30 June 2008. A Thought from Fr Vsevolod…

Fr Vsevolod Chaplin (1968- ), Zamglavy of the MP DECR

Here are some more words about those who urge Christians to run after “progress” and public opinion. Fr Wojciech Giertych, one of the cleverest Catholic theologians today and the Pope’s closest adviser, once said these brilliant words, “Those who want to go with the fashion in the Church soon get out of date”.

*****

A wise Russian Baptist once compared our nation to the Jews wandering in the desert for forty years after their Egyptian slavery. People who couldn’t live in freedom, died… The pastor believes, nowadays, such people leave for America.

Meanwhile, not only numerous Protestants have left our new Russia, but, even some Orthodox intellectuals. Life without persecutions, the KGB, and “dissidence” appeared to be wholly devoid of sense. In the early 90s, I urged former “underground Christians” to come out and give popular sermons on TV, in the media, and in large halls… They couldn’t do it. Mostly, they didn’t even want to try. There were only few, individual, exceptions. Their argument against it was “adamant”. “We won’t do it on these pop channels, with yesterday’s young communists, new Russians, and rocker-bikers! Not for anything in the world!”

They still spend their time in “dissident” kitchens, drinking litres of coffee and vodka, reading the underground press, and talking about “filthy Russia”. The most decisive of them have left the country. Now, they live in the same kitchen atmosphere somewhere in the suburbs of New York or Paris and make a little money with articles about how horrific Putin’s régime is and [the danger of] age-old Russian imperialism.

It is very sad in fact, and not only because their articles sustain wild Western myths about Russia. Mainly, because the people we speak about are faithful, clever, and talented, but, they couldn’t answer the Lord’s appeal to give a sermon for freedom when it was needed. The Soviet reality made them hate people and be afraid of them. They didn’t manage to overcome this hatred and this fear. Eventually, these people, who had a chance to help create a new Russian Christian culture, and could have helped to plant it through broadcasts and the press, didn’t manage to step outside the limits of their narrow and stuffy circle of “the chosen”.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4876

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30th Moscow International Film Festival Ends

Israeli film director Dror Zahavi, winner of the People’s Choice Award at the Moscow International Film Festival for his film For My Father

The jubilee 30th Moscow International Film Festival that ran from 19 to 28 June is now over. About 200 films were shown at the festival, and 16 of these films took part in the main contest, where Russia was represented by Sergei Ovcharov’s film Sad and Katya Shagalova’s film Odnazhdy v provintsii, and 10 films were shown in the contest The Prospect, where 2 Russian documentary films were shown. The jury of the 30th Moscow International Film Festival was headed by the famous Swedish actress Liv Ullmann, it included members from Austria, Russia, Britain, and Chile, and, this year, the jury of the contest The Prospects came from three countries, being headed by the Hungarian film director Janos Szas.

Trailer for Cumbia Callera

In keeping with well-established tradition, at the awards ceremony, the first prize awarded went to a film submitted to the contest The Prospects, where filmmakers’ experimental works are presented. The winner in this nomination was the work of the Mexican film director Rene Villarreal, Cumbia callera. In the category of Best Male Role, the winner was actor Richard Jenkins, starring in the American film The Visitor, whilst the winner of the Best Female Role was an Italian actress, Margherita Buy, who appeared in the a joint Italian-Swiss production, Days and Clouds. Bulgarian Yavor Gyrdev, the director of the film Zift, won as Best Film Director.

Trailer for Days and Clouds

The main prize of the 30th Moscow International Film Festival, the Gold St George, this year, will go to Tehran. The jury of the main contest, headed by Liv Ullmann, chose the Iranian film As Simple As That about the life of an Iranian woman. Speaking about her choices, Liv Ullmann said, “A special prize was given to the work of the French film director Un coeur simple, a screen version of Gustave Flaubert’s novel”.

Isabelle Huppert in Silver Satin Silk Blouse

The alternative jury also awarded prizes. The Russian film Odnazhdy v provintsii by Katya Shagalova was awarded the FIPRESCI prize, and the Israeli submission to the main contest, For My Father, by Dror Zahavi, was awarded the People’s Choice Award. By tradition, at the end of the awards ceremony, the Konstantin Stanislavsky Award Ya veryu (“I believe”), for outstanding achievement in acting was given to the French actress Isabelle Huppert.

30 June 2008

Vladimir Golovkin

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29046&cid=62&p=30.06.2008

Renegade Russian Bishop Appeals Deposition to Church Court

Bishop Diomid Dzyuban of Anadyr and Chukotka (1961- ), renegade bishop deposed and interdicted by the MP Archpastoral Council and Holy Synod

A Russian Orthodox bishop, who was deposed from Holy Orders on Friday and interdicted for provoking a schism, appealed the decision with a church court, a church official said on Monday. The dispute could evolve into the first major schism in the Russian Orthodox Church, which saw a major resurgence after decades of atheism under Soviet rule. Bishop Diomid, the head of the diocese covering the sparsely-populated Chukotka Peninsula in Russia’s extreme northeast, refused to repent, which was a condition laid down by the Moscow Patriarchate to suspend his deposition, and served liturgy on Sunday. “Bishop Diomid does not agree with the decision made by the Church’s Archpastoral Council, he has lodged a complaint with a church court”, a church official in Chukotka said. “The bishop intends to address [a court session] himself”.

Diomid criticised the Church for backing the current government’s “anti-national” policies and contacts with other faiths. In a letter published in a leading newspaper, he also slammed the Group of Eight major industrialised nations as a body of global Masonry designed to pave the way for the arrival of a single global leader, or antichrist. The bishop also called for an end to taxpayer identification numbers, modern passports, and cell phones.

In a resolution, the MP Archpastorl Council denied the accusations, saying the Church has always expressed its concerns about negative social trends, adding that Diomid’s calls for rejecting contacts with other religious groups were a display of sectarian ideology and schism. Diomid found support among a small group of Russian Orthodox laity and clergymen. His clerical supporters were also interdicted. His supporters rallied in Moscow last week, demanding the resignation of Patriarch Aleksei II. They beat up several journalists with icons and clashed with Kremlin-backed youth group activists, who condemned Diomid.

“This is an outrageous defiance of the integrity of the Russian Church”, Fr Vladimir Vigilynsky, an MP spokesman, told the newspaper Kommersant on Sunday, commenting on Diomid’s moves. But, he said the bishop still had time to repent before the Holy Synod gathers in mid-July. Speaking at liturgy in Anadyr, the capital of Chukotka, on Sunday, Bishop Diomid said he would not repent, as he did not believe he was guilty of anything.

30 June 2008

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080630/112556618.html

Editor’s Note:

There is much less to this than meets the eye. Not one bishop at the Archpastoral Council spoke in favour of this renegade and schismatic. He is isolated and alone in his vapourings amongst the episcopate. No doubt, he shall carry some clerics and laity into schism with him, and, no surprise here, he shall probably join Agafangel’s group of ROCOR rebels. Look for the loony-right to make tremendous noise concerning this, and to predict the imminent downfall of the MP.

The Church shall go on, as it always has, and we shouldn’t pay much mind to schismatics such as Diomid after they leave. Of course, it is our obligation as Orthodox Christians to pray for those misled by the likes of Diomid, Agafangel, Valentin, and Yakunin. However, we should not argue with such sorts. It is pointless, solves nothing, and is no good for either party. Satan laughs.

God help us all.

BMD

MP Denies Reports that a Renegade Bishop Filed an Appeal in Regards to his Deposition

Bishop Diomid of Anadyr and Chukotka (1961- ), renegade bishop deposed and interdicted by the MP Archpastoral Council and Holy Synod

On Monday, the Moscow Patriarchate denied reports that a bishop who was deposed for attempting to provoke a schism filed a complaint with the MP ecclesiastical tribunal. Bishop Diomid, the head of the diocese covering the sparsely-populated Chukotka Peninsula in Russia’s extreme northeast, who was put under an interdict on Friday, as well as being deposed, was reported to have lodged an appeal. He refused to express repentance, which was one of the conditions laid down by the Holy Synod to suspend his deposition, and he served a liturgy publicly on Sunday.

“We have received no documents relating to his appeal and have only heard about this from media reports”, said Fr Vladimir Vigilyansky, head of the MP press service. He said the ecclesiastical tribunal would not have accepted the complaint, as Bishop Diomid had been deposed by the Archpastoral Council, the Church’s top judicial authority. Fr Vladimir said the bishop could lay out his case again at a Holy Synod session. Earlier reports said the Church’s ruling body would gather in mid-July.

Diomid had criticised the Church for backing the current government’s “anti-national” policies and contacts with other faiths. In a letter published in a leading newspaper, he also called the Group of Eight, a forum for leading industrialised nations, a body of global Masonry, designed to pave the way for the arrival of a single global leader, or antichrist. The bishop also called for an end to taxpayer identification numbers, modern passports, and cell phones. Speaking on Sunday at liturgy in Anadyr, the capital of Chukotka, Bishop Diomid said he would not repent, as he did not concede he did anything wrong.

In a resolution, the MP Archpastoral Council denied the bishop’s accusations, saying the Church has always expressed its concern over negative social trends, and that Bishop Diomid’s calls for rejecting contacts with other religious groups are a display of sectarian ideology aiming to cause a schism. Fr Vladimir expressed doubt that the renegade cleric was seeking “Orthodox purity”, saying many of his steps were in violation of the Church’s canons and rules. The cleric moved to allay fears of a Church schism, saying that Diomid only has “a small and marginal group” of supporters. He said the Church has already experienced several schisms since the collapse of the Soviet Union in early the 1990s.

Priest Gleb Yakunin, also a lawmaker and prominent human rights activist, was deposed after refusing to obey the Church’s ban on clergymen running for parliament. In an open letter to the patriarch he also raised other sensitive issues such as the Church’s deep involvement in politics despite official teachings, the spiritual health of the hierarchy, a need for a church administration reform, and the need for a public repentance by the hierarchy for their complicity with the Soviet regime. Rev Yakunin established the schismatical Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church.

30 June 2008

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080630/112609112.html