying, “Our modern state isn’t Bolshevik”. Vladimir Solovyov, the head of the SKP investigation into the murder case concerning Nikolai II and his family, told Interfax this week that the investigation found no evidence that Lenin and Sverdlov directly ordered the execution of the tsar’s family. “As far as I know, none of the researchers found any such document”, he said. According to the findings of the investigators, the Ural Soviet, which was the highest Soviet governmental body in the region, ordered the execution of Nikolai II, his family, and his entourage; it had authority over Perm, Yekaterinburg, Vyatka, Chelyabinsk, Ufa, and Orenburg Guberniyas.

20 January 2011

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=39179

Editor’s Note:

Maria Vladimirovna is having a hissy fit. Well… she’s NOT the tsaritsa… she’s the pretender to the throne, something else completely. The SKP RF had access to all documentation, including classified data. Memoirs aren’t considered primary source documentation… they are often useful confirmatory sources, but they’re not the same as an actual government document. The available documentation clears Lenin and Sverdlov… and this displeases Maria Vladimirovna and her minions. Let’s be clear… the situation around Yekaterinburg in July 1918 was fluid and the Ural Soviet often was cut off from communication with Moscow. The White forces were threatening Yekaterinburg, so, the local honchos lost their heads and ordered the killing. Indeed, Yekaterinburg did fall to Admiral Kolchak’s forces soon after. Lenin was many things, but he wasn’t a fool. I believe that he was holding the tsar and his family for ransom… but events intervened, the locals panicked, and they shot their captives out of hand, for fear that the Whites would liberate them. That’s what I believe, based on what I’ve read of the affair… I agree with Vladimir Nikolaevich… the documents clear Lenin and the other top Reds from directly ordering the killing.

I believe that Patriarch Kirill is going to “legitimate” the remains in Petersburg as the relics of the Royal Martyrs. It’s clear that the remains were originally buried at Ganina Yama, then, reburied at the location that they where found many years later. To be blunt, both PM Putin and Patriarch Kirill want to close this chapter in Russian history fittingly and definitively. The records clear Lenin and Sverdlov, they didn’t order the murder of the martyrs… like it or not, Vladimir Ilyich was NOT the killer of the tsar. In the end, the Church will accept the remains buried at the Cathedral of Ss Peter and Paul, and the state will accept that Ganina Yama was the first burial site of the martyrs. Let the martyrs rest in peace… let their memories be eternal… it’s time to bury the passions of the Civil War and embark on building a new Russian space using the best from both our White and Red legacies. It’s our heritage, after all… I embrace it all fully, what about you?

BMD

RF SKP Acknowledged the Authenticity of the Remains of the Family Members of Tsar St Nikolai Aleksandrovich

The RF SKP ordered the closing of the criminal case into the matter of the death of the tsar, his family, and their entourage…

The RF SKP concluded its investigation of the criminal case into the matter of the deaths of Tsar Nikolai Aleksandrovich, his family members, and members of their entourage. “On 14 January 2011, we issued a decision regarding the present investigation; in compliance with the court decision, the criminal case is closed. This ruling confirms the identification of the remains of the family members of former Tsar Nikolai II (Romanov) and the members of his entourage”, according to a statement posted Monday on the official website of the RF SKP.

It noted that, according to the conclusion of Russian and foreign experts, and according to other investigation materials, the human remains found in the first grave belonged to Tsar Nikolai Aleksandrovich, his wife Tsaritsa Aleksandra Fyodorovna, his daughters Grand Princesses Olga Nikolaevna, Tatiana Nikolaevna, and Anastasia Nikolaevna, as well as individuals from their entourage (personal maid, physician, valet, and cook). It also concluded that the remains from the second grave belonged to the children of Nikolai Aleksandrovich… Tsarevich Aleksei Nikolayevich and Grand Princess Maria Nikolaevna.

The SKP brought up the fact that, on 1 October 2008, the Presidium of the Supreme Court issued a resolution on the rehabilitation of the tsar’s family, stating, “Nikolai Romanov and his family were detained and were executed on the orders of the state. From the perspective of the public authorities of the RSFSR, the use of such repressive measures was due to the fact that the former tsar, his wife and children, indeed, all the members of the Russian imperial house, represented a danger to the Soviet state and political system on class, social, or religious grounds”.

In connection with statements of the House of Romanov made by Grand Princess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova on 26 August 2010, the judges of the Basmanny District Court in Moscow decided, in accordance with Article 90 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, acknowledged the decision of the RF SKP of 15 January 2009 to dismiss the pending criminal case as unfounded and ordered action to correct any violations. On 25 November 2010, the Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee revoked the decision to terminate the investigation of the criminal case.

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A barrister representing the House of Romanov wants to familiarise himself with the decision of the RF SKP to terminate the criminal case on the investigation into the murder of Nikolai II and his family members before deciding whether or not to make an appeal. “It’s much too early for us to make a decision. We have to familiarise ourselves with the decision in all its aspects. After that, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna has the final say on whether there was a legitimate and legal investigation, on whether it was full, thorough, and impartially investigated all the circumstances”, German Lukyanov, the chief attorney for the House of Romanov, told Interfax on Monday. He related to us that the criminal investigation into the murder of the royal family was stopped and restarted five times. “This very fact shows that this isn’t the end of everything done”, Mr Lukyanov said. On Monday, the RF SKP completed its criminal investigation into the death of the Tsar Nikolai II, his family, and the members of his entourage in 1918-19, and closed the criminal case regarding it.

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Vladimir Solovyov, who headed the investigation into the murder of Tsar Nikolai II and his family, has no doubts about the authenticity of the remains of the tsar’s family discovered near Yekaterinburg. “We’re fully confident that the identification of the remains of the tsar’s family is 100 percent correct”, Vladimir Nikolaevich told Interfax on Monday. He headed the investigation of the criminal case into the murder of Nikolai II and his family since 1993. On 14 January 2011, he signed an order terminating the criminal case. Earlier, on 15 January 2009, he terminated the criminal investigation. “If you compare the new ruling with the older ruling, in fact, nothing has changed. The previous ruling was in accordance with the decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Court on 1 October 2008. It made it clear that they were all shot on the orders of the state”, Vladimir Nikolaevich said.

In response to a question that factions in the MP and the House of Romanov doubt the authenticity of the remains, he said, “Of course, anyone can question what they will. The problem is that there are parties who don’t want to tackle these questions forthrightly. If you have a question about it, ask us; we’ll give you a reply, if our answer leaves you in doubt… check our data. No one has asked us to check out our data for the past two years. They claim to be very serious. We hold all the materials related to the identification [of the remains]. His Holiness the Patriarch created a special commission to address the question of the relation of Church to the Yekaterinburg remains. Over the years, this commission has never asked to see our material. We’re always open to cooperation, and are willing to submit to the Church any materials [that it might need]”, Vladimir Nikolaevich said.

According to the results of the investigation, the execution of Nicholas II, his family, and entourage was implemented on the orders of the Ural Soviet, which was the highest Soviet authority in the region, which included Perm, Yekaterinburg, Vyatka, Chelyabinsk, Ufa, and Orenburg Guberniyas. Mr Solovyov said that the investigation unearthed no evidence that explicit authorisation from top Soviet leaders such as Lenin and Sverdlov was the immediate cause for the execution of the tsar’s family. “We don’t have any documents of Lenin or Sverdlov linking them to this. As far as I know, none of the researchers found any such documentation”, Vladimir Nikolaevich said.

17 January 2011

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=39106

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=39108

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=39111

Editor’sNote:

These three stories were the total of the reportage on Interfax (and much of the other reportage on other sites was a rehash)… note well that there’s no reaction from the Church, either official or unofficial. The MP made its original ruling against the authenticity of the Yekaterinburg remains at a time when it was looking to bring the ROCOR back into Orthodox unity. Vitaly Ustinov was an obstinate and senile nutter who believed in the old White Army line about the tsar’s death, and nothing would shake him. Therefore, the Church made an official pronouncement against the remains. Yet, MP clergy served a Pannikhida over the remains… interesting, nicht wahr? Today, the ROCOR is back in the Church, so… you can catch my drift, no?

I think that His Holiness is grappling with his reaction to this… it’s much more important than the visit of a minor and impecunious bishop from America, isn’t it? Let’s wait to see the OFFICIAL Church reaction to all of this. It bids fair to be “interesting”…

BMD

Patriarch Kirill says that The MP and Roman Catholics can Present a United Front in Defending Christian Values Despite Deep Theological Differences

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev (1946- ), First Hierarch of the Local Church of Moscow and all the Russias (that’s a mouthful, no?), meeting with Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Faed Mustafa (1965- )… if we maintain friendly relations with those outside Christianity, what’s wrong with being friendly to heterodox Christians? Sheesh…

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The Moscow Patriarchate and the Vatican, despite the difficulties in their relationship, can interact effectively in several areas. “Together with Roman Catholics, we stand together in facing aggressive secular liberalism, in defence of the traditional Christian understanding of family values and human life. We present a united front against certain sorts of medical-biological experimentation, as so much of it isn’t compatible with a proper respect for human dignity”, Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias said at a meeting with Russian diplomats and students of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Federation in Moscow on Thursday. In his view, cooperation between the Russian Church and Roman Catholics is developing in several directions, mostly due to the outlook of the Pope of Rome, Benedict XVI Ratzinger. “Since 1980, we’ve engaged in a theological dialogue, in which we, together with other Orthodox Churches, discussed the points that divide us, primarily, the role of the Bishop of Rome and the problem of Uniatism, but there are many other differences”,  His Holiness said.

Patriarch Kirill doesn’t believe that this dialogue can be smooth, saying, “We can’t quickly resolve problems that have divided the Christian East and West for over a millennium. Nevertheless, we need a thorough theological analysis of what happened, and, most importantly, we must examine our understanding of history, because very often our understanding of history is, in itself, a reason to maintain the division”. His Holiness expressed concern about developments in a number of Protestant communities, regarding liberalisation in the field of theology and Christian morality. Indeed, some Protestant communities have blessed same-sex “marriage” and the ordination of practising homosexuals to the clergy. At the same time, the Patriarch noted that most of the Christian confessions in the CIS and Eastern Europe, Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestant, “express commitment to the traditional understanding of Christian values. For example, Protestants in Russia and the Baltic States are closer to Orthodoxy than some of their brothers in faith in the West are, they don’t believe in liberalising their doctrine”.

18 November 2010

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=38296

Editor’s Note:

One should note that when His Holiness condemns “liberalism”, he also includes American “Conservatives” under that rubric, as gibbering poseurs such as Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Sarah Palin are Radical Neoliberals, not True Legitimatist Conservatives (Burke, Franco, Stolypin, and Bismarck would hurl at their crass money-worship and preening self-congratulation, that’s for sure). In addition, Russian Protestants have rejected American Sectarian attempts to contaminate them… they told the American interlopers that they have their own traditions, thank you very much. They’re going to stand up for prayer, sing the Our Father, and honour the Mother of God… and the American Sectarians with their sit-down prayers, “praise music”, and ill-disguised Mammon worship can go straight to Hell (bully for the Russian Proddies… they told the Americans “what for”).

In addition, His Holiness points up an important fact, the Real Church takes a balanced view on inter-Christian relations. It avoids both extremes… it doesn’t condemn contact with the heterodox out of hand, as the GOCs and rightwing konvertsy do, but it also condemns the ecumania of leftwing konvertsy, SVS/St Sergius in Paris, and New Skete. We believe in the traditional view… “Send us no letters on doctrine; send us letters of friendship only”. KMG is sending a message to the papists… the Boy Wonder is all wet, Zenit and AsiaNews are boobs for quoting him; we’re not going to accept the papist view of papal supremacy, nor are we going to accept the Uniates as “legit” bodies (they’re a dagger of the ultramontane faction in the Curia, pointed directly at our heart).

Roman Catholics and Orthodox should take their relationship to a new level. We should bring the “theological dialogue” to an end… we’ve reached a point where both sides have come to their “non-negotiable verities”… any further discussion would be circular and pointless (only a pseudo-intellectual would see any utility in it, a very good reason for rolling it up). This doesn’t mean that we retreat into our respective Emerald Cities and throw spitballs at one another. It means that we maintain friendly relations, knowing that the other is “other”, that they are what they are, and that they aren’t going to change any time soon (or any time later, for that matter). We should keep up communications, and share our earthly joys and sorrows… that’s only decent and right. If there are societal issues where we share common concern, we should stand together, anyone who condemns that is a raving nutter, and should be committed to a rubber room post-haste. However, the palaver of overpaid and overweening self-appointed “experts” should end… all it does is confuse the faithful and scandalise them.

Richard… Agent 99… Mark Shea… Julio… shall you open our gate and come into our house? Sit down and have a warm, you’re welcome guests (Richard! Will you get me the church key? I’ve obligations as a hostess…). However, “fences make for good neighbours”… wouldn’t you agree?

BMD