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Preparations for election of patriarch disorderly--2

LEADERSHIP OF MOSCOW ECCLESIASTICAL ACADEMY ACKNOWLEDGES VIOLATIONS IN ELECTIONS OF COUNCIL DELEGATES
Interfax, 31 December 2008

The Academic Councils of the Moscow and St. Petersburg Ecclesiastical Academies expressed discontent with violations committed in the recent elections of delegates for the local council from seminaries.

"The discussion at the Academic Council of the Moscow Ecclesiastical Academy [MDA] went smoothly, outside of a context of a presupposed conflict of 'parties,' but there was complete unanimity of the Academic Council in the understanding that the rectors' conference was conducted abnormally and that there were violations not only of procedures but also of ecclesiastical ethics," one of the participants in the session of the Academic Council of MDA, who wished to remain anonymous, told Interfax-Religiia on Wednesday.

According to his information, "the very same picture occurred at the Academic Council which was held at the St. Petersburg Ecclesiastical Academy."

Previously, MDA Professor Deacon Andrei Kuraev called what happened recently in the voting at the conference of rectors of ecclesiastical seminaries of the Russian church "false elections" and "the first confirmation that Metropolitan Kliment really does intend to become head of the church (before this day this was only the supposition of journalists)." "It was his brother, Archbishop of Tobolsk Dimitry, who at this meeting organized a genuine revolution," the professor noted.

In his turn the prorector of MDA for academic theological work, Priest Vladimir Shmaly, suggested that the goal of this pressure that was exerted on the participants of the rectors' conference by Archbishops Feofan and Dimitry "was to strengthen by extremely crude means the position of one of the candidates for the patriarchal throne." Fr Vladimir reported that he and a number of other members of the administration of the academy, who were responsible for organizing the conference, "were roughly expelled from the hall of the meeting by Archbishop Feofan."

"The opinion of the Academic Councils is officially stated in the minutes of the meetings and these documents are secret and not usually subject to publication, but at the same time they are presented for review by the patriarchate of Moscow or the acting patriarch, in the case of the Moscow academy, and also by Metropolitan of St. Petersburg Vladimir, in the case of the St. Petersburg academy," the agency's informant reported.

Thus, he continued, "there is no doubt that in the near future, perhaps even today, Metropolitans Kirill and Vladimir will be informed about the reaction of the aforementioned academies to the events that occurred at the rectors' conference."

At the same time Deacon A. Kuraev, on his web site, confirmed this information, stating that "the Academic Councils of both Russian ecclesiastical academies (in both Moscow and St. Petersburg) have reacted to this event [the rectors' conferenceÑIF].

"The assessments are fully accurate and they are expressed in the official minutes of the Academic Councils, which in the near future will be presented in the Holy Synod. The same is true of the report of the chairman of the Academic Committee of RPTs, Archbishop Evgeny. It, it seems, in contrast to the academies' minutes, will contain simply the incidents of procedural violations without any assessment. At least, this is the way his report to our council meeting today was, extremely calm and factual," Fr Andrei shared his impressions.

In addition, in a conversation with an Interfax-Religiia correspondent he stated that he "especially pitied the St. Petersburg academy because although from MDA there will be two teachers as members of the organizational committee of the preconciliar commission, from St. Petersburg there will not be a single professor at the council." "For the first time in its history the St. Petersburg Ecclesiastical Academy will not be represented in a local council in any form," the professor declared.

He recalled that at the local council of 1917 "each of the four ecclesiastical academies was represented by three professors, in addition to eleven professors representing the universities and another delegate came from the Russian Academy of Sciences."

According to Fr Andrei, among the members of the council of 1917 there were "such outstanding thinkers as the academician and famous eastern specialist Boris Turaev, Academician Nikolai Nikolsky, Sergei Bulgakov, and Evgeny Trubetskoy."

He also called it remarkable that at that council people of various vocations were represented, for example, on one hand there was "the count and agriculturalist Apraksin, and alongside him a simple peasant or a master of felt boots or a mechanic from the yacht 'Polar Star.'"

"The local council of 1917 showed the precise face of society; they took into account such a detail as that there should not simply be delegates from the provinces but also from the war fronts, that is, the masses at the front were treated separately and therefore from that quarter both priests, officers, and soldiers were elected separately," the agency's informant added. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 December 2008)


FORMER SUPERINTENDENT OF TOBOLSK SEMINARY CONSIDERS ELECTIONS OF DELEGATES FROM ECCLESIASTICAL SCHOOLS HONEST
Interfax, 31 December 2008

Bishop of Barnaul and Altai Maxim, a former superintendent of the Tobolsk seminary, thinks the elections of delegates to the local council from the ecclesiastical schools, which were held recently at the Moscow Ecclesiastical Academy, were honest and fair.

According to the results of the elections it was decided that the Tobolsk seminary along with four others will be represented at this supreme ecclesiastical forum. Meanwhile, the elections at the MDA were almost immediately subjected to fierce criticism on the part of professors and representatives of the leadership of both the Moscow and St. Petersburg ecclesiastical academies and were considered to be an attempt "at a military seizure" conducted by Archbishop of Tobolsk Dimitry and Archbishop of Stavropol Feofan.

However the ruling bishop of the Alta Territory did not agree with this assessment.

"I would like to note the positive role played by Master Dimitry in this conference. It was due to his commitment to principle that the elections were conducted fairly and honestly," Bishop Maxim declared in an interview on the Barnaul diocese site.

This testimony differs from the words of MDA Professor Deacon Andrei Kuraev, who stated earlier that Archbishop Dimitry, first, "in an extremely harsh manner and on extremely dubious bases" demanded that the chairman of the Academic Committee of the Moscow patriarchte, MDS Rector Archbishop Evgeny recuse himself from conducting the meeting, after which formally the chair was entrusted to Metropolitan of Tashkent Vladimir, although "in reality it was Master Dimitry who conducted everything that ensued without appeal." (tr. by PDS, posted 31 December 2008)

ELECTIONS OF DELEGATES FROM BARNAUL DIOCESE NOT COMPETITIVE
Interfax, 31 December 2008

A number of clerics and laity of the Barnaul and Altai diocese were perplexed by the results of the diocesan meeting where, on 30 December, the delegates to the local council where the new patriarch will be elected were chosen.

According to their report, which reached Interfax-Religiia Wednesday, the chosen delegates (from the diocesan clergy, Priest Georgii Kreidun, from monastics, Nun Klavdia Kremleva, and from the laity, Yury Nizhegorodtsev) were designated by Bishop of Barnaul and Altai Maxim "quite a long time ago."

The "elections" were conducted on a uncontested basis. Originally Bishop Maxim tried to restrict the nominating of the enumerated candidates to the diocesan council, and not at an assembly, as was proposed, which he stated publicly during a press conference held 12 December.

Bishop Maxim is a former superintendent of the Tobolsk Ecclesiastical Seminary. He worked in Tiumen province about twelve years, after which, in January 2002, he became bishop of Barnaul and Altai. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 December 2008)


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Kirill touts conservative credentials

METROPOLITAN KIRILL: I AM CATEGORICALLY OPPOSED TO CHURCH REFORM
Blagovest-info, 29 December 2008

Acting Patriarch Metropolitan Kirill, in the course of today's meeting with reporters, expressed a decisive rejection of reforms that would destroy church traditions.

Responding to a question from a woman reporter whether any kind of reforms are being planned within the Russian Orthodox church, the metropolitan stated that quite recently, when he was participating in the TV "Name of Russia" project, he spoke out against Peter I's winning of the virtual competition since he was the personification of reform, "which destroyed or, at least, tried to destroy the backbone of our people." The acting patriarch thinks that the fact that Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky won the "Name of Russia" contest testifies that the Russian people, in the majority, do not accept such reforms.

"The church in and of itself is the conservative foundation, because it 'conserves' and maintains the apostolic faith," the metropolitan continued. "If reform destroys the faith, tradition, and values, then such reform is called heresy."

"I speak out categorically against any reforms," the acting patriarch emphasized. "Even more, not one of the approximately 145 bishops who could aspire to gain the patriarchal throne has any kind of reformist urge."

At the same time, Metropolitan Kirill noted, the church does not stand still. If one compares the situation in RPTs today with what it was like in the soviet period, one can see enormous difference. Indeed, changes do take place in the church, but they do not evoke protest since they are the result of "natural growth and natural movement."

According to the acting patriarch, there remain in the memory of the Russian church people at least two negative examples of reforms: these are the liturgical reforms of the 17th century that led to the tragic schism and the activity of the renovationists at the beginning of the 20th century. The "project" of the latter group upset people's minds but did not produce any of the results the reformers sought.

In response to a request from another reporter, regarding the relations of the Russian Orthodox church with non-Orthodox, Metropolitan Kirill noted that these principles were exhaustively formulated by the jubilee Bishops' Council of 2000. The acting patriarch considers the Holy Confessor Ilarion (Troitsky) to be the model of relations with non-Orthodox confessions; Kirill performed a liturgy over his relics in the monastery of the Presentation on 28 December, his memorial day. As an uncompromising defender of Orthodoxy against liberal influences at the beginning of the 20th century, particularly against the protestant "theory of branches," Archbishop Ilarion at the same time conducted active dialogue with one of the patriarchs of the ecumenical movement, Robert H. Gardiner, a member of the American Episcopal church. According to Metropolitan Kirill, Gardiner seriously pondered converting to Orthodoxy at the end of his life, not apart from the influence of Archbishop Ilarion. (tr. by PDS, posted 30 December 2008)

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Western financial support for fighting Russian "sects"

BOOK PUBLISHED NAMING "FALSE RELIGIONS AIMED AGAINST RUSSIAN STATEHOOD"
Portal-credo.ru, 30 December 2008

A book published in 2008 by an independent legal expert council (Materials of Scientific Conference "Contemporary Law Education." Gubkin Russian State University of Petroleum and Gas, 17 October 2006, Moscow: Independent Expert Legal Council, 2008, 86pp.) contains xenophobia and intolerance on the basis of religion or convictions, a Portal-credo.ru correspondent reports.

Among the materials of the conference there is an article by a professor of the department of economic, administration, and law disciplines of an affiliate of the Russian State Humanities University in the city of Domodedovo, Yu.G. Karpukhin, "Legal education: the army, law enforcement agencies, religious movement and Russian security."  In particular, in the opinion of Karpukhin, "parallel to the truly historically definedÑwhich means legal confessionalÑdenominations, there have appeared also false religions which were created and aimed against Russian statehood, the Russian people and their centuries-old traditions, morality, and culture. They have appeared in great numbers and are trying to replace Orthodoxy, Islam, and Buddhism. . . . One may include among them, for example, 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' (Mormons), 'Sahaja-Yoga,' 'World Church of God,' 'White Brotherhood, 'Church of the Last Covenant,' 'Jehovah's Witnesses,' and others. Such organizations have come to be called sects."

In this context the writer speaks of the threat "both for the individual and to the whole of contemporary society and state" and laments the normative indeterminacy of the concepts of "a religious sect" and "religious security."

The book is addressed to teachers, graduate students and student of law faculties of institutions of advanced education, law enforcement workers, and all who are interested in questions of the improvement of law education in Russia. The publication was carried out with the financial support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacCarthur Foundation, the National Fund for the Support of Democracy, and the "Open Society" Institute. (tr. by PDS, posted 30 December 2008)

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Preparations for election of patriarch disorderly

COMMENTARY:  KLIMENT WILL NOT MAKE IT! KIRILL OR DEATH!
Deacon Kuraev lays foundation for an all-out aggressive PR campaign against Metropolitan Kirill's competitors.
by Alexander Khramov
Portal-credo.ru, 26 December 2008

Some days ago Metropolitan Kirill Gundiaev, the current acting patriarch of RPTsMP, declared that the election of the patriarch should not be compared to political elections and consequently people should refrain from the use of secular political tactics, such as "antagonism with the goal of eliminating a competitor from the contest and pouring mud on him."

Deacon Andrei Kuraev has clearly violated the will of Metropolitan Kirill, having poured a whole bucket of mud on his competitor, Metropolitan Kliment Kapalin. And, one must suppose, he certainly did not do this on his own initiative but in accordance with the wish of the acting patriarch.

One should not forget that after Kirill Frolov it is Father Andrei who appears as the most active agitator in the "campaign staff" of Metropolitan Kirill.  And while Frolov, the notorious head of the virtual organization of the "Union of Orthodox Citizens," does not inspire any special confidence, Deacon Kuraev is a different matter. After all, he seems to be the most sought-out figure in Russian Orthodoxy. It is his robe and beard that most frequently appear on television screens, and his recognizable voice resounds in the radio air space. He is the one whom journalists first call when they want to learn the "opinion of the church" on any matter. Father Andrei can hardly manage to turn the sympathies of the church people in favor of Metropolitan Kirill since the dislike of the "tobacco metropolitan" is too strong among them (and indeed Kuraev himself has an ambiguous reputation among the church public), but he can have an effect on the secular public regarding the upcoming election of the patriarch.

And the deacon has actively engaged in this. So there recently appeared an extremely wide-ranging article by Fr Kuraev in which he explained why one should already become used to the idea that Metropolitan Kirill will become the future patriarch. And even somewhat earlier he proposed Metropolitan Kirill in the capacity of a "crisis manager," which supposedly is extremely necessary for one who is the head of RPTsMP.

Until recently Fr Andrei Kuraev has tried to persuade the public that there is no alternative to Metropolitan Kirill and that his election as patriarch has already actually been accomplished and the upcoming local council will be merely a "technical formality," and he has insisted that there is no competition for the patriarchal throne among the leadership of RPTsMP and any talk about such competition is nothing more than the fantasy of the news media. "All these numerous articles in the news media about the antagonism of competitors and aspirants to the patriarchal throne are a very incorrect projection of secular political stereotypes onto church life," Fr Kuraev declared two weeks ago.

But now, the "deacon of all Rus" has sharply changed his position. Discussing the 24 December election of delegates (totaling five persons) to the local council from ecclesiastical seminaries, he acknowledged "that Metropolitan Kliment is actually intending to become the head of the church" (hitherto this was only the supposition of journalists). That is, now Kuraev admits to what he earlier called "the fantasy of news media," namely the presence of a competition for the patriarchal throne. And the competition is extremely fierce. Hitherto we could understand that the situation of the election of the patriarch was not quite as smooth as the publications (like Interfax-Religion) under the control of Metropolitan Kirill tried to make it seem, but only on the basis of indirect indicators. So, a certain anonymous source told "Gazeta.ru" that at a session of the commission preparing the local council in St. Daniel's monastery, "the discussion became so heated that the participants were about to grab one another by the beards."

Now, one should suppose, the struggle which they tried unsuccessfully to hide, has broken out into the open and its participants are ready "to tear out one another's beard" in public. And Kuraev's discussions about the illegitimacy of the election of delegates from the ecclesiastical seminaries is the first public manifestation of this fierce struggle for the patriarchal cowl.  Apparently in it will be used all means as far as slander, black public relations, and mud slinging. God forbid that it comes to murder.

And Kuraev's accusation against Metropolitan Kliment (and his "party"Ñsee the contrast: a week ago, according to Kuraev, there was the smooth surface of God's grace, but now suddenly there are antagonistic "parties"!) is nothing other than black PR.

First, Father Andrei himself was not present at the session and thus his information is second hand.

Second, it is at least strange that Kuraev wishes that there be present at the local council "famous theologians" (after all he is most bothered by the fact that unknown persons were selected): "In the end, they supposedly elected for the council persons absolutely unknown in the theological world. Even an Internet search gives no link to a single one of their theological works." But after all there will not be any discussion of theological questions at the council so that the presence of the best known professors of the ecclesiastical academies, on the basis of their scholarly works, is absolutely unnecessary. Of course, it would not be bad to honor famous theologians with the title of "participant in a local council," but this is a matter of exclusively formal status. And if one considers that among the delegates from the dioceses to the council there also have been nominated church functionaries who are not especially well known for their activity, like chairmen of protocol departments of diocesan administrations, then the nomination of functionaries from ecclesiastical education should not seem out of order (as Kuraev insists).

Third, as regards the procedures of election, which, most likely, were really not ideal, it is hard to understand Kuraev's displeasure. If one just looks at the procedures one sees that the absolute majority of all currently "elected" delegates to the council should be considered illegitimate. After all it is no secret that no "elections" were anywhere conducted; the ruling bishop, on his own authority, appointed from his diocese a priest, monk and layperson in each case. Often the bishop simply informed the people attending the diocesan meeting about whom he had decided to appoint as delegates to the local council without even trying to conduct a formal procedure of their election.

So it was pretty much the same scenario on 24 December for appointing five delegates from the ecclesiastical seminaries, although elections were formally conducted and the ballots were immediately destroyed so that nobody could verify the accuracy of the count.

There is no argument that all these "elections" are no more "elections" than the "elections" of the president or the State Duma in the Russian federation of today. But why has Kuraev awakened only now? It could hardly be that it is merely procedural violations that are the reason Fr Andrei is suddenly "at odds" with Metropolitan Kliment. No, this is only a pretext.

Using this pretext, Kuraev has managed to make out of the procedural violations of a single meeting--that elected fewer than one percent of the delegates to the council, without mentioning at all similar and even worse violations in the elections of delegates in other placesÑmuch more far reaching conclusions about the personality of Metropolitan Kliment: "The party of Metropolitan Kliment has demonstrated how it values ecclesiastical thought and the freedom of its expression." And along the way Kuraev accused Metropolitan Kliment of plagiarism (he supposedly presented to the Moscow Ecclesiastical Academy a work of "nonindependent" character which the academy caught).  It is curious that they were quick to accuse the deposed Bishop Diomid of plagiarism; supposedly in his time at the Moscow Ecclesiastical Academy Diomid unsuccessfully tried to defend a dissertation that he was not the author of. So the tactics of black PR among supporters of Metropolitan Kirill are standard. And Metropolitan Kliment should be careful; they are beginning to "pour" on him the means which were used against Bishop Diomid several months ago.

Deacon Kuraev could not help finishing off his ardent accusation with a regular assertion in favor of Metropolitan Kirill:  "I will say that in conversations with me even several rectors of seminaries who previously had not been inclined toward Metropolitan Kirill have now changed their position or they have seen just how unrestrained in tactics the ultra-Orthodox 'alternative' can be."

Deacon Kuraev can hardly have decided to "attack" Metropolitan Kliment on his own. Most likely, he was given approval from the "campaign staff" of Metropolitan Kirill. And Kuraev's accusation has laid the foundation for a dirty PR campaign against Gundiaev's competitors, principally Metropolitan Kliment. It cannot be ruled out that ecclesiastical administrative measures also will be used; thus, Kuraev speaks confidently about some incident occurring at the next session of the Holy Synod.

A decision about starting this campaign testifies that the position of Metropolitan Kirill is not anywhere near as simple if he needs to apply such methods to his competitors. Metropolitan Kirill's competitors have managed to substantially strengthen their positions, despite how he used emergency means to call the council and to try to "spring into the patriarchate" as quickly as possible, so that one should expect that in the near future a whole host of professional mud-slingers will be employed, whose actions will be coordinated by the acting patriarch. (tr. by PDS, posted 29 December 2008)


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