KestonKeston NewsletterNewsletter No. 16, 2012

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow & All Russia Whither Russia? by Sergei Filatov

In the autumn of 2011 the mood in by them both a few years before. Such Russia changed sharply. Political pas- open and cynical acknowledgement sivity combined with the high ratings that those in power did not depend on of Prime Minister Putin, President the choice of the electorate, and that Medvedev and the United Russia party power could be handed from one to the of the past ten years, were replaced by other like a glass when there are not protests, loss of confidence in the gov- enough to go round at a party, shocked ernment and in Putin and Medvedev personally. This sudden fall in popu- Also in this issue: larity was triggered by Medvedev’s Stalin Cult ...... p.12 announcement on 24 September 2011 Religious Seminar ...... p.16 that he would not be running for Presi- Pussy Riot ...... p.24 dent in favour of Putin, and Putin’s statement that this decision was taken Baptists in Kazakhstan . . . . p.27 Protest and the ROC ...... p.32 Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 Fieldtrip to Kalmykia ...... p.36 Home News ...... p.44

many people far more than anyone Patriarch Kirill was then silent until 17 expected. The dissatisfaction which December when after the liturgy at the had been growing about the situation Cathedral of Christ the Saviour he in Russia suddenly broke out in protest said: demonstrations. ‘We know to what a bloodbath and The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), mess were the lives of our forefa- the largest non-governmental organisa- thers reduced in the 20 th century tion, was suddenly faced with having when, in the struggle for little hu- to formulate its position (like all other man truths, father rose up against bodies in the unfolding drama). This son and son against father; when was necessitated too by the enormous love and friendship were destroyed; interest shown by the media and other when there were rivers of blood, and social institutions in what the ROC people, driven crazy by blood, tried would say. For the first time since his with all their might, whatever the election as Patriarch, Kirill had to cost, to affirm their small, human, choose between different political and to be honest, their insignificant platforms in the midst of an emerging truth! Thousands of human lives political crisis. Until then the ROC’s were ruined, and a great country leadership had avoided the subject of collapsed... How important it is that the elections and had not supported we, the inheritors of a great Russia, any particular party. On the day of the who have experienced the terrible parliamentary elections, 4 December trials of the 20 th century, should 2011, Patriarch Kirill spoke at the end today show we have learned the of the liturgy in the Donskoi Monas- lessons of the past and will not re- tery: peat the mistakes which our fathers committed on the eve of 1917.’ ‘Today, election day, is in a sense the start of a journey because our coun- Thus did the Patriarch try to make the try is faced with a great deal to do. protesters stop and come to their Upon what we do or fail to do senses. At the same time he hangs the very existence of Russia... ‘demonstrated objectivity’ by calling Russia can be a great multinational upon the government to listen to public state or she can cease to exist. To- opinion: day our people are faced with a choice, and, God willing, may it be ‘May God enlighten all who hold the start of a journey which leads to different points of view about the glory, to God’s glory reflected in the political situation in our country and lives and faith of our people, to the about the elections, and may He glory of our Motherland.... May our help them enter into a genuine dia- divisions, our political passions, our logue with society so that our na- political views and convictions tional life is not destroyed... But in never destroy the unity in society order to overcome misunderstand- upon which depends the wellbeing ing, re-establish trust, unite society of each of us, of us as a people, and and enable it to move forward into of our country.’ the future, the government must Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 2

relate to people with greater trust, to provoke social unrest in Russia, contribute to this dialogue and try to to stage disturbances; these are peo- overcome disagreements and misun- ple who hate our country and want derstandings.’ to undermine its stability, wellbeing and peace... The deeds of our coun- This was followed by the address of try’s enemies draw out dark subter- the Patriarch’s spiritual father, Skhi- ranean forces; they promote chaos archimandrite Ilii (Nosdrin) – regarded which is more dangerous than was as a starets in Russia – on 23 Decem- the so-called Orange Revolution in ber which attracted much attention and Ukraine. The events and speeches was broadcast by the Moscow Patriar- in Moscow and St Petersburg, which chate and the media. Skhi- we have seen and heard in recent archimandrite Ilii read out a text in days, fit well into this scenario. Those outbursts which were heard on Bolotnaya Square, often paid for, according to eye witnesses, by the organisers of these events, are an expression of passion and ha- tred in our Moth- erland, a country which has em- barked on a peaceful path.’

Moscow demonstrations With every succeeding statement by authoritative representatives of the front of the camera which basically Moscow Patriarchate (MP), the banned any Orthodox believer from church’s attitude to the protesters be- attending the next day’s meeting on came harsher, while its attitude to Prospekt Academician Sakharov in those in power was undeniably loyal. Moscow. The day before, the Ortho- This process culminated in a meeting dox radio station Radonezh had broad- on 8 February in the Danilov Monas- cast Skhi-archimandrite Ilii addressing tery, organised by Patriarch Kirill, Orthodox Christians about the current between the leaders of religious or- political situation. Ilii condemned the ganisations and Vladimir Putin, the protesters in no uncertain terms: Presidential candidate. Putin promised to increase significantly government ‘What is the essence of the current funding for restoring church buildings, situation and of the many conversa- to allow Orthodox clergy to teach in tions in our country? It is no less schools, to promote theological than the action of people who want courses in higher educational institu- Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 3

tions, and to give financial support to Terrible. So what is the intellectual the church’s social and educational basis for such an extraordinary idea? projects. In reply the Patriarch ex- pressed his complete support for Putin. The ROC’s socio-political principles are set out in a series of official docu- Most commentators have seen mere ments and in certain speeches of the servility in the behaviour of the MP Patriarch, but first and foremost in The and direct promotion of the authorities’ Foundations of the ROC’s Social Doc- interests. But there is another interpre- trine , published and adopted as the tation. The Patriarch holds to a princi- church’s official position by the Holy pled position which is in fact very Synod in 2000. Kirill, then Metropoli- different from that of the authorities. tan of Smolensk and Vyazemsky and His political views have remained head of the MP’s foreign relations unnoticed not only because they are department, played a central role in its couched in diplomatic language, but preparation. This document affirms also because they are so eccentric and the ideal political structure for Ortho- therefore not taken seriously by jour- doxy to be the absolute monarchy of nalists and analysts. These eccentric Byzantium with its principle of sym- views were presented by the Patriarch phony between church and state, and in a sermon on 16 July 2011 com- furthermore that this ideal political memorating Philip, Metropolitan of structure was embodied in Russia’s Moscow and All Russia, exiled by monarchy: Ivan the Terrible [he was canonised in 1652 when his relics were brought to ‘The heritage of Russian monarchs Moscow from the Solovetsky Monas- was different from that of the By- tery, and a confession read out in zantines. For this and other histori- which the ruling Tsar repented on be- cal reasons, the relationship be- half of Ivan the Terrible. Ed ]: tween church and state in ancient Russia was more harmonious.’ 2 ‘The deeds of Ivan the Terrible can- not be compared with what is hap- A democratic state adhering to the rule pening in the modern world, with all of law is seen simply as the result of its human suffering and injustices, secularisation which has to be ac- with its starvation and disease, with cepted: wars fought for no clear reason, with the destruction of so many peace- ‘The form and methods of govern- loving and innocent people.’ 1 ment are to a great extent condi- tioned by the spiritual and moral From these words it follows that our state of society. With this under- period which we are living through is standing, the church accepts the more cruel, more immoral than that of appropriate choice of the people, or Ivan the Terrible. Very few people at least does not oppose it.’ 3 today would agree with the Patriarch! Even Putin would not consider that The ROC’s leadership from time to under his regime life for Russians is time lets it be known that it does not worse than during the reign of Ivan the consider democracy to be the right Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 4

path for Russia – they just ‘do not Russia had developed its own forms of oppose it’. The views of Fr Vsevolod representation for the different layers Chaplin, head of the Holy Synod’s of society, he continued, and so was Department for Cooperation between not obliged to follow Western forms of Church and Society, are typical of the democracy; in medieval Muscovy, church’s top bureaucracy. He stated Zemskie sobory had existed and the during a meeting with Duma deputies Tsars had consulted various social of the United Russia party, according groups. The current government, in to Interfax on 31 May 2012, that ‘the Chaplin’s opinion, likewise preserved people must mature in order to propose a sense of responsibility for the people, and choose a monarchical system’ and as illustrated by the creation of today’s ‘any attempts to change radically the Public Chamber – a superior political political structure would at worst lead institution, he claimed, to a parliament to destabilisation, or at best to a parody because it expressed more adequately of the ideal of monarchy which exists people’s views; its members were the in the minds of our people’. The rejec- leaders of various social groups, cho- tion of monarchy at the present time, sen not through an electoral campaign however, does not imply that democ- but appointed by the authorities. An racy would be preferable in Fr Chap- important element in the imagined lin’s opinion: ‘In Russia a strong cen- political order, as conceived by church tralised and personified form of rule is leaders like Fr Chaplin, is their inter- typical; without this nothing gets done pretation of ‘civil society’: the ROC in Russia.’ He then added: ‘we should claims that 80% of society call them- also consider what should counterbal- selves Orthodox which makes the ance, and has always counterbalanced, ROC the most important institution this strong central authority – the gov- within civil society, and thus Patriarch ernment’s consultation with the people Kirill the main spokesman for civil and the latter’s participation in deci- society. sion-making.’ From other statements made by Fr Chaplin, the Patriarch and Before the parliamentary elections other church leaders it is clear that Patriarch Kirill expressed his doubts a ‘consultation’ does not presuppose a number of times about the advantages parliament, elected by the people of a party-political battle. On 4 De- within a multi-party system, but rather cember 2011 he stated : some sort of cooperative consultative body appointed by the government. ‘You and I have willingly chosen a Here is a typical statement by Fr Chap- political system which presupposes lin: ‘Such a body as the Public Cham- a fight, the rivalry of people united ber of the Russian Federation best suits in a political party, a system which the Russian spirit, whereas a parlia- divides society and the people...’ ment is not part of the Russian mental make-up.’ 4 On 9 February 2010 he Faced with the mass protests against stated at a conference held at the Rus- the falsification of the elections, the sian Academy for State Service that ‘it Patriarch remained silent during the is generally not clear whether a party- following two weeks, while authorita- political system is possible in Russia’. tive church leaders made various con- Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 5

the church leadership no longer mentioned the basic demands of the demonstrators (to examine the election results, to try those who had broken elec- toral rules, to organise new elections after the democratisation of electoral law) as if they had never ex- isted. The ROC’s official position now was that officials had failed in many ways, that the police had infuriated the people Left to right: Medvedev, Putin & the Patriarch and provoked them onto the streets, tradictory statements. Fr Chaplin and that this had been used by irre- suggested that the church should help sponsible politicians in the pay of Rus- collect the complaints against electoral sia’s enemies in the West. Sharp con- fraud and allow its representatives to demnation of the protest movement’s help manage the forthcoming presi- leaders grew by the day, as did hysteri- dential election. Then on 11 Decem- cal fears about the dangers inherent in ber Fr Chaplin expressed the views of the movement’s future development: the rest of the ROC leadership at a the leaders of the protest movement are conference in Germany: ‘Should not interested in destabilising the country, the West sooner or later ask itself they want to reduce the country to whether it needs to re-examine its chaos! They are following the orders working social models which are not of Russia’s enemies abroad! There is a based on continuous cooperation plot to get Russia down onto its knees! between the different branches of gov- The ROC’s accusations that the protest ernment, of political forces and social leaders were anti-religious were totally groups...?’ Soon the church leadership misplaced: nearly all of them were in banned clergy from helping to run the fact loyal to the ROC and the majority elections and a few democratically were practising Orthodox. inclined priests, who had worked as observers, were harshly attacked in the The ROC’s leadership remained in church media and at church meetings. principle faithful to their preference for an authoritarian government with no The church’s initial position – that the possibility of an alternative. The Patri- government should listen to the pro- arch’s rhetoric every day increased the testers and that the general dissatisfac- danger threatening Russia – he referred tion was justified – quickly evolved to ‘chaos’, ‘social unrest’, ‘civil war’, into something quite different. Soon ‘blood’, ‘the country’s collapse’. In Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 6

the eyes of the church leadership Rus- History through the hands of Joseph sia in the form of a legal democratic Stalin played a mean trick on the ROC. state was inconceivable, indeed hor- After its total repression in the 1920s rific. Authoritative clergy belonging to and 1930s, which led to the liquidation the church’s mainstream began one of legally organised church life, Stalin after another to warn against the dan- decided to revive Russian Orthodoxy. gers posed by those fighting for free The legalisation of the ROC became and honest elections. Even church desirable and possible because the services were held in some dioceses at Stalin regime rejected the ideology of which prayers were said for deliver- world revolution and Marxist interna- ance from impending disaster (and tionalism, and evolved towards sta- ipso facto in support of Putin). Sup- tism and Russian traditionalism. At port for Putin became equated with the end of World War II when Stalin support for a traditional Russian politi- restored the Moscow Patriarchate as a cal order and protection from Western tightly organised body with clearly political infection. As the day of the delineated functions, the ROC was presidential election approached the isolated from the rest of society within ROC fulfilled the role of an active and a peculiar ghetto. She was permitted uncompromising supporter of the Putin to exist in this ghetto but not to over- regime as established by 2012. step clearly defined limits; she had to show total and unconditional loyalty to What is the explanation for the ROC’s the regime (as did other individuals somewhat original political philoso- and organisations). What was behind phy? In today’s world there are no this loyalty to a regime which declared significant Christian churches which one of its basic principles to be mili- in principle support authoritarianism. tant atheism and which persecuted By the middle of the 20 th century all believers, killing thousands of them in Christian denominations (including labour camps? those which were fundamentalist in their theological and moral teaching) Patriarch Sergi (Stragorodsky) who except for the ROC had come to sup- received his ecclesiastical position port democratisation. Is this the result from the hands of Stalin, suggested an of Russia’s history as an autocracy? original concept of church-state rela- Many other Christian churches have tions: ‘patriotic service’. What did this existed within despotic, authoritarian mean? The church saw itself as an states for nearly all their history, and ideological supporter of the authoritar- yet they (often quite easily, without ian Moscow rulers, acting as a shield excessive heart searching) rejected against ‘internal disturbances’ and ‘traditionally structured social and ‘destructive Western influence.’ 5 The political life’. Indeed the Christian powerful Russian state, crushing eve- faith proved the most fertile soil for the rything in its path on its way to gaining development of democracy. Why does total power over its people and the this general principle appear not to surrounding world, took on the quali- apply to Russia? The explanation lies ties of a para-religious entity. The in the ROC’s recent history as an insti- nature of this state and the values it tution within the Soviet system. established were secondary, unimpor- Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 7

tant because the Christian worldview political situation changed fundamen- was utterly alien to the Stalinist official tally. After 20 years of hibernation, world; patriotic service had of neces- Russia once more started moving to- sity to choose the Russian state (it had wards democracy and a legal govern- nothing in common with its ideology) ment. The ROC’s leadership managed as its object of love. The Orthodox to define its position clearly: it would people had to serve sacrificially and resist the democratic movement and unreservedly its own Russian state, support authoritarianism. How danger- even though it was atheistic and mur- ous is such a position to Russian soci- derous. ety? The many surveys of the last 20 years reveal that the ROC’s authority Today it is difficult to understand what in the political arena has sunk to an all- fears and qualms of conscience had to time low (as distinct from its authority be overcome by the clergy, how many on morals, religious teaching and even moral and intellectual hurdles had to culture). The good sense of Russians be crossed in order to love the Stalinist tells them that to follow the church’s regime. After such self-imposed hard calls to service and to stop defending labour it was difficult to change. The their rights and freedoms will neither two inseparable parts of this political help save their souls nor contribute to position – the external (resistance to the wellbeing of their fellows. The anti the West) and the internal (support for -democratic activity of the church a one-person authoritarian political leadership does of course help to block structure) – were consistently and the country’s democratisation and openly acknowledged by the ROC. helps spread cynicism, apathy and all The emptiness of the Soviet state as an kinds of fears and phobias. But this ideal, however, was gradually given a opposition is insignificant as the ROC peculiar romantic content by believers: does not constitute an authoritative they admired medieval and pre- political force. revolutionary Russian society and condemned all that brought progress in How destructive to the Orthodox succeeding centuries, although this Church itself is its position? This is was often thanks to the initiative of the more difficult to answer. All depends church. To them progress became on how inflexibly the church leader- regression, which would end with the ship holds onto its ‘romantic’ political complete destruction of the church 6 doctrine. At all events an anti-clerical and then to secularisation and democ- reaction is unavoidable. ‘Delirium’, ratisation. As a result even many de- ‘frenzy’, ‘an Orange plague’ (well, mocratic and humanitarian ideas ac- maybe Orange, but why a plague?), ‘a cepted by Orthodox believers before conspiracy of Russia’s enemies’ – all the Revolution, and in the post-soviet these vivid exaggerations directed at period, were rejected. No wonder those participating in the democratic Patriarch Kirill thinks that the age of movement will not be easily forgotten. Ivan the Terrible was better than the However, the anti-clerical mood will rule of Vladimir Putin! probably not erupt with much force. The ROC takes reasonable care after From the autumn of 2011 the socio- all. When and if the government’s Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 8

conflict with the democratic movement are supported by the government and reaches a certain point, the ROC’s have more rights – are Judaism, Islam, leadership will probably bury its cur- Buddhism (Buddhism can only use the rent political theories in its archives benefits of its traditional status in three before it is too late. During the recent republics – Buryatia, Kalmykia and electoral crisis a few Orthodox priests Tuva) and the ROC. The traditional actively and publicly spoke out against religions value their privileged status the falsification of the elections. They and try to get maximum advantage were strongly criticised but not pun- from it. Until the adoption of the ished. As the democratic movement 1997 Law, on which this status is develops the number of such priests based, neither Judaism nor official and Orthodox activists will progres- Islam had such a privileged position sively grow. If the church leadership within the state. Problems in relations is sensible and does not seriously per- with the state rarely face Judaism to- secute them, the activity of such priests day; Muslims have more problems, could clearly dampen anti-clerical although their position is far better feeling. Furthermore, public opinion than before 1997 and better than that in Russia has a tendency to give the of non-traditional religious groups. ROC the benefit of the doubt and to Jews and Muslims resolve their prob- turn a blind eye on its political moves. lems in the seclusion of government Today’s small anti-clerical circles do offices without any public confronta- not sufficiently take this into account. tion. During the electoral crisis of Russian society feels a strong nostalgia 2011-2012 the Jewish and official for ‘the old country’ which Orthodoxy Muslim leaders actively demonstrated has come to symbolise. The state of their support for the United Russia the Russian people (weak social con- party and then for Putin. nections and solidarity, social atomisa- tion, demoralisation, lack of confi- The position of ‘non-traditional’ relig- dence in its own strength and in exist- ions is different; at least 80% of them ing institutions) is such that they really are Protestants or Catholics. In the do need a church which is concerned 1990s they took an active part in politi- about society, a church which is inde- cal and social life. Often Protestant pendent, strong and healthy both mor- congregations took a public stand dur- ally and intellectually, a church which ing elections at different levels in sup- has awakened from its Stalinist intel- port of democracy and supported de- lectual slumber. And there’s still a mocratic candidates in pre-electoral chance: the ROC could meet the peo- campaigns. But the situation changed ple’s needs. radically after 2000. During the past 12 years ‘non-traditional’ denomina- The ROC is of course not the only tions have been subjected to continu- Christian denomination in Russia, so ous pressure and all kinds of restric- how have the rest reacted? The Rus- tions on their civil rights and on their sian religious world is divided into mission. They have faced growing two groups with unequal rights: difficulties over renting premises for ‘traditional’ and ‘non-traditional’ relig- services and obtaining land for build- ions. The traditional religions – which ing a church, over their youth work, Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 9

religious teaching and social work projects. In addition there have been trials in various parts of Russia against Pentecos- tals, which have resembled in their absurdity the witch hunts of the Middle Ages. Gradually the majority of congregations of religious minorities have stopped expressing their political views in any form, and in Yuri Sipko (right) talking to Igor Kolgarev general have isolated them- selves from the surrounding world. Russian citizen I can have my own However, with rare exceptions, they opinion about the political events have at least not publicly supported the and meetings which have recently government in power. The most strik- taken place, but I keep this to my- ing example of such an exception is self in my role as an official repre- Bishop Sergei Ryakhovsky, President sentative of the church and do not of the Russian United Union of wish my opinion on such and such Pentecostals, Christians of Evangelical a political matter to be equated with Faith (RUUPCEF). RUUPCEF is one the opinion of the Catholic Church.’ of three main unions of Russian Pente- costals and includes among its mem- Against this background an unusual bership a number of neo-Pentecostal and brave exception is the position communities: it is an amorphous, um- taken by the main association of Rus- brella union which exercises little in- sian Baptists, the Russian Union of fluence on its member organisations, Evangelical Christians and Baptists but offers some, admittedly weak, (RUECB). From 2002-2010 Pastor guarantees. Bishop Ryakhovsky has Yuri Sipko, the product of generations publicly come out in support of Putin of Baptist prisoners of conscience and and United Russia, but represents an uncompromising supporter of tradi- strictly speaking just himself and his tional Baptist values, headed this Un- administration. ion. Under his leadership what re- mained from the Soviet period was The position usually adopted by the removed: independent congregations majority of Christian minorities is well were re-established, the level of bibli- summed up by Fr Igor Kovalevsky, cal knowledge was raised, the servile secretary of the Conference of Catholic attitude to the government from Soviet Bishops in Russia, when interviewed days was rejected. Yuri Sipko often by Portal-credo.ru on 29 December spoke out in no uncertain terms against 2011: the undermining of democracy and the illegalities of the government. Under ‘The church does not usually com- him the leadership of RUECB was ment on political events... As a replaced and now consists of people Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 10

who support his policies. According to states that the elections were fair. RUECB’s statutes its leader cannot The General Procurator repeats remain in office for more than two four this... Can you see signs of a democ- -year terms, and so in March 2010 a ratic state here in Russia? At what new chairman, Alexei Smirnov, was stage will a Russian citizen be capa- elected. He is not as outspoken as ble of influencing what happens in Yuri Sipko, but having been part of the his town or village?’ underground Council of Churches in Soviet times, he is close to Sipko in his During the electoral crisis Yuri Sipko views. was the only authoritative religious leader to have criticised the govern- Meanwhile Sipko continues as one of ment openly and forcefully, and to the most authoritative Russian Protes- have called for the democratisation of tant leaders. In an interview with Por- Russia. tal-credo.ru on 19 December 2011, he spoke with the passion of an Old Tes- On 4 March 2012 the presidential elec- tament prophet: tion was held during which Vladimir Putin received 64% of the vote, and ‘As a citizen I have felt deeply disil- was thus elected President during the lusioned... There is no free press, no first round. The leaders and activists free political competition. The au- in the democratic movement did not thorities have clobbered anyone who recognise these results, and started to simply wanted to make their voice plan various forms of protest as part of heard and to communicate their their demand for the democratisation anxieties to those in power. Even of social and political life and for early before the elections we knew about parliamentary and presidential elec- various forms of falsification – tions. By all accounts Russia has en- threats of dismissal, orders to vote a tered a long period of struggle for de- particular way. Thinking people mocracy. Russian believers will have who spoke the truth were deprived plenty of time to enter the fray, and of a voice, democratic parties were indeed to change the camp to which disbanded and refused registration... they currently belong. I judge the situation to be the most 1 http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/ unpropitious... The cause is the im- text/1578058.html. morality of those in power, at every 2 Основы социальной концепции Русской level, in every branch of the admini- православной церкви . М: Издательство stration – the lies of top officials Московской Патрархии , 2000 pp.50- 52. supported by the Procuracy, the 3 police, the courts, lies circulated by Ibid . p.58. 4 www.portal-credo.ru , 9 February 2006. the press which are destroying the 5 D.E. Furman: ‘ Религия атеизм и nation. No one trusts anyone. Tens перестройка ’ in На пути к свободе of thousands of complaints from совести , М., 1989, pp.7-19. witnesses sent to court are ignored. 6 See Patriarch Kirill’s address to university The government pays no attention to leaders in Kiev on 27 July 2011, http:// the accounts of falsification on the www.patriarchia.ru/db/ internet. Medvedev meanwhile print/1591084.html . Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 11

Stalin Cult: its Religious Overtones

by Stephen Miles

Neo-Stalinists at St Petersburg’s Victory Day celebrations, May 2011

With the death of Stalin in 1953 steps remarkable because of its strong quasi- were taken to dismantle the ‘cult of religious characteristics and the mysti- personality’ which had grown up cal appeal of the Leader ( vozhd ) which around him in the Soviet Union. This chimes with the age-old Orthodox was accelerated after the famous nature of Russian society. ‘Secret Speech’ given by Khrushchev on 25 February 1956 whereby Stalin In 2011 I travelled through northern was denounced as a brutal despot who Russia during a magnificent early sum- had made cataclysmic errors. In 1961 mer. On 9 May I joined the enormous his body was removed from its place in crowd at St Petersburg’s Victory Day Lenin’s mausoleum and an insidious celebrations, and within the festive state sponsored damnatio memoriae atmosphere witnessed the deep levels instigated. This was an unusual about- of pride and respect modern Russians turn, however, for there had been an feel towards the heroes and survivors enormous outpouring of grief at his of the Second World War (or as they funeral, marking the intensity of a cult prefer to call it, the Great Patriotic which had affected very large numbers War). Simple yet determined cries of of Soviet citizens. The Stalin cult is thanks reverberated through Nevsky

Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 12

ceded by a lantern, are taken in circumambula- tion three times around the cathedral. It was accompanied by the choir’s beautiful poly- harmonic Trisagion interrupted only by the congregation chanting the Paschal greeting: ‘Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!’ Periodi- cally a priest asperged the crowd with holy water, prompting sur- Procession of the Cross, St Sophia Cathedral, Novgorod prised laughter from the children. Prospekt, and the orange and black ribbon of St George, Russia’s highest I was struck by the similarity between award for military honour, was being these two processions. The Stalin cult widely worn. Vantage points were as borrowed many aspects of the Ortho- rare as hens’ teeth and even the lamp- dox tradition, including iconography posts were occupied by precarious and ritual. The image of the deity in watchers undertaking risky balancing the form of the icon was paralleled by acts. At the end of the long procession that of the Leader ( vozhd ) with the I took a photograph which shows a same emphasis on the power of the group of Communist sympathisers visual to help develop a numinous holding a placard of Stalin whom they sense of awe. The image was used as a venerate. Such plac- ards are not uncom- mon in these proces- sions and are often seen in May Day parades.

In contrast, a week later I was in Nov- gorod at the St Sofia Cathedral where I witnessed a magnifi- cent religious proces- sion. This was a pro- cession of the cross (krestnyi khod ) where the cross and accom- panying icons, pre- Procession of the Cross, St Sophia Cathedral Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 13

Nevsky Prospekt, Victory Day celebrations focus for veneration; it was also a The Stalin cult both borrowed aspects source of reassurance that a benevolent of Orthodoxy and rejected others. and omnipresent superior was there Music was important in Soviet proces- who had the interests of the worshipper sions but tended to employ the collec- at heart. The neo-Stalinist banners tivist and regimented military tradition, which I saw were really a kind of icon a departure from the intimate spiritual- with all the mystical powers associated ity of Orthodox church music. Soviet with the deity; they mirrored highly official processions tended to be more idealised images of the man which ostentatiously grandiose, with their portrayed him high and lifted-up like a imposed discipline, tight organisation, god. At the parade Stalin would have and vast marshalled crowds, than their conferred his benediction upon the religious predecessors. In Orthodox faithful in a quasi-Orthodox manner. processions the clergy’s liturgical And central to Stalin’s image was the robes contribute to the spectacle (as power of his name ( imya ), with its does the use of incense) while also symbolic and mythic associations. This distancing the clergy from the laity. was closely entwined with Soviet pa- This was eschewed by the Soviet re- triotism: during the war soldiers were gime which preferred a more egalitar- said to have fought and died in battle ian form of collective dress and specta- proclaiming Stalin’s name, which to cle, based upon homogeneity rather my mind conjures up a rather uncom- than visual complexity. fortable comparison with the ‘name of Jesus’. Those wounded in battle were Today, in continuing this cult the neo- encouraged not to despair but to ‘press Stalinists are tapping into a visceral your wound, dry your tears and repeat tradition embedded within Russian the sacred name aloud’. 1 culture. As a country dominated by Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 14

ethnicity and localism Russia has al- cult was promoted and borrowed con- ways needed a vehicle for consensus venient parts of the Orthodox tradition, which was provided by the worship of exploiting a powerful, if not primeval, the saints and the father figure of the nerve in Russia’s collective psyche. Fr Tsar – a cult linked to rural societies Alexander Men thought that Russians with their strong patriarchal respect for suffered from a spiritual sickness, a the elder ( starosta ). kind of longing for God which had been perverted into the deification of In a previous Keston Newsletter Fr the dictator in Soviet times. 3 Pankrati, the abbot of the St Nicholas Monastery in Rylsk, stated that At the end of the procession on ‘Russians still have a Soviet mentality, Nevsky Prospekt I tried to cross over they like power’ although they ‘are to the Kazan Cathedral through a dense like children, naïve and trusting – open mass of spectators 25% of whom, I to God’. 2 This dual deference to au- later learnt, according to a recent poll, thority and simple trust was effectively would vote for Stalin if he were still harnessed in Soviet society in the ‘cult alive. 4 Whether this reflects simply a of personality’ where the Leader had to desire for strong governance or a genu- symbolise something greater than him- ine nostalgia for old times is unclear. self. The focus on the example of the What is certain is that Russia faces Leader could be used to concentrate new challenges with an increasingly attention on a uni-dimensional political autocratic President, and only time will system, although original Bolshevik tell whether those with a simple and tenets always regarded the Leader as trusting nature will maintain their pa- only representative of the Party. It is tience and resilience. Perhaps more ironic that Stalin himself adopted a ancient Orthodox values, expressed lukewarm attitude to his own cult, at through a time-honoured liturgy, have times referring to it as ‘unbolshevik’ or a new role to play in Russia’s modern ‘philistine’. Despite this, the Stalin situation?

1 Quoted in Roberts, E. & Shukman, A. (eds.): Christianity For The Twenty-First Century: The Prophetic Writings of Alexander Men , New York, Continuum, 1996, p.134. 2 Dennen, X., ‘Where Nightingales Sing’, Keston Newsletter , No 12, 2010, p. 26. 3 Roberts and Shukman, Ibid ., p. 108. 4 Mendelson, S.E. & Gerber, T.P., ‘Failing the Stalin test’, Foreign Affairs , January/ February, 2006. Available from: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/61367/sarah-e- mendelson-and-theodore-p-gerber/failing-the-stalin-test .

Stephen Miles has just finished a PhD in Heritage and Tourism at Glasgow University. His research interests include ideas of meaning and place at heritage sites and the concept of the numen . He has conducted fieldwork at historic battlefield sites in Britain and France, and aims to investigate the politico-social impact of the centenary of the First World War from 2014.

Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 15

Religious-Philosophical Seminar in Leningrad

by Milutin Janjic

Soviet culture did not allow room for not many works about Seminar #37. 2 independent creativity and so many Thus, the goal of this article is to bring nonconformists among the Soviet in- to light relevant sources on the Semi- telligentsia, who did not support the nar, and to list for the first time the official Communist Party line in their documents and published articles about intellectual or artistic work, began to the Seminar which are held in the look for alternative outlets. They set Keston Center’s archive and library at up groups where they could present the Baylor University. These documents works of what they called ‘the second offer important information for further culture’. One such group was a reli- academic research on the whole reli- gious-philosophical seminar named gious underground movement in the #37 which was founded in Leningrad Soviet Union. Acquaintance with the in 1973 1 and continued its activity until primary documents from the Keston 1986. It represented one of the few Archive should offer an incentive to Russian Orthodox Christian move- other scholars to continue this research ments among the laity, and existed on and improve academic understanding a semi-illegal basis. Its members were of what is an important subject. young members of the Soviet intelli- gentsia in Leningrad, who mostly dis- The primary documents and other agreed with official Soviet ideology sources found in the Keston Archive and wanted to explore other world- can be divided into four periods: views. Since the Seminar #37’s partici- pants were interested in art and litera- 1973–1978: documents related to the ture as well as theology, the subjects beginning and early stages of the studied by the Seminar particularly Seminar. focused on areas where culture and religion interwove. 1978–1980: documents on the devel- opment of the Seminar. Although Seminar #37 lasted for 13 years and played an influential and 1980–1991: documents written outside active role among certain circles of the the Soviet Union, before the fall of young and rebellious Soviet intelli- Communism, and published in various gentsia, as well as among liberal artists journals. in Leningrad, it remains mostly un- known to the public at large. In the Post-1991: articles written in the post- historiography focusing primarily on soviet period. themes related to nonconformist fac- tions and activities in Soviet society All the above documents are separated after Stalin’s death in 1953, there are into two groups: the first contains

Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 16

documents (unpublished and pub- five issues are in the Keston Archive. lished) which were written by Seminar Two of them belong to the first period. participants; the second includes sec- ondary sources written about the Semi- The first issue of Journal #37 held in nar, its participants and activities. the Archive is No 5 for May 1976. 4 Its Mostly published articles written by contents are divided into several sec- scholars and authors interested in the tions: philosophy and religion, poetry, life of the Seminar relate to the last prose, documents, translated texts, and two periods, 1980–1991 and post- chronicles. The section on philosophy 1991. and religion contains two articles: Anonimnoe Khristianstvo v Filosofii 5 By following this outline of the Keston (Anonymous Christianity in Philoso- Archive material it is possible to trace phy) by Tatiana Goricheva and Gegel i the gradual development of the Semi- ekzistentsialnaya filosofiya (Hegel and nar and to observe its ideology and Existential Philosophy) by Boris Gle- structure. Through these documents bov . The poetry section contains two the ideas, themes, interests, questions, works: a poema (epic) named Dva and challenges which faced writers and vvedenia v igru stekliannykh bus (Two Seminar participants can be analysed. Introductions to the Glass Bead Game) The documents also present other as- written by Aleksandr Fedorovich Ozhi- pects and activities of the Seminar, ganov (it is divided into two 14-part which gradually formed its ideological cycles); and another poema entitled response to official Soviet ideology. Shestnadtsat skreplennykh listkov so stikhami vesny sisokosnogo goda First Period (1973-1978) (Sixteen Stapled Sheets of Paper with Leap-Year Spring Verses) in 17 parts The Seminar, as did many other simi- by Viktor Krivulin, written during lar unofficial movements and groups in March and April 1976. In the prose the former Soviet Union, issued its section of Journal #37 there are also own samizdat journal named Journal two works: Rasskaz o smerti i pok- #37 . Samizdat (self-published) litera- horonakh (Story on Death and Funer- ture played an important and influen- als) written in May 1969 by F. Chir- tial role in Soviet society, especially skov; and Chertova dyuzhina rasska- during the 1960s and 1970s. As an zov (A Baker’s Dozen of Short Stories) underground movement, the Seminar by V. Danin (in 13 parts) written 1967- used the journal to inform the broader 1970. The documents section contains public in the Soviet Union, especially three letters, written in 1915 by Second certain social groups such as young Lieutenant Petrovsky, which were intellectuals and artists in Leningrad, found by Yuri Olshanky and Nal Po- about alternative views that differed dolsky in a Moscow apartment and from the official Communist Party published for the first time . This is line. Viktor Krivulin (1944-2001), one followed by an article about the letters, of the Seminar’s leaders, states in his Tri pisma podporuchika Petrovskogo, article about Journal #37 that 21 issues posledstvie k publikatsii , by Arkadi were published by the Seminar 3 be- Dragomoshchenko. Lev Shestov’s tween 1973-1981. Unfortunately only article Borba protiv ochevidnostei Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 17

(Struggling against the Obvious) is the (Evangelical Dialogues) which was first article in the translation section, published in Vestnik RKhD 7 No 118 followed by a translation of Martin (II, 1976), pp.84-86. In October 1977 Heidegger’s 1929 lecture in Freiburg, Tatiana Goricheva presented her article Shto takoe metafizika? (What is Meta- Khristianstvo i kultura 8 (Christianity physics?). This first issue of Journal and Culture) to the Seminar and on 17 #37 also lists lectures due be given at February 1978 her article Khristianstvo the Seminar during May 1976: two on i kultura, zdes i teper 9 (Christianity theology (‘The works of St Gregory and Culture, Here and Now). the Theologian’ and ‘Religion of the Old Testament’), and two on Russian/ From this first period there are two Soviet literature (‘Poem as a genre in secondary sources about Seminar #37 poetry at the beginning of the 20 th in the Archive: Vestnik RKhD No 121 century: Andrei Belyi’s Christ is (II, 1977) contains two articles, Re- Risen ’ and ‘The poem in modern Len- ligiozno-filosofsky seminar v Lenin- ingrad poetry’). grade (The Religious-Philosophical Seminar in Leningrad) pp. 169-174, by Another issue of Journal #37 in the E. Giryaev, and Obzor materialov Keston Archive which belongs to this opublikovannykh v samizdatskom zhur- first period is No 6 for June-August nale “37” (Survey of Material Pub- 1976. 6 This issue follows the same lished in the Samizdat Journal #37 ) structure as No 5. The first section is pp. 294-302, by N. Giryaev. devoted to philosophy with an article by Boris Ivanov Existenzialismus?- Second Period (1978-1980) Vorlei (Existentialism and Intermedi- ate Consumption). The next section The second period covers the stage contains 30 poems by Elena Shvarts when the Seminar was developing and and eight short stories by Nikolai Kon- goes as far as the enforced exile of yaev. The translation section contains Tatiana Goricheva 10 , one of the Semi- three works by Jiddu Krsishnamurti nar’s main leaders. During this period (1895-1986): Problema obrazovania the Seminar continued publishing (The Problem of Education); Problema Journal #37 : the Keston Archive has svobody (The Problem of Freedom); two issues, No 17 dated February 1979 and Svoboda i lyubov (Freedom and (222pp) 11 and No 19 dated September Love). The last part of issue No 6 on and October 1979. 12 chronicles contains an article, Khris- tianstvo i etika (Christianity and Eth- No 17 reveals the names of the edito- ics), by Tatiana Goricheva, followed rial board: Tatiana Goricheva, Viktor by comments from other seminar par- Krivulin, Evgeni Pazukhin and its ticipants. secretary Natalia Malakhovskaya. There are some structural differences The Keston Archive also holds several in the contents which reveal the grad- documents written by Seminar partici- ual development of the Seminar and its pants which belong to this first period. activities. The first section entitled Tatiana Goricheva and Viktor Krivulin Stikhi i o stikhakh (Poetry and about are co-authors of Evangelskie dialogi Poetry) is dedicated to Soviet/Russian Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 18

literature and begins with the article sections: on poetry, prose, religion and Poezia, kultura, i smert v gorode philosophy, Moscow conceptualism Moskve (Poetry, Culture and Death in and chronicles (the last section is miss- the City of Moscow) . This is followed ing). It begins with 33 poems by A. by Stikhi (Verses) by Vsevolod Nekra- Mironov and Elena Shvarts. The next sov (1934-2009) and then a third work section is devoted to a piece of prose in three parts containing introductory by Elena Shvarts, Semeinye predaniya explanations and poems by another (Family Traditions) in four chapters. Russian dissident writer and artist, The section on religion and philosophy Dmitri Prigov (1940-2007). contains two articles: O. Genisaret- sky’s O lichnom tvorchestve v tselost- The second section of issue No 17 is nosti srednevekovoi kultury (On Per- devoted to the philosophy of creativity sonal Creativity within the Integrity of and includes three works: Zhivoe ili Medieval Culture) and Tatiana mertvoe vremia v romanakh Dosto- Goricheva’s Paradoksy zhenskoi evskogo ili bezumie protiv besov emansipatsii (Paradoxes of Female (Living or Dead Time in the Novels of Emancipation) . In the section on Mos- Dostoevsky, or Madness versus the cow conceptualism, the editors chose Devils) by Viktor Dmitriev Azarian; to publish an article by the Russian Vladimir Nabokov’s text Nash gospo- painter Francisco Infante-Arana (1943) din Chichikov (Our Mr Chichikov) Vvedenie k “artefaktu” – igre osno- from his book on Gogol; and Zametki vannoi na sootvetstvii iskusstvennogo i o proze A. Platonova (Observations on prirodnogo (Introduction to “Artefact ” the Prose of A. Platonov) in five chap- – a Game Based on the Relationship ters by S. Berdukhin. The third section between the Artificial and the Natural) . of No 17 is dedicated to philosophy and religion, and contains one article, The Keston Archive has several arti- Psikhoanaliz i askeza (Psychoanalysis cles by Seminar participants from the and Asceticism) by Tatiana Goricheva. second period of which some appeared The section on publications contains, in journals published outside the So- again, only one work: Sizifov kamen viet Union. The Archive contains an (Sisyphus’ Stone) by Golov. The last article by Goricheva entitled Ob ekzis- section in No 17 on chronicles starts tentsialno-religioznom znachenii with an article by the editors of the neofitsialnoi kultury 13 (On the Existen- journal Obshchina (Community) tial Religious Meaning of Unofficial which is followed by Evgeni Pa- Culture) and another by her from 1979, zukhin’s interview with Vladimir Khristianskoe vozrozhdenie i ideologia Poresh. Mention is made of another (Christian Revival and Ideology) important Orthodox religious seminar, which was written for a potential col- the Christian Seminar , in which Vladi- lection which the Seminar wanted to mir Poresh played an important part. publish in 1979. 14 That year Seminar Several answers to a questionnaire participants wrote two appeals against conclude both this section and the the imprisonment of Vladimir journal itself. Poresh. 15 On 27 December 1979 Russkaya Mysl (No 3288, p.5) pub- Issue No 19 contains the following lished Goricheva’s article Khristianin i Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 19

mir (The Christian and the World) .16 In Boris Grois, a prominent Seminar the same year an article was written member . The next section is devoted to about a meeting between Seminar #37 translations – four in total: the first is and the Christian Seminar, Vstrecha by George Orwell, Statii o literature dvukh zhurnalov (Meeting of Two (Articles on Literature); the next two Journals), and is dated 12 December are interviews – one with Mircea Eli- 1979. 17 The following year some ade, Poiski absolyuta (In Search of the Seminar participants published a peti- Absolute); the other with B. A. Levi, tion for the return of the Soviet Red Tverdynya monoteizma (The Strong- Army from Afghanistan (this appeared hold of Monotheism); while the fourth in Russkaya Mysl No 3297, 29 Febru- article is entitled Postigaya nepostizhi- ary 1980). In 1980 Goricheva pub- moe (Attaining the Unattainable) by D. lished two articles in Posev’s samizdat Grizoni. The articles from the sections journal Volnoe slovo : the first entitled on culture, reviews, and chronicles are Raduisya, slez nevinnykh izbavlenie missing. 19 (Rejoice, Solace of the Innocent’s Tears) appeared in No 38 (pp. 27-33); The next group of documents from the the second entitled Khristianstvo, kul- third period consists of interviews tura, politika (Christianity, Culture, given mostly by Tatiana Goricheva to Politics) appeared in No 39 (pp. 13- various journals after her exile to 19). Western Europe. Thus they can be found as published articles in Western Third Period (1980-1991) journals. As stated earlier, these docu- ments do not belong to the category of The third period begins in 1980 rather unpublished archival materials, but are than 1981 because of the enforced nevertheless listed here as they were exile of Tatiana Goricheva from the found in various journals at the Keston Soviet Union in the summer of 1980. Center. The Keston Archive has one issue of Journal #37 for this period, published An article belonging to this group of in August-October 1980. The entire sources is Goricheva’s interview 20 issue should consist of 200 pages, but entitled Tserkov i tvorchestvo (The Keston’s copy has only 117 pages. 18 It Church and Creativity) but Keston’s begins with an editors’ introduction file includes no information on where followed by a section on philosophy or when it was published, although it is containing an article entitled Filosofia clear from the content that Goricheva i vremia (Philosophy and Time) by I. gave this interview after her exile from Suitsidov. The next section on history the Soviet Union. One of the first pub- contains an article by B. Konin, Sokrat lished articles from this period is an- i Boris (Socrates and Boris) . The third other Goricheva interview given to the section is devoted to two articles about journal Obzor , but also republished in the visual arts: K ponimaniyu the journal Religia i ateizm v SSSR (No kontrrelefov Tatlina (Understanding 12, December 1980). Another article Tatlin’s Counter-reliefs) by A. Rap- summarises a lecture given by poport and Dve kultury v odnoi kulture Goricheva in Paris which was pub- (Two Cultures in One Culture) by lished in Russkaya Mysl (No 3350, 5 Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 20

March 1981, p.12) entitled Problemy Religion, State and Society which can religioznogo vozrozhdeniya v Sovet- be found in the Keston Center’s li- skom Soyuze (Problems of Religious brary. The first, Charting the Russian Revival in the Soviet Union) . In 1981 Religious Renaissance , is by Evgeni Goricheva also published O nashem Pazukhin, one of the active members religioznom opyte (On Our Religious of the Seminar, 22 while the other, enti- Experience) in Veche (No 1, 1981, tled Religious Experiences of the So- pp.27-40). The following year on 1 viet Dissidents , is by Philip April 1982 Boris Grois reviewed for Boobbyer. 23 Radio Free Europe current samizdat journals (including Journal #37 ) and Conclusion described Leningrad’s ‘second culture’ in Zhurnaly vtoroi kultury v Lenin- The chronological listing of the pri- grade (Journals of the Second Culture mary archival materials and other rele- in Leningrad) . In 1983 Goricheva pub- vant sources on the Religious- lished Mechta o garmonii i dukhov- Philosophical Seminar #37 offers fur- naya bran (A Dream about Harmony ther researchers easier access to the and Spiritual Warfare) in Beseda No 1 documents held at the Keston Center’s (1983, pp. 98-110) and Yurodivye archive and library. At the same time, ponevole (Reluctant Holy Fools) in this pioneering work intends to intro- Beseda No 2 (1984, pp.54-86). In duce an interdisciplinary approach, and Beseda No 4 (1986, pp.84-98) she to encourage scholars from various published Epokha post-nigilisma (The disciplines to explore the religious Age of Post-Nihilism) . In 1987 she seminars in the former Soviet Union. published O religioznom v postmod- The religious seminars can be analysed ernizme (On the Religious Element in from various perspectives. In order to Post-Modernism) in Kontinent (No 53, gain a complete picture it is necessary pp.277-89). The final document held in to work simultaneously on three pro- the Keston Archive which belongs to jects: 1) to analyse materials held in this third period is the presentation various public or private archives; 2) to given by Alyona Kozhevnikova to a create a network of scholars and re- symposium entitled ‘Relationships searchers who are interested in this between Churches and Governments in topic in order to facilitate the exchange the USSR and other Eastern European of databases with relevant sources; 3) States’ which was held at Baylor Uni- to record stories by and about people versity on 1-2 April, 1985. The title of who were directly involved in religious her presentation was ‘Religious Re- seminars in the Soviet Union. Such vival in the Russian Orthodox Church: people are the most important primary Fact or Fiction’ .21 sources and need to be interviewed while they are still alive. Their per- Fourth Period (post-1991) sonal stories offer vital information about the intellectual, socio-economic, The Keston Archive only has two arti- religious, ideological, psychological, cles about Seminar #37 and its partici- and historical contexts in which reli- pants for this period: both of these gious seminars were created in the were published in Keston’s journal Soviet Union. Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 21

1 Tatiana Goricheva, one of the Seminar’s leading figures, wrote in her diary, Talking About God is Dangerous , that the first meeting of the Seminar took place in 1973. See Tatiana Goricheva, Talking About God is Dangerous, The Diary of a Russian Dissident (New York, NY: Crossroad, 1987), p. 48; Jane Ellis in The Russian Orthodox Church, A Contemporary History, quoting Ye. Giryaev’s article ‘Religiozno-filosofsky seminar v Leningrade’, Vestnik RKhD No 123 (1978), p. 169, writes that the first meeting took place in October 1975. See Jane Ellis, The Russian Orthodox Church, A Contemporary History (Bloomington and Indianapolis, IN; Indiana University Press, 1986), p.391. 2 The subject is discussed in the following: Tatiana Goricheva, Talking About God is Dan- gerous ; Philip Walters, ‘The Ideas of the Christian Seminar’, RCL Vol. 9, No 3-4 (Autumn, 1981): pp.111-126; Lyudmila Alexeeva, Istoria Inakomyslia v SSSR (Moscow, Russia: Vest, 1992); Olga Tchepournaya, ‘The Hidden Sphere of Religious Searches in the Soviet Union: Independent Religious Communities in Leningrad from the 1960s to 1970s’, Sociology of Religion 64, No 3 (2003): p.381; Philip Boobbyer, Conscience, Dissent and Reform in Soviet Russia (BASEES/Routledge series on Russia and East European studies, London, UK and New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Fran- cis Group, 2005); M. V. Shkarovsky, Russkaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov pri Staline i Khrushcheve (Moscow, Russia: Krutitskoe Patriarshee Podvore, 1999). 3 Viktor Krivulin, ‘Zhurnal #37’, Samizdat po materialam konferentsii 30 let nezavisimoi pechati 1950-80 gody, ed. by V. Dolinin and B. Ivanov, (St Petersburg, Russia: Nauchno-Informatsionnyi Tsentr (NIC) Memorial, 1993): pp.74-81. 4 Filed in the Keston Archive as SU 12/11.1 S ‘37 Group’ 4 of 4. 5 The same article was published in Vestnik RKhD No 123 (IV, 1977): pp.70-85. 6 The Keston Archive file reference for this issue is SU 12/11.1 S ‘37’ Group 4 of 4. The entire issue has 215 pages; however, the copy in the Keston Archive is missing 95 pages: pp.78-156 and pp.166-83. 7 Articles published in journals are also presented as sources because they were found in journals or newsletters held in the Keston Archive. 8 Filed in the Keston Archive as SU 12.11.1 S 37 Group 4 of 4. 9 Filed in the Keston Archive as SU 12.11.1. S 37 Group 3 of 5. The article was published in Russkaya Mysl , No 3222 (21 September 1978): p.5. 10 In 1979 Goricheva founded the first Soviet feminist movement with its journal, Maria. 11 This is filed in the Keston Archive as SU 12/11.1 S ‘37 Group’ No. 17 1 of 5. 12 This is filed in the Keston Archive as SU 12/11/1 S ‘37 Group’ 2 of 5. In the same file there are several articles which do not form part of the journal. These writings discuss the first Leningrad exhibition of geometrical art. The articles are: Sergei Sigitov, For- malnyi metod v sovremennom prostranstvennom iskusstve dvukhmernoi ploskosti; Leonid Borisov, O vospriatii novykh yazykovykh form iskusstva; Viktor P., Problema khudozhestvennogo samoanaliza; Sergei Sheff, Monolog ob iskusstve; Yu. V. Novikov, Kritika i sovremennoe nonkonformistskoe iskusstvo. An article by Evgeni Pazukhin, Zerkalo slavy, written in 1988, can also be found in the same file with the above- mentioned articles. 13 See Keston Archive file SU 12.11.1 S ‘37 Group’ 3 of 5. 14 See Keston Archive files: SU Orth. 11. 22S, SU Orth. 15S, SU Orth. 15.1.S, SU Orth. 20S statistics, SU Orth. 21S, SU Orth. 22S. 15 The appeals are filed in the Keston Archive under SU 12.11.1. S Christian Seminar 2 of 2. 16 This article is filed in the Keston Archive under SU 12.11.1 S ‘37 Group’ 4 of 4. 17 This document is filed in the Keston Archive under SU 11. 10 PUBLICATIONS. 18 This issue is filed in the Keston Archive under SU 12.11.1. S ‘37 Group’ 3 of 4. 19 The following articles are missing: from the culture section, Kultura “Dva” Glavy iz knigi by V. Paperni and materials from a discussion called Iyudaizm i Khristianstvo .

Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 22

From the review section all three articles are missing: V. Trostnikov. Mysli pered rassve- tom by K. Levin; V. Sidorov. Vozvrashchenie by A. Berezhnov; and V. Rabinovich. Alkhimia kak fenomen srednevekovoi kultury by B. Rozenfeld. Also, the single article Otezd T. Gorichevoi from the chronicle section is missing. 20 Filed in the Keston Archive under SU 12. 25. 1 RELIGION AND INTELLIGENTSIA. 21 Filed in the Keston Archive under SU BRHO No. 3-4. 1987S Bulletin of Christian Pub- lic . Sept-Oct. 1987. 22 RSS Vol.23, No 1, 1995: pp.57-74. 23 RSS Vol.27, No 3 & 4, 1999: pp.373-87.

Milutin Janjic is a PhD student at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California. He was awarded a Keston scholarship in 2011, and worked for six weeks in the Keston Center at Baylor.

Keston AGM Saturday 3 rd November 2012 St Andrew’s Holborn 7 St Andrew Street London EC4A 3AB

Nearest underground: Chancery Lane

Entrance to 7 St Andrew Street

12.00 noon AGM

12.45 p.m. Lunch

2.00 p.m. ‘The Romanian Orthodox Church before and after Communism’, a talk by Alina Urs, specialist on church-state relations in Romania, working for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

3.00 p.m. ‘See No Evil? Soviet Religious Persecution, the Timber Gulag, and the British Labour Government, 1929-1931’, a talk by Giles Udy, an independent academic and member of Keston’s Council of Management.

4.00 p.m. Tea

Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 23

Is This a Return to the Cold War ?

by Michael Bourdeaux

This article was pub- lished by the Church Times on 3 August, and is reprinted with kind permission. In a letter published in The Times on 4 August, Michael Bourdeaux observed: ‘The extent to which the outrageous trial in Mos- cow of the Pussy Riot group mirrors Soviet Left to right: Ekaterina Samutsevich, Maria Alyokhina, & practice against dissi- Nadezhda Tolokonnikova in the dock (behind glass reflecting dents is uncanny. The police uniforms) on 17 August, awaiting their sentence report that the three Pussy Riot defendants were denied Three of them (more were involved) both sleep and food (2 August), caus- have appeared in court and a full trial ing one to collapse, replicates the ex- is imminent. perience of Baptist Pastors Georgi Vins and Gennadi Kryuchkov, when They use the one name only, usually they were put on trial on 29 November written in English (not Cyrillic) letter- 1966.’ The three defendants, Ekaterina ing. The girls, two of them young Samutsevich, Maria Alyokhina and mothers and all three in their 20s, went Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were sen- free after this event, but were arrested tenced to two years in prison on 17 over a week later. The defence claims August. Ed. that they were not the ones who dem- onstrated. The mothers should have Riot it certainly was. The 30 seconds been given bail, but the court refused. of the protest, recorded with an extra What exactly were they trying to minute added on YouTube, are explo- achieve? The aim was laudable, even sive, but the still photos in the British though many – outside Russia as well press gave no idea of the atmosphere as inside – question the method. The of the desecration of the Cathedral of girls consider that President Vladimir Christ the Saviour in Moscow on 21 Putin’s re-election – with its alleged February. The girl members of Pussy irregularities – has signaled a retro- Riot, their faces concealed behind ski gression towards the authoritarianism masks or balaclavas, set out to cause a of the past. In particular, they aimed to scandal and they certainly succeeded. pillory Patriarch Kirill and those form- Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 24

ing a phalanx around him in the Mos- In preparing this article I spent several cow Patriarchate for their open support hours surveying the 723 entries on of Putin, before as well as after the YouTube (the editors say they have recent election. omitted many others which are repeti- tive). I was immediately struck by this They chose their location carefully. fact: the Patriarch has intensified the The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is scandal he had hoped to nullify. The only a stone’s throw from the Kremlin entries may not contain the names of and opposite the Pushkin Museum, an world statesmen or church leaders, but area where tourists throng. It is deeply by the time I had looked at the first symbolic of current church-state co- 100, there was already evidence, with operation, having been built in the video clips, of popular protests in Lon- 1990s to replace its predecessor de- don, Germany, New York and San stroyed by Stalin in 1931, an act of Francisco, Prague, Paris, Havana, Aus- violence captured on film. The origi- tria, Finland – the list goes on. Most nal, begun in 1839, was a monument to surprising, perhaps, were one in Tel Russian nationalism, celebrating vic- Aviv and reportage by Al Jazeera. Pop tory over Napoleon in 1812. groups are being galvanized worldwide and foreign musicians have been voic- The violation of what, to the Moscow ing their support while on tour in Rus- Patriarchate, is one of its most sacred sia. On 22 July Franz Ferdinand the spaces, could not have been more rau- Red Hot Chili Peppers wore Pussy cous or visually provocative. Four are Riot T-shirts when they gave a concert visible in the group. They began by in Moscow. crossing themselves, then launched into a punk song, with recorded back- What of the more restrained protests in ing, crying, ‘Virgin Mother, banish Russia? The circulation of appeals and Putin… Your corrupt church leaders documents asking for support in the go in procession in black limousines – West for the imprisoned girls takes us bring in the money. The Patriarch be- right back to the days of the Cold War lieves in Putin; better to believe in and our attempts at Keston College to God.’ In between, some expressions make the facts known. This time, earn four stars for obscenity. though, the world’s press seems to be taking the lead, but there are many On 18 March Patriarch Kirill sent a appeals which have not achieved pub- circular letter to all Moscow churches licity and, as considered responses to to be read out after the liturgy. It was the Moscow scandal, some need analy- an ‘Appeal to the Procurator General’ sis here. encouraging parishioners to sign, re- questing the maximum sentence for the One which has been reported briefly in girls, five years, for blasphemy and the press was signed by 203 represen- aggravated hooliganism (a nebulous tatives of the arts: theatre and film concept originating in Soviet law). directors, actors, writers, publishers, Then he conducted a service in which musicians and artists, with more than some 20 bishops in full regalia lined up 30,000 adding their names electroni- to purge the blasphemy. cally. The list is impressive. It is one Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 25

that even the revived FSB (formerly human-rights activists, the Moscow KGB) will not be able to silence. They Helsinki Group, one of whom is Gleb consider – in a brief statement – that Yakunin, now a priest of another juris- what the three did was not a serious diction. The signatories include Fr crime and pursuing it as such under- Vinnikov and another priest, as well as mines the Russian judicial system. journalists, academics, 18 in all. They invoke the ancient Russian tradition of One open letter by a retired priest, Fr the ‘Holy Fool’, who was able, with Vyacheslav Vinnikov, is of great sig- impunity, to criticise the Tsar. St Basil nificance. He is 74 and studied for the was one of them and ‘today his well- priesthood in the difficult times of the educated and courageous followers are late 1950s. He likens the baying of the kept behind bars’. Elena Volkova, a mob for the blood of the three, led by respected believer who is active in the the Patriarch, to those who called, women’s defence, confirms that they ‘Crucify him!’ He goes on to ask are well-educated and active Chris- whether the suffering of these girls tians, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, hav- who are ‘completely innocent’ does ing been one of the highest flyers of not move the heart of every Christian. her year in the Philosophy Faculty of This leads him on to a reflection – and Moscow University. They have written it is here that the action of the Patriarch impressive letters in the degradation of and the bishops has already caused their prison cells, and in a snatch of serious internal harm to the cause of their interrogation on YouTube they the church – that during the persecu- come across as quiet and modest peo- tion in recent Communist times church ple. leaders were silent. Their only protests, he says, were against those who did While Keston is not – and has never raise their voice in defence of the been – a campaigning organisation, church. He names, in particular, Fr Xenia Dennen, its chairman, com- Gleb Yakunin, who wrote the most mented: ‘Keston has always tried to complete exposé of the persecution and illuminate the background to events in who, for his pains, was drummed out Russia concerning the church, and is of the priesthood and into prison. The actively attempting to put on record a church, de facto , aided the atheist state broader picture than what has appeared rather than its victims, says Fr Vin- in the press so far. The Moscow Patri- nikov. There has never been expiation archate’s support for the case against or apology for this betrayal and the the three women does it no credit and Patriarch’s action shows that old atti- denies the central command of the tudes are still prevalent. Gospel to show love and compassion.’

The first organised protest letter in Patriarch Kirill, already the subject of Moscow was addressed to the much criticism for his lavish lifestyle, Archbishop of York and to Mrs Xenia might have let the whole episode blow Dennen, as well as to the Council of over quietly, and then he would have Keston Institute. The letter comes offi- done far less harm to the cause of the cially from Russia’s most significant Russian Orthodox Church.

Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 26

Baptists in Kostanai, Kazakhstan

by Yuri Bondarenko

Evangelical Christians and Baptists members, two of whom, Nikita and (ECB) were united in one Union dur- Ekaterina Vysotsky, were from the ing World War II in 1944 when Stalin same family. They held their services was in power. Evangelical Christians in their homes to start with. Then in had appeared on Russian soil in the 1910 some Evangelical Christian fami- 1870s; their roots go back to the arrival in northern Russia of Lord Radstock, a graduate of Oxford Univer- sity and a participant in the Crimean War. The Baptist movement dates its exis- tence in Russia back to 20 August 1867 when their first baptism took place in the Kura River in Tbilisi (Georgia). One of the Bap- tists’ hymns used the words of a Georgian song, much loved by Stalin! This was called ‘Suliko’ and in- Baptists in Kazakhstan, 1946 cluded the words ‘I looked for peace of soul/I prayed long and lies moved to Kostanai from the vil- much travailed/And far I went in my lage of Annovka, and the one-time search’. photographer Nikolai Ivanovich Kar- naukhov moved there from Samara. Baptists first appeared in Kazakhstan By 1914 there were 50 in the congre- in the late 19 th and early 20 th century gation with a prayer house which they and founded their first congregations built themselves on Bolshoi Street in Aulie-Ata. In 1902 a congregation (later called Lenin Prospekt and then began to meet in the village of Ni- Al-Farabi Prospekt). kolaevka, and in 1907 a congregation was founded in Pavlodar. 1 The church After the Revolution during the first built in Smirnovka in 1902 (now the two decades of Soviet power, the Bap- Karabalyksky district) celebrated its tists and many other minority religious centenary this year with much splen- groups were able to develop their work dour and many guests. and increase their membership. This was partly because the position of the In Kostanai the Baptist congregation Russian Orthodox Church had been was founded in 1908 with just eight weakened and because the Bolsheviks Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 27

saw in ‘sectarians’ their allies in their baptised. During these years about struggle against tsarism. Religious 500 pledged their commitment to the youth movements were founded such Lord through holy water baptism’ and as the Baptist Youth Union ( bapsomol ) this was when, to use the simplistic and the Christian Youth Union language of propaganda then current, (khristomol ) which were almost as big the word ‘baptism’ was often equated as the Komsomol (the Communist with the word ‘sect’, that is with what youth movement) with nearly two denoted something dark and vaguely million members. 2 dangerous. In fact the Evangelical Christians and Baptists became in time Towards the end of the 1920s the one of the most numerous religious situation began to change with the denominations in the Kostanai oblast . According to data from the year 1976, out of 39 registered associations in the Kostanai oblast 14 were Baptist. The Baptists (there were no statistics for Muslims) were the next largest group to the Russian Orthodox (3,100 Or- thodox, 845 Baptists, 10 Lutherans, 4 Ad- ventists). By the mid- dle of the 1980s the Baptists in the Kostanai congregation alone numbered over 400, but due to emigration Kostanai’s (formerly Kustanai) Baptist choir celebrating abroad the number their 25 th anniversary on 12 August 1979 dropped to 250 by the early 21 st century; then development of an aggressive form of with the addition of people from Zato- anti-religious propaganda. The bolsk (a town 3 km away) the number Kostanai Baptist church, however, increased to 300. By the beginning of managed to increase its membership February 2012 there were 37 Baptist during this period, and by 1955 had congregations in total in the Kostanai 110 members. By 1972 the number oblast according to local official fig- had grown to 215. According to local ures – in Rudnyi, Lisakovsk, Zhitikar, Baptists ‘In 1956 on Trinity Sunday in Amankaragai, Kushmurun, Borovsk, the Tobol River’ they baptised 85 peo- Arkalyk – with a total of about 700 ple, and the next year on the same members (many less than in Soviet Sunday ‘55 people in nearby districts times because of emigration, which, and in the Tobol River received bap- though not as high as during the 1990s, tism. The next year 30-35 people were still continues today). According to Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 28

the local press ( Kostanai News , 1 Feb- expert, A.I. Artemev, there are mem- ruary 2012) on the basis of figures for bers of the Council of Churches 2011 from the Kostanai oblast Statis- [sometimes known as Reform Baptists tics Department, 2,318 people arrived or Initsiativniki. Ed ] and others who from outside Kazakhstan and 3,760 have remained autonomous. 5 Such emigrated. All told there are over 350 independent ECB believers also exist Baptist congregations in Kazakhstan in the Kostanai oblast , mostly which try to coordinate their work. 3 (according to A.I. Zhuravlev) in the

The Kostanai Baptist choir, May 1979, with the words ‘God is love’ on a banner above their heads

After the collapse of the USSR, the city of Rudnyi, but they are not numer- Kazakhstan Republic Union of ECB ous. It is not easy to make contact Churches was created on the territory with them although the Council of of Kazakhstan. In 1995 an institute for Churches, whose teaching does not training Baptist pastors was opened diverge from the Union’s, maintains where both foreign and local preachers good relations with registered Baptist teach. Since 1992 a Bible correspon- associations. dence course is run from Almaty. 4 In addition some of the leaders of Baptist According to the words of a leader congregations have the chance ‘to from the Kostanai ECB congregation, improve their qualifications’ a few ‘The church depends on voluntary times a year in Moscow, where well- donations. The believers try to help known preachers and biblical experts those in need, like the elderly, the dis- from abroad teach. Kazakhstan also abled, children in care, the sick in hos- has associations of Baptists which do pital... In order to be an example of not belong to the Kazakhstan Republic goodness, the church teaches its mem- Union: according to the data gathered bers to be honest, law-abiding citizens by the respected Kazakhstan religious of their country.’ Unfortunately hu- Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 29

manitarian work, although permitted, a time when religion, to put it mildly, has today become somewhat difficult. was not welcome? He arrived in Last year, for example, because of Kostanai with his parents, who wanted difficulties at the customs Baptists had to protect him from bad company, to reject humanitarian aid sent from when he was a teenager. He had Germany. grown up as a Baptist and then served

It is striking that in Soviet times many Baptist sermons and ad- dresses exhorted the faithful to be loyal towards the authorities and to perform their duties hon- estly, a good example of which is given in the research of Larisa Prikhodko. 6 Here are some examples of such exhortations: ‘A real Christian is someone who willingly serves God both in the family and at work’ (Rudnyi, October 1970); Baptist church in village of Amankaragai, ‘We must shine always and eve- Kazakhstan, announces its 50 th anniversary rywhere with the beauty of celebrations on 17 September 2006 Christ and dazzle those around us.’ (Karaganda, August 1986); ‘We three years in the army – in a rocket must be exemplary citizens of our division – where conditions were par- country in all respects’ (Rudnyi, Au- ticularly tough. He was promoted to gust 1987). the rank of sergeant and commanded a platoon; as a believer he could get no Pastor Alexandr Ivanovich Zhuravlev further promotion. As by then he had is an example of a Baptist pastor who learnt joinery he was asked to do up a was able to work within the Soviet ‘Lenin room’ – de rigueur for every system without compromising his military unit, and intended for rest and faith, and illustrates the many twists education. Thanks to his good work and turns in the lives of believers in done in the name of the proletariat’s our country. He became a pastor in leader (an atheist to boot) this earned 1988 and for many years looked after him – a believer – a holiday! the congregation at the Kostanai Bap- tist church. Today he is 69 but still After leaving the army he worked most looks strong with thick hair which has of his life on the railways. He was hardly begun to turn grey, powerful good with his hands and intelligent so arms and shoulders which make him was allocated the job of equipping look stocky although he is quite tall. containers and carriages. He could not ‘Even now if I got hold of someone, remember any particularly severe per- they wouldn’t be able to get away. But secution during those years. He went my legs, I must admit, do ache now on working, and his wife, after finish- and then!’ How did his life turn out at ing medical college (during those years Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 30

it was no easy matter to get into one of When asked for example about his them because of the competition) got a attitude to what happened not long ago job as a nurse. Why complain? He in Moscow, when there was an 8 km- worked conscientiously; he neither long queue of people, desperate to get drank nor smoked nor swore. When I into an Orthodox church where a piece was once talking with colleagues at of the Mother of God’s belt was being table I heard a railway manager – a revered, simply replied: ‘I don’t want Party member naturally – say: ‘If all to offend anyone, but we don’t believe my conductors were Baptists, the car- in that sort of thing. We don’t believe, riages would always be in good order.’ as many of those in the queue were Of course there were cases of discrimi- hoping, that a piece of her belt could nation, such as when the boss of one heal them. In the same way we find it railway section did not want to put hard to believe that Elena could have down Alexandr Ivanovich for a copy found, hundreds of years afterwards, of Izvestia because he was a Baptist. the very cross on which Christ was Undeterred he went to see the manager crucified.’ and the newspaper was ordered. Such cases were exceptional, however. In the example of Alexandr Ivanovich, pastor of the Kostanai congregation of To this day Alexandr Ivanovich con- Evangelical Christians and Baptists, tinues to be interested in learning new we see someone who was able to ob- things. Without any formal higher serve his religion throughout his life: education he has frequently attended this made his life more interesting and classes run by qualified biblical schol- rich, not only on a spiritual level, but ars and teachers. He has a well-chosen also on a purely human level. My library containing quite a number of example is no idealization; it simply valuable reference works and other shows how complex are matters where publications on Christianity. At the life and belief interweave, and how same time, in conformity with the carefully this needs to be unraveled by spirit of his denomination, Alexandr someone who tries to grasp what is at Ivanovich has a good critical sense. the root of a particular religious faith. 1 В. Иванов , Я. Трофимов , Религии Казахстана . Справочник . Алматы , 1989, p.100. 2 Наука убеждать , М., 1969, p.473 : see the article by the famous Soviet religious special- ist L.N. Mitrokhin. 3 Абуов А.П., Смагулов Е.М., Религии в Казахстане : Костанай : ТОО «Костанайский печатный двор », 2011, p.147. 4 For details see В.Иванов , Я.Трофимов , Религии Казахстана . Справочник , Алматы , 1989. 5 Артемьев А.И., Религиеведение , Алматы , 2002, p.401. 6 Приходько Л.С., Методические рекомендации по теме «Современная проповедь в протестантской общине ». ( На примере ЕХБ ), Кустанай : Кустанайская областная организация общества «Знание », 1988, p.14.

Yuri Bondarenko was for many years a member of the Council for Relations with Reli- gious Associations within the government of the Kazakhstan Republic. He is now a professor at the Kostanai State University and member of Kazakhstan’s Congress of Religious Specialists.

Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 31

Protest and the Russian Orthodox Church Today

by Mikhail Roshchin

The mass protests against the falsifica- 22 December 2011, later published on tion of the Duma elections on 4 De- the internet, Andrei Zuyev said: cember 2011 could not but affect Or- thodox believers and wide circles ‘Owing to the particular way gov- within the Russian Orthodox Church ernment is run in our society today, (ROC). It was, after all, the first time it has become the ugly norm to treat in post-soviet Russia that the very ordinary people with arrogance. legitimacy of the existing regime (today, the personal authority of Putin) had been questioned.

When speaking of the ROC one should bear in mind that, on the one hand, there is the top hierarchy, which his- torically, in tsarist times, became ac- customed to being close to the govern- ment and serving its interests to a sig- nificant degree, and on the other hand, there are the ordinary laity and parish clergy who together form the many parishes all over Russia. Among the latter there are both conservatives and liberals, and as a rule each parish tends Fr Andrei Zuyev to belong to one or other camp. Those in power are not only arro- During the early months of the wide- gant but also do not permit anyone spread popular protests against the apart from themselves to decide Putin regime, Orthodox liberals be- what is good and what is bad, thus came very concerned. The most strik- depriving people of the chance to ing statement came from Fr Andrei decide on the general direction of Zuyev, a highly educated priest in the their country... Today’s political Moscow church of St Nicholas ‘ v Tol- leaders are corrupting Christians, machakh ’ [in an area where tolmachi = particularly the young and those interpreters/translators lived in 17 th who have just become believers. century Moscow. Ed ] who translated Often when a church is full, they St Gregory the Theologian’s religious cross themselves, venerate icons poem, De vita sua .1 In his sermon on and, in my view, even receive com-

Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 32

munion as ‘part of the job’, that is priest, was also critical of the situation: as a show, and publicly announce what denomination they belong to. ‘Today people of many different What does this say to people? Well faiths are gathering outside, but one it tells them that you can betray thing unites them all – they don’t your conscience, deceive and de- want to go on living like this. The grade others; this becomes, as it same is happening today in the were, acceptable to the Christian, church.’ 3 permissible, even just ‘all in a day’s work’. But this is not so. The Fr Uminsky, I think, accurately identi- Christian life does not consist in fied a trend which only became appar- just attending Easter services, but in ent in December 2011 and which has grown over the summer into a serious crisis within the church.

The young Moscow priest, Fr Dmitri Sverdlov, was an observer in one of the elec- toral districts on 4 Decem- ber, election day. He posted his vivid account of his work on the internet. 4 Fr Dmitri and observers from opposition parties discovered that the elec- toral commission had falsi- fied the results in favour of the ruling party, United Russia, so Fr Dmitri re- ported this to the police. What was his amazement when a month later he received a reply from the police which was like Fr Alexei Uminsky something out of the thea- tre of the absurd! This is the daily work of repentance, in what he was told: Fr Dmitri and the acknowledging one’s sin as part of other complainants are not guilty of a desire to overcome it, in an effort any offence, and they will not be sub- to rise above what is base within ject to prosecution, i.e. you dare be oneself towards what is best.’ 2 electoral observers again and you’ll hear from us! Then facing varied reac- A popular television presenter, Fr tions from his parishioners and other Alexei Uminsky, another Orthodox Orthodox believers, Fr Dmitri asked

Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 33

life. But not only action has an influence; inaction has too – action and inaction, of the church as a whole, and of individual bishops, priests and laypeople – never mind whether they are vocal, or quiet and inconspicuous .’ 5

Patriarch Kirill spoke about the popular protests and the evolving political situation in the country during the Christ- mas celebrations [Orthodox Christmas is in January. Ed ] on 8 January when giving an interview to the state televi- sion channel ‘Rossia-1’. He emphasised that:

Fr Dmitri Sverdlov ‘the aim of legitimate pro- tests is to correct the political himself ‘For the sake of what did I as a course... If those in power remain priest take on the job of observer dur- impervious to the expression of ing the elections?’ His answer, pub- protest, that is a very bad sign – a lished in an important internet journal, sign that those in power are not in Orthodoxy and the World , seems to me touch with what is going on. Those to be important and instructive: in power must be attuned and this involves hearing signals from out- ‘This is a difficult question to an- side.’ 6 swer if you want to avoid falling into self-justification. We are given It seemed at this point that the Patri- a stereotype of the church portray- arch with these words was sending a ing it as outside politics; but this is cautious signal about the distance not true. which lay between the ROC and the Putin regime. The truth is that the church’s high- est goal is above politics but not However later, on 8 February, Patri- outside politics. Politics is part of arch Kirill made quite clear that he the life of society, of people’s lives. supported Putin’s candidacy for the In this context any socially signifi- Presidency: cant action of the church as a whole and of its individual members, one ‘I must say quite clearly as Patriarch way or another, directly or indi- who is called to speak the truth, rectly, influences or impinges upon purged of propaganda and political political processes and society’s considerations, that you personally, Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 34

Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin], parov, wittily observed that the Patri- have played an enormous part in arch’s words of gratitude to Putin re- straightening out the distortions of sembled the Prime Minister’s reply in our history. I would like to thank the play by Evgeni Shvarts based on you’ 7 Hans Christian Anderson’s The Em- peror’s New Clothes : Yet on 8 January the Patriarch had spoken differently: ‘Your Highness! You know I’m an honest, straightforward old man. I ‘The church’s word must not be speak the truth to someone’s face, politicised, it cannot be unbalanced even if it’s unpleasant... Let me tell in the most basic meaning of this you with the honesty and directness word. I don’t mean in the sense of of an old man: you are a great man, duplicitous diplomatic balancing, an emperor!’ but in the sense that the church’s word must bear the truth which can It is important to realise that the one- be accepted by all. And the truth is sided, politicised position of Patriarch that falsehood must be removed Kirill definitely does not reflect the from our life.’ 8 great variety of views held by mem- bers of the ROC, and has already pro- Exactly a month later the Patriarch voked serious discussion among both actively began to support the presiden- clergy and laity. The complex and tial campaign, something which his contradictory Pussy Riot case, and the predecessor Alexi II would never have sentence imposed by the court in Au- allowed in principle. The former gust, have led to a profound crisis world chess champion, Garry Kas- within the ROC.

1 http://e-vestnik.ru/reviews/de_vita_sua_2932/ 2 http://jarki.ru/wpress/2011/12/22/2918/ 3 http://www.blagovest-info.ru/index.php?id=44885&s=7&ss=2 4 http://www.echomsk.spb.ru/blogs/bakush/2819.php 5 http://www.pravmir.ru/xomyachok-v-pole/ 6 http://www.pravmir.ru/intervyu-patriarxa-o-rozhdestve-mitingax- pereformatirovanii-prixodov-i-tex-kto-koshmarit-cheloveka/ . 7 http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/2004759.html 8 http://www.pravmir.ru/intervyu-patriarxa-o-rozhdestve-mitingax- pereformatirovanii-prixodov-i-tex-kto-koshmarit-cheloveka/

Mikhail Roshchin is an Arabist and member of Moscow’s Oriental Institute. He has contributed to Keston’s Encyclopaedia and participated in fieldtrips to the North Caucasus.

Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 35

Keston’s Encyclopaedia

Fieldtrip to Kalmykia

by Xenia Dennen

In January this year Sergei, Roman and I left Moscow for Elista, the capital of Kalmykia. Our plane had a firebird on a red background painted on its tail and flew the 2000 km to Elista without a hitch. Once over Kalmykia I noticed the steppe below powdered with snow, a river with sharp bends, and rather stunted trees covered in frost which looked like white-haired gents standing on either side of tracks running very straight across the bleak flat land. We landed at Elista airport in the late after- Encyclopaedia team in Kalmyk yurt noon: this was a solitary small building (left to right) Xenia Dennen, Sergei in the steppe with a pagoda on its roof, Filatov & Roman Lunkin some way from the city. Eventually we were able to ring for a taxi and get The nomadic Kalmyks, the western to our hotel, a remnant of the Soviet branch of the Mongolian ethnic group past and thus extremely cheap. I no- from north-western China known as ticed a photograph of the Dalai Lama the Oirats, began moving westwards in on the reception desk. Our rooms with the 14 th century and by the beginning high ceilings were on the second floor; of the 17 th century settled along the there was no lift, no restaurant; but I lower reaches of the Volga and in the did find a perfectly friendly cockroach Urals. Buddhism had been the religion in my bathroom. of the Oirats since the late 16 th and early 17 th century. Once settled on Russian territory the Kalmyks retained close Astrakhan ties with Tibet and the Dalai Lama. In 1609 the Elista Kalmyks were given the right to settle on Russia’s Kalmykia southern steppe and until 1771 were governed by their own Khanate. By the second half of the 18 th century the Russian gov- Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 36

ernment, which until then had not in- and the Kalmyk Autonomous Republic terfered in Kalmyk affairs, began en- liquidated. The Kalmyks were reha- couraging them to join the Russian bilitated in 1957 and the republic re- Orthodox Church and began ruling stored. them from Astrakhan where in 1776 an Orthodox mission to the Kalmyks was Only two Russian Orthodox churches set up. About three quarters of the were open in Kalmykia after the war, Kalmyks at this point left Russia and although by the time the Kalmyks were returned to north-western China. Bud- allowed to return in 1957 there were dhism declined as contacts with Tibet almost as many Russians in residence waned; then in the late 19 th century and as Kalmyks. Revival of religious life early 20 th century a Bud- began in 1984 when dhist revival movement another Russian Ortho- began, inspired particu- dox church was opened larly by the Buryat Lama and a number of Baptist Agvan Dorzhiev who in and Pentecostal congre- 1907 founded a Buddhist gations began to meet spiritual academy on openly. In 1988 the first Kalmyk territory. The Buddhist group was imperial manifesto of 17 registered, in 1989 a July 1905 with its act of Buddhist temple toleration gave further (khurul ) was opened, support to the revival of and in 1991 the Associa- Buddhism among the tion of Buddhists of Kalmyks, who by 1914 Kalmykia was founded. had 26 large and 53 small The revival of religious khuruls (temples). The life, both Christian and repression of Buddhism Buddhist, gathered mo- after the Revolution only Bishop Zinovi mentum after the elec- began in 1927 following an All-Union tion as President in April 1993 of Kir- Buddhist Council: all contact with san Ilyumzhinov, who began channel- Tibet was banned and in 1929 the se- ling considerable government funding cret police organised the expulsion to religious organisations. from Kalmykia of ‘all exploiting ele- ments’ including religious leaders. In On our first day we were able to ar- 1931 khuruls began to be destroyed, range a meeting with the local bishop, lamas arrested, and in 1935 the leading Bishop Zinovi of Elista and Kalmykia centre for the study of Buddhism who had been appointed to this diocese closed. By the early 1940s all organ- in March last year (the diocese had ised Buddhist religious life was de- only existed since 1995). To my sur- stroyed in Kalmykia. During the Ger- prise when we arrived at the episcopal man occupation in 1942 Orthodox, residence the bishop himself opened Baptist and Buddhist worship was the door. Never in my experience had permitted until in December 1943, such a thing happened before! He was with the re-establishment of Soviet a young 63-year-old, sprightly with control, all the Kalmyks were deported sparkly eyes and a warm smile. He sat Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 37

us down beside him at a table where involved in local good works. There there were cakes and fruit laid out, and was an Orthodox Youth Movement in soon cups of tea were brought round. Kalmykia, which organised groups of young people interested in sport, or art About 30% of Kalmyks, he said, at- or music; and even a bikers’ group tended the Russian Orthodox Church who went on a ‘procession of the (ROC) but he did not advocate any cross’ carrying icons on their motor- open missionary work as he aimed to bikes. The ROC held services in a encourage dialogue with the Bud- strict regime labour camp, and, added dhists, who, he believed, ‘loved holy the bishop, he had visited it on Christ- things’ like bees attracted to honey. mas Day. While we sat at table a pris- Buddhists started with interior explora- oner rang him, and I noticed how he tion, he added, asked basic questions gave him his full attention – and about the meaning of life, and could quoted Dostoevsky! To us he later move without great difficulty to the said, ‘a prisoner can become a saint’. Christian faith. There was a mission- His diocese, he continued, was very ary department in his diocese, but it poor: there was no industry; the clergy was not publicised as this could lead to were paid very little; and there were problems. He got on well with the neither monasteries nor a seminary. leader of the Union of Buddhists of Kalmykia who had said to him, ‘Dear Kalmykia, he went on, was an ‘inter- brother, let us take down the fences confessional paradise’: ‘in the frame- between us; maybe we’ll find common work of cultural dialogue we respect ground.’ You had to start by drinking a each person and their choices.’ His cup of tea together and then go on to relations with the local government public dialogue, said Bishop Zinovi; were ‘very pleasant’ and he liked the Kalmyks were simple people, soft and new President, Alexei Orlov, who was quiet. ‘wise’ and whom he trusted. He ap- proved of the President’s aim to pro- Of his 13 priests (4 served in Elista) mote ‘a flourishing Kalmykia’. The one was a Kalmyk (he also had a Kal- past persecution of the church by the myk who was a server). In his diocese Soviet authorities had been ‘a humilia- he had 20 churches, but only 13 were tion’ . He felt that the moment when functioning parishes, as well as a num- Putin and the Patriarch had together ber of chapels in hospitals and prisons. laid the foundation stone at the Butovo His clergy ‘must grow wings to do memorial, where 70,000 murdered their work,’ he said, ‘I simply don’t Orthodox had been buried during interfere’; they regularly gathered to- Communist days, was a ‘turning point gether and most had higher education. of repentance’, after which Russia His priests were able to go into schools would never return to a dictatorship. and were doing splendid work, he said, Russia, he believed, would be able to in the Sunday schools. Bishop Zinovi withstand moral disaster and preserve believed that if a child was taught to ‘the values of holiness’. care for the elderly this would enable him or her to ‘become good’, so he Bishop Zinovi clearly loved Kalmykia, encouraged Sunday schools to get and related how he had felt intense joy Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 38

when first driving into the country – at young, many were leaving (most of the 180 km per hour! The police had Germans had returned to Germany) stopped him for speeding, but when he and, according to Fr Vladimir, the had told them that he was their new parish was dying. There were about 25 bishop, they were thrilled, he added -30 regulars, mostly russified Poles, with a chuckle, and let him go without five Kalmyks and a few Armenians. a fine. Mass was always said in Russian, as no one understood Polish or Latin. He Our next port of call was the Catholic did not experience any serious difficul- church, a small wooden building . I had ties from the local authorities, although expected to meet a they checked whether lively group of three his parish was receiv- Franciscans, but they ing money from had been moved to abroad. The previous Astrakhan. The current President, Kirsan priest was Fr Vladimir Ilyumzhinov (in power Lytasov, from Vo- 1993-2010), had at- ronezh and trained in St tended the Catholic Petersburg, who had church sometimes, he arrived in Elista in said, but the current March last year. He one, uninterested in the first took us into the non-Orthodox, never church, heated by a appeared. ‘Our parish minute stove which he carries no weight in our would light before a society.’ service; it would take two hours to warm up Elista’s Catholic church From the Catholic the building. On the wall was an icon church we walked to the main Bud- of the Virgin and Child, painted in a dhist khurul . It was a grey day, cold Kalmyk style by a contemporary Ital- with a biting wind and on entering the ian painter Paulo Bocci; it had been khurul – an enormous building, all commissioned by a Kalmyk Catholic carpeted, with many side rooms where convert Alexei Kikshaev, who in the meetings and even conferences were early 1990s had decided that Catholi- held – we were told to remove our cism was the true faith. He lectured boots. There was a large gold Buddha and wrote on Catholicism, and discov- at one end of the vast worship space , a ered local Poles and Germans who had number of benches along the sides and lost all touch with their religion. masses of false flowers. People walked Thanks to him the President provided out backwards. I noticed an advertise- some land and the church was built. ment offering classes in Tibetan as I By autumn 1993 he succeeded in get- hovered by the main entrance while ting the Franciscan Order involved: Sergei removed his boots and went off priest monks were supplied and the in search of whoever was in charge. parish built up to about 60 people. By After about 15 minutes he returned: 2000 it had grown to 100. Now, how- Anzha Gelug Lama would see us ever, with little employment for the straight away, so off came my boots. Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 39

Europe and wanted to link up with Buddhist organisations in the West. The conflict be- tween the Association and the Buddhist Union, we discov- ered on this visit, had now died down: the Association had become more tolerant towards local Buddhist tradi- tions, while understanding and respect for Tibetan Bud- dhism and the Gelug school had grown. Before the vast new khurul was built in 2005, Main khurul in Elista the Dalai Lama had blessed the ground on which it was to stand and expressed From earlier research we knew that the hope that it would become the two main Buddhist organisations had European centre for all Buddhist tradi- existed – the Association of Buddhists tions. of Kalmykia and the Buddhist Union of Kalmykia, the latter formed in 2000 The revival of Buddhism in Kalmykia in opposition to the Association with owed much to the religious policies of which it disagreed. The Association the republic’s first President Ilyumzhi- was founded in 1991 when the Dalai nov who was interested in unifying all Lama had first visited Kalmykia and world religions. He had ensured that a selected Telo Tulku Rinpoche, a US number of large khuruls had been citizen, but a Kalmyk, to head the new built, but had also provided funds for organisation. Telo Tulku Rinpoche Russian Orthodox churches, while at supported close links with Tibet and the same time treating Protestant advocated following the Gelug school groups in an even-handed way. His of Buddhism, bringing Tibetan monks successor, President Alexei Orlov, to teach the Kalmyks; but many of the appointed in October 2010, did not latter preferred home-grown forms of have the same interest in religious Kalmyk Buddhism which did not fit matters, but was nevertheless continu- neatly into Rinpoche’s Tibetan phi- ing his predecessor’s policies. losophy. For Kalmyks, long cut off from the outside world, from both Anzha Gelug Lama received us in his Tibet and the West, had mixed ele- office which had large windows on ments of shamanism into their reli- two sides and so was full of light. The gious practices, and developed beliefs khurul , he said, was used by many in a personalised God dating back to different groups and offered courses early Kalmyk culture which was influ- for teachers of religion. The Associa- enced by Zoroastrianism and Tengrian- tion of Buddhists of Kalmykia in- stvo (worship of tengra = sky). Fur- cluded 36 local organisations. There thermore, many educated Kalmyks were now 30 monks – mostly Kal- believed their country was part of myks. Initially monks had been sent to Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 40

Tibetan monasteries in India to train, Dalai Lama. Despite current difficul- but more recently a group had been ties (I assumed he meant Putin’s sup- sent to Mongolia, while one was cur- port for Chinese policies in Tibet) we rently studying in Buryatia. Anzha still hope and look forward to a visit.’ Gelug Lama hoped that a religious institute would soon be opened where Anzha Gelug Lama recommended that monks would spend five to eight years we contact Elizaveta Petrovna studying; ‘a person can take the best Bakaeva, a scholar of Buddhism at the from such study and use it in his life, Humanities Institute, so Sergei rang even if he leaves the monastic life.’ her and fixed a meeting for the next afternoon. It took us some time to find I asked him how he had become a her Institute, tucked behind other high Buddhist: he was brought up, he an- rise buildings, but eventually we dis- swered, by his grandmother who al- covered it, a brand new building, with ways had an altar at home. His parents modern windows and clean tidy of- had been born in Siberia after the de- fices. portation of the Kalmyks, and when they returned had encountered many Elizaveta Petrovna had been able to difficulties. ‘My forbears took a Bud- study Buddhism before the 1988 liber- dha with them to Siberia rather than alisation of Party policy towards relig- shoes.’ The old did not like talking ion under Gorbachev (she began her about their sufferings, so I could not studies on 1982) because she had been get him to talk about what it had been at the Institute of Ethnology in Mos- like for his people during their exile. cow which was relatively liberal and Later when we visited the Elista mu- had contact with the West; even aca- seum I was taken aback when all I demics from the West were allowed to could see were stories about the heroic give lectures there. She confirmed that involvement of Kalmyks during the the Buddhist Union of Kalmykia no war, and not a word about the deporta- longer existed and that the Association tion! of Buddhists of Kalmykia was now the only central Buddhist organisation. He confirmed that Kalmyks see them- Many schools of Buddhism were now selves as part of Europe but had inte- expounded through lectures at the grated pre-Buddhist shamanism and khurul . Before 1989 just a few secret Tengrianstvo into their religion. ‘We’d monks had managed to survive and like to work with the West. Our leader there had been no khuruls in Kalmykia maintains Western contacts, but there at all, she said. Before the deportation is the language barrier. We belong everyone had spoken Kalmyk, but now traditionally to the Gelug school, but it was dying out, especially in the vil- we welcome all Tibetan Buddhist tra- lages near the main towns, though a ditions and their leaders. There are number of institutions of higher educa- many roads to the same goal – stillness tion were now trying to revive it. of mind. I would like to see a commit- tee set up with representatives from the Buddhism in Kalmykia was older than different Buddhist regions of Russia. in Buryatia, she said. Everything con- People here long to see and hear the nected with Kalmyk religion and cul- Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 41

ture had been destroyed which she soon filled with between 1943-1957; in tea. Her Centre had 25 exile it had been impossi- members, she said, and ble to observe Buddhist was supervised by a Ti- rituals and most Kalmyks betan teacher, Eshe Lodoi had become very ignorant Rinpoche, who travelled about their religion; a round Russia; his lectures ‘dual’ form of belief had were attended by hundreds developed and, partly of people, she added. thanks to russification, by Twice a month all the the early 1990s it was not members performed a unusual for icons to be ritual which she called an placed beside Buddhist ‘offering’, commenting images, for parents to have ‘you cannot achieve much their children baptised in all alone; you need a the Russian Orthodox group’. Meditation was Church, and for Kalmyks White Starets in front of for those who were more to observe the main Rus- main khurul advanced: ‘Once a year in sian Orthodox religious July we gather near Lake festivals. A movement called Baikal and learn from our teacher, we ‘Revival’, founded after perestroika, learn about meditation; many there are aimed to resurrect ancient Kalmyk Russian.’ In 1991 she had seen the beliefs, including Tengrianstvo which, Dalai Lama: ‘The crowd separated and Elizaveta Petrovna said, was difficult I saw him. I felt cleansed. That was to define – it ‘revered the sky’ was her when I started to get interested in Bud- phrase. A form of ‘people’s Buddhism’ dhism.’ A Tibetan monk had encour- existed with a ‘White Starets ’ who, as aged her to attend his lectures: ‘I now a link between the sky and the earth, help in the khurul. It is our joy that we protected the Kalmyk nation and was have two enlightened ones – the Dalai revered as a local god by Kalmyks and Lama and Rinpoche. They help us Mongols; an icon of him was often along the path to enlightenment.’ Her placed on the left of the Buddha. Lo- Centre followed the Gelug school, but cal holy men and woman with special she added, ‘there is no difference be- gifts including healing were held in tween the different schools.’ Sergei high esteem, she said: one called decided she did not really know much Ggaha, had only died in 2000 and had about Buddhism! When he tried to had many followers; she was a healer find out whether her group followed and ‘everyone’s auntie’. the local Kalmyk ‘people’s Buddhism’ which Elizaveta Petrovna had men- From the Humanities Institute we went tioned, she replied ‘there are many on to a Dharma Centre, run by Zinaida different sorts of people; let babushki Galzunovna Antonova. This was in a believe in Buddha as a god; that’s all basement and somewhat ramshackle. right. Kalmyk Buddhism is no differ- Zinaida Galzunovna was homely and ent from the rest of Buddhism.’ It was rotund in a large red jumper; beside all right too to attend the Orthodox her stood a kettle and a few mugs Church – ‘Some Kalmyks have a Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 42

karma which leads them to Orthodoxy’ Testament into Kalmyk. Another large – and she knew a woman who had group in Elista were the Pentecostals been born on Easter Day and always who included the conservative Russian attended the Orthodox Easter liturgy. Church of Evangelical Christians, the Word of Life church, the Kingdom of Roman had meanwhile been interview- God church, the Golgotha Chapel, ing various Protestant pastors. He God’s Ambassadors and the Bread of talked to the senior pastor of the Evan- Life mission. Even the Salvation gelical Christian Missionary Union Army had a branch in Elista, founded (ECMU), Vladimir Gololobov, who in the 1990s but not yet officially reg- told him that the ECMU had been istered. It had 50 members – 60% working in Kalmykia since 1995 and young people, 80% Kalmyk. now had three churches. Partly funded by American Koreans, Pastor Gololo- With our heads buzzing from all this bov’s team regularly held evangelising new information for the section in the meetings, rock concerts against drug Encyclopaedia on Kalmykia, it was use, and organised seminars for doc- now time to move on, this time to As- tors, businessmen and computer pro- trakhan, at the mouth of the Volga grammers. Most members of ECMU where it flows into the Caspian Sea, were young people from the Kalmyk some 3½ hours away by taxi across the University and numbers were increas- steppe. Above the sky was grey, light- ing all the time, said Pastor Gololobov, brown tufts of grass which peeped out although there was a frequent turnover of the snow provided fodder for herds as many went abroad to study never to of small brown cattle. Often flocks of return. sky larks would land on the road ahead of us, so our driver hooted to make Roman also found that there was a them fly off. I noticed lots of black large ECB (Evangelical Christian and sheep, and when the sun suddenly Baptist) congregation in Elista, regis- came out we decided to stop and pho- tered in 1991, with a few hundred tograph ourselves with the sheep graz- members, a third of whom were young. ing behind us, while a suspicious Kal- Their pastor, Timur Busygin, told Ro- myk shepherd kept watch. man that there were a further four prayer houses in the re- public and five congregations. The Church of Christ the Sav- iour, a conservative evangeli- cal church, founded by a Ukrainian mission, cooperated with the Baptists. Roman also discovered groups which be- longed to the All-Russian Union of Evangelical Chris- tians, as well as the Kalmyk Bible Society which by 1997 had translated part of the New Xenia & Sergei in the Kalmyk steppe Keston Newsletter No 16, 2012 43

Home News Patrons The Archbishop of Canterbury The Archbishop of Westminster Michael Bourdeaux writes : The Chief Rabbi of Great Britain The Moderator of the Free Churches Following my visit to Ukraine (on The Archbishop of Glasgow which the Chairman reported in the last The Archbishop of Thyateira & Great Britain Newsletter ), less than two weeks later Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia (early December) I was underway again to the former Soviet Union, this prison (and much else), now so care- time to Chisinau, Moldavia, which to fully preserved (and conserved) at me on my only previous visit was Baylor University. It was stimulating at ‘Kishinyov, Soviet Moldavia’. Sadly, about the same time to be invited by the Soviet heritage is only too obvious: The Times to write the obituary of one yes, Russian – rather than the native of the leading figures, Mikhail Khorev, Romanian – is widely spoken on the who survived a lifetime in and out of streets, which is all right by me; but prison, to end his life in his eighties, those streets look as if nothing has been full of years and honour. His son Ven- done to them, nor to the architecture, yamin once visited Keston and I was in since the departure of that power now touch with him again at the time of his over 20 years ago. Moldova is a sad father’s death. sight and an economic basket-case, but the people are wonderful. Rarely have Writing – yes, Pussy Riot has taken I received a warmer welcome. I was much of my attention over recent lecturing at a conference on Christian weeks. So many reporters writing from democracy, sponsored by the Konrad Moscow got so much wrong, but Xenia Adenauer Foundation, which is doing Dennen and I have both been able to wonders for this part of the world. Over make correctives in our various ways. 100, mainly young people, came to my This story will run and run and, as I talk and I felt inspired by the visible write, I’m preparing to take part in a rise in interest in Keston’s work. discussion on Radio 4 in the ‘Beyond Belief’ series. I’ve also been writing a I was invited to be chaplain on a cruise new text for a lecture in Mexico, on to the West Indies in the New Year which I’ll report next time, after my and, during two long crossings of the visit to Querétaro University for the Atlantic, gave several talks to introduce last week in September. This will be a people to Keston. In July I spoke to the new experience. Baptist History Society’s conference at Regent’s Park College, Oxford. I Now halfway through my 79 th year, I ‘revisited’ the work I did on the schism continue to be grateful to God for the in the Russian Baptist Church, starting good health I enjoy and contact with so 50 years ago now. I found it moving to many of you keeps up my spirits; I am look back at these testimonies from so thankful for your prayers. Keston Institute PO Box 752, Oxford OX1 9QF Tel: +44 (0)20 8133 8922 [email protected] www.keston.org.uk

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