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Rock musicians promote Orthodoxy

FATAL PASSIONS.
New ultraconservative wing appears in RPTsMP
by Vladislav Maltsev
NG-Religii, 4 August 2010

The attitude of high officials of the Russian Orthodox church toward the "Orthodoxy or death" slogan is ambivalent. On one hand, they have often condemned it. Patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus Kirill, in his sermon delivered on 8 March 2009 in the church of Christ the Savior in the presence of representatives of the Antioch and Alexandria Orthodox churches said:  "The Lord never said 'my teaching or death.' No single apostle ever said 'Orthodoxy or death.' Because Orthodoxy is life eternal; it is joy in the Holy Spirit; it is the joy of life. Death is darkness; it is the result of the fall into sin and the devil's action. And now among us there appear from time to time false teachers who deceive the people with calls to save Orthodoxy, to save its purity, and who repeat this dangerous, sinful, and self-contradictory slogan 'Orthodoxy or death.' In the eyes of these people you will not find love; the devil's flame of pride burns there, of a quest for power and for the destruction of the unity of the church."

On the other hand, two weeks after this sermon, the patriarch bestowed a high church award on Hegumen Sergius Rybko, the famous missionary among whose closest associates are many persons who wear in public an athletic jersey with this very same slogan, both a representative of the Union of Orthodox Standard Bearers Yury Ageshchev and famous rock musicians Konstantin Kinchev and Stas Bartenev, at whose concerts the hegumen has delivered sermons. And after the prosecutor had submitted a case in court, Kinchev and the entire "Alisa" group that he leads came out on stage at a concert in St. Petersburg on 25 July in just such football shirts. The next day the Holy Synod included a rock musician in the patriarchal Council on Culture.

In order to understand the difference in the approaches of the leadership of RPTs to one and the same slogan, it is necessary to take a look at its history.

The slogan "Orthodoxy or death" arose comparatively recently. In 1965, when Roman Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Athenagoras solemnly declared the removal of the anathemas that the western and eastern Christian churches had placed on one another in 1054, monks of the Esphigmenou monastery on Mt. Athos refused to recognize this decision, calling it "the heresy of ecumenism." In the history of the Constantinople church, the removal of an anathema that had been imposed is not something out of the ordinary: for example, the Council of Constantinople of 879-880 cancelled the anathema placed by Patriarch Photius on Roman Pope Nicholas I, and restored fellowship with the western church. But in the present case, the removal of the anathemas turned out to be a very convenient occasion for accusing hierarchs of "betrayal" and "ties with Catholics and Masons." Esphigmenou became the center of gravity for "true Orthodox" groups who are called "zealots" (by analogy with the Jewish movement in Palestine in the first century). In 1972, a black flag appeared over the monastery with the inscription "Orthodoxy or death." Similar black banners with various images have flown over the "annexes" of the monastery in cities of Greece and in neighboring countries. For example, in Serbia, where in 1996 "zealots" created their own male monastery in the thick forests on Mt. Fruska. Everywhere, both in Serbia and Greece, they have rejected the official church and bishops and, in turn, have been rejected by them. In 2003, a joint meeting of representatives and heads of all 20 supreme monasteries of Athos publicly declared that "persons occupying Esphigmenou have gone much farther than expressing disagreements, concerns, and alarms in connection with ecclesiastical policies of one or another primate of the Constantinople church and they do not acknowledge the characteristics of the Orthodox church in any one of the most ancient patriarchates (Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem) nor in any of the other local Orthodox churches. They are conducting a struggle not in defense of Orthodoxy, as they themselves affirm, but exclusively in defense of a particular branch of the so-called 'True Orthodox Christians,' to which they belong themselves."

In Russia, the "zealotry" theme and symbol have been commandeered, when after the death on 2 November 1995 of Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Ioann it became clear to the Russian "ultra-Orthodox" persons that there was nobody else among the prominent bishops of RPTs who shared their ideas. Beginning in 1997, the "Rus Pravoslavnaia" newspaper and "Orthodoxy or Death" almanacs from issue to issue began writing about "those hierarchs of RPTs who betray Orthodoxy to western heretics and Masons."  The ideological basis for the position of these publications is what they call "Orthodox Stalinism," using Orthodoxy and appeals to the decision of the Council of Local Orthodox Churches in Moscow in 1948 condemning ecumenical contacts with western churches, which clearly reflected obedience to the "warrior against Zionism" Joseph Stalin. Thus, in articles in "Rus Pravoslavnaia" in 2006 it was affirmed that "The Russian Orthodox church prayed to God for Stalin and Russia" and actually it was worthwhile for it. In 2004 Patriarch Alexis II condemned "Rus Pravoslavnaia" and similar publication as "discrediting the church and its hierarchs" and "striving to split the church." In the end some publications simply quietly disappeared (such as "Orthodoxy or Death") and others, like "Rus Pravoslavnaia", whose head editor is Konstantin Dushenov, in subsequent years became the object of judicial prosecution.

After overcoming "the true Orthodox" who used the slogans of fighting the Individual Identification Numbers and ecumenism to deny the legitimacy of the hierarchs of RPTs, the patriarchate at the same time facilitated the creation of a similar movement within its own ranks. The desire to attract to itself masses of youth led the leaders of RPTs in 2004-2005 to draw into its "mission" a number of antiquated rockers who had converted by then to the faith. Yesterday's rocker rebels and Orthodoxy embraced one another in a most radical, monarchist, Black Hundreds variety. Within the "Alisa" group fan club arose a "Red-Black Hundred" whose name referred both to the traditional red and black colors of the group and to the "Black Hundreds." Children and grandchildren of atheists who had been deprived of the Orthodox tradition gobbled up the "true Orthodox" slogans and visual images which had penetrated into the midst of the Russian ultra-Orthodox from the Balkans. We note that the athletic jerseys that are now the subject of judicial investigation were created in 2006 by the artist Igor Miroshnichenko (although many think they are "traditional"). According to the head of the Union of Orthodox Standard Bearers, Leonid Simonovich-Nikshich, Miroshnichenko got the design during their trip together to Serbia in 2004.

The prosecutor's suit has turned out to be an opportunity for the new ultraconservative wing of RPTs to "show its power." Bishop of Syktyvkar and Vorkuta Pitirim has posted a defense of the slogan "Orthodoxy or death" on his diocesan website, which became famous for its article against "Masons and ecumenists." They can count not only on the support of conservative believers, but also of the youth who attend rock concerts. At the end of June Kinchev directly threatened the authorities of Karelia for prohibiting the "Vozdukh" rock festival, which became a symbol of "a Russian uprising." It seems the youth can behave themselves "insolently and rudely," and the authorities "must ally themselves with the youth and not against them." Whether the patriarchate can now control its generation of ultra-Orthodox persons is most likely an open question for it. Hence, both the attempts to condemn the radical slogans and to "tame" those who proclaim these slogans by bestowing church honors and offices upon them. (tr. by PDS, posted 5 August 2010)

Russian original pposted on Portal-credo.ru site, 5 August 2010


PROSECUTOR PETITIONS FOR FINDING "ORTHODOXY OR DEATH" JERSEYS EXTREMIST
Portal-credo.ru, 12 July 2010

Athletic jerseys with the inscription "Orthodoxy or death!" and representation of Orthodox symbols with skulls should be recognized as extremist. A corresponding law suit has been submitted to the Liublin regional court of Moscow by the Liublin district prosecutor's office as a result of an investigation of the group "Antireligiia" on the Vkontakt.ru web site, where an illustration of the jersey was posted, an "Interfax-Religiia" correspondent was told on 12 July at the court.

The prosecutor requests that this representation be included in the federal list of extremist materials and that the administrator of the group, named Nesterov, be ordered to remove it from the web site.

At the present time, a socio-psychological-linguistic expert analysis has been ordered, which will be conducted by the Russian Federal Center of Judicial Expert Analysis in the Ministry of Justice of RF. After the expert analysis' conclusions have been established, the case will be resumed in judicial session. The administrator of the group is named as the defendant.

The following questions have been put before the experts:  what is the burden of meaning borne by the symbols and slogan on the jersey? is the image intended to incite religious strife? does it promote the exclusiveness, preeminence, or inferiority of citizens on the basis of indication of their religious attitude?

Many Orthodox people are wearing these jerseys. In particular, it is known that the leader of the "Alisa" rock group, Konstantin Kinchev, has worn the football shirt with the inscription "Orthodoxy or death!" at several of his concerts.  (tr. by PDS, posted 6 August 2010)


ORTHODOX BISHOP DEFENDS "ORTHODOXY OR DEATH"
Portal-credo.ru, 15 July 2010

Bishop of Syktyvkar and Vorkuta Pitirim, of the Russian Orthodox church of the Moscow patriarchate, has spoken out in defense of the slogan "Orthodoxy or death!" "Interfax-religiia" reported on 14 July.

"The inscription is not 'extremist' by any means. For us, being without holy Orthodoxy really is death! More than that, I think that Russian Orthodox symbols should be everywhere. This would be far more useful now in Russia rather than the propaganda of everything foreign and profane which has overtaken everyone and everything," Bishop Pitirim writes on the diocesan web site in response to a question from one of the believers.

He notes that he supports such slogans, "but one gets the impression that there is nobody who is standing up for Russian Orthodoxy and its symbols."

"Rus is dying away. When I visit the cities and towns of the republic of Komi I learn about the actual increase in funeralsÑlast year twice what it was in the preceding year. Cemeteries are growing apace and hundreds of new hectares are being devoted to burying people. It's a plague. Let's stop this poisonous breath of Lucifer, the genocide of our nation," the bishop advocates.

Recently the Liublin district prosecutor of Moscow filed a law suit with the request for finding athletic jerseys with the inscription "Orthodox or death", along with images of Orthodox symbols with skulls, to be extremist. The prosecutor asks that this graphic be entered into the federal list of extremist materials.

In his time, Patriarch Kirill called proponents of the "Orthodoxy or death" slogan wolves in sheep's clothing and encouraged people not to trust such champions of the "purity" of the faith. (tr. by PODS, posted 6 August 2010)

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Internal Affairs officers beat up civil rights lawyer

ATTORNEY SPECIALIST IN MATTERS OF FREE SPEECH AND CONFESSION ARRESTED AND BEATEN
Portal-credo.ru, 4 August 2010

In Tatarstan on 3 August, the famous attorney from Izhevsk, Rustem Valiullin, was arrested by officers of the department for internal affairs of Almetevsk, "Islam.ru" reports.

Eyewitnesses said that police in several vehicles blocked the entrance to the Almetevsk mosque and did not permit anybody to leave and began searching all automobiles. As parishioners report, the deputy chief of the Directorate of Internal Affairs of the city, Akhmetzianov, ordered subordinates to transport attorney Valiullin and two other men to the internal affairs department.

As the "Agora" human rights center reports, when Attorney Timur Valiev and the director of the Prikamsk human rights center Rafis Latypov arrived yesterday from Izhevsk, they were not permitted to see Valiullin. "Neither relatives nor attorneys were permitted to see him. If you do not immediately leave the internal affairs building, you will be arrested for disobeying a legal order of a police officer," declared the on-duty policeman Albert Zinurov.

As "Gazeta.ru" reported, Valliulin was beaten.

At the internal affairs department of Almetevsk on 3 August, it was said that Rustem Valiullin was arrested for "administrative violation of law according to article 19.3 of the Code on Administrative Violation of Law for disobedience to police officers."

A graduate of the law faculty of Udmurtia State University, since 2005 Rustem Valiullin has been working as an attorney. He specializes in cases regarding freedom of speech and religious confession. He engages in judicial defense of people from persecution for religious convictions. Valiullin works with the "Agora" and Prikamsk Rights Protection Center associations. (tr. by PDS, posted 4 August 2010)

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Kiev evangelical minister faces court trial

NIGERIAN PASTOR ACCUSED OF "CREATING CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION"
Portal-credo.ru, 4 August 2010

In addition to "fraud of an especially large scope," a Nigerian pastor is being accused of "creating a criminal organization," for which he faces up to 12 years in prison, RISU [Religion Information Service of Ukraine] reported on 4 August, citing "Gazeta po-kievski."

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has not provided a report for a long time as to how the criminal cases against Sunday Adelaja are proceeding, who is a pastor whose followers constitute a reliable electoral constituency for Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky.

Previously it had been known only that the cases of "King's Capital" and the "Grant" company, in which Adelaja is officially accused of fraud, had been joined into a single proceeding and the Nigerian's property had been seized in order to provide compensation for victims in civil suits. On 3 August, "Gazeta po-kievski" explained that there still is progress in the Adelaja case; Sunday is being charged on a new article which provides for from 5 to 12 years in prison. However he will not be tried earlier than winter because very many victims wish to become acquainted with the materials of the case.

Viktor Ilchuk, the head of the investigative division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who is overseeing the Adelaja case, explained for "Gazeta" that materials regarding the pastor's organization were assembled long ago, and when they became sufficient it was decided to expand the list of articles of the charges. An attorney for the victims is satisfied with such a decision by the investigation. (tr. by PDS, posted 4 August 2010)

See related articles, Kiev evangelical preacher implicated in investment scheme?
Kiev megachurch leader still under suspicion

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Ukrainian church bombed on day of patriarch's departure

WEAK SEX MAY BE STRONGLY GUILTY
Chief suspect in bombing of building of Ukrainian Orthodox church of the Moscow patriarchate in Zaporozhe determined
by Yakov Noskov, Zaporozhe
Kommersant-Ukraina, 3 August 2010

On Friday at a press conference in Zaporozhe, Minister of Internal Affairs Anatoly Mogilev reported on the arrest of several suspects in the bombing of the church of the Holy Protection, although he refused to give their names. Meanwhile, searches for persons who participated in the blast have continued, and the police are prepared to pay an award of up to 200,000 hryvnias to everyone who will help solve this crime. Law enforcement agencies think that the chief suspect in the bombing is a 35-year-old woman.

On Friday, Minister of Internal Affairs Anatoly Mogilev arrived in Zaporozhe in order to acquaint himself with the course of the investigation of the criminal case over the incident of the bombing of the church of the Holy Protection. He conducted a closed conference with the leadership of the chief directorate of internal affairs for Zaporozhe province at which he heard information about the work of the investigative group dealing with solving this crime.

The explosion in the church of the Holy Protection in Zaporozhe occurred on 28 July at 16.28. Ten persons were injured as a result and one of them died from wounds received. According to the prosecutor of Zaporzhe province, Viacheslav Pavlov, an improvised explosive device was detonated in the church. On 29 July President Viktor Yanukovich called law enforcement agencies to solve this crime in the shortest time possible, after which Prosecutor General Alexander Medvedko expressed confidence that this task could be accomplished within a week.

As Anatoly Mogilev said at the press conference, on the whole he is satisfied with the work of the investigative group:  "I think that the work has been conducted at a rather high professional level." The minister also reported that within the framework of the criminal case, several persons have already been arrested, although he refused to give any details about the identities of those detained, citing the presumption of innocence.  "I do not think it possible to publish any information about these people and I will explain why. If tomorrow we do not prove their guilt, but if we give any information about them, this may harm the reputation of these people and of the investigation as a whole," Mr. Mogilev explained.

However, as Kommersant has learned, the chief suspect in planning the bombing in the church of the Holy Protection is still at liberty. According to an official telegram sent to the leaders of the subdivision of the chief directorate of internal affairs in Zaporozhe province, over the signature of the acting director of the criminal investigation division, D.V. Kolchin (Kommersant has a copy at its disposal), a woman is suspected of committing the crime; she is approximately 35 years old, "160-165 cm tall, straight hair of medium length, dark brown eyes." The document says that at the time of the explosion she was dressed in a "colorful blouse, beige skirt, and colorful scarf." This information and a sketch of the suspect have been sent to regional departments and other police units engaged in the search for the perpetrators of the bombing.

The telegram also indicates that the improvised explosive device used in the bombing of the church consisted of an aluminum canister of 4 to 6 liters, with an explosive of aluminum powder and ammonium nitrate and a firing mechanism of a Chinese-made electronic alarm clock, a transistor, and "Krona" batteries. The document says that "on the basis of the extent and nature of destruction, the power of the explosion was the equivalent of 400 grams of TNT."

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has still not given the motives of the crime, affirming that the investigation is checking out all versions. For help in solving the criminal case, the chief directorate of internal affairs for Zaporozhe province promises an award of up to 200,000 hryvnias. "The award will be paid for information that helps to arrest those guilty of causing the explosion in the church of the Holy Protection or to solve this crime," Kommersant was told at the Center of Public Relations of the chief directorate of internal affairs for Zaporozhe province. (tr. by PDS, posted 3 August 2010)

Russian original posted on Portal-credo.ru site, 3 August 2010


INVESTIGATION RULES OUT POLITICAL MOTIVE FOR BOMBING IN ZAPOROZHE CHURCH
Interfax-religiia, 29 July 2010

Investigators are still considering three versions of the explosion in the church of the Holy Protection in Zaporozhe that occurred Wednesday afternoon.

"We are absolutely ruling out the political account for now. In any case, law enforcement agencies have not received any statements claiming responsibility for the crime from either individual persons or public and political groups, parties, or associations," the prosecutor for Zaporozhe province, Viacheslav Pavlov, declared, whose statement was posted on the "Reporter Zaporozhia" internet publication.

According to V. Pavlov, the bomb could have been placed in the church by a mentally ill person or a citizen who was motivated to commit the crime by problems of a domestic nature. Among the possible versions are problems of interpersonal relations or conflicts involving the rector of the church. (tr. by PDS, posted 3 August 2010)


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