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The nearer parliamentary elections of 1999 in Russia approach, the activity of all sorts of religious sects has become more evident. So stated Secretary Genrikh Mikhailov of the Commission on Affairs of Religious Associations of the government of RF at its session yesterday. In his words, "Jehovah's Witnesses" have manifested special vigor on the eve of elections in actions which often bear an "overtsly aggressive character." In particular, there is information that in various regions members of this society have been conducting work aimed at placing their representatives in local legislative bodies. In connection with this Mikhailov noted that the material resources of religious societies that are nontraditional for RF, which include the "Witnesses," often surpass the financial potential of traditional Russian confessions. Besides, according to the secretary of the commission, in recent time Pentecostals have notably strengthened their position at the expense of congregations which were created in Russia with cooperation from citizens of Korea and USA. (tr by PDS)
(posted 2 May 1999)
To His Holiness, the most holy patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus, Alexis
II
To members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox church
From clergy and monks of Ekaterinburg diocese
Your Holiness! Most holy master and father!
Very reverend members of the Holy Synod!
Most humbly we beg your forgiveness for bothering you with our complaints which perhaps are unnecessary since we cannot say anything substantially new. But the conduct of our ruling bishop Nikon forces us to act in this way. Having returned from Moscow after celebrating the seventieth birthday of His Holiness, Master Nikon declared to the clergy that he had been forgiven and retained in his see. Since we were unable to learn whether his words corresponded with reality, we were seized with the most powerful confusion. Was it really possible that the immoral things he had done could be completely forgiven without any serious consequences? Without going into all of the material contained in the reports which we submitted to the synodal commission (85 reports in 160 pages), we recall the most egregious incidents.
The scandelous drunken laying of hands upon a child with a wild, hysterical prayer for healing. The witness was the priest Alexander Urakov. The event occurred outside of the church house and other people also could see it.
In a drunken state he blasphmously ordained Hegumen Tikhon Zatekin bishop after having put half of his cassock on him, speaking the words: "Divine grace . . ." and the like.
Another event of which it is especially horrible to speak, and thus we previously kept quiet about it; a completely drunken Master Nikon tossed vodka upward and addressing God spoke approximately the following: "Who are You? I am a bishop!"
The last two incidents happened in the presence of Hegumen Tikhon Zatekin. Of course, all this was in a state of alcoholic inebriation; but there is a wise proverb: "What the sober person has in his mind, the drunken person has on his tongue." And if the third rule of the Third Ecumenical Council orders Orthodox clergy not to accuse heretical bishops, whom the fifteenth rule of the sixth council calls false bishops, then how are we supposed to treat a bishop who is a blasphemer? From the aforementioned sacrilegious acts and words it is possible to draw the following conclusions: our ruling bishop is either an atheist or a person who has been driven mad by the power of the bishop's rank.
Witnesses of his unnatural vice are more numerous. Hegumen Avraam Reidman heard confession from a certain youth about the sexual advances Master Nikon made to him, promising him the rank of hegumen for his consent. Monastic priest Andrei Mogilatov in a casual conversation with a passenger he met on a train learned that this passenger "provided boys" for the bishop. Archpriest Gennady Vedernikov and Fr Dimitry Menshikov were asked by Master Nikon himself to "get him some boys." Hegumen Tikhon and his brother, Fr Oleg Zatekin, on a different occasion experienced the sexual advances from our bishop, while Fr Oleg was promised clerical honor (kamilavka) and a dean's position if he consented. Besides this Hegumen Tikhon frequently heard immodest confessions of similar "love affairs," for example, regarding reconciliation while serving the liturgy after the "evening's pleasures" and, on the other hand, regarding the wrath of the bishop during the service if there had not been such pleasures the night before. Here it is necessary to make note that this is not a violation of the confessional, as our bishop maintains, because he made confession to Fr Tikhon only twice, and this was to a substantial degree merely a formality, that is, the sins were listed in the form of the monastic confession. Also Fr Tikhon often had occasion to hear requests to obtain for the bishop "boys" and sometimes even monks, for the same purpose, which he had to evade every time since he did not have the courage to refuse directly.
Deacon Alexander Atmazhitov also was put under pressure both directly from Bishop Nikon himself and through his lover, Archimandrite Klavdian Larkov, to procure a youth for the bishop for cohabitation. Fr Alexander learned from Fr Klavdian the candid story about his ambitious church career because of his love affair with Master Nikon. Also Archimandrite Klavdian said that the Kamensk-Urals monastery of the Savior's Transfiguration, where he is the abbot, will become a "special" monastery because there for the bishop will be assembled similar "cadres," that is, homosexuals. At the same time Deacon Alexander had threats addressed to him that if anybody found out about all this he would vanish from the face of the earth. And Hegumen Tikhon also heard about the designation of the Kamensk-Urals monastery as a den of pederasts from the bishop himself.
The following persons were direct eyewitnesses of the unnatural vice of Bishop Nikon: a worker of the Saint Nicholas Verkhotursk monastery, S., who was hired on Bishop Nikon's request for the specific purpose by the monastic priest Pimen Balabanov, and a former student of the church school, D., who was given vodka almost to the point of unconsciousness by a certain Alexander who is close to the bishop. Afterward Bishop Nikon swore before the altar that he would have D. killed and buried under the grave of another corpse so that nobody could find him if he told anyone about his relations with the bishop. As regards S., as a person of weak faith, he told of the intimate relations with the bishop in such detail that makes one's hair stand on end, giving Fr Tikhon the right to tell it to whomever and whereever he wishes.
Without doubt, for all of this evil vice Bishop Nikon deserves removal from his see for fornication in accordance with the twenty-fifth Apostolic Canon. Perhaps some kind of mercy is appropriate here, but mercy does not simply mean indulgence, but indulgence for the good of the church. And what could this good be? Certainly not in confirming the slander which our ruling bishop directed against His Holiness when he told D. that the patriarch has long known that Bishop Nikon is "gay," but that he would do nothing to him. Does the Russian Orthodox church really need the dissemination of this evil rumor?
We have been asked not to wash dirty linen in public, and we really have tried to comply, suggesting that if there are a few trustworthy witnesses and the synodal commission confirms it, then this would be enough to establish the truth. But Master Nikon is being defended by the powers that be, before whom we dare to bring these charges, and even simple believers are defending him, whom we are sparing from them. Their defense is significant despite their ignorance. Bishop Nikon's immoral life is widely known from the mass media. And we are called schismatics because we have complained-- to whom? to the most holy patriarch. A complaint to the hierarchy has now become a sign of schism. And this is because we do not wish to accept the occupancy of the bishop's see by a blasphemer and sodomite who is some kind of second Metropolitan Zosima. If it is possible to show indulgence for such sins and to consider administrative skills as the highest and perhaps the only virtue of a bishop, then who knows whether soon the time will come when in the Russian Orthodox church the division will not be between the traditionalists and the modernists but between the heterosexuals and homosexuals? Indeed, we have reconciled ourselves with the ruling bishop, not because we have retracted our accusations but for the sake of the peace of the church, for the sake of eliminating the confusion among the believing people which has been engendered by our bishop. Besides, it is stupid to smother a flame with straw because after a few moments it will break out with new force.
Since we have serious suspicions that His Holiness and the members of the Holy Synod do not have complete information or have information that has been presented in a different light, we, the undersigned clergy and monks along with witnesses are prepared to come, if necessary, to a session of the Holy Synod and personally assure His Holiness and the most reverend members of the synod of our resolve to fight to the end not for our own places and position but for ridding the body of the church of Ekaterinburg diocese of the cancerous growth of pederasty and cynicism which already has metastasized throughout our clergy.
Again, forgive us, Your Holiness and reverend bishops, for this letter which is perhaps unnecessary and unpleasant both for you and for us, but its composition has been evoked by our very strong spiritual pains and tears which we pour out by night, when nobody is looking, and sometimes even during the divine service. Also we ask your forgiveness for sending this letter to all members of the synod, because despite numerous assurances, we have reason to fear a selective and tendentious presentation of the facts in this case.
Signed by 108 persons, including 53 priests.
(tr. by PDS)
(posted 3 May 1999)
(posted 7 April 1999)
MOSCOW (AP) -- Just inside the Church of Saints Kozma and Demyan, a bulletin board bursting with notices announces that this is far more than a cloistered place of prayer.
Alongside congregants' invitations to religious discussions hang offers of free medical services to the community. A hand-lettered sign appeals for blood for a sick child at a hospital where one of the parish priests has established a chapel, an aid fund and a team of volunteers.
Inside the sanctuary, friends greet one another with hugs and kisses, and press forward to hear the soft-spoken senior priest, the Rev. Alexander Borisov, read the Gospel. Children slither around their parents' legs, or perch atop their shoulders to get a better look at the icons of saints reaching practically to the 18th century dome.
The church provides a respite from the roar of traffic and crowds of pedestrians on nearby Tverskoy Boulevard, which passes Moscow's City Hall and ends at the gates to the Kremlin.
It's also a place of fellowship for a small flock of believers yearning to do away with the formality -- some say the hidebound adherence to ritual -- that characterizes the Russian Orthodox Church, the country's predominant religion.
Echoing the earlier liberalization movement in the Roman Catholic Church, reform advocates want to break down the barriers between Orthodox priests and their congregations. They say that the Russian language should be used more often in place of old Church Slavonic and that priests should read the Gospel facing the congregation rather than the altar, as is the practice in most Orthodox churches.
They want Bible groups, parish involvement in the community, and an ecumenical approach, rather than the isolationism preached by many vocal leaders of the Orthodox hierarchy.
All this goes against the grain of Russian Orthodox tradition, where doctrine is handed down from the patriarch to the bishops to the parish priests and finally to believers. A renewal effort by the hierarchy itself was ended by the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, and more recent reform attempts by individual priests have been quashed.
Borisov has been careful not to challenge the Patriarchate, and he says wearily that time, not pressure, will bring change. Yet some see his church as a model for renewal.
``The service is a ritual that we should preserve -- it's beautiful and mystical -- but for most worshippers it still isn't a real means of active faith. The service isn't the only thing,'' says Borisov, a biologist who served as a deacon for 17 years before becoming a priest.
The Church of Saints Kozma and Demyan supplements its worship services and children's Sunday schools with an array of Bible discussion groups, catechism classes for adults and youth clubs. Much of its charity work is focused on medical aid, in the tradition of its namesake saints, the Russian patron saints of healers.
Nearly 400 of the 500 people who make up the core of the church have come to the faith over the past decade. Most have come through friends or through acquaintance with the work of the Rev. Alexander Men, a popular priest and writer who was murdered in 1990. The crime has never been solved.
Some members were attracted by the church's ecumenical approach -- Protestant and Catholic worshippers are welcome -- and others by the priests' outspoken defense of democracy, propagated over an independent religious radio station.
``People want not just to attend church, but to have brothers and sisters with whom they can share their faith,'' says Karina Chernyak, a parishioner who with her husband Andrei founded Russia's first school to train Orthodox missionaries.
The Orthodox Church has traditionally enjoyed such dominance in Russia it didn't have to seek out converts. With the collapse of communism, however, it is having to compete with dynamic evangelical faiths that took root as underground movements during Soviet times.
Reform advocates fear that in its campaign to protect the faith, the Orthodox Church is becoming increasingly xenophobic.
``Soviet people were brought up with the struggle against the enemy being a very important part of their internal world. Today, instead of the fight against world imperialism, they're presented with a new form of struggle -- against the enemies of Orthodoxy,'' says the Rev. Georgy Chistyakov, another priest at Saints Kozma and Demyan.
The missionary school, housed in an apartment near Saints Kozma and Demyan, has just 10 students each year, ranging from age 18 to 25.
The school is a sharp departure for the Orthodox Church, where serious religious study was traditionally restricted to seminaries and, before the Bolshevik revolution, the bulk of ordinary worshippers could not read. The Soviet era brought 100 percent literacy but a dearth of religious literature.
``An absolutely new situation has arisen over the past 10 years, when this absolutely literate country has enough sacred texts and we can talk about internal missions or evangelism,'' Chernyak says. ``We have plenty of reason to hope that life is returning to the Church.''
(posted 5 April 1999)
The number of religious groups and institutions required by Russian law to reregister with government authorities by December 31, 1999 is about 17,000, but only 300 were processed between 1997 and the end of February 1999, a prominent Russian expert recently revealed at a background briefing for American diplomats, religious leaders, and Russian officials at the U.S. embassy in Moscow. The expert characterized the reregistration as "a logistical nightmare" for the bureaucracy and predicted that the task will not be completed and that most of the religious groups will be left in legal limbo.
(posted 2 April 1999)
The trial of Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow, which began as a criminal probe three years ago, has reached a new stage. "We are now in the midst of a theological debate," says Judah Schroeder of Brooklyn, New York, who served as the movement's observer at the proceedings. But he is not optimistic about the eventual outcome of the trial which other minority religious groups and human rights advocates regard as a test case for Russia's repressive 1997 religion law. Schroeder blames the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The key legal issue is whether the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses incite religious discord threatening social peace. A closely related accusation is that the church uses coercion and destroys families. After conducting four separate criminal probes, the prosecution switched tactics and filed a civil case. But it fumbled in presenting its evidence in court last September. Adjournment came after only half a day.
Following a two-day trial last November, Judge Yelena Prokhorycheva again adjourned to allow the prosecution more time to collect evidence and prepare the case.
On March 12, after a five-week trial, Prokhorycheva announced that she will appoint a committee to study the teachings of the church and report back to her. She asked that both the prosecution and the defense submit its list of five individuals, specialists in one of three fields -- religious studies, linguistics, and psychology -- to serve on the committee. A few days later, she said that she had selected three of the prosecution's candidates and two from the defense list.
On March 19, Jehovah's Witnesses appealed her ruling at the Moscow City Court, the capital's highest court. The response may take several weeks. Arguing that the prosecution failed to present a credible case, church officials asked for a dismissal. They also point out that the prosecution has a 3 to 2 advantage in the experts' committee, which has no deadline for its report. "That study can be dragged out for months, a year, or more," says Schroeder, "while we remain under a cloud. We cannot rent facilities. Our people throughout the country are told by the authorities that their reregistration is held up because the court in Moscow might ban Jehovah's Witnesses. Nobody in the provinces wants to take a step before the trial is over." He adds that in Moscow the landlord recently canceled a congregation's lease. "Obviously, someone talked to our landlord," he says.
According to Schroeder, there are about 900 Witness congregations throughout Russia, and so far only 29 have been able to reregister. "We have about 250,000 believers and others who attend our services," he says. "We are in all of Russia's 89 oblasts. We are not one of 'the new religions' the law singles out for discrimination."
Schroeder says that Jehovah's Witnesses have been in Russia for about 100 years. Believers were brutally persecuted under Stalin, who exiled 5,000 families to Siberia, some to labor camps, others to localities they were not permitted to leave. Many hundreds perished under the harsh conditions. "Our people who were exiled were not exonerated until 1993," he says.
Unlike other spokesmen for minority religions, Schroeder does not hesitate to identify "the driving force" behind the legal problems of his church. "We are convinced that the Russian Orthodox Church is behind our persecution," he says. "They have their ties to politicians, and we believe they help to finance the anti-cult group called the Committee to Rescue Youth from Totalitarian Sects which is openly pushing the case against us." The lead witness for the prosecution, Aleksandr Dvorkin, works for the Moscow Patriarchate, he adds.
Schroeder is pleased with the support from the American embassy
in Moscow which sent an observer to the trial. He also spotted representatives
from the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the European Union,
as well as from other religious communities in Russia. "People know that
ours is a test case," he says. "If we lose, we will appeal, and we are
prepared to go to the European court in Strasbourg. The Russian people
should be allowed to choose for themselves how they want to worship God."
(posted 2 April 1999)
The leader of the Grozny Baptist Church in the Chechen capital is reported to have been beheaded and his severed head displayed at a local market. Aleksandr Kulakov, 65, was last seen on March 12 when he boarded a bus.
At the end of last week a church member saw to her horror Kulakov's head on display at a stall in Grozny market, a reliable source reported. "She knew him very well and is convinced it was Aleksandr Kulakov's head," the source said. Amid widespread lawlessness in Chechnya it is not unusual to see severed heads displayed to instill fear in opponents.
Kulakov had taken over leadership of Grozny Baptist Church after Pastor Alexey Sitnikov was kidnapped on October 9. There has been no news of Sitnikov since and now the worst is feared.
The Russian Baptist Union advised all its members to leave Chechnya. With the exception of two men, the Grozny church now consists of just over a hundred members, mostly orphans and elderly women. Other Christian churches that retain a presence in Chechnya are the Russian Orthodox Church and a few Seventh-day Adventists.
A Russian Orthodox priest, Father Issihy, was kidnapped about the same time as Alexey Sitnikov. He was later freed, but remains too frightened to speak of his experiences.
In the last few days, two more Orthodox priests have been kidnapped. Russian press reports said that Father Pyotr Markov was taken in the early hours of March 27 from a house attached to the Nikolaevskaya church in Assinovskaya, a village in Chechnya. On March 28, four Chechens with machineguns burst into Pokrovskaya church in Ordzhonikidzovskaya village in Ingushetia, a republic in the Russian Federation that borders Chechnya. They seized Father Pyotr Sukhonosov and drove away toward Chechnya. Law enforcement agencies have begun searching for the priests and trying to track down the kidnappers.
In a March 29 appeal, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexy, spoke of his "profound dismay and anxiety" over the kidnappings. "Special pain is caused by the fact that in capturing Father Pyotr Sukhonosov the criminals broke into the sacred altar and committed extreme blasphemy and sacrilege," he added. "I appeal to the consciences of those who committed this crime. Do not take mortal sin upon your souls."
Also kidnapped recently was Volodya Kargiev, the 24-year-old youth leader of the Central Baptist Church in Vladikavkaz, the capital of the North Caucasian republic of North Ossetia, which borders Ingushetia. Kargiev was seized on March 9 in a suburb of Vladikavkaz. A Christian source in the city said the local police have reported that he is now being held hostage in Chechnya and that a ransom of $100,000 is being demanded. "All the churches are praying for him, and we rely only on God," the source told Compass. Kargiev, who is an ethnic Ossetian, has been a Christian for five years.
The North Caucasus has seen continuing violence and instability since the end of the war in Chechnya that left the rebel republic in a state of legal uncertainty. A bomb blast in a Vladikavkaz market in early March killed some 60 people, and kidnappings are common. It has been over four months since TEAM missionary Herb Gregg was taken against his will in Dagestan, southern Russia, according to a March 25 TEAM prayer release. "It is likely that Herb has spent these 136 days in solitude and separation. Little information is coming out of Russia, but we do know the negotiations for his release continue," the release said.
from Human Rights Without Frontiers
Copyright 1999 Compass Direct
(posted 2 April 1999)
From 31 March to 1 April a session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox church was held under the chairmanship of the most holy patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus, Alexis II.
The Holy Synod approved the declaration and appeal made by the most holy patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus, Alexis II, in connection with the situation in the federated republic of Yugoslavia and also the corresponding declarations of the Interreligious Council of Russia and the Christian Interconfessional Consultative Committee. Agreement was expressed with the postponement to a later date of the regular round of conversations between the Moscow patriarchate and the Roman Catholic church, which were not held in Rome in connection with the bombing of Yugoslavia from Italian territory. The Holy Synod issued an appeal with regard to the situation around Kosovo (the text was distributed in the release of SK OVTsS on 31 March 1999).
After discussion regarding the kidnapping on the territory of Ingushetiia of two priests of the Stavropol diocese, the Holy Synod adopted a declaration (the text was distributed in the release of SK OVTsS on 31 March 1999).
The Holy Synod heard reports from the chairman of the synodal commission on canonization of saint, Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, regarding the conclusions of the work of the commission on the question of canonizing the new Russian martyrs Metropolitan Kirill Smirnova (1863-1937), Archbishop Alexander Shchukin (1891-1937), Bishop Germogen Dolganev (1858-1918), Bishop Serafim Zvezdinsky (1883-1937), Bishop Arkady Ostalsky (1881-1937), Bishop Vasily Preobrazhensky (1876-1945), priest Grigory Averin (1889-1937), as well as the blesses Alexis Voroshilov (d. 1937), who had been glorified by his spiritual achievement as a blessed fool for Christ's sake and martyr's death. The question of their canonization for churchwide veneration was scheduled for decision at the regular bishop's council. The Holy Synod approved the suggestion of the commission regarding painting of an icon for the assembly of the Russian new martyrs and confessors of the twentieth century, suggesting that ruling bishops send to the commission sketches or drafts of the icon. The Holy Synod made a number of changes in the composition of the commission in view of the expansion of the scope of its work in advance of the second millennium of the birth of Christ.
In view of the change of status of the city of Astany, capital of Kazakhstan, the Holy Synod switched it from the diocesan administration of Bishop Elevfery of Chimkent and Akmolinsk to the administration of Archbishop Alexis of Almaty and Semipalatinsk, who was given the time archbisoph of Astana and Almaty.
The Holy Synod approved the external activity of the Russian Orthodox church performed through the Department of External Church Relations (OVTsS) of the Moscow patriarchate in 1998, and expressed thanks to the chairman of the department, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad and to all his staff for their zealous work.
For purposes of conducting an orderly dialogue with the government of Estonia for support and development of relations with religious and public circles of the country, a permanent representation of the Moscow patriarchate in Estonia was created. Archimandrite Elisy Ganaba was named representative, who is secretary of OVTsS for inter-Orthodox relations and foreign institutions of the Russian Orthodox church and who retains his present office. Having heard reports from the chairman of OVTsS, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad regarding on-going matters of the external activity of the church, the Holy Synod decided: to approve the position of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox church, which participated in the work of the Inter-Orthodox Commission for Preparing the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (Geneva, 1-2 March 1999); to express satisfaction with the Panorthodox Theological Conference on the topic "Annunciation of the Mother of God and Incarnation of the World of God," which took place in Nazareth, 15-21 March 1999, and the fruitful fraternal fellowship of the delegations of local churchs which occurred at this forum; to receive into the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox church the parish of the holy martyr Irene in Stavanger, Norway, with the appointment of the monastic priest Kliment Khukhtamiaki as rector; in regard to the request from Bishop Peter Peduraru for permission for his canonical transfer into the jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox church, to accept his repentance, in light of the expression in his Bishop Peter's request of sincere regret with regard to incidents that happened in the city of Beltsa at the time of his residence there as vicar bishop of Kishinev diocese, and to declare readiness to remove from him the canonical ban on sacerdotal ministry, and to issue a certificate of dismissal. So that this action will not engender misunderstanding among Orthodox in Moldova and not hinder the conduct of negotiations between the Russian and Romanian churches, it should be carried out as soon as possible, in accordance with the resolution of the basic question that is the subject of the negotiations; in view of the regular plenary sessin of the Joint International Commission on Theological Dialogue between Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches (Baltimor, USA, 7-14 June 1999) on the subject "Ecclesiological and Canonical Consequences of Uniatism," to authorize the synodal theological commission to prepare an official commentary on the documents of the Joint International Commission on the problem of Uniatism. The composition of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox church for participation in the plenary session of the joint commission also was settled.
It was recognized as useful to have the presence in Moscow of the permanent representative of the patriarch of Alexandria and all-Africa at the patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus, which will facilitate the development and expansion of cooperation of the two churches. The annex of the Alexandrian Orthodox church will be moved from Odessa to Moscow, to the church of All Saints on Kulishki. The opening of the annex will be scheduled for the visit of Patriarch Peter VII of Alexandria and all-Africa (22-29 April 1999). Bishop Gury of Korsun was released from the administration of the diocese and retired for reasons of health. Metropolitan Kirill, chair of OVTsS, was assigned temporary administration of the diocese.
Having heard the report of the chairman of the synodal theological commission, Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, patriarchal exarch for all-Belarus, regarding the course and results of the fifth plenum of the commission (9-10 March 1999), the Holy Synod approved the conclusions of the plenum, noting especially the pertinence and significance of its subject: "Orthodox theology on the border of the millennia." It was decided to conduct in observance of the second millennium of the birth of Christ a theological conference of the Russian Orthodox church, "Orthodox theology on the threshold of the third millenium," devoted to an analysis of critical problems and tasks of Orthodox theology and on the basis of the work done to present the conclusions and recommendations for review by the upcoming bishops' council. Taking into account the discussion that took place at the plenum of the synodal theological commission, it was authorized to prepare for the upcoming bishops' council the document "Basic principles of relations of the Russian Orthodox church with other faiths." For preparing the draft of the document, a working group was formed. Taking into account the criticism within church circles of the "Second joint declaration and sugggestions for churches" (Shambezi, Switzerland, 1990), and the decision of the bishops' council of the Russian Orthodox church in 1997 that this declaration "should not be viewed as a final document sufficient for the restoration of full fellowship between the Orthodox church and eastern Orthodox churches, since it contains ambiguity in individual Christological formulations," as well as the relevant discussion that took place at the plenum of the synodal theological commission, it was considered necessary to continue the theological dialogue of the Russian Orthodox church with non-Chalcedonian churches at the secondary level. OVTsS was authorized to take specific steps for preparing to conduct this dialogue.
The Holy Synod confirmed the civils charters of Orthodox religious organizations, diocesan monasteries and stauropigial monasteries of the Russian Orthodox church, as well as the statute of the diocesan departments of religious education and catechesis, as the single form to be used in all dioceses on the territory of the Russian federation and as a model form for dioceses on the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox church of the near and far abroad. Synod also confirmed the civil charters of the annex of the patriarchate of Moscow and all-Rus, and churches in the city of Moscow (Moscow diocese). The Holy Synod approved the conduct of a congress of diocesan missionaries on 17-20 November 1999 in Moscow. It approved the opening of two male (in South Sakhalin and Yaroslavl dioceses) and three female (in Tver, Cheliabinsk, and Yaroslavl dioceses) monasteries. It adopted a number of decision regarding appointment of personnel in monastic cloisters. It approved a medal, emblem, and memorial badges dedicated to the second millennium of the birth of Christ. It confirmed the new composition of the patriarchal and synodal biblical commission of the Moscow patriarchate.
Archpriest Viktor Petliuchenko, in accordance with his request, was relieved of the post of vice chairman of OVTsS MP. The Holy Synod expressed thanks to him for his labors.
Having reviewed the report of the administrator of affairs of the Moscow patriarchate, Metropolitan Sergius of Solnechnogorsk, regarding the results of the work on 20-24 January of this year of the synodal commission for reviewing complaints from several priests of Ekaterinburg diocese, the Holy Synod agreed with the conclusions of the commission. Hegumen Avraamy Reidman was censured for his unworthy conduct during the work of the commission and Archpriest Vladimir Ziazev for his public disparagement of church awards. A number of priests were condemned as initiators of repeated submission of complaints against their bishop without awaiting the review of the case at a session of the Holy Synod, thereby violating their promise, given earlier before the synodal commission, to cease actions against the bishop before the decision of the most holy patriarch and the Holy Synod. The actions of these priests was characterized as a violation of their word that they had given. The Holy Synod called them to repentence and reconciliation with the bishop and warned them that persistence in their activity which would lead to schism in the diocese would result in further canonical punishment. Hegumen Tikhon Zatekin was dismissed from responsibility as abbot of the Saint Nicholas Verkhotursk monastery and Hegumen Avraam Reidman from his responsibility as abbot of the All-merciful Savior monastery in Ekaterinburg. Bishop Nikon of Ekaterinburg and Verkhotursk was reprimanded for his failures in leadership of the diocese and for not paying necessary attention to the spiritual life within the monasteries of the diocese, which led to the troubled situation. (tr. by PDS)
[received from Communications Service, 2 April 1999]
(posted 2 April 1999)
The Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate continues to receive information manifesting the condemnation by Orthodox and other churches as well as international organizations of Christians of the use of force to apply pressure to Yugoslavia.
On 24 March the executive director of the Presbyterian Church of USA, Pastor Clinton Kirkpatrick, sent a letter to USA President Clinton in which he posed the questions: "Should the people of the world community by endangering the lives of soldiers and civilians in the federated republic of Yugoslavia, to say nothing of the lives of their own personnel in the air and on land in order to force Yugoslavia to accept an international presence which could prevent further murders in Kosovo? Or should the international community continue to refrain from all use of its troops in Kosovo or in Yugoslavia, guided by the conviction that violence cannot prevent violence, even when the force is used with the best of intentions? Pastor Clinton Kirkpatrick declared that "Presbyterians agree that it is impossible to permit the continuation of murders in Kosovo and that peace in Kosovo is a goal worthy of the most intense attention, and that the absence of peace in Kosovo poses a danger to the whole southeastern European continent."
On 26 March the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, Konrad Raiser, the general secretary of the Conference of European Churches, Kate Clements, and the general secretary of the World Lutheran Federation, Ishmael Noko, sent a joint letter to UN General Secretary Kofi Annan expressing their "profound concern in regard to the military intervention of NATO in the federated republic of Yugoslavia" and "actions of military force" in this part of the world. The leaders of the largest associations of Christians churches have concluded that "NATO intervention . . . speaks of the inability of the international community to come to a firm resolution by means of negotiations." The letter stresses that "each day of bombing puts off that resolution and multiplies the risk of a regional conflict. It also increases the danger of a new division in Europe." In solidarity with the appeal of the primate of the Serbian Orthodox church, Patriarch Pavla, of 25 March that called the governments of all countries of the world to take action to ending the bombing and finding a just resolution of the present crisis by means of negotiation, the authors of the letter call "for an immediate moratorium on NATO military intervention" and a revival of the process of political settlement of the Kosovo problem "under the aegis of the Organization of United Nations."
On the same day, members of a special working group, "Orthodoxy in the Evangelical Church of Germany," signed an appeal "to those who bear responsibility for politics and the church" expressing their position in the words: "War cannot be the only option in this conflict."
On 27 March the pope and patriarch of Alexandria and all-Africa, Peter VII "addressed a fervent call to all leaders of NATO immediately to cease bombing the Serbian land and to find the necessary resolution of political problems of this region." The appeal of the spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christians of the African continent, in particular, says: "Are we preparing to greet the year 2000 with wars, human bloodshed, and murder of innocent infants and children, women and defenseless people? Let the murder of Abel cease!. . . . The celebration of Holy Paskha is approaching. Let us not celebrate the crucifixion of Christ with the crucifixion of Serbs. Let us not bury the Most Pure body of Christ with burials of Orthodox people. Let us not celebrate the glorious Resurrection of Christ with tears and sorrows of the loss of life of so many people."
On 28 March Archbishop Spiridon, head of the archepiscopate of the patriarchate of Constantinople in America, sent a personal letter to USA President Clinton calling for a cessation of military operations in Yugoslavia precisely at this time of the holy days of Passion Week, which coincides this year for both eastern and western Christians as well as with the Jewish holiday of Passover and the Muslim religious holiday. At the same time a special letter with a call "to take measures for returning to the negotiating process" was sent by Archbishop Spiridon to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Archbishop Spiridon also made a special statement in which, in particular, he said: "As Orthodox Christians we cannot fail to condemn the use of force for a political settlement. We must devote all our efforts and pray that political measures will come as soon as possible to replace weapons are a means of persuasion. . . ."
On 29 March the ecumenical patriarch, Bartholomew, appealed to "heads of government of the whole world and commanders of military forces of the whole world to cease firm immediately and forever," begging them "to reach mutual understanding and to embark on mutual efforts for a peaceful resolution of regional, international, and world conflicts in order that God's peace and mercy will be achieved."
On the same day the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox church published a special declaration calling for "a sharp condemnation of the tragic consequences of the bombing" of Serbia. Those "who appeal to moral principles of Christianity to justify the attack," the Holy Synod of the Greek church reminded of the reproach of the Savior against hypocrisy: "Hypocrite! first take the log out of your eye and then you will see how to remove the splinter from your brother's eye" (Mt 7.5). The Greek church's declaration expresses support for the government of Greece "in its firm resolve to avoid any direct or covert involvement of the country through NATO in the military operation on the ground of Kosovo."
Then the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania declared: "With all our heart we share the pain of those suffering from injustice and violence as a result of the crisis in Kosovo. We cannot engage in eloquent or glib declarations in this exceptionally difficult situation. But praying every day "for those who hate and love us," we humbly pray that the God of righteousness and love will perform his miracle and in our troubled region establish peace and justice. We already have given great aid and we continue to work, as we are able, for alleviating the fate of the refugees from the conflict who have found refuge in Albania."
On 31 March Bishop Constantine of the Serbian Orthodox church in central Europe and Bishop Josef Homeyer of the German diocese of the Roman Catholic church appealed to believers of their churches with a joint statement expressing the hope "that the good harmony which, despite historic hindrances, was achieved in past years among Serbian Orthodox and Catholic parishes will not be destroyed in this conflict." The two bishops' appeal said: "May the Lord grant to responsible politicians the readiness and capacity to silence the weapons and resume serious negotiations for finding a just resolution for all participants in the conflict."
On 1 April the World Council of Churches distributed an Easter appeal in connection with the situation in Yugoslavia. It said, in particular: "Recalling now the sacrifice of Jesus Christ whom the prophets proclaimed as Messiah and Prince of Peace, we suffer spiritual pain, for we acknowledge that we could not refuse the sword in the moments of doubt and fear. Kosovo is only one of many conflicts in the contemporary world where people have lifted weapons against one another out of fear, hatred, greed or hopelessness. Many of these wars are mostly hidden from the external worls, but some of them are even more horrible than what is taking place in the Balkans. Thus let us pray on Easter for those people in Yugoslavia and in other places where human life is being disturbed by war." (tr. by PDS)
[received from Communications Service, 1 April 1999]
(posted 1 April 1999)
For Immediate Release, March 31, 1999
THE HOLY SYNOD OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH CALLS FOR STOPPING MILITARY OPERATIONS IN YUGOSLAVIA FROM APRIL 2 ON THE EVE OF THE HOLY WEEK
The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church meeting in Moscow under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia today issued an appeal in connection with the situation around Kosovo. The full text is given below: Just as was expected, the continuing missile and air-strikes by the NATO armed forces on the territory of the Union Republic of Yugoslavia brought tremendous bloodshed with numerous victims among civilian population. At the same time this action shattered all efforts undertaken earlier for peaceful solution of the Kosovo problem. Thousands of refugees cross the borders of Yugoslavia every day seeking to save their life and the life of their children. Many civilian objects the Orthodox holy place were destroyed.
Generally recognized principles of international law were outraged and the authority of the United Nations Organization was greatly damaged. With the connivance of the world community the most dangerous precedent is constituted for using the brutal force to impose solutions on one of the countries unacceptable to the majority of its people. Hence the green light is actually given to destruction of a just world order and to further escalation of ethnic hatred, religious strife and war hysteria.
On behalf of the fullness of the Russian Orthodox Church we address the fraternal Serbian people, all those living in the Union Republic of Yugoslavia, the public of the countries comprising canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate and all world community, and state that what is happening now in Yugoslavia, where 'the dying groan, and the soul of the wounded cries for help' (Job 24:12), is the sin before God and a crime against humanity.
Under the circumstances it is impossible to find ways to real reconciliation of the conflict. Only in the situation of peace, relying on all parties concerned and all those seeking the nonviolent solution of problems would it be possible to achieve a true settlement of the conflict. Therefore, we resolutely call upon the leaders of the NATO countries, the leadership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, President of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic and other statesmen of the country to stop the strikes against Yugoslavia and all military actions on its territory on April 2, Great Friday according to Western paschal circle, and to refrain from military actions in connection with the celebration of Easter according to Eastern paschal circle. We hope that this period of time could be used for consultations and negotiations which are necessary for reaching a compromise agreement.
We make this appeal in the hope that the moral valued given by God and the commitment to Christian tradition are still alive in our darkened by sin civilization in the very end of the 20th century.
We are convinced that the potential for peace actions has not been exhausted. Appealing to the leaders of the United Nations Organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, state leaders of Russia and other countries which are not involved in military actions, we ask them to exert particular efforts for establishing lasting and just peace in the Balkans. We assure you that our Church is prepared to render its assistance to the peace process in any canonically acceptable form, both independently and in cooperation with the Local Orthodox Churches, the Roman Catholic Church and other non-Orthodox Christians, the followers of other religions, state and public circles and international organizations.
It is quite evident that the attainment of peace in the much suffered Kosovo which is an integral ancestral holy land of the Serbian people is inconceivable without guarantees of security to the ethnic Albanians living there. In the face of murderous shocking events we have no right whatsoever to permit the return to the times when 'every man did what was right in his own eyes' (Judg.17:6). We appeal to the confronting parties in the Kosovo conflict: brothers Serbs and brothers Albanians, the Lord has judged you to live together in this land. Find courage to stop the fratricide, lay down your arms, and for the sake of the truth of God, for the sake of saving your wives and children return to peace negotiations.
'O Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us' (Is.26:12). Recalling these words of the great prophet in time when Holy and Great Lent comes to its end and on the eve of the Holy Week, we call upon all faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church to pray fervently about peace to be granted to the suffering people in Yugoslavia so that the coming feast of the Pascha of Christ can be celebrated in joy over the Risen Lord rather in tears over new irretrievable losses.
We condemn all acts of aggression in the Balkans, but we must be impartial and wise and undertake reasonable and responsible peace actions which would lead to the abatement of conflict rather than to its escalation of the conflict and, even more, to the involvement of new participants in it. We must not keep silence, but one should not succumb to passions without thinking. Both in our words and in our deeds we must fulfill the Apostle's call: 'Seek peace and pursue it" (1 Pet.3:11). 'The God of peace be with you all. Amen' (Rom.15:33).
[received from Communications Service, 1 April 1999]
(posted 1 April 1999)
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