The "very peaceful transfer of power from the first president (of Russia) to the second" was this year's main event, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church said on Friday [29 December].
The main event for the Church itself was the jubilee meeting of bishops, which "summarized the 20th century and set guidelines for the Russian Orthodox Church's ministering in the 21st century and at the beginning of the third millennium", the patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, Aleksiy II said, taking questions from the press.
"Of course, we have had tragic events as well, [which] caused all of us sorrow," the patriarch continued, mentioning "the seizure of hostages, the deaths of our servicemen in Chechnya, the death of the submarine Kursk and the crash of the aeroplane near Batumi".
However, "a Christian must always be an optimist and believe that resurrection always comes after difficulties, after Calvary". The patriarch went on to express his hope that the 21st century would be "more favourable, peaceful and calm for all of us". "Our people deserve this," he said.
He also said the Russians should be proud of their "democratic, free and great" country. (courtesy of Beverly Nickles, posted 1 January 2001)
PATRIARCH ALEXIS CALLS PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER AND BISHOPS' COUNCIL
MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS OF YEAR
ITAR-TASS, 29 December 2000
On the eve of the new year His Holiness Patriarch Alexis of Moscow and all-Rus expressed the wish that all conflicts would cease in Russia. In conversation with reporters he stressed that "we should build and strengthen in peace and harmony our common home, Russia, the new, democratic, free, and great country of which we all should be proud."
Among the most important events of the outgoing year the patriarch named "the very peaceful" transfer of presidential authority. And in church life the most important event, in his opinion, was the jubilee bishops' council, which determined the path of the church's ministry at the beginning of the third millennium.
Unfortunately, Patriarch Alexis noted, in the outgoing year Russia experienced dramatic events--seizure of hostages, loss of military personnel in Chechnya, the destruction of the atomic submarine "Kursk," and other things. "However, I consider that the Christian must always be an optimist," the patriarch stressed, recalling that "after Golgotha always comes resurrection." He expressed the hope that the twenty-first century for our fatherland will be peaceful, creative, and placid. (tr. by PDS, posted 1 January 2001)
The reregistration of religious associations in Russia has been completed. According to preliminary data of the Ministry of Justice, in the three years since the adoption of the new law on freedom of conscience, more than 9,000 organizations have been registered. This constitutes about 60 percent of the number of groups that declared themselves as religious on the "wave" of democracy in the 90s. The head of the department of religious associations of the Ministry of Justice of RF, Viktor Korolev, noted that in ten years many of them either were dissolved or were not able to present sufficient bases for reregistration.
As regards the classification of religious movements, there now are counted in Russia approximately sixty confessions (ten years ago there were 40). Besides traditional Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist organizations, as well as protestants, entirely new movements have appeared. For example, among them are the "Church of the Last Testament," Bahai, Salvation Army, and the neo-pagan organization "Ashmari-Chemari." Registration has been received also by those organizations against which in recent years court suits have been instigated, in particular the so-called "Unification Church," founded around fifty years ago by an emigre from Korea, Sun Myong Moon.
Specific statistical data about the number of religious organizations in Russia will be released in February after processing of information from all regions of Russia. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 December 2000)
by Alexander Minkin
Moskovskii komsomolets, 19 December 2000 (excerpts)
We sometimes learn the most important things completely accidentally. As a surprise. . . .
Immediately after the duma adopted the national anthem it was discussed on the television show "Voice of the nation." Actually this was a very dramatic "Voice," very bitter. . . . There, on live broadcast, resounded two extremely important things which had remained unnoted, although each could be more important than the anthem.
One thing was a "word about the president of Russia," which was delivered by Sergei Dorenko. The other was a "word about the patriarch of all Rus," which was delivered by the priest, Fr Alexander.
Many people have managed to speak in favor of the anthem proposed by Putin, and some against. The feelings and thoughts of people who support the president were best expressed by film director Svetlana Druzhinina: "If some miracle had happened and Vladimir Vladimirovich had asked me: 'Svetlana Sergeevna, what do you think about symbols?' I would have said: "Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich. You are in such a difficult position. The country is divided. There is the magnificent Glinka. The most magnificent music. It is enormously national. It is enormously powerful. The Lord sent this melody down from the Cosmos.' But that did not happen. And without the least hesitation, sympathizing and empathizing with the president (for whom I quite conscientiously voted) I was one of the first to sign the letter in his support . . . . [tr. note. The article continues with a very long account of a debate between Druzhinina and an opponent of the anthem, Dorenko.]
* * * *
While the person who was talking about Putin [i.e., Dorenko] was someone whom many would have doubts about, the person who talked about the patriarch on "Voice of the nation" was a man of impeccable reputation. There was another difference. It was obvious that Dorenko wanted to talk about Putin very much. It was obvious that Fr Alexander Borisov did not want to talk about the patriarch. But Fr Alexander was not able to get away from the direct question put by Sorokina. He quite clearly explained why he was opposed to the soviet anthem and in the end he said: "I flatter myself with the hope that it would be possible to explain to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, for whom I also voted and I have not lost my respect for him, though like every person he can make a mistake. We should be able to persuade him, we of civil society should understand that the anthem of the Soviet Union divides everybody. But let Glinka's music unite everybody."
Sorokina: "Father Alexander, you also are in the minority in your own church. The Russian Orthodox church has said with the lips of the patriarch that, yes, the Alexandrov anthem is good."
Fr. Alexander: "At first the patriarch let it be understood clearly that he was not enthusiastic about this anthem. But he was not listened to. And he understood that. Therefore the patriarch was not about to sacrifice all the fine and good relations that had developed just so that he could express his opinion one more time."
Sorokina: "Out of expediency?"
Fr. Alexander: "Unquestionably. Why repeat if you're not going to get anything for it? For him the accord which had been established was much more important. In the final analysis this is a political question, not a church one."
I repeat, it was very well evident that the priest did not want to talk about the patriarch's position or his own attitude toward that position, but he also did not want to be deceptive and he could not take the liberty. Fr Alexander's reputation is such that there is no reason to doubt his words. And it also must be considered that in essence Fr Alexander chose his words very carefully.
The essence is this. The patriarch changed his opinion and gave in silently. For the sake of the salvation of the church? But it is not being persecuted. On the contrary, it is being encouraged in every way. That means it was not for the church. It means it was for his own sake.
In essence, Fr Alexander said, the patriarch renounced an idea for the sake of profit. Even if the issue had been the profit of the church in general (which?), this would be a very grave sentence for a Christian man, the supreme hierarch of the Orthodox church, to bear. Jesus repeated: "What does it profit a person if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" (Mt 16.26). And further, about the impossibility for one who has lost his soul to enter the kingdom of God.
Why did the patriarch not stand fast? Why did he not speak loudly? God, whom he serves, commanded the apostles: "Knock and it will be opened! Ask and it will be given to you!"
What a familiar hierarchy has emerged in our country. The patriarch places the desire of the president above the commands of Christ; a woman (who considers that the Lord sent music to Glinka from the Cosmos) places the wish of the president above this music and in some sense above the one who sent it. The patriarch did not rise up against the soviet anthem. After all it was the anthem not simply of atheists but specifically of those persons who destroyed, physically annihilated hundreds of thousands of priests and destroyed thousands of churches. (In Moscow alone in 1917 there were more than 1,000 churches and chapels. By 1988 45 remained. Under Khrushchev alone, which means at the time of this anthem, 25,000 churches were demolished.) Even fascists, even the Tatar Mongol hordes did not do this.
But the participants in the broadcast were in a hurry, they were eager to say their own thing, so that the word about the patriarch, just like the word about Putin, remained unheard. It was not realized. But we all will have to pay up for this deafness. Horribly. And when the time comes to pay, everyone will say: "Oh, such a surprise!" (tr. by PDS, posted 31 December 2000)
PUTIN'S NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES
by Matt Taibbi (exile.taibbi@matrix.ru)
the eXile December 21-January 6
. . . When one is powerless to oppose, and is too tired to spare the energy to evince disgust, and when one furthermore cannot simply die off, and must still continue to live and put one's energies somewhere, one inevitably begins building long bridges of flattery, cowardice, and collaboration. Something has to fill up those hours, those years left until the end. This is much of Russia's history from the last century, and it is repeating itself in the new one under Putin.
This is why, for instance, the Patriarch Alexei changed his mind on the hymn issue. You have to look at things from Alexei's point of view. It is pleasant to drive in a chauffered car, wear a freshly-laundered funny hat every day, and travel everywhere in a company of shuffling, self- flagellating supplicants. In the absence of real beliefs or life goals, this is certainly better than nothing. When the issue of the return of the Soviet hymn first came up, Alexei opposed it. After all, as journalist Alexander Minkin pointed out, in the Khruschev years alone, more than 25,000 churches were destroyed in Russia.
But when Putin failed to respond to Alexei's opinion, he did the logical thing: he changed it. Minkin quotes the well-known priest, otets Alexander Borisov, in describing Alexei's conversion:
"The Patriarch at first made it clear that he was not crazy about the hymn. But he wasn't listened to. And he understood. Therefore the Patriarch decided not to forfeit his good, kindly relations with the President, just so that he could voice his opinion a few extra times... Why repeat it, if it brings you nothing?"
Right, exactly. What's the point? The point, after all, is to stick to the point. For Alexei, it's the life of a religious leader. . . . (from Johnson's Russia List, posted 31 December 2000)
The author and poet Sergey Mikhalkov, who has written new lyrics for the Russian national anthem, says he included a reference to God in the text because Russia is a Christian country and all its citizens are living under God's protection. Mikhalkov, who also wrote the words to the original Soviet national anthem, said that while he cherished his original version, he recognized that Russia had changed and gone its own way. He said he did not know whether poet Yevgeniy Yevtushenko had entered the contest to choose the new text, although President Putin had considered other versions. The following is an excerpt from an interview with Mikhalkov broadcast by Russia TV on 28 December:
[Presenter] "Hello, today we are visiting a person who is, it can be said without any exaggeration, legendary. For instance, he is a Hero of Socialist Labour. He won the Order of Lenin four times and the Labour Red Banner twice. He won a Stalin Prize three times. He also won the Lenin Prize and state prizes of the USSR and the RSFSR [Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic]. What's more, he is the founder and editor-in-chief of the cinema journal Fitil. He is the author of the undying best-seller "Uncle Stepa". But that's not the most important thing. He is the author of three sets of words to our country's national anthem. We are the guest of Sergey Mikhalkov."
[During the interview Sergey Mikhalkov, the author of the original lyrics to the Stalin-era national anthem, explained how he came to write the verses which were chosen in 1943 and the political circumstances in which they were written. He said he was not a member of the Communist Party at the time and did not join until 1950. Nevertheless, he always regarded himself as a "Soviet man". He mentioned that Dmitriy Shostakovich also composed a rival melody for the Soviet anthem but in the end the music by Aleksandr Aleksandrov was chosen instead. Asked what share Garold El-Registan had in writing the original lyrics, Mikhalkov insisted it was purely advisory and editorial. He denied that Stalin had a soft spot for him because of the anthem, often making a beeline for him at official meetings and ignoring senior members of the Politburo and government. He dismissed such talk as "fairy tales". In 1977 he was asked to remove the references to Stalin from the old anthem, but no competition was held on that occasion.
Mikhalkov then answered a number of questions about the background to the new words which he has written to the old tune, now officially reinstated as the melody of Russia's national anthem.]
[Presenter] "... Literary circles are making up all sorts of stories about this. For instance, it is alleged that [poet Yevgeniy] Yevtushenko offered his own version of the text and then told you that his version was better. At that time - in 1977 - you told him 'Not at all, not at all - now run along and learn the words'.
[Mikhalkov] "Well, I don't know whether Yevtushenko offered his own version. I don't know what stories were doing the rounds, though we do tend to make up stories. All sorts of things have been said and written about all this that never happened. But Yevtushenko did indeed tell me that better verses could have been written. I told him that while better verses might have been written, this version was for the time being the one that had been chosen and now the words had to be learnt. Well, I was joking of course. He still has not forgotten this. I don't know whether he took part in the present competition, though many people did. Obviously the president was shown my version. I have even heard it said that he looked at other versions to decide whose version was best. But they settled on my version. Such an event happens once a century.
[Presenter] "Basically yes. This has now happened at the turn of the centuries. In your new text to the Russian national anthem you mention God and state symbols -
[Mikhalkov] "Yes -
[Presenter] "You -
[Mikhalkov] "No, the state symbols have been taken out. They no longer feature in the text, though they used to be there. I use the words 'Our native land protected by God' because, after all, this national anthem is that of Russia. This is the anthem of an Orthodox Christian country. We are all under God's protection, as they say, as everybody says. Everybody says this, whether they are Communists or believers. It is accepted, isn't it, that we are all under God's protection.
[Presenter] "Sergey Vladimirovich, are you an atheist or a believer?
[Mikhalkov] "I am a believer. I have always been a believer. I have never hidden this. In general, I don't recognize atheists. I wrote the first text in 1943. Two more years of war lay ahead. The first text reflected everything I thought, everything the entire country was thinking, about the victory over fascism. This text was very dear and close to me. Today, of course, when I recall the years that have passed, I cherish it very much. But I realize that the country has changed. Russia has gone its own way. The words I have now written are close to my heart because I wrote them sincerely. When I wrote the words, I was thinking: Russia, our sacred state, Russia, our beloved country, mighty will and great glory will be yours for ever and ever - and I believe this."
[The programme ended with the two men wishing each other a Happy New Year.] (from Johnson's Russia list, posted 30 December)
PUTIN APPROVES LYRICS FOR RUSSIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
NTV, 30
December 2000
President Vladimir Putin today confirmed the text of the state anthem of Russia. According to reports of information agencies, the issue is the lyrics which were written by Sergei Mikhailkov.
As broadcast by NTV, citing Interfax, the president's order officially is called "Concerning the text of the state anthem of the Russian federation."
The new anthem, most likely, will be performed, along with words, on the night of 1 January after the New Year's address by the president.
NTV.ru has released the full text of the anthem of Russia.
1. Russia, our sacred state!/ Russia, our favorite country!
A mighty will and great glory/are your birthright for all time.
2. From the southern seas to the polar region/ our forests and
fields have been scattered.
You are unique in the world! You are inimitable!/ the native land preserved
by God.
3. Broad space for dreaming and living/time opens the future for
us.
Our loyalty to the fatherland gives us strength.
Thus is was, thus it is, and thus it will be forever!
Refrain: Glory to our free fatherland/eternal union of fraternal peoples.
Given national wisdom by our forebears/glory to the country! We are
proud of you! (tr. by PDS, posted 30 December 2000)
NATIONAL ANTHEM CALLS RUSSIA 'HOLY'
by David Mchugh, Associated Press Writer
30 December 2000
Russia's revived Soviet-era national anthem, which once praised the atheist Communist Party and dictator Josef Stalin, now celebrates Russia as a "holy country'' that is "protected by God.''
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday approved the new version, written by the same person who co-authored the old lyrics, poet Sergei Mikhalkov.
"Russia, our holy country!'' the new anthem begins. It goes on to praise the country's vast "forests and fields ... from the southern seas to the polar region.''
The Soviet-era music was revived earlier this month by the Russian parliament, replacing the wordless anthem by 19th-century composer Mikhail Glinka that had been in use since the collapse of the Soviet Union nearly a decade ago.
Putin and the legislature agreed to revive the old anthem, saying the Glinka tune didn't have any words and was too hard to sing anyway.
But they needed new lyrics, because the old Soviet anthem's praise for the Communist Party was no longer considered appropriate after the 1991 collapse of communism.
Putin accepted the recommendation of an advisory committee, which favored new words from the 87-year-old Mikhalkov. The new hymn and words are expected to be played publicly for the first time on New Year's Eve.
Mikhalkov co-wrote the first version praising Stalin, Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin and the Communist Party. He later did another version removing Stalin's name after the dictator's memory became politically unpalatable. Stalin, who died in 1953, carried out political repressions that historians say killed tens of millions of people.
The new lyrics' reference to God would have been unthinkable under the Communists, who enforced a policy of official atheism and persecuted religious believers. The last anthem to mention God was "God Save the Czar,'' used by the regime that collapsed in 1917.
But unlike "God Save The Czar,'' which refers to the "Orthodox czar,'' the anthem doesn't specify any particular faith. Russia's dominant religion is Orthodox Christianity, but religious minorities include Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Catholics, and Protestants.
One line offers something to those nostalgic for the Soviet Union. It refers to Russia as an "eternal union of fraternal peoples,'' words similar to the old version, which refers to "an unbreakable union'' of "peoples in brotherhood strong.''
Liberal politicians and some cultural figures have assailed the reinstatement of the Soviet music, saying it invokes the memory of totalitarian rule and political repression. Former President Boris Yeltsin blocked Communist attempts to bring back the old tune, written by Alexander Alexandrov in 1944.
Putin, elected March 26, has been more willing to accept symbols of the Soviet past. He agreed on a compromise under which the old anthem would be restored, while Russia would keep the post-Soviet tricolor flag and the state coat of arms with the czarist double-headed eagle. (Copyright The Associated Press, posted 31 December 2000)
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