The Harsh Truth - Let this be a lesson of Faith for the future!
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Russian
Revolution, a day mourned by the Orthodox world, a day which led the
Russian Church into captivity, Patriarch Pimen issued an encyclical
appealing to the "patriotic" feelings of the faithful and commending
the Church's supportive role in the Soviet government's mission for
world "peace".
Although accustomed to hearing such twisted and spiritually
vicious rhetoric in official communications of the Moscow
Patriarchate, a number of Orthodox believers in this age
of `glasnost' have been emboldened to voice their bitter
disappointment and clear opposition to the Patriarch's message.
Below is an open letter written by a group of Orthodox activists,
which reflects the sentiments of many in the Church whose heartfelt
cry is "enough".
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To Patriarch Pimen of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod of
the Russian Orthodox Church:
Your Holiness, Most Reverend Archbishops, filled with great
pain and hope we write to you today to talk about our Church which
now stands at the threshold of the great Millennium of its existence.
The eve of this Millennium bas coincided with the process of
democratization and social-political renewal in our country. We are
convinced that all the sound forces of our society should, in every
possible way, contribute to overcoming the negative phenomena of the
past and the present, to moral purification of our country. However,
the effective struggle for the renewal of our society requires an
admission of the errors committed, their exposition and critical
appraisal: it requires the truth, the truth about the difficulties
and tragic pages in the history of our Church, about her well-known
and complex relations with the State, which have been passed over in
silence in the course of decades.
We are convinced that despite the errors, sins and even crimes
of Christians committed in various periods of history, the world
does not and did not know of a sounder moral and social force than
the Church of Christ. Therefore, today, being conscious of the high
responsibility imposed on every Christian, we, the children of the
Russian Orthodox Church, cannot be silent, and "roar by reason of
the disquietness of our hearts" (Ps. 38:8).
The Message of His Holiness the Patriarch and the Holy Synod on
the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the October Revolution
bewildered and embittered many believers. The position of the Church
in our country and the history of relations between the Church and
the State are portrayed in this Message as an ideal symphony, as if
its text were written in Stalin's era. This Message is imbued with
the spirit of political anachronism. And this is now, when the
leaders of our State themselves speak of "the final overcoming of
attempts to deceive history" (M. S. Gorbachev, "Pravda" 11/5/87) and
of the fact that "the truth, although severe, is in any case better
than flattering hushing up, fantasies and emotional outburst.
History may be defiled only by lies--the truth exalts it" (Yakovlev --
Director of the Central Committee on Propaganda--"Izvestia" 11/4/87).
Is it not strange that the Chairman of the Council on Religious
Affairs openly states that many errors were committed by the
Government in dealings with believers, while our Church leadership
continues concealing the truth about the Church history of the last
decades? Commenting on the positive aspects of the Decree of 1918 on
the Separation of Church and State, the Synodal Message keeps silent
about the fact that this very Decree deprived the church communities
of their rights as juridical persons, of their right to own
property, and to instruct children in the principles of religion.
And even this Decree was superceded in 1929 by the discriminatory
and anti-church decree of Stalin's times on religious societies.
The Message is imbued with the false pathos of happy relations
between the Church and State, although the whole world knows now
that the period of the `20's and `30's was marked by a particularly
vicious persecution of the Church, unprecedented in history.
Metropolitans Vladimir and Benjamin were executed.
Metropolitans Peter, Agafangel, Cyril and Joseph died in prisons or
far-away places of exile; Archbishop Seraphim Zvezdinsky, Archbishop
Hilarion Troitsky, Bishop Theodore Pozdeev, priests Pavel Florensky
and Sergei Mechev, laymen Novoselov, Samarin and Karsavin, and many
thousands and thousands of bishops, priests, monks and laymen were
executed, tortured to death or perished in exile; they had been
subjected to unprecedented repressions by Stalin's regime, the
injustice of which has now been officially admitted.
Stalin's crimes, the innocent victims of arbitrary rules, and
the inadmissibility of the betrayal of their memory--are now
publicly discussed throughout the country. Even anti-religious men
of propaganda now openly speak of "manifestations of lawless
repressions of the '30's which had painfully hit believers and
clergy" (Science arid Religion 1987, No. 11, p. 19).
Meanwhile, the Church leadership keeps pretending that nothing
particular had taken place. Does this not mean disregard for the
memory of millions of innocent victims, martyrs and confessors of
faith, who have become the pride not only of Russia but of the
entire world community of Christians? Our Church has the power and
magnanimity to forgive the persecutors, but in that case the
forgiveness has to be uttered for all to hear, thus paying respect
to the blessed memory of all the innocent victims who suffered in
the name of Christ.
Until now we have been observing Dimitri's Saturday by
commemorating those who died on Kulikovo Field in 1380. Is it not
time to glorify the martyrdom of the confessors of the 20th century?
We welcome the general rehabilitation of the innocent victims
of Khrushchev's persecution, but we cannot forget the fact that this
period was the time of gross attack upon the Russian Church, the
time of her gradual smothering, Between 10 and 15 thousand churches
were closed during that period, often with the direct participation
of bishops and clergy. As a result of the same kind of pressure, the
Archbishops' Council of 1971 was thrust upon the Russian Orthodox
Church; this Council confirmed the un-canonical Synodal Decree on
the management of parishes, which eliminated the ranks of clergy
from participation in the administrative-economic life of church
communities, at the same time violating the ecclesiological
structure.
It is well known that certain steps have been taken recently
to improve the position of the Church; however, only an extensive
general Church discussion of all urgent matters, including their
canonical interpretation, will permit the solution of all problems
of our church life.
That which the Synodal Message fails to mention is testified
by Metropolitan Alexis of Leningrad and Novgorod: "It is sad when at
times in an obvious contrast to the principles of our democratic
socialist government, believers are treated as 'second-class'
citizens, when atheistic articles and books are written in a tone
hostile to believers and give false information. This does not
contribute to the creation of a sound atmosphere of dialogue''
("Moscow News" 1987, //38, p. 13). What a pity that this initiative
found no support within the Holy Synod and amongst other bishops.
The leadership of the country is now looking for a wide support
of their enterprises-while the Church leadership calls upon the
faithful merely to intensify the traditional prayers. Prayers must
always be intensive, we know this and remember. But it is one thing
when this appeal is directed at all "ranks of priests and monastics,
and the parish clergy," and quite another thing when this is the
only appeal directed at the millions of believers. Do the authors of
the Message really think that believers among workers, peasants and
intelligentsia would be able to contribute to the renewal of our
society, to the purification of its moral atmosphere only by means
of "traditional prayers for the leaders of our country," prayers
which were just as intensely raised in the times of Yezhov and
Beria, Khrushchev and Brezhnev? Today it is a matter of building a
realistic humane society, a matter of the need to create a sound
atmosphere in our country, of raising the moral level of the nation.
Who but the Russian Orthodox Church should participate in the
process of social renewal and democratization, without losing face,
but actively confirming Christian values?
Already twice our Church leadership missed a favorable
opportunity to speak out and demand that the Church be given back
her free and dignified existence: first, during the upsurge of
patriotic enthusiasm in the time of the Great Patriotic War, and
second, after Krushchev's demise. We fear that the harsh lesson of
history will not be learned even today, that the Church leadership
will again fail to take advantage of historic conditions for the
improvement of the position of the Church and will consequently
reduce the celebration of the great Millennium of Christianity in
Russia to formally pompous measures, and will miss the opportunity
to mark this great date by giving an impetus to a genuine rebirth of
the Church.
Our country is now experiencing a unique historical moment. It
imposes an extreme responsibility upon us, upon the entire Russian
Orthodox Church, "for the time is come that judgment must begin at
the house of God" (I Peter 4:17).
(signatures) Priest Gleb Yakunin (Moscow)
Priest Nikolai Galnov (Moscaw)
Viktor Antonov (Leningrad)
Nikolai Balashov (Moscow)
Andrei Beasmertnyi (Moscow)
Valeri Borshchov (Moscow)
Alexander Ogorodnikov (Moscow)
Evgenii Pazukhin (Leningrad)
Victor Popkov (Moscow)
Vladimir Poresh (Leningrad)
Lev Timofeev (Moscow)
November 18, 1987
(Translation courtesy of Orthodox Action in Australia)
APOSTLE1.COM BRIEF EDITORIAL COMMENT: In light of all that is on-going in Russia and the Ukraine, hardly could the harsh truth of the above be said any stronger, it is believed.
The doors of synchrestic ecumenism is oft times brought about by the actions, words and activities on-going in these times where the ancient life and teachings of Jesus Christ is being, like many Protestants, falsely used and abused for political advantage by those within and outside the true Christian Church.
In North America we see these things more often as time moves on. But, yet, we must also read not only Holy Scripture (Holy Bible) but rely as well upon those writings of the Patristic Fathers and their many warnings which they had given in speeches, thesis and other means, which when taken altogether, is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to the faithful who struggle out of pain of heart to stay on the right path that leads heavenward.
You may wish to view two good articles that have a bearing on these matters:
And one last article authored in 2003 which raised questions that had not been fully answered. Those questions hinges on the very foundation of unity because of the serious grievousness of the errors present in these times.
A UNITED RUSSIAN ORTHODOX METROPOLIA IN WESTERN EUROPE:
MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF SACRAMENTS BY THE PATRIARCHATE OF MOSCOW AND ROCOR AND A CALL FOR AN ALL-RUSSIAN COUNCIL
No unity can every come about unless and until correction of certain defects are made so the faithful may have a more true path to walk upon in spirit and truth! The incursions of the Roman Catholic (Vatican) (Greek Catholic uniates) is all the more evidence of the synchrestic ecumenism which divides the Russian and ROCOR jurisdictions in these times. For it is the very fact that the Roman jurisdiction of the Orthodox Catholic Church (Russian, etc.) that make for continued error and division.