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Modernizing Orthodox priest draws fire from patriarch

NEW KOCHETKOV CASE IS SIGN THAT EVEN HIGH PERSONAL LOYALTY TO CURRENT HEAD OF RPTsMP IS NO GUARANTEE OF PROTECTION

Telegram Channel "Orthodoxy and Zombies," 23 August 2020

 

The patriarchy has again taken up Kochetkov. The Telegram channel "Tserkvach" published a resolution of Patriarch Kirill in which the heads of two synodal agencies and one diocesan one are instructed to draw a conclusion about the "correspondence to dogmatic Orthodox teaching, the patristic heritage, and the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church" of the theological explorations of priest Georgy Kochetkov, which he has been writing since 2001.

 

The priest Georgy Kochetkov is the founder and spiritual trustee of the Transfiguration Brotherhood, which also is known as the Fellowship [Sodruzhestvo] of Small Orthodox Brotherhoods, one of the largest organizations of laity, which is administratively independent of the hierarchy of the RPTs. The network of small brotherhoods extends to several dozen dioceses. He also is the founder and (until 2019) rector of the Saint Filaret Orthodox Christian Institute, the largest ecclesiastical school that is not a part of the system of the Academic Committee of the RPTs. Ideologically, Kochetkov is among the "Orthodox liberals," and in any case the humanistic intelligentsia are frequent guests of both the institute and the brotherhood.

 

This is not the first time the "case of the theological explorations" of Kochetkov is being taken up. In 2000-2001 it was taken up by a special diocesan commission of the Moscow city diocese and then the synod's Theological Commission. At the time, the Theologial Commission came to the conclusion that the "catechesis of priest Georgy Kochetkov . . . contains non-Orthodox, ambiguous, and impermissible forms of expression, and they should not be used for the preparation of people for receiving the sacrament of Holy Baptism nor for subsequent acquaintance of newly baptized persons with the church's theological tradition. . . [Kochetkov] must declare in written form his renunciation of the use of these texts in catechesis and stop their distribution." However, the strictness of the laws in the RPTs is annulled by the non-necessity of their implementation, and Kochetkov has continued to use his books in catechesis.

 

An interesting fact: in the fresh resolution by Patriarch Kirill the order is worded in exactly the same way as in the resolution of Patriarch Alexis II of 2000 that formed the start of the first case. What is this—continuity or laziness of patriarchal administration?

 

In the 2000s, Kochetkov was in fierce opposition to Patriarch Alexis II, but he was protected by such heavyweights as Metropolitan Yuvenaly and the current patriarch. During Kirill's patriarchate, Kochetkov, on one hand, has displayed marvelous loyalty to the new head of the RPTs, and on the other hand he was not in a hurry to integrate his brainchild into the ecclesiastical vertical. This produced some fruit: it was possible to forget about the conclusion of the commission of 2001, about which his own press service published a false report to the effect that Kochetkov's catechesis "was studied by the theological commission and permitted."

 

In 2019, Kochetkov's Transfiguration Brotherhood became close to Metropolitan of Tver Savva, who became early in the year chancellor of the Moscow patriarchate, but by the end of the year he had been removed from this post and fell into disgrace. In Tver, Savva relied on active members of the brotherhood and tried to serve the liturgy in Russian (one of the main ideological projects of the Transfiguration brothers) and purged the disgruntled ones who under the previous metropolitan berated the brothers. Most likely the "numerous appeals of parishioners" that became the reason for the start of the case came out of this circle of persons offended by Metropolitan Savva and the brothers.

 

The new Kochetkov case is a sign. It shows that even high personal loyalty to the current head of the RPTs is no guarantee of protection. And the question arises: is it necessary to risk one's reputation and demonstrate this loyalty? Now Kochetkov's fate is in the hands of the rector of the Sretensky Seminary, Archbishop Ambrose, who was appointed chairman of the working group of the theological commission for this case, and it depends on him which style (accusatory or indulgent) the commission chooses with respect to Father Georgy. (tr. by PDS, posted 23 August 2020)

 

Russian original posted on Credo.Press portal, 23 August 2020


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