Fr Vsevolod Chaplin Sez It’s Time for Russian Politicians to Choose Between Following Russian National interests or Having Money in Foreign Bank Accounts

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Editor:

Secular leftists would do well to read the third paragraph… it has the Church’s view on “libertarianism” and crapitalism. I think that it may win us some friends… we DO march on the same road…

BMD

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On Tuesday, Fr Vsevolod Chaplin, the head of the MP Synodal Department for the Coordination of Church and Society (OVTsO), urged Russian politicians not to fear sanctions, and more resolutely uphold Russian civilisational values ​​and the Russian national interest, saying, “I think that when the USA, Canada and the EU imposed sanctions against some of our politicians, it actually honoured them. This is especially true of Yelena Mizulina, who wasn’t involved with the Crimea at all, but she’s consistently spoken for the need to protect childhood’s innocence and she’s against homosexual propaganda [amongst minors]; in general, she resolutely supports eternal and unchanging moral values​”.

In his view, those who stand for such traditional Russian values are radically at odds with “progressive” Western élites, noting, “By the way, this isn’t true of everybody in the West. Even there, more and more people, thank God, support a return to these moral values, which our Unchanging Creator gave to mankind. It’s time to choose for our politicians… will you follow the supreme truth or will you seek a fat bank account abroad, will you choose the freedom of our civilisation to choose its own way or will you choose to choose to go to fishy foreign resorts, will you listen to the people or will you heed shouts and orders from abroad”.

Fr Vsevolod was glad that the RF Gosduma expressed solidarity with those subjected to sanctions, he emphasised, “All would do well to follow suit, and all should withdraw money from accounts abroad and give up foreign property, all should give up, at least during Lent, profits from excessive bank interest, which has its foundation in an unjust global economic system. We must have the will to stand for our civilisation… we must give the greater good of our civilisation priority over private appetites; we must foster spirituality and patriotism, not consumption, we must emphasise eternal ideals, not fickle passions and vices. We must show our determination to stand firm until victory. Indeed, many in the West will stand with us; more and more people are disillusioned with empty ideals and meaningless so-called education, they despair of a political culture devoid of a higher dimension, without a link to the supreme truth”.

19 March 2014

Interfax-Religion

http://interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=54769

Editor:

Hear, hear! Note well that the certain factions in the Vatican (whose mouthpiece is AsiaNews) hate Fr Vsevolod and they hate what he said here in particular. Above, you have Fr Vsevolod’s words in full. Choose for yourself.

Do you support King Zbig and his drooling acolytes like Victoria Nuland, or, do you support Fr Vsevolod? It’s up to you…

BMD

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20 March 2014. OCA Holy Synod Silent on Storheim

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Editor:

I’m well aware that the situation in the Ukraine simmers away, and that it’s important. I’m going to get to it after posting some important Church news.

BMD

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The OCA Holy Synod is meeting now in Syosset, having begun sessions on 18 March. It’s released no news, save for announcing the election of the disobedient incompetent Mark Maymon as Bishop of Eastern Pennsylvania. Anyone who disobeyed his earlier bishop openly and without shame deserves deposition, not a diocese. Under its own rules, the Holy Synod has to depose criminal bishops. As all know, a court in Manitoba found former Archbishop Seraphim Storheim guilty of paedophilia. What’s more, the judge involved castigated Storheim in a stinging two-hour verdict, saying that his testimony was utterly without merit or credibility. The OCA Holy Synod is silent… which makes it complicit in Storheim’s felony if they continue to shelter him. What the Church should do is:

• Depose Storheim as a bishop, reducing him to the rank of an ordinary priest
• As Storheim is a monastic, to send him to live in a remote monastery
• Formally assure the Canadian government, both by registered letter and proper public statements that Storheim will have no contact with children
• Publicly apologise to the victims, both for the abuse and for the inappropriate attacks upon them by Mr Gindin, Storheim’s attorney
• Make a proper compensation to the victims for what this long legal process did to them
• Publicly apologise to the believers for wasting their contributions on a fruitless attempt to coverup a bishop’s wrongful actions… an inappropriate use of the “widow’s mite”, if there ever was such (where is Alexander Lebedeff and his “righteous anger” now? Do note his silence when the First Families protect one of the apparat)

I expect NONE of this to happen. I expect Mollard to drool on command and look properly chastened… and do NOTHING. However, he’s a better choice than Peterson or Dahulich (the other two seekers of the white hat at the last Sobor) were… it’s the old Russian saying, “All of the choices are worst”.

Jillions issued personnel changes… for October to December 2013. The Synod should fire Jillions immediately for incompetence and laziness. It doesn’t take three to six months to announce personnel changes. With modern cyberposting, one could do it WEEKLY (no lie… it’d take all of five minutes, if one had the proper template prepped). Indeed, oca.org should post pending ordinations the month before the event so that anyone with a proper complaint could tell the Church authorities. Lacking this, we have a corrupt and bone-idle apparat giving the bird to the believers. “Pay up, you fuckers! It ain’t cheap living on the Island!”

The OCA is trying to “duck” the Ukrainian situation. However, its recognition from the MP DOES carry with it a “price tag”. The OCA will have to cut off all ties with Uniates and support the MP line… the Centre has ways of making its wishes reality (shall Balashov make a visit to Syosset to have a “prophylactic chat” with Mollard?). Watch for Mollard to crumple… the Centre didn’t choose him for nought, y’ know. They know that he lacks the grit and fortitude to resist them. Don’t waste any effort or attack on Mollard… he’s an utter cipher… but he’s a useful cipher, at this time and place. Do bear that in mind.

Pass the jug… covering Orthodoxy is NEVER boring, is it?

BMD

A ROCOR View of Philip Saliba

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North American Russian Orthodox… especially, the ROCOR… should never forget that Metropolitan Phillip Saliba was always our friend. In the darkest days of our separation, he endured many swipes from the more fevered parties within the division and always responded with love, grace, and Christian forbearance. When the ROCOR glorified St John of Kronshdadt, St Xenia of Petersburg, and, then, the Russian New-Martyrs, Vladyki Philip congratulated ROCOR, canonically announced the fact to Antiochian belivers, and he added them to their Church’s local calendar of saints. For this sane and proper response the MP castigated him (“There are no martyrs!”). The OCA criticised him even more for this, for they couldn’t abide the fact that he considered the ROCOR a canonical body. He received great criticism for ruling his archdiocese like a king. However, look at how low some more “democratic” jurisdictions have sunk. He saved the AOCANA from that. They owe him! He did wrong. Who hasn’t? God forgive him, give rest to his soul, and grant him the Heavenly Kingdom.

“Well done thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord”.

ВЕЧНАЯ ЕМУ ПАМЯМТЬ

20 March 2014

An anonymous ROCOR believer

(no URL, personal correspondence)

 

Metropolitan Philip Saliba of the AOCANA Dies at 83 of Sudden Heart Attack

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The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, with great sadness, announces the passing unto life eternal of His Eminence the Most Reverend Metropolitan Philip Saliba, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all North America. May his memory be eternal! Details are forthcoming.

19 March 2014

Antiochian.org

AOCANA official website

http://www.antiochian.org/memory-eternal-his-eminence-metropolitan-philip

Editor:

For years, most thought that Bishop Joseph al-Zehlaoui of Los Angeles and the West (godson of the previous Antiochian Patriarch, Ignatius Hazim) was the heir-apparent to Saliba. We’ll see, won’t we?

Philip Saliba was the most adroit ecclesial politician that ever walked in the USA and Canada. Of course, being a Saliba didn’t hurt. The Saliba clan is very rich and very powerful in the Middle East; they’re deep into business and politics. Philip inherited the family knack for survival in tough circumstances, and prospering whilst doing so. He was a bishop in the USA for nearly half a century, from 1966 to 2014, with no sign of senescence or feebleness. As I said, he was a magician in both PR and backroom politics. He was a “Teflon Don”… none of the many pratfalls of his lower clergy ever stuck to him. In short, he had luck, chutzpah, and instinct… and that’s all you need. He wasn’t a scholar or preacher… he wasn’t much of an exemplar. However, he did unify the two Antiochian archdioceses back in the 70s, and he’s kept an increasingly fractured and divided church together through his personal charisma, political skill, and sheer gall. Hell, most of us expected the old coot to reach the century mark, with unimpaired powers. In short, he was a major figure in American Orthodoxy… and his place in history is SECURE.

Вечная ему память!

BMD