Editor’s Foreword:
Be forewarned… the site posting this article is an often-crank, crudely bum-kissing zapadnik portal that gives a forum to schismatic nutters such as Rusantsov, Kochetkov, and Denisenko (generally, it’s a mouthpiece for the pseudo-intellectual Aleksandr Men crowd). The author of the article below is a long-time parishioner of the chapel at the OCA HQ in Syosset, which means that she’s “in deep” with Lyonyo and his faction (and probably to Gan’s set in the ROCOR, as well), at least. With that in mind, do read this, but I don’t rate its veracity as highly as I would an article by Milena Faustova at VOR or most of the Russian-language material on pravoslvie.ru. Caveat lector, kids… that’s the watchword!
WARNING:
Svetlana Vais is a squirrelly Renovationist in Church terms and an America-worshipping Neoliberal in political terms… her writing bears this out. There be dragons, kids…
BMD
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The “effective manager” of the MP in the USA hasn’t lived up to expectations, and the First Hierarch of the OCA reels off mumbo-jumbo like a witch reciting an incomprehensible spell. This is Russian Orthodoxy in America?
Never, ever, believe that the USA isn’t within the gambit of any given religious organisation, ranging from multi-million dollar Protestant establishments to a small, but proud, set of Tierra del Fuego shamans, who opened a Citibank account as a “non- profit organisation”. The American state doesn’t promote Secularism as an ideology, its tax and immigration laws allows clergy to live, work, and preach, living on financial aid from other continents. “All flags (banners and drums) are welcome!”
The Orthodox presence in North America is based not so much on numbers as it’s based on skilful presentation… it’s most cohesive and influential segment is the Greek diaspora, which has many of the characteristics of a political lobby. If you meet a Greek American… not only is he Orthodox, but, no doubt, his entire family are Orthodox Christians, even his grandchildren don’t even think of leaving the ancestral religion (indeed, no one’s trying to change). Looking at this, some even have a vague assumption that there’s an “Orthodox” gene in Greek blood. Albanians, Bulgarians, Romanians, and Serbs, in particular, find it hard to explain to Americans the fact that there are Orthodox Christians of nationalities other than Greeks… what’s this all about? Then, there are Russians. Take Russian-speaking Brooklyn… its lax observance of the Jewish Kosher laws; its celebration of the Sabbath on Saturdays. The problem of differentiating between “Russian” and “Russian-speaking” was a glitch in last year’s US Census.
Only the cognoscenti know about the distinctions between the three main Russian Orthodox groups in America. Rather, they’re the only ones who care about the divisions. The bulk of American Russian-speaking Orthodox Christians don’t care, they partake of the Mysteries at the nearest “onion dome”. In a nutshell, this is the embodiment of the pure and good intentions of Patriarch Tikhon (formerly Archbishop of the Aleutians and North American) concerning Orthodoxy in America, but the realities are more complex… variance in canonical interpretation, ecclesiological differences, internecine personal rivalries amongst the clergy, and language barriers have split Russian Orthodox in America into three groups. Much was written about it… first, with a quill pen by candlelight on Kodiak Island, and, today, by computer keyboard in centrally air-conditioned homes. There are collected archives and stored films. Yet, coming together into a united body and joyful prayer as one seems very far off, to be frank.
Traditionally, for Orthodox clergy in America, the pastoral care of the flock isn’t the main thrust of their service. All of them, willy-nilly, get involved in political conflicts and interfaith games. If one serves in America, it provides a unique opportunity to see the evolving process of church politics… both at the top and internally. That’s how things are… because that’s how it is. This turn of affairs suggests that clergy must show absolute obedience, have good political instincts, and a mastery of several languages.
The OCA Chancellery is on a wooded plot, set off from other houses. Haughty and independent, “setting the rules”, it embodies the mistaken strategy towards dialogue that’s embedded in the higher clergy of all three groups. “I don’t like reporters who start a conversation with me with the question, ‘Tell me about Orthodoxy in America’”, Bishop Merkury Ivanov of Zaraisk, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes of the MP in the USA, said in 2008 to the website Pravoslavie.Ru, who then went on to bigger and better things in Moscow. The logic of things presupposes that the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church in America is a local thing. The experience of over a hundred years has borne this out, and the steps in the direction of a fuller unity led to a dead end every time… apparently, the legacy of Ivan Susanin still lives in many of us {Ivan Susanin, in Russian legend, in the 17th century, led a group of Polish raiders so deeply into the forest that neither he nor they were ever heard from again: Editor}. Only by uniting in some semblance of a Metropolitan District, with a well-defined chain-of-command, will it be possible, and, then, only gingerly, to begin talks with the Greek Church in America on… well, at least about something. One-off events involving top Russian Orthodox clergy as co-chairmen of some assembly committee for talks with American Greeks seem pathetic and unpersuasive. Yet, for some unknown and contradictory reason, those who’ve abandoned the Motherland feel a sense of pride, not embarrassment.
A year ago, the situation between the Russian Orthodox jurisdictions in America gave hope for inner rapprochement and consensus. However, events have shown that the goal isn’t the same for all the parties concerned. Then, the MP/USA parishes received a new administrator, Archbishop Yustinian Ovchinnikov of Naro-Fominsk. The view in Orthodox circles was that he was an “effective manager”. Everything was with him; although some were curious about how he received the Moldavian order Gloria Muncii (Glory of Labour), the bishop chose to remain silent on the matter. Yustinian’s task as the new leader was to unite all the parishes in his sprawling diocese all over the USA under the MP’s banner and set them on a proper and canonical course, under the wide omofor of the Mother Church. Yes, in general, everything was ready… but it didn’t work out. In addition to a confluence of unhappy circumstances, the human factor played not a small part in the drama. Vladyki Yustinian was a straightforward man who knew how to build up parishes and dioceses physically, but he was unable to negotiate the local church politics. He couldn’t carry out the plans of the Centre, he couldn’t begin to increase the number of the MP parishes in the US, and, subsequently, merge them with the OCA parishes into one body.
The OCA quickly learned a lesson from the MP, canonical communion {by this, the author apparently means “union”: editor} with the MP scared its people, they feared that the MP parishes could, at any time, become a charge upon the church finances. The OCA Chancellery in Syosset fell silent, making it clear that, after consulting their interests, they didn’t see any common ground, but only points of difference. The bishops of the OCA and the Chancellery were one thing! Metropolitan Jonas Paffhausen of all America and Canada (sic) was quite another. The worst thing that could have happened… happened… the complex and confusing disagreements between the metropolitan and the higher clergy of the OCA went public. With all of his misunderstood love for Russia, Paffhausen didn’t realise that he became part of a suspicious Russian programme, Русский мир (Russian World) {this statement proves that Ms Vais is a pro-American bum-kissing zapadnik pig. The Russian state and the MP at the highest levels, approve the Russian World Foundation. She’s an unpatriotic Neoliberal oligarch-loving bitch: Editor}. Our expatriate people, who recognised the slogans, immediately disowned him. Metropolitan Jonas, with a censer in his hand, succumbed to the charm of the old Russian tale of the cloth on the ground.
Twice during interviews, I reminded him, “I won’t ignore what’s recorded on the tape”, but he insisted. I saw with horror that he was absolutely sincere in his “Kremlin dreaming”, and that he truly likes Alfeyev’s Christmas Oratorio, a failed piece if there ever was one {here, I agree with Ms Vais… the Blunder isn’t a legit composer… as I say, the good word is that a ringer at the Gniessen did all the scut-work on his pieces: Editor}. Practically speaking, his dreams come down to the fact that the OCA is ready to immediately take the MP’s fraternal assistance in the form of priests, since the OCA doesn’t have enough men to deal with the growing number of Orthodox parishes in America. He had other dreams to pass on to me, but this was our last session before his “unfair holiday”. He promised the OCA Synod of Bishops that he’d be silent for sixty days, along with requiring the resignation of the OCA Chancellor, but, in the end, he didn’t keep his word. Shuttling between Washington DC and New York, he was caught giving a frank tell-all to a Washington journalist.
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The URL for that interview:
I warn you… it’s an utter POS from stem to stern… only konvertsy could swallow it whole without gagging…
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Well, actually, he didn’t say anything that was suspicious, either in Orthodox or Christian terms, but few in the OCA enjoyed seeing the metropolitan openly defy the will of the Synod of Bishops during Lent. The Orthodox blogosphere in America exploded in indignation, by the way, opinions were divided, but the official OCA was forced to come up with explanations for the actions of the Metropolitan. The MP/USA took a position sympathetic to Paffhausen. They reached out personally to him. Why? Here’s an unpleasant observation… it was due to inertia. In the absence of a new strategic plan, they, apparently, decided to stick with the old one, to let outside forces resolve the situation. Everything will suddenly work out, with God’s help!
All Russian Orthodox groups waited for Easter this year with impatience, although, as far as I know, there wasn’t that much monastic austerity or “foolishness” (заморочен). Somehow, soon after the holiday, church events would happen that would highlight the vector of the coming course. All sorts of Orthodox groups planned meetings, by the way, not only Russians. Everybody was set to meet to consider current affairs, financial reports, clergy meetings, parish life, and a million other domestic details of church life. Well, is this how the Creator envisaged His earthly kingdom? Maybe not, but as they say, that’s how it is. Bishop Yustinian’s sincere attempt to combine straightforward communal prayer and further co-operation was touching, “On 24 May, the feastday of Ss Kirill and Mefody, the Angel Day of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all the Russias, at St Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral in New York, Metropolitan Jonas, the First Hierarch of the Orthodox Church in America, and Metropolitan Hilarion, the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia celebrated the Divine Liturgy together. This was the first joint service of the Russian Orthodox bishops in America after a nearly seventy-year break in liturgical communion”. Such a “happening” appeared to be in the contemporary spirit of postmodernism, do forgive me Lord!
By the way, that very evening, Archbishop Yustinian left for Chicago to attend the Annual Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Central and North America. Apparently, not all our high hopes for a united triune Russian Orthodoxy in America collapsed, and the Assembly, although somewhat illusory, does point to the future. The bustle of parish events in Russian Orthodox America during the winter and spring collected into a stream, which almost completely dried up in the long hot summer. “The mountain gave birth to a mouse” {it’s a Russian saying about great hopes leading to small results… it’s used by Trediakovsky in one of his poems: Editor}. To be honest, in the absence of events, all breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone is preoccupied with their own internal problems… the OCA needs to find a new chancellor and choose a bishop for the Bulgarian Diocese, the negotiations are going on in private; the MP/USA is looking at its domestic financial health; the ROCOR needs external financing. All are patiently waiting for autumn… the traditional start of activity in all spheres of public life. However, never, ever believe that the USA will remain outside the sphere of interests of either Moscow or Constantinople, whether … just look at the year past.
25 July 2011
Svetlana Vais
Portal Credo.ru
Voices from Russia 
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