German Archbishop Suspected of Aiding and Abetting Child Abuse

Archbishop Robert Zollitsch (1938- ) of Freiburg im Breisgau, the head of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Germany

In Germany, the authorities began an investigation into the activities of Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg im Breisgau, the head of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Germany. He is under suspicion of aiding and abetting child abuse, the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported Thursday. According to Wolfgang Mayer, the Chief Procurator of Baden-Württemberg, in 1987, Rev Zollitsch knowingly took on a priest who had earlier abused minors. The newspaper reported that the crimes were committed in the 1960s in the Birnau Monastery, which is on Lake Bodensee in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, but the local episcopate became aware of them only in 2006. In March 2010, Rev Zollitsch acknowledged that the Catholic Church had deliberately concealed the sexual crimes of priests against children for quite some time, in order to preserve the church’s reputation. Currently, several clergymen from different parts of Germany face accusations of having sex with and corrupting minors, mostly students of Catholic schools.

3 June 2010

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=35858

The interior of the Fallfahrtskirche (Pilgrimage Church) in Birnau… it is a popular place of Marian pilgrimage in Germany… one can see how an abuser could exploit such a situation… poor kids (that being said, I am sure that most of the other priests at the shrine were as shocked as we are at such abuse).

Editor’s Note:

I hope that people like Rod Dreher keep their mouths shut on this. Firstly, we are not innocent… should I mention Gleb Podmoshensky, Panteleimon Metropoulos, and Benedict Greene? There are others, both living and deceased, about whom reputable and credible sources have pointed fingers. Note well that Archbishop Robert is not accused of molestation itself… he is accused of concealing such activity. I fear that if an equally vigorous investigation were done in American Orthodoxy, it would find episcopal hanky-panky in some modernist quarters… not merely the concealment of such. I cannot face charges of slander for this. I am stating my opinion of a given situation, and I did not state any names (they are well known to the Orthodox community, are they not?). The reports of pokrov.org must be true… Cappy and Melanie have undergone a veritable Golgotha ever since they spoke up about sexual abuse in our Church.

We are not sinless. We should be silent… there but for the Grace of God, we go. I bow before my papist friends and commiserate with their sorrow… it’s never pleasant to realise that you’ve been lied to, is it? I can tell all good Catholic people that what they are experiencing today is only a tithe of what people in the OCA have gone through and are going through at present. The truth will set you free… but freedom ain’t free, it has a cost, often a painful one. Shall we pay it?

BMD

Advertisement

On the Kulikovo Field, Patriarch Kirill Reminded Russians of the Need of Unity despite Political Differences

Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev (1946- ) of Moscow and all the Russias

Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias urged Russians to maintain their unity despite political differences. “Even if we have our differences as a nation in times of prosperity and peace, we must renounce all political preferences and political clashes when it comes to defending the Motherland and preserving the fundamental values of our national life”, the patriarch said on Tuesday, after the consecration of the Church of St Sergei of Radonezh on Kulikovo Field. Noting that the great achievements of the people were inconceivable without their unity, His Holiness pointed up that the Tatar-Mongol horde enslaved Russia precisely because of its divisions. In his view, the Church, just as it did a thousand years ago, “is conscious of its great responsibility before God for peace, harmony, and unity in our society. Sometimes we are asked, ‘Why don’t you support this or that political position, when your own voice is so weak?’ To these people, I would answer, ‘The Church is called upon not only to protect its own interests, which is, of course, necessary, but it must also protect and maintain the unity of the people, and reduce the level of confrontation between them”, the patriarch said. After the Liturgy, he led a procession to the column-monument to Prince St Dmitri Donskoi on Krasny Hill, where he blessed the battle flag of the 51st Airborne Regiment “Dmitri Donskoi” and served a brief memorial service for the Russian warriors who died for their country on the Kulikovo Field.

Patriarch Kirill noted the exceptional historical significance of the Russian victory in the battle on the Kulikovo Field. “The Battle on the Kulikovo Field did not end the era of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, but this battle proved to everyone that the mighty strength of Russia was like a powerful coil, capable of springing out and throwing back any opponent, and go on to win”, the Patriarch said, addressing the audience on the Field. In the view of His Holiness, the warriors of Rus on the Kulikovo field “did not fight to improve their economic well-being, they fought for their country and for their faith, because they knew that the [Tatar-Mongol] yoke could destroy the most important things… our faith, our national identity, and our Motherland”. Patriarch Kirill expressed regret that some attack such concepts as self-sacrifice, heroism, and love of the Motherland, they try to brainwash people into replacing such ideas with the notion that “none of the Russian peoples would ever have to defend the Motherland. Unfortunately, very often, a desire for material well-being clouds our vision, denying us a historical perspective of our national existence”, the patriarch said. He greeted everybody present in the name of the “great victory” of the Kulikovo Field, noting that this victory “settled the independence and historical existence of all the Russias (Руси)”.

The current pastoral visit of Patriarch Kirill to Tula Oblast is dedicated to the 630th anniversary of the battle on the Kulikovo Field. The laying of the cornerstone of the Church of St Sergei of Radonezh on Krasny Hill was held on 16 June 1913, the famous architect Aleksei Shchusev drew up the plans. Construction was completed in 1917, on the eve of the October Revolution.

1 June 2010

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=35834

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=35836

Fr Vsevolod Chaplin is in Favour of Changing Russian Legislation on Abortion

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin (1968- ), the head of the MP Department for Church and Public Relations

______________________________

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, the head of the MP Department of Church and Public Relations, believes that we must amend existing Russian legislation on abortion. “It’s hard to say what legal measures would be best, but the law should be changed”, Fr Vsevolod said Tuesday at a press conference in Moscow. However, before we change the law, it is necessary for us to change public attitudes to the problem of abortion, he said. “In Soviet times, we became accustomed to abortion, so we tend to think that it’s an unavoidable part of our legal framework and reality, and that we can’t do anything about it. In fact, today, we see that a lot can be done”, Fr Vsevolod said. He pointed up that, throughout the country, public protests against abortion occur daily, which are supported at all levels of the Church, from top to bottom. “The main participants in this are not clergy or church workers or monastics. They’re young people who are genuinely committed to the cause of reducing the number of abortions in Russia”, Fr Vsevolod noted. He drew attention to the fact that there are different positions with respect to changes in the law. “Some advocate an immediate and total ban on abortion, whilst some offer other measures, so that people who oppose abortion do not have to pay for it as a part of their taxes”, he said. Fr Vsevolod called on the various sectors of society to dialogue on legislative changes related to abortion, emphasising that the discussion should involve government, society (including the Orthodox community), and scientific circles.

1 June 2010

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=35833

Patriarch Bartholomew Wants to Accelerate Pan-Orthodox Council

Meeting of the EP and MP delegations at the Patriarchal Residence in Peredelkino on 25 May 2010… you can see that no fraternal feelings existed between the sides (note well that non-English speakers such as Vsevolod Chaplin and Yuvenaly Poyarkov were not present).

Patriarch Bartholomew Archontonis of Constantinople believes that it is necessary to not to postpone a Pan-Orthodox Cathedral with the participation of all the Local Orthodox Churches. “We have decided to accelerate the process of convening a Holy and Great Council of all Orthodox Churches”, Patriarch Bartholomew said according to the transcript of an interview broadcast on the television channel Вести-24 (News-24) on Sunday at the Constantine Palace in Strelna near St Petersburg. He said that the convening of the council is one of the major challenges facing the Church of Constantinople and expressed the view that the Council and its results “would be of the greatest importance to the entire Orthodox world”. Patriarch Bartholomew stressed that he has supported the holding of such a Council since his election to the patriarchal throne [of Constantinople]. In his view, the agenda for such a Council has definition, and it is already known throughout the Orthodox world. it includes ten topics, including the declaration of the principles surrounding the granting of autocephaly or autonomy in the Orthodox Churches, the problem surrounding the Lents, and a number of questions related to the diptychs (order of mention of the Churches during worship: Interfax). ”Our Orthodox Church constantly tries to keep pace with the times, without sacrificing anything of his teachings, but at the same time responding to the trends of the time, to help believers cope with contemporary reality”, Patriarch Bartholomew said. Preparation for the Council started back in the 1960s, and meetings of the Pan-Orthodox Pre-Conciliar Consultation and preparatory commissions have taken place. The Council could resolve questions that have accumulated over the centuries since the last one, which was the Seventh Ecumenical Council, requiring an all-Church solution. There were a total of four Pan-Orthodox Pre-Conciliar Consultations (Chambésy, 1976, 1982, 1986, 2009) and six preparatory committees (Geneva, 1971; Chambésy, 1986, 1990, 1993; 1999 and 2009). The long break in the convening of meetings of the preparatory committees was due to the complication of relations caused by the disagreements between the MP and the EP over the ecclesiastical situation in Estonia. A meeting of the First Hierarchs of the Local Orthodox Churches in October 2008 in Istanbul made possible the resumption of inter-Orthodox cooperation in the preparation of such a Council.

31 May 2010

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=35802

Editor’s Note:

Firstly, read this interview given in Bulgaria before his trip to Russia:

http://www.novinite.com/newsletter/print.php?id=116804

Note this quote:

Our criteria of ecclesial identity and unity are not the measures of this world… of numbers and wealth… but derive instead from the Holy Spirit, as this is revealed in the Church Councils and the Holy Eucharist.

This, I believe, trumps all of his airy-fairy talk in Russia. The above quote reveals that Bart shall never give an inch on the question on who is primus inter pares. In itself, such would torpedo any actual calling of a “Pan-Orthodox Council”. In short, all the talk of “accelerating” the calling of such a Council is mere verbiage, notional wind, and anyone who believes it is a thrice-damned fool. Bart is in dire need of money… and he needs help desperately to reopen Halki. Therefore, he capitulated to the Russians on many peripheral issues, and he talks much of “unity”. I have not forgotten any of his nasty statements of the past twenty years (he became head of the EP in 1991)… neither has anyone in the leadership in the MP. Trust me… there is no love lost on either side.

As for believing in a “Pan-Orthodox Council”… I’ll believe in the Jabberwocky and Treebeard the Ent first… they have more substantiality. Nothing that Bart said in Russia had any real existence… he only did what he had to in order to get Russian gelt in his pocket. Reflect well on the fact that he never learned Russian, the language of most Orthodox Christians. He and Kirill had to palaver in English. By the way, that’s the only reason the Boy Wonder was so prominent during this visit… he may not have many abilities… but he does have nonpareil English-language skills (which is why the konvertsy are bamboozled by him so easily… along with his photogenic good looks, which fools superficial Americans especially).

It’s now a week since Bart’s departure… nothing has changed in the MP… or anywhere else for that matter. The upshot of it is that this trip was obviously one of a suppliant importuning his patron for funds… nothing more. Look for MORE trouble in future, not less. Bart will be cooperative as long as he needs Russian money and Russian aid in reopening his seminary. Once that perceived need is over… need I say more?

Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes… Φοβού τους Δαναούς και δώρα φέροντας…

BMD

Editor’s Postscript:

A friend in the MP sent me this:

I have no illusions about Bart, but what’s his game? We know he’s got the US behind him. He’s cunning. Moscow must be even cleverer in order to outwit him and his plans for a wooden nickel Council.

Yes… the neocons and globalists do their best to sow disunity and discord amongst us. Don’t forget that Bart has been their willing tool for years. Look at the following quote:

According to the Athens newspaper To Vima of 8 July 2004, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew responded to the “Third Rome” theory of the Patriarch of Moscow (which had been brought up for discussion during the Eighth International Assemblage of the Russian Orthodox Church) by calling it “…foolish, hubristic, and blasphemous”, because “…it resounds with the spirit of caesarpapism and vaticanism; something totally unacceptable to the Orthodox Church”.

He also said:

“The foolish theory pertaining to a ‘Third Rome’ is hubristic (in accordance with the ancient Greek definition of this word [having to do with overweening arrogance]), and blasphemous. New Rome may be the first among equal Patriarchates, but she has never sought to dominate and exercise power over the other Orthodox Churches. We recognise her primacy in the stewardship of our unity, and she has performed this function  humbly and absent any exercise of power”.

To date, he has only given us empty words… when shall we see action… if ever? Frankly speaking, I am sceptical…

BMD