R.P.Ts.
SYNOD
REPLACES HEAD OF BELORUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
Interfax-Religiia,
25
August 2020
The Holy
Synod of the
Russian Orthodox Church [RPTs], at a session on Tuesday in
Moscow, accepted the
request of Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslav Pavel for release
from his office
of patriarchal exarch of all Belarus, a representative of the
RPTs, Vladaimir
Legoida, told journalists.
Appointed
patriarchal
exarch of all Belarus and metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslav was
Bishop of
Borisov and Marina Gorka Veniamin, retaining for him the
temporary
administration of the Borisov diocese, it added.
The
Synod expressed
thanks to Metropolitan Pavel for the work he carried out in the
office of head
of the Belorussian Orthodox Church and appointed him head of the
Kuban
metropolitanate. The previous metropolitan of Kuban died on 8
August from
complications caused by the coronavirus. (tr. by PDS, posted 25
August 2020)
DIRECT
IMPLEMENTATION
OF THE THREATS TO THE CHURCH LUKASHENKO ISSUED ON FRIDAY
Father
Alexander
Shramko comments on change of patriarchal exarch of Belarus
The
removal of
Metropolitan Pavel and the appointment of Veniamin is a direct
implementation
of those threats to the church that Lukashenko issued on Friday.
Metropolitan
Pavel
"did not cope." He wavered, doubted, asked for forgiveness,
conducted
prayers, and he did not apply measures to some priests
sympathizing with the
protests. And in general he was not especially in good with the
dictator.
By way
of contrast,
Veniamin showed himself firm and a loyal supporter of the
regime. Grodno and
Borisov are two opposite poles in the BPTs [Belorussian Orthodox
Church]. So
there is no doubt about it.
In
addition, Veniamin
is generally a conservative and, I feel, he will "put things in
order."
At the
same time, he
is not himself a strong leader and he will be a puppet in the
hands of the
authorities. In connection with this the question arises: is he
not a technical
figure? Is not a place being prepared for something yet more
odious?
Metropolitan
Pavel
also "screwed up." However he had a pretty good circumstance. He
still was capable of advancing his line. In particular, under
him the service
in the Belarusan language was becoming more widespread.
And for
those who say
they are happy he is a Belarusan and not a "Muscovite," I will
say
that any of the current Belorusan bishops, except Artemy, will
be more
"Muscovite" than Pavel. Look at Lukashenko. There's a Belarusan.
Although,
of course,
it is a formally remarkable fact meaning that Patriarch Kirill
backed down in
his strategy of holding territories. However, he has special
confidence in
Veniamin. From Telegram channel of Alexander Shramko (tr. by PDS, posted 25 August 2020)
PATRIARCH
KIRILL
CONGRATULATED LUKASHENKO
Who and
why the head
of RPTsMP made his new vicar in Belarus
by
Alexander Soldatov
Novaia
Gazeta, 25
August 2020
In the
thick of
Belorussian protests, Patriarch Kirill decided to replace his
chief
representative in Minsk, the patriarchal exarch. This decision
was confirmed by
the Holy Synod, which assembled on 25 August for the first
face-to-face session
after the nearly six-month "coronavirus" pause. The official
publication of the decision is expected this evening. However,
the head of the
synod's Department for Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church
with Society
and News Media, Vladimir Legoida, has already officially
confirmed this fact.
Sources
close to the
patriarchate report that the patriarch and Synod are moving
Metropolitan Pavel
from Minsk to Krasnodar, to the place of Metropolitan Isidor,
who died from
coronavirus.
As the
new
patriarchal exarch for all Belarus and metropolitan of Minsk it
is proposed to
appoint Bishop of Borisov and Marina Gorka Veniamin, who is
little known beyond
the borders of Belarus. In contrast to several other hierarchs
of the Moscow
patriarchate in Belarus, it was Bishop Veniamin who spoke out
against
"mass disorders" and for "maintaining stability."
Metropolitan
Pavel
headed the Belorussian exarchate of the Moscow patriarchate
about seven years.
In that time he did not even take Belorussian citizenship, which
the
legislation of the country requires him to do. At the same time,
he often spoke
out in the name of the Belorussian people and once even
advocated full autocephaly
(ecclesiastical independence) of the Belorussian church,
although he quickly
renounced this position.
During
the present
crisis, Metropolitan Pavel, who was once considered to be
especially trusted by
Patriarch Kirill, also conducted himself ambivalently. He
officially
congratulated Lukashenko on his victory, but later he apologized
for this to
the protesters, but he did not officially recall the
congratulations. Thrice he
led a procession of the cross for advocates of the peaceful
departure of Lukashenko,
but then he ceased doing this and even condemned the Grodno
archbishop
"who went over to the side of the people."
Such
duplicity
evidently did not please the leadership in Moscow.
In all,
the current
Synod made a mass of sensational personnel decisions, unlike any
in many years.
They affected both Metropolitan Tikhon and rectors of leading
ecclesiastical
schools and a number of key metropolitans. But commenting on
them would be
proper after the publication of the official decisions of the
Synod. (tr. by
PDS, posted 25 August 2020)
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