" . . . Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is really an Orthodox Christian, and not just a nominal one but a person who makes confession and communion and realizes his responsibility before God for the high service entrusted to him and for his immortal soul. . . ." (from an interview of the abbot of the Presentation monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov, the spiritual advisor of the Russian president; Athens "Khora" newspaper, 4 December 2001)
" . . . When I was several months old, my mama and a neighbor in the communal apartment were we lived at the time, in secret from my father who was a member of the communist party, took me to a church and baptized me. That was my first church attendance and I have difficulty . . . remembering it. Then, when I worked in Petersburg, on the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel I went to Jerusalem and mama gave me the very same cross with which I was baptized. So that I could sanctify it at the grave of the Lord. I carried out mama's instruction. . . ." (from a conversation of VVP with readers of "KP" during "Direct Line," 11 February 2000)
". . . Then I put on this cross and have not removed it since." (from the book "From the First Person. Conversatins with Vladimir Putin")
". . . The whole family of the president are Orthodox believing people. They do not advertise this; it's an integral part of their life." (from Archimandrite Tikhon's interview with "Khora")
". . . At the time of his brief vacation last summer the president visited several northern monasteries. When he was at Valaam monastery, he expressed the opinion in one conversation that without Orthodoxy Russia itself would not exist. And in the present regeneration of the country the Orthodox church is called to play a special spiritual role, because our roots are specifically in Orthodoxy. The president stressed that although Russia is a multiconfessional country and he has respect for people professing other religions, at the same time it is impossible not to recognize that Russia's culture is based in the first place on the traditions of Orthodoxy." (from Archimandrite Tikhon's "Khora" interview)
"The spiritual strength of Russia is that it has always united the peoples of Europe and Asia, Orthodoxy and Islam, Buddhism and Judaism. . . . We are obliged to use spirituality and tolerance to resist the barbarian attempt to enflame the conflict of civilizations and religions. . . ." (from address by VVP to the Sixth World Russian People's Assembly, 13 December 2001) (tr. by PDS, posted 17 December 2001)
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Vladimir Putin declared that in Russia traditional religions can count on the support of the state. According to a RIA Novosti reporter, the president stated this while receiving the leaders of the Muslim ecclesiastical boards of Russia in the Kremlin on the occasion of the holiday of Uraza Bayram [Eid al-Fitr; "end of Ramadan"].
The state has still not completely taken advantage of its opportunities to support traditional confessions, Putin said. He noted that in Russia there are not only "traditional religions," and the president stressed that "the traditional ones may count on the support of the state." Vladimir Putin proposed speaking on this critical topic on this holiday.
The president also reported that he had recently signed an order awarding the Order of Friendship to the chairman of the Coordination Center of Muslims of the Northern Caucasus, Magomed Albogachiev, for his conscientious fulfilment of his duties to Muslims in the difficult circumstances of recent years.
The Muslim spiritual leaders were invited to the president's office at a time when the family of a slain Chechen policeman, Tashukhajiev, also was there; Vladimir Putin awarded state medals to them. RIA Novosti learned that the decision to have the beginning of one meeting coincide with the end of the other was made suddenly by the president. Explaining his decision, Vladimir stressed that the circumstances of Tashukhajiev's death along with his son Magomed had "become widely known in our country." This event was "sad and not especially a holiday occasion for meetings," although the president said that he made the decision in order that the Tashukhajiev family could feel the support not only from the state but also from the Muslim clergy.
Those invited to the Kremlin meeting included the chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, Ravil Gainutdin, chairman of the Central Ecclesiastical Board of Muslims of Russia, Talgat Tajuddin, and the chairman of the Coordination Center of Muslims of the Northern Caucasus, Magomed Albogachiev.
Uraza Bayram is now "widely and freely celebrated in Russia," Vladimir Putin declared. He said that Muslims are a "serious, weighty part of the heritage of multiconfessional Russia." It is pleasant that in recent years the celebration of this occasion has become so widespread and "people observe it from the heart," the president added.
Vladimir Putin expressed confidence that leaders of Muslims of Russia will be able to make their contribution to "strengthening the multinational and multiconfessional state."
On his part the chairman of the Central Ecclesiastical Board of Muslims of Russia, Talgat Tajuddin, stressed that Muslims and Orthodox believers in Russia constitute a "single Russian people." The spiritual leader of Muslims noted that this year the pre-new-year's fasts of Muslims and Orthodox believers of Russia coincided. Tajuddin gave a high assessment to the World Russian Assembly that was recently held in Moscow. In his words, Muslims and Orthodox of Russia have fulfilled "the testament of their ancestors--mutual interaction of the traditional confessions."
Recognizing that the problems facing the state are "enormous," Tajuddin noted that Muslims do "not aspire" to special attention on the part of the power structures. At the same time he stressed the need for a differential approach to traditional and nontraditional religions inasmuch as, in his opinion, nontraditional confessions "should be helped by someone other than the state." Moreover, "several mosques have been closed due to lack of resources to pay for electricity and gas," Talgat Tajuddin reported. He noted also the problem of personnel; Russian mosques lack "thousands and thousands of clergy." (tr. by PDS, posted 17 December 2001)
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On 13 December the European Court on Human Rights issued a decision in the case of the metropolia of Bessarabia against the government of Moldavia. [tr. note: the Russian original uses "Moldavia" rather than "Moldova."] The suit had been sent by representatives of the Bessarabian metropolia to the European Court on Human Rights in 1998. It was accepted for review on 7 June 2001 and the hearing on the case was held 2 October 2001, "Interfax" reports.
Representatives of the metropolia of Bessarabia appealed the action of the government of Moldavia, which over the course of seven years had refused to register this church. The government of Moldavia defended its action by claiming that the metropolia of Bessarabia holds to the very same Orthodox confession of faith as the metropolia of Moldavia. The only difference consists in the Bessarabian metropolia's being a constituent element of the Romanian Orthodox church and the metropolia of Moldavia is a part of the Russian Orthodox church.
In the government's opinion, registration of the metropolia of Bessarabia would lead to schism in the Moldavian Orthodox church. By its decision the European Court on Human Rights recognized that the government of Moldavia violated the ninth article (on freedom of religion) and the thirteenth (on effective means for legal protection before state agencies) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The court noted that the Bessarabian metropolia could not function, believers were deprived of their rights, and priests did not have to possibility of fulfilling their duties.
The Bessarabian metropolia was also deprived of the right of legal protection of its property. The court ruled that the government of Moldavia should pay the plaintiffs Euro 27,020,000 in financial compensation and damages plus court costs. According to article 43 of the European Convention on Human Rights, within three months any party may request a review of the case in the Grand Chamber of the court, which will either render a final decision or deny the request for review.
The leader of the parliamentary fraction of the Moldavia ruling communist party, Viktor Stepaniuk, declared that "the government will use its right to appeal the decision of the European Court on Human Rights." On 14 December he told reporters in the Moldavian parliament that "the decision rendered in the case of the Bessarabia metropolia is favorable for the republic. The opposition tried to frighten us with multimillions in fines and expulsion from the Council of Europe. Nothing of the sort happened. Moreover, the decision of the court does not obligate the government to register the metropolia of Bessarabia. And we will not do this, since registration would signify a recognition of schism in the church and would lead to tension within society," V. Stepaniuk stressed.
A representative of the government of Moldavia to the European court, Vitaly Pyrlog, declared that "it is too early to speak of any kind of obligations on Moldavia with regard to the metropolia of Bessarabia since the decision of the court is not final and will take effect only after all possibilities of its appeal have been exhausted. (tr. by PDS, posted 14 December 2001)
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Recently the advisor to the president of Tatarstan for ideology, R. Khakimov, conducted unofficial negotiations in the Vatican. He met with Pope John Paul II and his aides. They discussed the extremely delicate subject of the return to Russia of a relic of the entire Orthodox world, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God. For today, it seems, this is the most important problem in relations between the Russian Orthodox church (RPTs) and the Vatican. Both sides desire the icon's return to Russia, but they cannot at all agree on the conditions.
For centuries the icon of the Kazan Mother of God was the protector of Russia from all enemies. For example, during the significant Borodino battle in 1812 it was constantly in Prince Kutuzov's presence. In December 1941, as the Germans approached Moscow, Stalin order that a venerable copy of the icon be placed in an airplane and that it be carried around the besieged capital. To be sure, this was a copy of the famous icon since the original had disappeared during a robbery in the Kazan church in 1904.
But history resumed when the icon was discovered in the Vatican. And it was most surprising that the pope, a native of Slavic Poland, decided that he wanted it returned to Russia, to its legal site in Kazan. But only under the condition that he bring it personally. The interests of the government of Tatarstan and the Vatican coincided. President M. Shaimiev began devoting serious efforts to achieve this; the celebration of the millennium of Kazan is coming up in 2005 and the icon should be its chief spectacle. But everything is not so simple.
The patriarch of the Russian Orthodox church, Alexis II, is happy about the return of the sacred object, but without any conditions whatever. That is, without the visit by the pope, to which RPTs takes offense because of the pogroms against Orthodox churches in western Ukraine and the vigorous penetration of the Catholic faith into the Russian heartland. Indeed, in Kazan itself, if the pope visits it, the restoration of the largest Catholic church will begin.
Meanwhile without the consent of Patriarch Alexis the aged pope will not be able to realize his dream. Nobody knows how long he will remain as head of the Vatican, and according to rumors he will be replaced by some cardinal from Latin America. He would not be likely to return the icon since the Vatican also recognizes its uniqueness. It is said that the icon of the Kazan Mother of God is being kept in the personal residence of the pope near the head of his bed.
Vladimir Putin could try to resolve this dramatic situation. It is said that he is a pious man; in addition, he is heading the organizing committee for the celebration of Kazan's millennium. But would he enter into dispute with the head of RPTs? Most likely not. In any case, it is said that Fr Tikhon, who is called the spiritual advisor of our president, has the same opinion as Patriarch Alexis II. (tr. by PDS, posted 13 December 2001)
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Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov has built one of the largest Russian Orthodox communities in Russia. His network of parishes in Moscow provides volunteers to a local hospital and runs a school, Bible study classes for children and adults, a ministry for soldiers, a pro-life organization and a small publishing house. Smirnov has earned a reputation as a talented preacher, confessor and administrator. Contrary to tradition, he serves as the rector of nine churches in Moscow. The total number of his parishioners reaches into the thousands. In addition, he teaches at three colleges, serves as assistant dean at one of them, and earlier this year was appointed acting head of the Moscow Patriarchate's department for liaison with the military and law enforcement.
Smirnov spoke with The Moscow Times in one of his churches - St. Nicholas in Zayaitskoye, on Raushskaya Naberezhnaya - where his great-grandfather, Vasily, served for 40 years before he was arrested and shot in 1938. Vasily Smirnov was canonized last year. An icon depicting him as a saint is prominently displayed in the newly rebuilt church.
Q: In the late Soviet period, the few functioning churches were overcrowded, but there was no parish life as such. What sources did you draw on in your own parish-building efforts?
A: We began this process 10 years before the collapse of the Soviet Union. The church is a living organism. It can't live without charity, for example. So we violated the law by creating an illicit mutual aid fund. I was a priest in Altufyevo (on the outskirts of Moscow) at the time. People simply gave me money and I passed it on to the needy. We even ran a small underground Sunday school. When the Soviet regime finally crumbled, our priests had already developed the skills required for effective social work.
Q: There was an expectation in the late 1980s and early 1990s that the Orthodox Church would not only satisfy the spiritual needs of the Russian people after the fall of communism, but restore the nation's moral foundation. This has not happened. Is there any sense of disenchantment with the church today?
A: It's certainly in the air. But all those hopes were just romantic dreams. It's like beating a man for 70 years, putting him in front of a firing squad, hanging him nearly to death and locking him in prison and then, when he's just barely alive, telling him: 'You have to rebuild everything for us.' It's ridiculous, but the disappointment is natural.
There are all sorts of practical problems standing in our way. It's next to impossible, for instance, to build up the ranks of the clergy. Priests don't grow on trees. You can train someone to be a policeman, a chemist or a lathe operator. But a priest must have faith. The process of training priests is much more complicated, but it is moving ahead. The church is slowly building up its muscles.
Q: There are still a lot of uneducated priests, especially in the countryside. Does that pose a problem?
A: Education is not the most important thing. Purity of soul and religious zeal are essential. When they are present, education becomes possible. In the West, priests are educated, but this avails them little. Education is just a crutch. It cannot walk on its own. And it cannot replace the spiritual life.
Q: The Russian Orthodox Church today is full of newcomers. How does this lack of experience affect church life?
A: In the provinces, the result is that people have a very superficial understanding of the essence of Christianity - that the church exists so that man might achieve love, for example. They put all their energy into observing the rituals. In Moscow and other cities, newcomers emphasize the external aspects of the church, activities not directly related to the faith. In both cases, there is a lack of a genuine spiritual life, which is offered by Christianity.
Q: One gets the impression from observing church affairs that the truly useful activity takes place at the grass-roots level. Local priests seem to be hindered by the government, the church bureaucracy and the business interests of their backers.
A: This is not the case. You can't separate the church into different levels. The people, not the pope, are the true keepers of the faith. There are two types of hierarchy in the church: external authority - the patriarch, the Holy Synod, the bishops, priests and so on right down to the watchmen. And there is spiritual authority, which has nothing to do with external trappings. (The 4th -century monk, Saint) Anthony the Great is a major Christian spiritual authority, though he was illiterate.
The two sometimes coincide, as in the case of (14th-century) Metropolitan Alexy of Moscow, who was head of the state and the church, a holy man and also one of the most learned men of his time. But most of the time, these hierarchies do not coincide. Every Christian, whether he be a janitor, priest or metropolitan, beautifies and blesses everything around him - the yard he sweeps, the parish he serves or the diocese he leads.
Q: What does the life of an Orthodox priest and rector consist of these days?
A: First, of course, it consists of worship and everything connected with it. The rector must find candidates for the priesthood, teach them, introduce them to the bishop and prepare them for ordination. We have prepared about 10 young men in our parish to become priests. He is also responsible for conducting services, which requires a certain amount of professional training in the liturgy, because church singing is completely different from opera or sing -alongs around the campfire.
Then there is the renovation of buildings that used to be churches but were converted into warehouses or worse. Icons have to be purchased and restored, or commissioned from an artist. Beyond that, there is the infrastructure of the parish - a Sunday school, library, parsonage and so on. And you have to find money to pay for all this.
Q: When do you find time to minister to your parishioners?
A: That happens all the time. When people see a priest, they approach him with questions. When I fly, people often sit down next to me and strike up a conversation. We have sermons during our daily services and the rite of confession in the morning and the evening. We always have a priest on duty in the church. We also visit hospitals and homes.
Q: How do you finance your work?
A: In this room where we are sitting, only the light bulbs were purchased. Everything else was donated.
Q: But a few years ago, this church was in ruins. Rebuilding it must have cost a fortune.
A: Yes, and we would never have managed if not for a miracle. The community that formed here started by rebuilding the belfry. When they reached the third tier, (Moscow) Mayor (Yury) Luzhkov drove by and was astonished to see a church being built in front of the Kremlin. He made inquiries, and when he learned that the church was a masterpiece of 18th-century architecture, he allocated money for the restoration and found other investors.
Most churches, however, have to get by on their own.
Q: What sources of income do they have?
A: Donations for private services, first of all. We have no set prices for baptisms or funerals, so people give what they feel is appropriate. We also sell candles and books, some of which we publish ourselves. As Gabriel Garcia Marquez once said, printing books is the same as printing money.
We don't have any special business activities. Some of our parishioners do, however, and they donate to the church. As for all the talk about the church selling liquor and tobacco, don't you think I'd have a nicer rug here if I were making money from selling cigarettes? Interview by Andrei Zolotov Jr. (Copyright 2001 Independent Press, posted 13 December 2001)
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On Thursday the Moscow city court upheld the legality of the decision of the Tagansk intermunicipal court of the capital, which on 12 September of this year issued a decision for the liquidation of the religious society of the "Moscow division of the Salvation Army" and recognized that this organization had ceased its legal activity, RIA Novosti reports.
Thus the Moscow city court denied the appeal by the representative of the Salvation Army, Vladimir Riakhovsky. He argued for overturning the decision of the district court, calling it "illegal and without basis," and asked that the case be sent for a new review in the Tagansk court with a different composition.
After the conclusion of the session in the Moscow city court Vladimir Riakhovsky declared that the decision of the Moscow city court will be appealed to the presidium of the Moscow city court for oversight. He said that if necessary representatives of the religious organization will appeal to the Supreme Court of the Russian federation, and if this does not help, then after six months they will appeal to the European Court on Human Rights.
On 12 September the Tagan court of Moscow issued the decision for the liquidation of the religious society "Moscow division of the Salvation Army," satisfying the suit of the Chief Department of the Russian Ministry of Justice for the city of Moscow. According to the decision of the Tagan court, which becomes legally effective today, the religious society should be removed from the united state register of legal entities.
The department of Justice for Moscow applied to the court for the liquidation of the Moscow division of the Salvation Army since the society had not undergone reregistration by 31 December 2000, thereby violating the requirement of point 4 of article 27 of the law "On freedom of conscience and religious association" of 1997.
The basis for the recognition that the division of the Salvation Army had ceased its legal activity was the failure to fulfill the requirement of point 9 of article 8 of the same law, which requires organizations to inform the registration agencies of their activity annually. The district court ruled that the capital division of the Salvation Army had not submitted information about its activity to the Chief Department of the Ministry of Justice for the city of Moscow over the course of the past three years. (tr. by PDS, posted 13 December 2001)
EXPULSION FROM MOSCOW
by Irina Belasheva
Vremia novostei, 7 December 2001
The "Salvation Army" has finally been deprived of the right of legal existence in the Russian capital. Yesterday the appeals college of the Moscow city court denied the appeal of representatives of this charitable organization against the decision of the Tagansk district court concerning its liquidation. Thus, the verdict has already gone into effect and from today onward any activity of the unregistered Salvation Army in Moscow will be considered against the law.
The Salvation Army has been fighting for its legitimacy since 1999 when the Moscow agencies of justice refused to reregister the charitable organization which has worked long and fruitfully in Russia. The attorneys of the capital saw an "incompatibility between the nature of its activity and the goals expressed in the charter." In particular, in identifying itself as a religious organization the Army contradicted its administrative structure, which is quite reminiscent of a military one. As the deputy director of the Chief Department of the Ministry of Justice for Moscow, Vladimir Zhbankov, stated, the registering agencies suggested that the leaders of the organization amend their charter documents in accordance with their requirements, but nothing was done. Thus, he said, the Moscow administration of justice had a basis for considering that the organization was calling itself a religious one in order to get tax advantages.
Twice during this time the Army protested in court the refusal of reregistration, but these appeals did not meet with success, and in September 2001 the Ministry of Justice turned to the Tagansk intermunicipal court. The suit of the federal ministry contained the request to liquidate this organization because it had not undergone reregistration. The Army was not helped either by the intervention of foreign politicians or by the September visit to Russia of the head of this organization, General John Gowans, who came especially "to establish peaceful relations" with the authorities of our country.
After yesterday's decision, the Salvation Army's attorney Vladimir Riakhovsky
promised as usual to continue the struggle, but it is not likely that the
presidium of the Moscow city court, to which he intends to appeal, will
set aside the verdict of the appeals college. Examination of the relations
at the last legal instance--the European Court on Human Rights in Strasbourg--could
occupy another several years. (tr. by PDS, posted 13 December 2001)
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In recent times it has become usual for Russia's "powers that be" to be present at Orthodox holiday services, thereby providing a necessary official glow. The conference on "Youth and religion in the 21st century" held at the Saint Sergius Holy Trinity lavra showed that this is not limited to simple holding of candles and communion.
For the first time in long years the church and the state have made serious steps toward coming together. And, judging by all, this is not from things going well. Our state is now seriously disturbed that youth have lost certain enigmatic "traditional values." The church is concerned by about the same thing, declaring along the way its exclusive capacity to restore these values to youth. And now, according to the statement of the rector of the Moscow Ecclesiastical Academy, Archbishop Evgeny of Vereisk, "the time has come for a joint formulation of new bases for state policy."
It is suggested that an initiative "from above" will find support "from below." According to data from Moscow district Deputy Minister of Education Yury Kovrizhnik, Orthodox believers constitute three-fourths of all believers and this is approximately half the population of the country. At the same time, 60 percent of the people are convinced that religion is necessary for the preservation of national self-consciousness. And youth, about whose fate both church and state are concerned, constitute 25 percent of the Russian population. But at the same time their religiosity is superficial and evokes doubt: 17% of youth do not believe in God but in "higher powers," 16% believe in omens, and 17% in UFOs. This is a group at risk, potential victims of totalitarian sects and religious fanaticism, who must be rescued. The best version of such rescue is proposed in a "close cooperation of the state and church in matters of education, ecology, and protection of human rights." In practice, as Yury Kovrizhnik explained, this means "the opening of Orthodox child care, schools, gymnasia, Christian sports clubs, and Christian patriotic clubs under the aegis of local authorities."
The question is, will the youth subscribe to this system. The head of the Department for Youth Affairs of the Russian Orthodox church, Archimandrite Gennady, is sure that they will. To be sure, he sees the main danger in the fact that "the informational space is occupied by our opponents--sectarians and pagans--and thus the primary task is the christianization of the Internet. Web pages should contain Christian humor, contests, and comics. . . . In general we should meet youth more skillfully!" One way or the other, if these programmatic statements begin to be transformed into life at the desired rate, ten years from now your child may bring home from school a grade of 2 in the Law of God. (tr. by PDS, posted 11 December 2001)
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The interview of the abbot of the Moscow Presentation monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov, with the Greek newspaper "Country" has been hastily identified by several newspapers as the "first interview by the spiritual advisor of the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin." Since this is definitely not the first interview in his life of such a widely known person as Father Tikhon (due to the multitude of articles of the writer in the Orthodox press), then obviously what is meant is that this is his first interview in the role of "spiritual advisor of the president" or his first discussion about what and how Vladimir Putin believes.
That is not so. In the autumn of last year a wave of revelations of Archimandrite Tikhon deluged the news media on this subject, like some kind of public relations campaign by the abbot of Presentation monastery. I analyzed in detail all the articles on this topic in an article "Does Putin have a spiritual advisor?" on the "Vesti.ru" site on 26 September 2000. The conclusion then was unequivocal: somebody had to point out his extraordinary significance in the church and influence in government.
It is no secret that Archimandrite Tikhon has cooperated long and effectively with people who aspire to get close to Putin and who continually emphasize their adherence to the Orthodox faith. Shevkunov showed that he fulfilled the role of spiritual advisor and church teacher for several of them. The question of whether Shuvkunov works with the Russian president and what significance this cooperation has for the first person of the state remains open.
Fr Tikhon himself has said different things on this topic. Thus, in an interview with the "Profil" magazine of 18 September 2000 he declared that he "had learned with interest" about his "special closeness to the president." Along with this the abbot of the Presentation monastery affirmed that he "managed to become acquainted with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin well before he became president." Approximately at the same time, responding to a question of the "Moskovskie novosti" newspaper about his spiritual influence in the Kremlin, Fr Tikhon exclaimed "What rubbish!"
In the interview with the Greek newspaper, which clearly was carefully edited, the wording "spiritual advisor of the president" never came up, neither in the reporter's questions nor in Fr Tikhon's answers. The interview was constructed in such a way that this determination would somehow come into the reader's mind by itself.
At first the archimandrite displayed knowledge that Vladimir Putin "really is an Orthodox Christian and not merely a nominal one but a person who makes confession and communion and realizes his own responsibility before God for the high service entrusted to him and for his own immortal soul." We emphasize that Fr Tikhon dares to discuss what the president recognizes as if he were a person informed about the secrets of his soul.
Then he affirms that "Vladimir Vladimirovich is a very moderate, rational person, including in matters of faith." People who know Putin unquestionably confirm this conclusion. Such that the president cannot even stand it when someone begins to urge upon him a point of view (even if it corresponds to his own) or speaks in his name and discusses the motives of his conduct, as if he directly controls this conduct.
Vladimir Putin himself in an interview with CNN announcer Larry King chose a more than moderate answer to the question about his religiosity. He said that he "preferred not to elaborate especially on this subject" and stressed that "such things are personal for each person. One cannot put faith on display; it is enclosed in the human heart." Now others prefer to elaborate about his soul.
At the end of his interview Fr Tikhon praised officers of the special services for "living a Christian life," and gave yet another occasion for speculation about his influence on the president's soul. The reporter asked: "Is there a difference between the spiritual fellowship and confession of an ordinary person and of the president?" Shevkunov answered: "What is the most important meeting in your life? It is the meeting with the person that you are now having."
You can guess what person the cleric is referring to. Confession is a sacrament that is performed by a priest. The ambiguity of the answer in combination with the question constitutes indication of the extraordinary importance for the president of meeting with the abbot of the Presentation monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov.
We draw a conclusion. Such public discussions about Vladimir Putin's soul primarily develop the image of the grouping with which, possibly, Fr Tikhon is connected. In his time Fr Shevkunov declared that "a democratic state will inevitably try to weaken the influential church in the country, bringing into play the ancient principle of 'divide and conquer.'" From this idea it follows that with Yeltsin's coming to power in Russia it was more difficult for the church to function than before the time of democracy, that is, in the soviet period. And that the development of democratic institutions is hostile for Orthodoxy. Vladimir Putin can hardly hold to such views. But a spiritual advisor in the church's understanding is a person who has a fundamental influence on the world view of his spiritual child. Does Fr Tikhon have influence on the world view of the Russian president? He already has rejected "such rubbish" but it turns out that he indeed has influence. If that is so, then the question of the "president's spiritual advisor" transcends the limits of the private life of Vladimir Putin.
It cannot be ruled out that the PR campaign of the forces with which Archimandrite Tikhon cooperates have reckoned that they can provoke the Russian president into abandoning the caution that he demonstrated in the face of Larry King's temptation and publicly discussing his personal faith (which is fraught with dangerous consequences).
But it is also obvious that Vladimir Putin, who regularly associates with such a genuinely wise and moderately rational Orthodox person as the patriarch, does not need pressure upon him in matters pertaining to faith. He is responsible for the life and peace of millions of people and he is the guarantor of the young Russian democracy. And he is not about to submit to crude provocations. (tr. by PDS, posted 11 December 2001)
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"Izvestiia" has frequently requested an interview with the abbot of the Presentation monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov, the spiritual advisor of the Russian president. Each time the clergyman has found weighty reasons to put off direct communication with Russia news media.
All the same, we have found a way out. And we are publishing an interview which Fr Tikhon gave to the Athens newspaper "Khora" on the eve of Vladimir Putin's visit to Greece. This is the first interview of Archimandrite Tikhon to be published in the Russian press.
--Father Tikhon, is Vladimir Putin, the current president of Russia, really an Orthodox Christian? This is not an idle question; it really is important to very many in Greece to know.
--In 1917 the almost thousand-year succession of rulers of the country who were Orthodox Christians was interrupted in Russia. And in this sense now the linkage of the times has been restored in the person of the current president. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin really is an Orthodox Christian and not just a nominal one but a person who makes confession and communion and realizes his own responsibility before God for the high service that has been entrusted to him and for his own immortal soul. The burden of the tasks, the weight of the problems, and the extent of responsibility that his man has taken upon himself are truly enormous. Whoever really loves Russia and wishes her well can only pray for Vladimir Vladimirovich, who by the providence of God has been placed at the head of Russia.
--How did it happen that your path crossed that of Vladimir Vladimirovich?
--It was very simple. Once he came to our church since our monastery was located near to his former place of work.
--What moved him to go to the church?
--You know, these a very personal questions. Of course, I cannot speak about them. I should say only that in the past decades in Russia a multitude of people have gone through a principled spiritual choice. In the main this choice is simple (despite the complexity of each person's fate) and as old as the world: some seek God and serve him, and some serve Mammon. Each of these paths has recently been opened for people very clearly. An enormous number of Russian people today, after many years of atheist ideology, have found Orthodoxy for themselves and have found a completely new world. This does not mean that the president lives by this alone, like a fervent convert; in his position that would be ridiculous. Vladimir Vladimirovich is a very moderate, rational person, including in matters of faith.
--How does the president participate in church life?
--First, he and his family are Christians; that is the main thing. But as a member of the church body the president cannot help but feel the problems that disturb all Orthodox believers. In our country, as also in Greece, there exists a schism that is very painful for us. In our case it is with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. When he recently was in America Vladimir Vladimirovich met with a representative of the synod of the foreign church, Bishop Gavriil, and invited him and the primate of the foreign church, Metropolitan Laurus, to Moscow. May God grant that gradually, even if not right away, this wound will be finally healed by our joint efforts.
--What do you think is the significance that the president himself gives to religion and the activity of the church?
--At the time of his brief vacation last summer the president visited several northern monasteries. When he was at the Valaam monastery, in one conversation he expressed the opinion that without Orthodoxy Russia itself would not exist. And in the present regeneration of Russia the Orthodox church has been called to play a special spiritual role, because our roots are in Orthodoxy. Putin stressed that although Russia is a multiconfessional country and he feels respect to people who profess other religions, at the same time it is impossible not to recognize that Russia's culture in the first place is founded on the traditions of Orthodoxy. And Russia was made strong precisely by the eternal values that Orthodoxy professed and bore. This in no way is to belittle adherents of other confessions. On the contrary, in Russia for many hundreds of years unprecedented interreligious peace has been maintained. But it was Orthodoxy that served as the guarantee of this.
--And Vladimir Putin's family is also Orthodox?
--The whole of the president's family are Orthodox believing people. They do not advertise this; it's an integral part of their life. Only because in Russia people are not used to such rulers and this topic attracts such intense attention.
--Now it often is recalled that the president worked in FSB [Federal Security Service]. And indeed your monastery is located next to FSB on Bolshoi Lubianka.
--What would one do now? Move the monastery to another street? But it has been here for 600 years. Today many military personnel, including officers of the special services, are people who live a Christian life. Praise God. At all strata of society ever more people, although not noticed in a superficial glance, are being imbued with faith, kindness, righteousness, and Christ's love for the neighbor--what's wrong with this?
--Do you personally have any disagreements with FSB?
--I entered church life at the very beginning of the eighties and immediately left the ranks of the komsomol, submitting a statement with the declaration that it was in connection with my religious convictions. But I did not experience any repression in this regard. There were some threats and summons to the city komsomol, but it wasn't 1937, and there wasn't that horrible machine of violence any more.
--Were your relatives subjected to repression?
--Yes, and a great deal, just like, evidently, the majority of families in Russia. At the end of the twenties many of my relatives--incidentally Greeks of the families of Kuzma Khristophorovich and Kiriakia Anastasovna Papandopulo, who lived in Gelendzhik on the banks of the Black Sea--were repressed as kulaks. Because they had a fishing boat. My grandmother, who trained me in childhood, Sotria Kuzminichna, was repressed later, after the war, when many Greeks were exiled to Kazakhstan. My grandfather, Georgy Ivanovich Melnikov, who was one of the developers of our antiaircraft systems, also spent some time in prison. The other grandfather, Lev Antonovich Cheshko, according to texts of the Russian language that we studied in school, after his capture by the Germans spent, it seems, eight years in the camps. I repeat again: this was the ordinary fate of ordinary families in the twentieth century.
--What are relations between the Greek and Russian churches like today?
--Recently Archbishop Christodoulos was in Moscow. He made a great impression on everybody, a very lively person, spiritual, intelligent, and interesting. We had been acquainted with his addresses and sermons previously and now we were able to see directly his preaching gift when Archbishop Christodoulos addressed Orthodox youth at the congress with an exceptionally clear sermon. For us the Orthodox life in Greece is very interesting, because we now are experiencing a period of liberalization. And that which is called democracy is frequently replaced by violence, and on the surface the dirtiest aspects of western life appear, which have a bad effect on youth. It is very important for us to know how the Greek church went through that period. It is interesting for us how in contemporary Greece the faith and spiritual and national values are being preserved, which is exceptionally important for the consciousness of every nation. I am profoundly convinced that the experience of Orthodox Greece will be seriously called for in contemporary Russia.
--What can you say regarding Russia's place in the interreligious situation in the world?
--I am not a specialist in political matters and I will state my personal opinion bluntly. It seems to me that today Russia is forced to go between Scylla and Charybdis; between the horror of Islamic terrorism and the no less horrific force of those who are trying to bring about a totalitarian American hegemony. This requires extraordinary restraint, profound analysis, and intelligent decisions.
But, praise God, in Russia there exists an enormous positive experience of the coexistence of peoples who profess diverse religions, in particular Orthodoxy and Islam, and this cannot fail to inspire hope. Many have tried to turn the Chechen campaign into a religious war, which, incidentally, both the Orthodox church and representatives of a great part of Islamic clergy have successfully resisted. But one must understand that there exist really powerful forces which are trying to turn both the Chechen and the worldwide conflicts into interreligious conflict. This is very dangerous.
--And a last question. Is there a difference between the spiritual fellowship or confession of an ordinary person and that of the president?
--Every person's soul is unique and priceless before God. The Lord says that the treasure of the whole world is not worth a single human soul. And the priest's prayerful responsibility for every human soul is great. For me the words of one of the holy fathers are very important: "What is the most important minute of your life? It is that minute you are now living. And what is the most important meeting of your life? It is the meeting with the person with whom you are now speaking." (tr. by PDS, posted 9 December 2001)
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