Many of Those Condemned in the Trials of the 1930s WERE Guilty

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Some of the “best people”, that is, our intelligentsia, turned on the FSB’s director because he pointed up that some of the people convicted in the trials of the 1930s were actually guilty, as they wish to do nothing more than condemn what they call the “crimes” of the Bolshevik authorities. What he said was:

Although many say that this period saw a massive fabrication of charges, the archival material shows objective evidence in a large proportion of criminal cases, including famous “show” trials. That the group around Trotsky wanted to overthrow or even eliminate I V Stalin and his colleagues in the VKP (b) leadership wasn’t fiction, as were the ties of these conspirators with foreign intelligence services. In addition, many of the defendants in those trials were members of the nomenklatura and officers of the security organs long involved in corruption, arbitrariness, and official injustice.

https://www.rg.ru/2017/12/19/aleksandr-bortnikov-fsb-rossii-svobodna-ot-politicheskogo-vliianiia.html

Are you telling me that all the repressed Old Bolsheviks were innocent? On the other hand, is it just because a part of the intelligentsia sees these people as their historical predecessors, and is afraid of a similar verdict by the court of history and in the verdict of the people? In fact, the only true innocents were those few people who didn’t betray the tsar and their faith, who suffered for their allegiance to them. Many of the New Martyrs were amongst them. However, the collective sins of many Russian classes are obvious to me… as is the justice of the punishment that struck them. By the way, only Protestant rationalists, contrary to Scripture and Tradition, believe that sins can only be personal.

Was the peasantry, who seized land from the manors, perfectly innocent? Who was innocent amongst the clergy, who only protested when it affected their corporate interests… or, the aristocracy, many of whom donned red cockades… or, the Duma Deputies, industrialists, and party leaders who plotted against the tsar in wartime… or, the Red commanders who shot down their own people? The Lord God isn’t mocked. True is His justice. He metes out according to our just desserts. This isn’t just about the past.

24 December 2017

Vsevolod Chaplin

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10 October 2017. “Charlie” Chaplin on M T Kalashnikov and on “Christian Pacifism”

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We dedicate a monument to Lieutenant-General M T Kalashnikov (a true Christian) tomorrow. Although he had some moral misgivings about his work’s purpose, the Church dispelled these doubts. Our weapons are blessed, not by chance does the Lord Himself bless those who bear them… as the Church says in its ritual, “for the security of and to intercede for Christ’s truth”. Once again, I’d especially point up to supporters of “Christian pacifism” that true Christianity has nothing to do with such a notion, and, in fact, opposes it.

18 September 2017

Archpriest V A Chaplin

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30 March 2017. Death Came on Silent Cat’s Paws for Our Tulip

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Late Tuesday night, a little before midnight, we lost another of our little cat family (now, our tomcat Squeaker is alone… he’s been moping and off his food). Tulip was about thirteen-years-old. Nicky rescued her (she was a former feral) when she was a little kitten and nursed her back to health. She was always a “runt”, never getting larger than a large kitten. Tulip was always a loving animal, especially, to Nicky. Late Tuesday night, she came up to Nicky, snuggled up to him, and died quietly. Just like that…

I once asked a real theologian about animals and souls… he said, “We don’t know. God hasn’t revealed that to us. The Church has no binding teaching on that”. Now, I’m not talking about mawkish anthropomorphism here or trivial emotionalism. Our Church has the courage to say, “We don’t know. That’s not in the Revelation”. No… we don’t have an answer for everything (loudmouth konvertsy notwithstanding). As for me, I believe in the Universal Hymn of Creation… all of God’s Creation participates, how, we don’t know. All of God’s creatures and creations take part in this, again, how, I don’t know. However, the psalmist tells us:

Let every thing that has breath, praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord!

In other words, not only do we pray for Creation, Creation prays for us. Christ came to Transfigure ALL of His creatures and creation… I believe this as one of my bedrock beliefs. God loves all of His Creation and all of His creatures… that we know. That mitigates my sadness. Nevertheless, I wept as I laid Tulip to rest in the wild countryside (that’s not far away from us here… only a fairly short motor away). John Donne’s words came to mind:

Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

We all shall pass through that gate…

BMD

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin Explained His Resignation was Due to Disagreements with Patriarch Kirill

Fr Vsevolod with KPRF leaders (Comrade Zyuganov is directly opposite him)… the Church and the Party are on one wavelength. The Church is compatible with collectivist socialism… not with Republican oligarchic anarchy… fancy that. Note well that VAC issued no criticisms of socialism or of the left in general…

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On Thursday, Archpriest V A Chaplin resigned as head of the MP Synodal Department for the Coordination of Church and Society (OVTsO), explaining it as being due to disagreements with Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias:

I spent many years trying to tell His Holiness the Patriarch that the tone in church-state relations are increasingly worsening. We need to speak critically of immoral and unjust actions by the authorities; we need to talk more directly to the people. Besides, we should never have sucked up to anti-Orthodox elements, such as the current Ukrainian government. Generally, we need to speak prophetically, and not to be so fearful of what others think and say; we shouldn’t be afraid to quarrel with the powerful. Furthermore, we take many decisions haphazardly, without consultation with the relevant synodal agencies, hastily, and on the fly. You can’t run things like that. A system that operated in such a way would necessarily end by making mistakes. I warned them many times about this, but no one wanted to hear it. Therefore, I’m convinced that we must reform the Church administration shake up key Church positions. If I were to speak about the general effectiveness of our ecclesial structures, firstly, I’d draw attention to the huge number of sycophant yes-men who surround His Holiness, a veritable state formed without any outside advice.

On Thursday, the MP Holy Synod established a Synodal Department for Church Society and Media Relations (OVTsOS) by merging the MP Synodal Information Department (SINFO) and the OVTsO. The Synod did this “to optimise performance and efficiency, as well as to eliminate redundant processes in our synodal departments”. V R Legoida, the present head of SINFO will head the new body. Fr Vsevolod went on to say:

I never was “married” to this post. I believe that we very effectively carried out the work that we did here; no one ever did as much in our Church. I’m happy to be able to breathe easier; God willing, I’ll now have some free time. I’m a free man now, with much more liberty [to say as I will]. No one took away my position, my opinion, or my right to argue with anyone, whether it be the Patriarch, high government officials, or public media authorities. I will now do so now with full voice. I’ll still be rector of St Nicholas in Tryokh Gorakh, but I’m asking for nothing and expect nothing. They gave me some vague promises of another assignment, but I consider them devious; they only said that to ease my situation. However, in such an affair, it’s better to tell the truth than to wait and wait for a handout.

24 December 2015

Interfax-Religion

http://interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=61445

Editor:

I believe that this is far more complex than it appears at first glance. V R Legoida takes over the day-to-day work of coöperation with the government and media… leaving Fr Vsevolod as free as a bird to comment on the developing situation. VAC is crafty, as is Kirill Mikhailovich. Note well:

Besides, we should never have sucked up to anti-Orthodox elements, such as the current Ukrainian government.

And:

I’m a free man now, with much more liberty [to say as I will]. No one took away my position, my opinion, or my right to argue with anyone, whether it be the Patriarch, high government officials, or public media authorities. I will now do so now with full voice.

I believe that HH and Charlie are up to something. Do stay tuned…

BMD