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AN INDEPENDENTPUBLICATION OF ORTHODOX OPINION JANUARY-FEBRUARY,2OOO Vol.12, No, 1 (83)

Supportedby the voluntarycontributions of its readers.Republication permitted upon acknowtedgment of source.

The staff of "Church News"greets our readerson the Feastof the Nativityof Christ '- '/ and wishesall the best for the coming year:A BLESSEDNATIVITY AND A HAPPYNEW YEARI

CONTENTS NATVIry GREETING- Vl. Vitaly NATIVITYEPISTLE * Vl. Valentin CONTINUATIONOF THESTORY OF A PARISHIN OTTAWA ABOUTTHE MAGMINE'VOZIIRASHCHENIYE'' WHICH DEFINED ITSELF FLOODIN DORMITIONOF THE HOLYTHEOTOKOS CHURCH IN JERUSALEM AN IMPORTANTADMISSION BY THE ABBESS OF MT.OF OLIVESCONVENT ANXIOUSCHRISTMAS OF THE 2ND MILLENNIUM THEFIGHT AGAINST A FEWWORDS ABOUT THE CONSCIENCE by Archpriest Michaet Ardov REGARDING"SUZDAL SKETCHES'' ABOUTTHE PARISH OF RIGHTEOUSNEW MARTYR ST. ELISABETH IN ST,PETERSBURG ABOUTTHELATVIAN AUTONOMOUS ORTHODOX CHURCH A COMPULSORYREORGANIZATION WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION OF ''THEORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA' THEPOPE AND THE MOSCOW PATRIARCH WORDSAND ACTIONS OF THE MOSCOW ICONOF THE HOLY VIRGIN CF VLADIMIRAGAIN IS NOTIN CHURCH HOWLUZHKOV WAS''BAPTIZED" "LIBERAL" HEADED FOR THE GRAVEYARD DEACONESSESINTHE ALBANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH? ECUMENICALAWARDTO SUPPORTERSOF HOMOSEXUALS A NEWSTYLE OF MONASTICISMIN RUSSIA ONEMORE BLASPHEMOUS OUTRAGE /lEW THEOLOGICALBOOKS lN FRENCH CHURCHNEWS 639 Center Street Oradell,NJ, 07679-2003USA Tel: 201-9S7-7684 f A wordfrom the staff: we are enclosingan envelope withour eddressand askour readersto kindlysupport the publicationof ,,church News'"As before,w? €re notsetting any requiredsubscription fee for our publication,but in the futurewe will be ableto sendit to Russia}only you {excluding if respondin somemanner, or in casesof insufficientmeans to makea donation, you notifyus thatyou would like to receive',ChurchNews." We also ask that anyonewho -unnecessary no longerwants to receive"Church News" let us know,so that we be sparedany expensesand so theywiil not get any unwantedmair. Ourpublication has existed for 12 yearsnow exclusively funded by the donationsof our readers.Each indiviciual copycosts us $.60,not countingpostage and envelopes. we are especiallygratefui ta thoseof our readerswho can helpus notonly in repfyto our annuaiappeal, but whoof theirown good will sendus donationsduring the restof the yeai.

NATIVITYGREETING frcm MetropolitanVitaly, the FirstHierarch cf the Russianorthodox church Abroad Christis born! GlorifyHim! I greetyou all on this ioyousand greatfestival. ThL RtmigntyGod Himselfbecomes a maR- the God-man.in orderto consoleus withHis Divinecompassion in the oftengrievous lot of our earthlylife. In the Old Testamentwe were givensimple commandrnents: not to kill, not to steal,not tJ indulgeour passionsof ttreflesh, and so on. In the New Testamentthe Lordgives us the commandmentsof Beatitudes,which we proclaimwhen we singthem at everyLiturgy: "Blessedare the poorinspirit..." Finaily,in the FirstEpistle to the Thessalonians,the HolyAposfle paul puts before us further new commandmerrts relatingto our daily spiritualconduct: "Rejoice evermore. pray withoutceasing. everythinggive For thanks- For this is the will of God in ChristJesus conceining you" (5: 16-1g). ',Withoutceasing,,can have no other meaning 'to than pray withoutever stopping." We are left wiin-tne question:how oan we pray without ceasing?With the mind? No,becaus+ our mindsoon becomes tired and stops praying. However, it is preciselywith the mindthat this real labour mustbegin. Seeingour labors,the Lordin miraculousrainion draws this prayerdown into the heart,which is the ssurceof man'sspiritual energy, and then the whole man prays. The HolyFathers a*irm tnat the Lard JesusChrist Himself prays togetherwith us to His HeavenlyFather, "Who L gieaterthan 1." This is the real schoolof prayer' I wishfor all of i/outo enterthis GreatSchool, wheie through prayer rs tie LordHimself will teachall things. This the HighestSchool of all schoolsand admission to it is alwaysopen to everyone. I ghouldalso greet you all withthe secondmillennium of the existenceof the Churchof Christon earth. Our Lord JesusChrist never founded any such thing as "Christianity,"but He establishedHis Church,and He promisedthat it wauldremain unassailable and invincibleuntil His dreadSlcond Coming, In otherwords, the membersof this Church are the true Christians. Andthis meansthat the wholespiritual meaning Lf our earthlylife is this,ihat we shouldbe and abidein thischurch of christ,which is my heartfeltwish to all of you. Amen. MetropotitanVitaty Nativityof Chrisi1999-2000 NOTEFROM CHURCH NEWS: We received the textof the Metropolitan'saddrees from one of the parishpriests of the ROCOR.Since it had na letterheador title' we it took upon ourselvesto call it "NativityGreeting from MetropolitanVitaly, First Hierarchof the ROCOR."

NATIVITYEPISTLE of Archbishopof Vladimirand $uzdal to faithfulchildren of the RussianOrthodox Church "Christis born:glorify Him!..." - Nsthingcan measurethe ioveof Godfor u$, sinnerJ,from the verybeginning of our livesand to our lastbreath. God'slove toward us is alwaysclearly visible in Hiseonstant care for us, if we Jre attentiveto oursalvation. From the day of the Presentationinto the templeof the All HolyTheotokos, the HolyChurch in a festivemanner remindsus of the approachingfeasi of Christ'sNativity: "Christ is born- glorifyHim!...', And fromthat blessedday the Churchof Christunceasingly reminds us of theforthcol'ning holiday, callinj eve,ryoneof us to glorifythe DivineChild not onlywith the mouth. but alsowith the heartand all the mind,and especiatlywittr geod deeds, wf,icir are so necessaryin our hardtimes_ The holidayof the Presentationof Theotokosis especiallyprecious to us. Ten yearsago, during days of this holiday,our Churchbegan its departurefrom a Babyloniancaptivity to meetChrist the DivineChild. Two years lhousand have passedsince the world learnedthat for our sakes and our salvationGod the Father ent to fallen humanityHis Only BegottenSon, that everyone J, who believethin Him would not perish,but have -*_/,geflastlng ltle. Almosttwo thousand years have passed, since the worldlearned about the christianFaith through the preaching of the HolyApostles and the Martyrs,who sacrificedtheir livesfor the tr"iumphof Orthodoxy.And for just as manyyears the faith of the HolyApostles and Mariyrshas been opposedby the false iaith, aboutwhich the Holy Aposgeswarned. 2 "ButI fear,lest by any means,as the serpentbeguiled Eve, so yourminds should be corrupted... preachethanather For if he that cometh Jesus,whom we har.enot preached...,'i2 cor. t 1:3-4} With everyday we are nearingthe jubilee year. And moreand moreoften we put to ourselvesa question:what good deedshave we dene for the sake of our awn - ialvation as well as of our neighbors?fulore and morewe feel pain in our heartabout life spent without faith in God good and deeds. what willwe brini beforethe throneaf the Judge? what gill we answerto Godand what sentence will we hear? Yes, we were not faithfulDiscipies of Christ,we were not confessorsof Orthodoxy.We lived not for the sake of God,not for our salvaticn,but fcr ths sakeof tempoiaryhappiness, fargetting about the eternalKingdom of God,sGlory! Everyhour and everyminute our innervoice,- the'judge or or-irpoJr conscience,reminds us of howfar we fromthe saivificevangelic'*l Gommandments are whichhave bein broughtby the only Begotienson of God,Jesus christ. Almostail our lifewe fallownot ihe path of confessing.Chist,but tne'patnof compromise,justifying our actions and with this we celudeourselves and establish a lie. "lf he that comethpreacheth another Jesus, whom we havenct preached'"'ye mightwell bearwith him" Cor 11:34). Sucha differentiesus is beingpreached when it is allfaithshave the same i2 statedthat God,the sameChrisf. But ofthodoxChristians do not havethe sameGod with all those nor the sameChr-ist who do not preservechrist's_ and the Apostle'sfaith. The preachersof another nec€ssary christ insistthat it is to he unitedwith apostates from Christ's faith for the sakeof love. Butsuch "love,,always results. bringsthe opposite At alt times,over the span of thousandscf yearsthere were heard groans, tears were shed and Christianblood flowed'The twentiethcentury is especiallydistinguished by the mostcruei persecutionof Christiansfor the sake creatinghappiness on earth- of at the ordersof a God-opposinggovernment there pouredout the bloodof Martyrsand Holy New confessorsof Russia,who sacrificed their lives for the orthocioxfaith. the Tsarand the Fatherland. while remembering that the 20th centuryhas characterizeditself with apostasyand its accompanyingperfidy, hatred,cruelty, blood-ihirstiness and otherevil deeds, we haveno rightto be pacifiedby the realizaiionof our sinfulness afone' The realizationof ourown sinfulnessis onlythe first step toward repeniance, tnii is an innerascertaining of sinful deedswhich overpowered us and whiehinterfere with the awarenessof the depthof our fall and interferewith the raising of cur spiritualinsight to be ableto sayto ourselves:"Stopl,' Todayand anly today,if we seek salvationfor ourselvesas well as for our neighbors,we haveto offerto the Lordour repentanceand bring forththe fruitsof our repentanceso thatthe All MercifulLord would not be angrywith r,rs butwould disregard our sins. Buringthe days left of this 20th centurywe shouldstrengthen our prayersand praynot onlyfor prosperityand reacefullife, but alsoplead with the Lord.that He wouldforgive our children,who were not broughtinto God,stemples. ---^nd especiallypray for our parents, who havedeparted to Jnotherworld and who trustedthe anarchists,who betrayed Holyorthodcx church, orthodox Tsar the Martyrand God,speople Belovedin God,fathers, brothers and sisters in Jesuschrisil Frsmall my heartI greetyou on the greatand incomprehensibleholy day of the Nativityof prayerfully you, chrisil I wish fromthe DivineChild Christ lying in a manger,acquisition or tne Ho-tySfirit. With humiiityof heart and tearsin the eyes,let us ium to the Divinebnito cnrist: o our mostgtorious Jesus *- fiardtimes came upen us' people whenthe roseup againstitself, when brotherly blood flowed over the Russiannation, when OrthodoxRussia and her martyredpeople are threatenedwith hungerano colo,when humanityis coveredwith woundsand the flesh is in pain, whenevery misfortune falls upon us and eJrthquakeshappen, when the worldis nearing catastr+pheand Thyjudgement -- is at our doors, do not rememberour lawlessness,foigive the sinsof our fathersand forefathers,forgive us.Judas' sin of perfidiousnessand falsewitness, the sin of the Tsar,smurder and of treasonand idolatry!We darenot look up to Thy holy ,but we onlypray and piead:show us Thy mercyand do not leaveus to perish,so thatThy namemay be glorifiedin the HolyTrinity ano-ne aMays worshipped unto the agesof ages. Amen. lnvokingupon you God'sbressing and asking for yourhcly prayers . Vaientin, of Vladimirand Suzdal 1999-2000city of Suzdal CONTINUATIONOF THE$TORY OF A PARISHIN OTTAWA 'The C*hodox Herald" in Canadain its F{cvernberissue # B in an abridgedrnanner reported the events regardingthe seizureby the MoscowPatriarchate of the Holy ProteciionChurch in bttawa. This Heratdis issuedby m*nthly' lt said in particular:'At the momentwe send out our Heraldfor pr.inting,ctergy of our dioceseconducts the servicesin the morning and in the evening.Up to the presenttrme we are o'bliged-torequest that our churchbe opened for us' Untillast Saturday we couldserve one vigil serviceand one thanksgi.;ingservice with the akathistbut we could not servea Liturgydue to unfavorablecircumstanceg.,' Unfortunately,it is impossibleto clarifythis declarationof the diqcesanadministration and find out the true situationof the churchseized by the Moscowpatriarchate. Meanwhile,a ne-wspaper "Russkiivestnik" iRussian Herald) published in Russiain its # 42-43 issue '-zoblishedan appealentitled 'A {436-437i newparish of the RussianOrthodox Church in Ottawaasks all thefellow faithful for help.,, The appealstarts with the words: "The Administrator of the Patriarchalparishes in Canada,Archbishop Mark of Kashira,the Rectorof ihe MemorialChurch of the Protectionof the Theotokosin Ottawa,Fr. DimitrySqver anct the parishCouncit turn to the 3 orthodax faithfulthroughout the worldwith the fcllowingletter:-.." Then it is ,,Decision generalparish stated,that accc,.dingto a of the meetingheld in september,1999, th;parish of the Memorial church of the Frotr*i** of the Hoty in the capitolof canada, ottawa, reunitedwith the Russian patriarchate. parishioners orthodox chur-chof Moscow g3 {outcf 100active parish members} voted fer reunionwith the Mother . - voting".. churchand 3 membersabstained fram , "Thisjoyful for occasionfor all the parishioners - becamedarkened by the informationthat BishopMichael of Torontofiled a taw suit in the nameof the Russian orthodsxchurch Rnroadend her $ynod. He starteda law suit againstthe churchin ottawa in orderto deprivethe parish of its churchbuilding and property.The casewas heardin ottawacourt' unfortunately,the courtdeprived the parishof the churchuntil thE end of the case. As per this decision, the managementof the churehbuilding a.nd other property hasto be regulatedby the parishcouncil, but a priestis to be appointedby the RussianChurch Abroad.,, In connectionrnith this, accordingto patriarchal the parishicners,the parish is iookingfor anctherplace for worshipand is experiencingfinancial difficutties. Fromthese two controversial announcementsone maydraw only one conclusion:unfortunateiy the information givenby the administrationof the "DiocesanHerald in Canada"is sufferingfrom uncertainty{or reticence),while the appealof MoscawPatriarchate can not avoid somefalse statements,becaus! it is commonknowiedge that the Moscow Patriarchateis usedto lies. As per the app-ealof BishopMichael, published by us in # 6 (g2) issue,on october4th Judgeupheld "the rightsof the the canadianBishop anc ine synod of Bishopstr tne RocbFi to be indisputable.,,yet, Archpr.Sever sent the caseto the appellatecourf. We will keepour readersinformed on thefuture details of thiscourt case, 'VOZVRASHCHENIYE'' ABOUTTHE MAGMINE WHICHDEFINED ITSELF we haveseen only one 'vszvrashcheniye" ,,the or two issues the magazine ("Return,,) first printedorgan Russianparishes under the jurisdiction _of of of the ChurchAbioad, published in Russiaby the Russianpeopte.,, Those few accidentallyreQeived issues gave no opportunityof being able to arrive at some idea of the goals and point of view of this magazine' Yet, one of our readerswas kindenougrrIo send us a subscripticnform, publishedby the representative of this publication."inU$A, signed 'Vozvrashcheniye." by GalinaTunick-Rosniansky. In this oifer there are cleariylaid out the aims cf As it turnsout, "Such is the given name to our magazine.A word,wonderfully capacious. lt did not cometo us immediately'but whenii was discovered, it becameclear io us: as of now,this word will be one of thosefew, which retpls tg buiidour th will Thus"vozvrashcheniye" in the frameworkof our magazineis the returnto our atners, lirrina an.l aoaat -+ill ^^^^Lt^ ^t L,:- -: oesti#;# ilffi;, ;; ylif toher prodisar ,onl rheretuin to ttti il;n;;A;;;;'i,",;;';;;;;' /iftenessIff*:i??*:i1.?f?i: of fhe llaty : ?l?1Try ;;; to wha!is preseieaana 'nned... Returnof ihose, % f*!:n r#;J;;i;Twhawere expefied for the sakeof laatr .cc far r ro nr+l-^.f^-, lL^-^ ;^ ffiff';ff-; thereis notand never wiu be anotneiF;deGna ;;;;;;;;;ri"* underlined::f::^-^g..Y,ift??doxby "CH.N.") i=*oi-roli=Hl Well,the goalsof this magazine are declaredwith totalclarity - it is unionwith the Mosccwpatriarchate. lt is only not clear,why theseRussian petriots neverthelessdecided tc exit frcrnMoscow patriarchate and join the RocA, whilethey do not shareher fornner basicstand? Therealso arisesanother question: Ulhy the hierarchyof the ROCA keepsquiet and iakes no measures ,'fir;st againstthe obviousiypro-Moscow ideology of its printedorgan ,, in Russia? It seems,that our hierarchy and distinguishedciergy and publicrepriientatives have stopped reading anything but their local newspapers! And who knows,maybe they themselvessympathize with sucfr a ,vozvrashcheniye,, {Return}.

FLOODIN DORMITIONOF THE HOLY THEOTOKOS CHURCH IN JERUSALEM As reportedfrcm Jerusalem,three days of pouringrain resulted in a fioodof Dormitionchurch of the Theotokss in Jerusalem' Rainwater,coming down fromthe stopes6t tne Mt. of olives filledthe churchup to the chandeliers.At ihe timecf the flaod5 Greek monksand nunswere present in the churchwhich is locatedundergrcund down a longflight af steps- Theywere savedby roweringdown to themseme ropes. It seemsalmost every year there is a minorflood in this church,but this year such a terribleflood resulted becausein the surroundingis newconstruction and the piledup debrisntoikeo the drains. Accordingto the local churchadministratlon, maily religiaus valuables perished in this flood. lt is still not quite sure if the famousand very muchrevered icon of rheotokossuryived. A secretaryof the Jerusalem '5 Pairiarchate,Meiropolitan Timotheos stated that water in the churchrose to 50 feet meters)and even on the nextday the muddywater was stillz feethigh. \-'/ lsraeli firefightersand police first saved the monasticsin the Jhurchand then startedto pump the water threeor four hoses. with 4 AN IMPORTANTADMISSIONBYTHE ABBESS OF MT.OF OLIVESCONVENT "TheHerald of the GerrnanDiocese" in issue# 4far year1999 published an interviewgiven to the editorsof this magazineby the abbess of Mt. of OlivesConvent, Abbess Moiseya" In this currentissue, the interviewof Abbess Mciseyais published,while another, by AbbessElisabeth of Gethsemaneis due in the nextissue. To question a about"how manypriests there are in ihe community?"the Abbessanswered, two: priestmonk rromAustralia Jndronik and"Priestmonk Elias, who came from Kiev-" Regaroing a que$tionon replacementsfor the staff of Mt' of olivesConvent andanswering to the directquestion: "do these riplacJments come from cur parishesin Russia, or from the MoscorvPatriarchate?" the AbbessMoiseya answered: "Mainly from the Moscowpatriarjhate, but there are somefrom our Churchtoo, for exampleone sister from Kiev.,' li is common knowledge'even without Abbess' Elisabeth' interview, that the conventof Gethsemanehas plenty of nunsand noviceswho havecome from Russia. Having ,,at aireadylearned from the tragicexperience with the Monasterycf Hebron,where the rightmoment,,a iraitor novicefrom the MF hapBenedto bc on hand,must one eometo the sad eonelusionil-rat at p!.esentin everyone of our convenisin the HoiyLand, we havea ',Trqjanhorse"?

ANXIOUSCHRISTMAS OF Tt{E 2ND MILLEI,i!.{IUM According 'tSth, to the bulletin"Ecurnenical Press lnternationa!," cf Decernber 1ggg,December 2sthlJanuary 7th, 2000,in Bethlehem'on the dayof the Nativityof Christthere will be conductedspecial very festive services" On that day ihe arrivalof all the Eastern"Orthodox" Patriarchs is expected,bui also of the pi"esidents predominantly af the Orthodoxcountries. Among the invitedguests is alsoMilosevic, but it is verydoubtful thai he wouldcome, because grounds he has to believethe he will be arrestedas a war criminal.lt is expeciedthat yeltsin rvill corne. Arefat spentthe ''Drozdov.,, wholemonth of Novemberin the Moscow,he also metthere with AlexisRidiger He spokeon the teiephone for some20 minuteswith Yeltsin and, as he saidon a pressconferenee given in Moscow,Arafat himself said that"the President confirmed that he wouidvisit holy sites in Palestineas earlierplanned." personal A invitationfrom the mayorof JerusalemEhud Olmert to attendthe festivitieswas receivedby ihe Presidentsf the OrthodoxPalestine $ociety, BishopAnthony {Grabbe}. The invitationwas sent to.the ,,Russian Excavations"by messenger. Ridigerhimself is expectedto arrivewith morethan a thousand"pilgrims." He is scheduledto leaveMosco\M on January2nd andall celebrationsare to beginon January4th. Hewiil leaveJerusalem on January7th, right after the end of the servicein orderto be in Moscowto servein the Christthe SaviourCathedral. Accordingto the programpublished by the JerusalemPatriarchate, on January4 the headsof the Churehesand -lresidents of the nationsare to be receivedby the lsrael'sPresident Ezer Weizman and the mayorof JerusalemEhud Olme*- lt is expectedthat the seniorofficials of statewill be presentand will attenda concertof the Orthodoxmusic in the iheater. The bulletinpoints out that this assemblyof all the heads of the "Orthodox"Churches and also heads of governments of Orthodoxstates is an unprecedentedhistorical event. One can not help but think, may nct this "precedent"be a repetitionof Hebron,sstory for the ROGORI It is interestingta note that one of the lsraelithinkers Meron Benvenistipublished an articlein one of the influentiallsraeli newspapers "Haa!'ez" in whichhe saysthat "The Palestiniansare exploitingthe lsraelfailure artfully and snatchingthe HolyLand away frorn the Jews. lf the lsraelisflinch at the ideaof the Christianattachment to the Holy Lend,it will henceforthbe identifiedwith palestine." Meanwhile,the agency$OP {serviceOrthodoxe de Presse}reported that in Jerusalemagain, between June 12 and 19th, includingthe Feastof Pentecost,there will be an pan-Ort'hodoxconference on the theme',The Orthodox Churchin the ThirdMillennium." The GreekChurch scheduled a solemnLiturgy in the Athenscathedrat, which will be attendedagain by all the headsof the "Orthodox,,Churches. The Churchof Sinai,which was until recentlyquite Orthodox,announced that she has scheduledan inter- religiousconference, which, besides Orthodox,will have Monaphysite,Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and Jewish participantsl The McscourPatriarchate decicied to mark the new rnillenniumwith the canonizationof some New Martyrs, consecraticnof Christthe $aviourCathedral and the publicationaf a 25 volumedictionaryl THEFIGHT AGAINST ORTHODOXY A bulletin"frlouvelles du MondeOrthodoxe," published in Frenchby a clericof the WesternEuropean Diocese, Fr. MichaelArtzimovitch reiates that the Austrianrninister of finance,Johannes Farnteitner, publicly declared that "Europebegins where Orthodoxy ends." As is well known,Orthodoxy is a universalreligion and has no birders. This Austrianminister was for a long time a memberof a militantCatholic grorp (KMBO)that supportsthe apacyand shouldhave shownsome respecttoward the Churchwhich their Pope calls'"a sisier Church." This --declarationwas opposedby manyCatholics, but, nevertheless, the ministersigned it. MetropolitanMichael, the Exarchof the EcumenicalPatriarchate and a memberof Ccuncilof ChristianChurches in Austria,expressed his disappointmentthat the pressgives a negativepicture of the SerbianChurch by writlng,'that Serbiannationalism will ceaseto existonly when the SerbianChurch will disappear." ln 1997Henry Kissinger speaking about Gree"" O*]tur*Cthat "the Greeksare difficultto govern,so we havetc hit themin the deepestparts of theircultural heritage. I thinkwe haveta striketheir language, theiireligion, sc thenthey havenothing any moreto say in the Balkans,the EasternMediteranean, and MiddleEast, which are itrategicanO vif31 zonesfor US politics."We cansee that the target!s not onlyMilosevie, but Or.thodoxy,says Fr. Michael. -A FEWwoRDs ABour rHE coNsctENCE by ArchpriestMichaei Ardov I subscribeto the Jordanvillepublication "Pravoslavnaya Rus" ("OrthodoxRussia"), but it arrivesin Moscow badiydelayed. We did not receiveissue # 16ior Augustof 1999unlil Novernber! In this issueI got interesiedin a secticnentitied "News from Russia" where mention is madeof "a routinevisit of His Grac* BishopMichael into oui country."Amcng other things it staied:"Sn ihe northernragion of Rosiov.Bishop Michaelvisited Ust-Medvedski village.".. At present,the MoscowPatriarchate established a monasterythere, whose ,'Live inhabitantstrustingly and respectfullymet him. asking only cne question:"Whst shoulC w.e do?', acccrdingic your cons*ience,"was the Bishop'sanswer. I believethat duringthe entire historyof Orthodoxynot one hierarchgave to monasticssuch a short and uncertainadvice, not once mentioningthe Lord'scommandments, the 'trusting Churchcanons and monasticrules. lt is even moresurprising that the monks"belong tc the MoscowPatriarchate, to a rncrethan dubiaus jurisdiction which is deeply involvedwith "pan-heresyof ecumenism," One can just imaginewhat the hierarchsoi blessedmemory, MetropolitansAnthony, Anastassy and philaret,would have said. Regardingthis issue,I alsohave to posea questionfor BishopMichael of Toronto:was his ownconscience clear whenhe acceptedthis high rank particularly in the RussianOrthodox Church Abroad?

REGARDING''SUZDALSKETCHES" The existenceof severaldioceses, headed in Russiaby Valentin(Rousanzov), Archbishop of Suzda!and Viadimir,from the veryfirst days of its existence,even lcng ago with just h$o small parishes, provoked an amazinghatred towardthe thenArchimandrite Valentin. Hardlyhad he managedto enterthe orbitaf life in the RussianOrthodox Church Abroad, into whose fcld he was receivedby MetropolitanVitaly in 1990, when an organizedhunt began, and unfortunaiely,not by the Moscow Patriarchatealone - whichquite naturallyraras to be expected. Unfortunately,two hierarchsaf the RussianOrthodsx ChurchAbroad startedtotally unfoundedslander. ArchbishopMark of Berlin, one may say from the very first acquaintancewith ArchimandriteValentin reported that he knewof his debaucheries,organized orgies, luxurious living . rndao on. Bythe way, at thattime he didnot think it necessaryto acrusehim of servicein the KGB,but only to givehii own characterizationof the archimandritejust receivedfrom 'Archimandrite the MoscowPatriarchate, when he wroteto Metropolitan Vitalythat Valentin,in everything- in his behaviorand mentality- is a typicalproduct of the Soviet Patriarchaie."Aecusations of belongingto the KGB,which was widelywritten up in the Russianand foreignpress, and evenprivate mail, that suppasediy"documentation about it existedin the Synod"-- camerelaiively later and, probably was put into circulationby the MoscowPatriarchate itself. Lessthan three yearsafter the consecrationof Archimandrite Valeniintc the episcopateof Suzd*|,the sameArchbishop Mark wamed the Councilof Bishopsthat'Valeniine is a tank whichwill a"ushus underits weight." Fromthe veryfirst days of his acquaintance,Archbishop Mark was not ashamedto blameArchimandrite Valeniin evenfcr havingin his quartersa nurnberof good . As it becameknown a bit later,these iconswere ones he managedto savefrom the churcheswhich were destroyedby the atheistsand nowdecorate the walls of the churcheshe resiored.and his "luxuriousquarters" had no hot waterand onlya bathroom,with merelya simpleshower! Doublessiy, ArchbishopMark himself lived much more luxuriously than Fr. Valentin dicj. As soon as ArchimandriteValentin was ordainedbishop for Suzdal,new slanderfollowed, this time sn from BishopBarnabas, who had a grudgeagainst him for acceptinga verylarge and rich parishon Naginsk,which refused to be underhis auihority,but insistedon remainingunder Bishop Valentin. To beginwith, Bishop Birnabas brought to the Counciief Eishopsa eartooR,signed by eertainA" Stilmark(a memberof organization"Pamyat" and a parishof Mosccw Patriarchate)with an accusationof immorality"Unfortunately, the Councilof Bishops,in violationof all ihe eanonicatand ecclesiaeticalprocedures, immediately stat'ted to investigatethis slander. Thena shartwhile later,after wasting mcre thanhiso years on this "investigation".ihe Councilof Bishopsheld in Frar-:cefarmally informed Bishop Valentin that his case is closedfor lack cf evidence. But at the very nert Councilof Bishops,Bishop Valentin was incriminatedwith acceptanceof the Naginskparish and its rector,Archimandrite Adrian, who was also,without any supportingevidence, accusedaf immorality.For this acceptance(without an investigationor court procedureof ArchimandriteAdriani - BishopValentine was nearly defrocked and "mercy" was shown to himand he was retiredon groundsof illness,although the "ill"Bishop never complained about his healthand did not requesta retirement. It was evidentlynecessary to renderharmless and destroythe "tanK'which (as ArchbishopMark understood .---r9ht alvay)would stand in the pathof plansto unifywith the MoscorvPatriarehate. When his exit from the ROCORforced by the Synodcf Bishopsitself took placeand BishopValentin had ia organizeunder different circumstances, for a while,it seemshe wasforgotten. The Synodof Bishcpswas satisfiedthat wiihoutan investigationand a court procedurehe was defrockedin absentiaand MoscowPatriarchate, hoping that now "a Euzdalschism" will alsowill die away- alsowas not in a hurrywith equaliy illegal {as on partof ROCCR}'defrocking 6 Yet,during the springaf the currentyear the attaskagainst Arehbishop Valentine took on unheardof dimensions. He was denouncedin variouspublications of MoscowPatriarchate as well a$ "catacoitbTrue Orthodox Christians" and, of course,in privateletters. The "MoscowJournal" # I publisheda six pagelong article by l. Mager,entitled "Suzdal Sketehes." The writeris at a lossfor the wordsto sufficientlyabuse Archbishop Valentine personaiiy and ali hiswork" ---'/ One mustbelieve that this unexpectedangry howl was evokedby nothingbut by ihe resalutionof the Synodof the RussianOrthodox Church made at the beginningof GreatLent of the currentyear, in whichthere was a decision "aboutHierarchs anci representatives of the ltJloscowPatriarchate, who receivedtheir ranks thrcugh the mediationof the governmentand departmentcf statedefense and who did not repentof it in a churchlym€nner. {See "Ch. N." # S, Augusi-October1999)" Magerbegins his articlewith a badlydistorted history of the relationshipof ArchbishopValentin with the ROCOR andthen treats with irony the nameof "TheAutonomous ." Withoutdoubt, the authorof this articleis well awareof whatdiffieulties at presentarise with the registrationof any Churchand evena parishif they do not belongto the MoscowPatriarchate. This name,in a literalsense of this *'ord was forcedupon Archbishop Valentine by the JusticeDepartment with whichsuch registrationstake place" The Churchunder ArchbishopValentine uses this name only in the most officialcommunications with the gevernment authorities- The authorasserts that he spokewith lay people,, museum and librarypersonnel and gaineda very "oppressiveimpression," because... Archbishop Valentin has createda "peculiarfifth columnwhich has as a target the disintegrationof the nationalstate system [?l] the maindirection of whcseactivities is to underminethe authorityof the RussianOrthodox Church and its head"" Mageralso writes that "it has beenreported that he has a habitaf pompcuslywalking the streeis 'faithful' accompanied by his while staring45 degreesover the headsof people",and then tells the naive readerthat Archbishop Valentin"is assei'ted"tc be the richestSuzdal' citizen anC therefore, "one can imagine,how muchhis administration 'charity.' 'the dependsen his " lt is self-explanatorythat the huge amountsof money"come 'TromAmerica and sympatheticcrganizationsl" lt is wcrthnoting that muchof Mager'sarticle is basednot on personalknowledge or facts, but onlyon "it is related"or "it is asserted!" Any self-respectingjournalist would not writean articlein sucha styleand withsuch a lackof data. Whenmentioning the good relationsof ArchbishopValentin with the localauthorities, the authorcomplains that after he spokewith the city'smayor, he heard:"Archbishop Valentin, in ihe worldAnatole Petrovich Rousancov is a deputyof the citycouncil, an honoraryeitizen -- of the cityof Suzdai.About no projectwhich his Churchhas are thereany questions.Fie is charitabletoward children's and pre-schooiestablishments, and, well, towards anybodyl The manhas iremendousauthority. That's why to givepreference to anybody- eitherEvlogy[, Archbishop of the MP,or Archbishop Valentin]-- I haveno rightto do andwill neverdo it." ThenMager is clearlyupset: "lt is interestingto askwhat rule made 'Archbishop' the mayorcail Rousancov andVladyka Eulogy - just'Eulogy'?" Onemust think that it was nothingbut personalrespect for ArchbishopValentin! ThenMager relates how Archimandrite Valentin left the MP and that "afterthe schism,for a longtime there was no parishcf the RussianOrthodox- Ghurch - priestssimply refused the appointment.How can there be a parishon Valentin'sterritory? The majorityof the peopleare his -- he is masterhere, with a goodrelationship with the government. but laierVladyka [Eulogy] found a monkwho started services, then, later opened a ProtectionConvent." Thenthe authorof the articletries to presentArchbishop Valentin to readersas a leaderof sometotaiitarian cult. He deseribesthat in Suzdal "peopleare ratherdisunited, weak, and here -- Valentinwith his grip. His hold is sc powerfulthat to leavethe sectis almostimpossible. Just recently, someone ordained by Valentinmanaged to ieaveand he relatedthe followingpraetices. you are not leftalone, even for a moment,to sleep- onlyiwo, to ccmmunicate-- only in groups,and in the churchthere conversations only about the KGBand "the red church", also in the altar." All of this is a blatantlie, inventedeither by the authcr or his "informant." lt is rathervridely knorvn that ArchbishopValentin never reeeivesback any clergywho have left hinn,including even bisheps{for exempleBishop Arseny)when they ask to be readmitted.Alsc, every monk and novice has his owncell in ihe newSynod'building, Magercompiains alsc aboutArchbishop Valentin "being domineering over his flock.ln his Sundayschool there are hundredsof chiidren. lndeed,one has to admiithai the childrenare fanaticallydevoted to him. lt is true he has almosthypnotic gifts and, one may say a blackcharisma" This is demonstratedby a luxuriousvideo made in Americafor his G0thbirthday." This is anotherlie. Thefilm is of variouschurch prccessions, the consecrationof restsredchurches and someservices, partly presided over by ArchbishopValentin. Unfortunately, the filmcould be moreprofessional and wasmade in Russiaand not in USA! The ai:thorbriefly touches on the relationsof ArchbishopValentin with the MP and saysthat "regarding relations withthe RussianOrthodox Church his tacticis thatof coexistence." -__-/ At the endof his slanderousarticle, Mager relates that in Suzdalthere are 12,000inhabitants and oi.rt sf them,no morethan 300 are real believers,but in one sentencehe statesthat "mostof the peopleare his",and in another,"half belongsto the Valentinesect." To thosewho visit Suzdal it is obviousthat the first staiement is closerto the truth. The author'Teelsquite uncomfortable an the streetsof Suzd*lknowing that of all the peoplehe meets,half are schismaticsand every fourth beautiful church belongs to schismatics." 7 It is true that there are beautifulchurches, but almost all of them were restoredby ArchbishopValentin and majoritycf the remainderin $uzdalhave been waiting for rnanyyears for restorationby the MoscowPatriarchate. We havequoted rather extensively from this maliciousarticle by a patriarcha!zealot, but he, despitehis malice wasforced to recognizethe importanceof Archbishop'rlalentinin Suzdal. Being jeaious of his moralauthority, his "black charisma,"his charitabieand buildingactivities, Mager in no way tries io explainthe reasonfor any kind of statusfor J PatriarchalArchbishop Evlogy. Maybethis is a resultof {as accordingto Magerhimself} these humbleand not too culturedcitizens of Suzdalsuddenly considered the historyol let us say, the Holy Viigin of KazanChurch which happenedto be the first one restoredby at that timeArchimandrite Valentin. He servedin it for a numberof years,but then the churchwas takenaway from him by ihe diocesanauihorities and he was givenanother church, wfiich badly neededrestoration. But the lt"'lPimmediateiy i'enied out the Kazanchurch to an ari studio,perfectly well awarethat half- nudemodels would be in the locationof the holy altartable. Also.maybe the OrthodoxSuzdalites finally came to the csnclusionthat nuns are notsupposed to converta conventchurch inio a verypcpular restaurant in the regionwhich has the seeminglyinnceent name of "Trapeznaya"and in whichan orchestraplays as was donewith one of the churehesin ProteciionCcnvent of the MP! ls not thisthe reasonwhy, despite all the intriguesand efforts by the MoscowPatriarchate, behind the "sectarian and schismatic"Archbishop Valentin there devotedly stands at leastthe half of all the faiihfulin Suzdal,and the other halfof unbelieversdeeply respects him? lt is not in vainthat the proverbsays: "You wil! reap what you sew."

ABOUTTHE PARISH OF RIGHTEOUSNEW MARTYR ST, ELISABETH IN ST.PETERSBURG In our lastissue of "ChurchNews" # 6 (82)we reportedthat the parishof RighteousNevs ldartyr St. Elisabethin $t. Petersburgleft the RussianOrthodox Church Outside of Russiaand joined the RussianOrthodox Church headeC by ArchbishopValentin. A shortwhile ago we receivedthe petitionaf this parishaddressed to ArchbishopValentin with the following contents:!{e, the membersof communityof RighteousMartyr St. Elisabethin St. Petersburgpetition you to acceptour communityunder your hierarchical . Our eommunityleft the MoscowPatriarchate in June. 1997, and enteredinto canonicalsubmission of the ROCOR.By enteringthe ROCORwe wereseeking a true Church,which firmly stands in the Orthodoxfaith and cares aboutthe speedyrebirth of the Churchlife in Russia. By leavingthe MP,we exitednot from a specificchurch organization, but from all "woridOrthodoxy," since ail the formerLocai Churches now quite openly have fallen into the heresyof Ecumenism,trampling the Orthodoxcanons and dogmasand, thereforeto remainin communion .- with officialChurches is not compatiblewith the salvationof the soul. We hopedthat the ROCORwill keepto her courseof breakingwith heretical"world Orthodoxy" a coursewhich was to followthe anathemaagainst the heresyof Ecumenismproclaimed in the year 1983. Yet, unfortunately,we did not find that in the ROCOR.We becameconvinced by experieneethat the leadershipof the ROCOR,in practice,is very little interestedin rebirthof true OrthodoxChurch in Russia. We see it even in the fact that the Russianhierarchs are not evenmembers of the IRSCOR]Synod and thereforein no way can exerciseany influenceover the generalcourse of the ROCOR,with which a hierarchwhile living abroad rules over three major Russian dioceses and the [other]hierarchs who remainabroad do not listento the voicesof theirRussian believers; and thsse who are more"active" are simplycast out, as happeneda fewyears ago with the hierarchsof yourChurch. Duringtwc yearsof being in the ROCOR,exploring its activitiesand her hierarchs,the viewsof clergyand believers,we cameto conclusionthat of latethe ROCOR,instead of breakingwith pseudo-Orthodoxy,is swiftly moving towardthe pathof rapprachementand totai blending with it, whichis clearlydemonstrated by eonstantconcelebrations of hierarchsand clergy abroad with members of the EcumenistSerbian Church and other false Orthodox Ghurches, as well as fromthe latestdeclaration of ihe Synodof tsishopsfrom April of this yearin whichthere is a requestfor holyprayers addressedto the bishopsand clergyof the SerbianPatriarchate. Those and manyother declarations and acts of the hierarchsand someclergy of the ROCSRdemonstrate that thereis no questionof separationfrom "worldOrthodoxy"; thereforefsr us underthose conditions, to remainwithin the ROCORbecomes equal to stayingwithin the MP sr other Ecumenistchurch formations, To proceedfrom this, we accepteda resolutionabout leavingthe RCCORand entranceinto the Russian Orihodcx AuionomousChurch, since we know thai you always care about the preservationof Grihodoxy,do nat eommunewith any false churches and are working for the rebirthand strengthening of thetrue Church in Russia. YourEminence's hurnble servants, the membersof communityof RighteousMartyr $t. Elisabeth Resolvedat the meetingof the communityon September1/14, 1999.

ABOUTTHE LATVIANAUTONOMOUS ORTHODOX CHURCH As we reportedon severaloccasions in variousissues of "GhurchNews." even after more than five long years -_-,,theLatvian Autonomous Orthodox Church has not beenallowed to registerits communities,which deprives her of the rightto put up on its own buildingsa sign with the indicationthat it is a church. Also, it is not allowedtc makeany externalchanges in the buildingsand rnaynot decoratethem with a cross. BishopVictor of Daugavpilsmanaged to get in tcuch with the KestonInstitute, an Englishorganization that devotedits activitiesto assistingperseeuted Christians mainly in courrtrieswhich were under the Communists. I The KestanNews Servicein its July editianpublished eeveral pages on a eompletehistary of the Latvian AutonomousOrthodox Church which quite clearly explains that the only reasonthe civil authoritiesrefuse the Church's registrationis a connectionwith the MoscowPatriarchate, which according to locallaws is guaranteeda totalmonopo[z on 0rthodoxyin this country. The civilauthorities counter all effortsto get registeredwith varicus tricks. For example,the JusticeDepartment Jon June9, 1998,informed Mr. Valums that according to the lawthe Churchis permittedto ownproperty and havea bank account,yet the verysame .iustice Department on August27, 1999,after consulting the lvlascowPatriarchate about the possibiiityof registration,states "that if the reconstructionof a building,belonging to an unregisteredreligious organizationmight creaie an disturbanceamong the Orthodoxwho beiongtc the LatvianOrthodax Church of the MP, and mightbecome a threatto publieorder, then the reconstructionof a buildingfor the abovepurpose should not be supported."

A COMPUTSORYREORGANIZATION WITHIN THE ADhIIINISTRATION OF''THE ORTHODOX EHURCH IN AMERIC#' For quitesome time rumorswere circulatingabout dubious financial records of this Churchwhich in the 70's receivedfrom the MoscowPatriarchate the statusof the AutocephalousChurch. This status is stillnot recognizedby the easternpatriarchs with the exceptionof the MoscowPatriarchate and those patriarchateswhich at that time were under the authorityof Communistgovernments. The officiaideclaration of October1, 1999by the chanceileryof ihat Church,according to the newspaperof the "OCA","The OrthodoxChurch" for Octcber-November1999, sounds quite decent: Metropolitan Theodosius during the_ meeiingof his $ynoddeclared that there is a needto reorganizethe chancellery.The mainreascn for it, supposedly,is a necessityts reviewihe functionsof the treasurerand the techniqueof his financialoperaiicns. As a resultof those reformsArchbishop Herman is appointedas ActingTreasurer, and gratitude is expressedto the ProtodeaconErick Willer for his 11 yearsof servicein the centraladministration. Yei, behindthose unexpected measures, there appear to be veryserious violations of the civillaws, Fromletters and reportsig the MetropolitanCouncil, and alsoto membersof the AuditingCommission signed by its PresidentJohn Kozey, lll, it becornesclear that the latierdiscovered a numberof veryserious violations, which even threatenthe "OrthodoxChurch of America"with loss of the statusof an charitableorganization with tax exemptstatus. Froma numberof documentswe happenedto receivefrom the OrthodoxChristian News Service, as well as frorn explanationsgiven by BishopTikhon of San Franciscoand othervarious sources it becomesclear that the financial recordswere kept so unprofessionallythat it arousedthe suspicionnot only of the authoritiesof NewYork State, but alsa ''-waslhe federalauthorities. There is verylittle documentation of the usageof an ArnericanExpress credit card when $80,000 char:gedfor arganizinga birthdayparty for MetropclitanTheodosius or $10,000for a hoiel stay in NewYork City. which"unnecessarily expcse the leadershipof the Churchto the appearan@of impropriety;"a gift of Ai'cherDaniels MidlandFoundation in ihe amountof $250,000became known only becausethis corporationpublished its reeords submittedto the tRS. The AuditingCommission also made one more"discovery:" the AndreasFoundation in 1997made a giftto the "OrthocioxChurch in America"of $500,000whieh was deposited in a "discreet"account. The generousdonor happenedto be certainMichael Andreas, the dishonesicompany president who for his swindleswas in Octoberof the currentyear put in jail for two years. He is alsoa vice presidentaf the foundationwhich previously made a donationof $250,000to the OCA. Thisalso became known from the reportsto the lRS. And altogether,the AuditingCommittee of the "OrthodoxChurch in America"found that there is very faulty documentationwhich exceedsa sum cf morethan two milliondollars- And the Committeefeels that the issueis not so muchof preservinga secretstatus of the foundation, whichis at the Metropolitan'sdisposal, as mucha creationof anotherparallel secret budgetaf that Church. ArchbishopHerman reported to the MetropolitanCouncil that the lawyersrecommended hiring a privatefirm in orderto reviewthe errtireaccounting situation. It is no wonderthat the former "Metropolia" had to reorganizeso suddenly!

THEPOPE AND THE MOSCOW PATRIARCH In connectionwith the celebrationsin Bethlehem,the R-ussianlanguage "Novoye Russkoe Slovo" ("New Russian Word")of December15,1999, published information that on December12, 1999,the VaticanState Secretary, Cardinal Angelo$odano arri.:ed in Moscowon an unofficialvisit. The officialreason for this visit was the consecrationof a CatholicCathedral in Moscow,but as the journalist writes,"the main reasonfor arrivalof the Vatican'sSecretary of Stateis the meetingwith Alexisll and an effortto communicatewith the RussianOrthodax Church." This Catholicappeared in Russiawith 30 Bishops,4 cardinalsand more than 100 Catholicpriests from 13 countries. Moscownever had a Cathoiiccathedral before. There was one only in St. Petersburg. The presentone was -started in 1903,but in 1911the constructionwas stoppedfor lackof funds. Duringthe Communistrule, the unfinished churchwas confiscatedand only in 1997 given to the Catholics. lt is believedthat there are some65,000 Roman Caihoiicsin Moscow. g Yet, the main goal af Cardinal$odano was a meetingwith Ridigerl'Drozdov."According to the new$paper, R.iCigerreceived Sodano in his residencein ChistyPereulok. At the meeting"the problems of meetingthe 3rd millennium and Christmas,as wellas possibilityof a meetingof the Popewith the Patriarchof Russiain Palestine"were discussed. Generallyspeaking, Ridiger is willingto meetwith the headof the Catholics,but only if he will apologizefor his oroselytizingin Ukraine. So far, the Vaticanis unwillingto apolcgize,but manymaiiers might change. The cardinal Jalready metwiih the $ecretaryof $tateivanov and a meetingwith the Prime-MinisterPi.rtin is underway. lf a Papalvisit to Bethlehemtakes place, it wouldbe interestingto find out the detailsof his "brotherly"meeting rvithali the representativesof "EcurnenicalOrthcdoxy"!

WORDSAND ACTIONS OF THEMO$EOW PATRIARCHATE '-Church News"received by fax extractsfrcm the newspaper"Rus Pravosiavnaya" ("Orthodox Russia") published in Russianin November, Thismaterial is dividedinto several sections. In the firstsection, entitled "The Tsar's Case," it is reportedthat the tceal eouneilthat, accot-dingto a Patriarchalannouncement, was to canonizethe RoyalFamily will nst take place. MetropolitanSergius iFomin) of Solnechnogorskgave a ridiculousexplanation for this decision. In a interviewgiven to the newspaper"Rus Derzhavnaya"he declared."We cannothave a Local Councilbecause there will be a lot of delegatesand we do not havea spacewhere we couldgather together!" The editorsof "Rus Pravoslavnaya"with a greatirony piiy an episcapatewhich is so pcorthat it cannotrent a room- The nextsection is devotedio the scandalof BishopNikon of Ekaterinburg.lt is entitled,"Let's $trike a Blowat the Committeefor Perdersionand Unrestraint." As a resultof countlesscomplaints about the perversionof BishopNikon, Patriarchate twice sent a investigating Cammitteein orderto settlethis shamefulcase which receiveda wide publicitynot only in Russia,but also abroad. Finally,after the "investigation,"Bishop I'Jikon was removedfrom his see "at his own request"and the clergyand lay peoplei,vho ccmplained about him were severelypunished. ln addition,from a differentsource received by "Church News"iextractsfrom resolutions of the MoscowPatriarchate, published by "N-G Religion"# 14 t37llof July, 1999,the textaf the arnazingdeparting speeeh sf thisbishop who disgraced himself before the wholeworld was published.In it he apologizedfor "therecent confusions and temptations into which (he) brought willingly and unwillingly."So far,so goodit seems,but thenfollows a very interestingform of apology."With bitterness I haveto state,that I am not the first bishop who underpressure leaves this cathedra,unfortunately from somepart of the clergy,which is led by externaland non- churchpowers." ln connectionwith that, Bishop Nikon pleaded with his formerflock. "Do not let VladykaVikenty be torn piecesby the wolvesin - .to the sheep'sclothing who attack Christ's Church! lf you let VladykaVikenty be profaned,with a shudderI do not evendare to imaginewtrat is waitingfor you at the Lord'sDread Judgement, which inevitably wiii come." Then in "'RusFravoslavnaya" there is anothersection, called "sodomites Versus the Money-grabbers."From ihis we iind out thatthe zealotin exposingthe pervertNikon was mainlyAbbot Abraham (Roisman), a Jewby nationality, and renownin the Churchfor his sympathiesfor renovationistsand hatredfer some RussianSaints. Thus without hesitationhe calledthe RighteousJoseph of Volotskand Gennadyof Novgorodfanatics and obscurantists.Pretty soon it becameknown that the strugglebetween Abrahamand Nikonwas not case of zeal lar Churchtruth, but for materiailnterest in an illegalsale of preciousstones wfrich could not be resolvedbetween the bishopand the abbct. Anothersection is "The Departmentof ForeignRelaticns of the Churchunder Attack." Herewe learnthat the headof the Departmentof the ForeignRelation of the Churah,Metropelitan Kyrill, had a lot of difficultieswith hushing up the case of the pervertNikon, and even a much worse one connectedwith the name of his protegeand closest eollaborator,Bishop Gury (Shalimovi of Korsun. The Gury'sdiocese includes numerous parishes in WesternEurope and they are sort of representativesof the Patriarchatein Europe,Gury beeame as infamousas Nikonfsr his perversionsand thefts of churehmoney and of sucha extentthat Kyrill had to rernovehim on groundsof "health."Probably Gury will soonrecover while presiding over another diocese. The iasi sectisnis ealled"The Drudgeryof ihe Synoci"and to it are devotedmore than one and a half pages. Herewe clearlysee the convictionsthat tie MoscowPatriarchate to the heresyof Eeumenism.In this part there is a quotefrom Ridiger'sspeech to the rnonksof ValaamMonastery, which sometime ago made a very firm statement againstEcumenism. ln this speechRidiger said, "Sometimesin the monasteriesthe!"e appears an anti-ecumenical mood.which is fcrcedsr provokedby thosewho want to bringdivision into the life of the Church.We live in thisworld. thereforeas lrt fhe pasf. we will sfrengfhenand developour relationshipswith the Churcheswho do not proselytizeon our Russiansoil. {Emphasizedand underlinedby the "CH.N."} The authorof this interestingsummary also cites the Synod'sresolutions of onlyone meeting,held on June4th. The followingare resolutionsof that meeting: "To approvethe wsrk of the Committee'lslam-Orthodoxy' chaired by MetropolitanKyrill and to decreethat the -,dialogue betweenthe adherentsof lsiamand Orthodoxy is'important'and should be continued; "To approvethe 'Consultationof the OrthodoxChurches and the EuropeanUnion; 'To announceas usefulthe negotiationsof MetropolitanKyrill of Smolenskand Kaliningradusith representatives of the NationalCouncil of Churchesin Norway, 10 "Tc exptessa satisfactlanwith the resultsof a visit to Moscawby the headof EpiseopalChurch in the U$A Frank Griswold: "To schedulemeasures fcr'the developmentof mutualrelationship of the Rus*ianOrthodox Church and the EvangelicalChurch of Finland." Thissection also has an exlractfrom Ridiger'sspeech an the 70thjubilee of one of the mostabominable of all rthe MoscowPatriarchate's hierarchs who, according to varioussources, was secretlya Catholicwho died in the armsof the Pcpe,Nikodim (Rotcv). ln praisinghim, Ridiger cannot find enoughwords. The Orthodoxreviewer sums up his inforrnationand makesa numberof sad commentson ihe state of the RussianChurch. He pointsout thatdespite the fall of Cemmunism,the Mosc.owPatriarchate lacks a spiritof "sobornost" and that despitethe nurnerouspromises of "leadership"of the Russianehurch to canonizethe RoyalMartyrs nothing hes happenedand the heresyof Ecumenismis not onlyflourishes but spreads,and sincethere is no ecclesiasticalcourt in the Churchthe morallevel of the episcopate"has fallen lawer than ever before."

ICONCF THE HOLYVIRGIN OF VLADIMIRAGAIN ISNOT IN CHUREH The newspaper"Russkii Vestnik" # 34-35 reportedthat duringthe monthof $eptember,at the Feastof the Meetingthe lconof the VladimirTheotokos in the churchof $t. Nicholasin Tolmachi,the Russianpeople had a chance to pray beforeone of ihe greatsacred objects of the Russianpeople. The transferof ihis icon into a church-museumfor safe-keepingidoesn't ihis soundstrange?) was madevery soiemnlyby MetropolitanSergy of Solnechnograd,and a bit later,Ridiger himself served a molebenbefore this icon. Orthsdoxpeople rushed to ihat churchto veneratetheir great sacredobject, but it appearsthat "the icon was not to be found either in the church-museum,nor in a permanent exhibitionin the TretyakovGallery. Rightafter the Patriarchleft, acccrding to a decisionof a scientificcommittee of the gallery,the icon,called the Protectressof the Russianpeople and a Russiansacred object, was brought to the museum's depositoryrocm that supposedly guarantees the safetyof the icon!" It woufdbe interestingto learn,did Ridigerknow when he servedthe molebenthat the icon immediatelywill be takenaway by the orderof somegodless "scientific committee"? Considering his intimaterelations with all the former and present"power keepers," most probably he knew,but kepta cowardlysilence. Just!"ecently a $erbiannewspaper "Pravoslavle" wrote about this disappearance of the Vladimiricon and pointed out that Ridigereonsidered it to be one of his greatestachievements that he managedto get the iconback after it was stolen by the atheistsin order to be exhibitedin the TretyakovGallery to make money. But it seems that even a guaranteegiven by himthat the iconwill be enshrinedin a speciallymade case did not help. The mostsacred objeci of people presenred -- _the Russian whiehwas for wholemillennium in a church,is now takenaway and no one knowsits whereabcuts.

HOWLUZHKOV WAS "BAPTIZED'' "NezavisimayaGazeta" {"lndependentNewspaper") of November4, 1999 publishedan article by Zoya ltakhmalnikov in which she quoted the interviewgiven by Mayor Luzhkovto "ObshchayaGazeta" {"General Ne*apapefi relatinghow he was baptized. lt turns out Luzhkovwas baptizedby Alexis Ridigerhimself in his "patriarchalbaptistery" and, as Krakhmalnikovrelates a bit further."he imnnediatelystated that he is an unbeliever." Quitereasonably Krakhmalnikov asks how could such a "baptisni"happen, when during ihe sacramentthe one who is baptizedis askedthree times in surcession."Do you believein Christas Godand do youworship Him?" And she continues:"These three questions are answeredthree times and thenone makesthree prostrations. Well, what did in this caseYoury Michailovich? Lied? Or did Alexisnot performthe sacramentaccording to the prescribedrite?" The most probableanswer to the questionposed by the authorof the articleis that both participantsin this blasphemyalike csnsidered it to be an amusingcomedy.

,'LIBERAL''CHRISTIANITY HEADED FOR THE GRAVEYARD $uehwas the titleof an articlepublished by the newspaper"The Christian News" of December13, 1999,a whcle pagein lengthand giving ihe sad resultsof the so-called"liberals" who lead the Catholicsand other denominations. The surveywas madeby a newspaper,"The NationalCatholic Reportef', at the end of Octeber.Based cn this informationihe Protestantnewspaper presents the verysad ciataof ihe declinenot onlycf RomanCatholicisrn, but also variousder:orninaticns around the world. Datawere gathered frorn between 1987 and 1999. The opinionpoll basedan informationreceived from 37,000 parishes of variousfaiths. from Catholics to Penteeostals. Alreedyby 1987 77% of Cathalicsbelieved that a participationin the masswas not obligator,lfar a devout person;72% felt there is no needto followCatholic doctrine regarding abortions and birthcontrol; 65% did noi obeylaws aboutforbidden cjivcrces; 38% did not believein the transubstantiationof the Holy Gifts and23a/o no longerbelieved in the physicalresurection of Christ. Suchis the situationof Catholicsin America. The situationis not a bit betterin England. Accordingto "The l-ondonTelegraph" of November28, 1999, ,j' "churchgoingis decliningat such a rate that mostchurches will be virtuallyempty within 20 years." Accordingto the Britishsurvey, the churchattendance on $undays{including Catholics} in that countryis estimatedat 8% of the total population.Further it says:"Unless ther.e is a rapid and unexpeetedturnaround, thai nurnberwilt drop to Za/ain ?A year$." 11 In 1989Sunday seruices were attendedby 4,742.800 people, but alreadyby 19983,714jAA persoRs,in other words,during this periodchurch attendance fell to 22%. Only amongthe Orthodoxand Baptistswas there a 105% increaseof churchattendance. The AnglicanChurch in Canadaand the Episcopalin Americaare consideredto be the mostliberal among all the Chrisiiandenominations. The Angiicansin Canadalost 267 thousandmembers during ihe lasi B0 years. lnthe r CanadianAnglican Church during 1967 there were performed31,215 baptisms, but in 1995the numberfeli to 17,493, this meansthere were 43% lessbaptisms. For the sameperiod and in the samepercentage there were fewer weddings in Canada.Setween 1 966 and 1995 there was a 73olof all of attendanceby childrenof Sundayschools. The newspaperexplains these terrible statistics refiecting a lossaf the reiigious 'the feeiingswith nothingless than mother'smiik for liberalehristians" and givesa charaeteristieexample. In the townof Hendersonville,NG, a lesbian and prominent"iheologian" lsabel Carter Heywardwas invitedby the Episcopalclergy to speak at a retreatand blasphemouslydenied the Divinityof the Saviourand preachedthat the Christiandogma of HolyTrinity is an examplefor homoeroti*relations. $ame listenersprstested, bui ihe speakerfor Episcopaldiocese, Rev. E. Maloneydefended her and staiedthat her speechwas "veryvaluable" and that she madeimportant contribution to all ehristians. "Thereis somethingin valuein listeningta peoplethet you violentlydisagree with, lt allowsyou to exploreyour own beliefs," said a "Christianpriest," totally ignoring the horribleblasphemies of thisperverted woman.

DEACONESSESINTHE ALBANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH? The bulietin"Ecumenical News International" of October27 reportedthat Anastasios, Archbishop of Tiranaand alt Albaniasupposedly ordained three women . The entirepopulation of Albaniaconsists of a bit morethan 3 mil!ioninhabitants, mainly Muslims and only some 5% are Orthodox. TheAlbanianChurch used to be a partof the EcumenicalPatriar"chate, but severedrelations in 1937. Onlyin 1992did the Greeksagree to give the statusof autonomyto CrthodoxAlbanians. Archbishop Anastasios is of Greek nationality. The informationthat he had ordainedthree women ta be deaconswas for the first time reportedin ihe Swiss Protestantpress, "Reformirter Pressedienst." When asked by telephoneby the ENl,Archbishop Anastasios categorically deniedthis informationand said that indeed he gavean interviewto a Swissagency during the meetingof the WCCand that he was "completelymisunderstood." The archbishopspecified that "This reportis purefiction - none of it is accurate beyondthe basicbackground. We use womenin all our activities."Yet he revealedhis handa bit whenhe said that "Sometimesimportant initiatives can be destroyedby incorrectinformation. lf misinformationhas beencirculated that the Orthodox - Churehof Albaniahas ordainedwomen as deacons,any discussionof this issuewill be stifled. However,I hopeto convinceothers that the move[of ordainingwomen as deacons]is desirable,we are at the beginninghere and can'tdecide by ourselves.We are opento the needsof this society.But we don'twish to suggestwe are takingquick decisionswithot-tt cansulting others." Then he addedthat he hopedto raisethe questionof ordinaiions"at the righttime efterproper preparations." Onehas to keepin mindthat the matterof "deaconesses"raised by the contemporaryfeminists has very littleto do with the ancientdeaconesses. The contemporaryfeminist movement has in mindnot the formerduty of preparing womenfor baptismand participatingin it by anointingthem with the oil (the Greekchurch anoints the wholebody of a baptizedperson, as a synrbclof a warriorwho entersthe strugglewith Satan)and took careof orderin the sectionof churchdesignated for women. No,at presentthe questionis aboutgranting total liturgical rights to womenvrrho {with the blessingscf modernistbishops) plan to be regulardeacons. ArchbishopAnastasios asserts this indirectlywhen he categoricallyrenounces a possibilityfor womento be ordainedpriests- ln the Eastthe deaconessesfell intototal disuse in the 12theentury, They were mainly replaced by nuns. In the RussianChurch there never were any deaconesses. The NewMartyr Grand Duchess Elisabeth, who establisheda convent-likecommunity, asked the HolySynod to restorethe erderof deaconesses,but shewas refusedon groundsthat after such a longperiod of nonexistenceof them in Churchlife this would be a breakof ChurchTradition.

ECUMENICALAWARDTO SUPFORTERSOF HOMOSEXUALS The "EcumenicalPress lnternational" on DecemberB reportedthat the gay and lesbianassociation in the USA establisheda monetaryaward to thosereligious leaders who will publiclysupport the rightsof homosexuals. This awardwill be namedThe Dr.PaulH. SherryLeadership and CourageAward in honoraf a just recently retiredclergyman of UnitedChurch of Christ. He alsohappened to be the first "honoree"of this award. lt will be given annuallyat a meetingof the NationalCouncil of Churehesin the narneof variousinter-religious perverts. including those whc by numerousaperations changed their sex. To this organization,wiih a name4 iines long,belong more ihan a . dozen American"churches." Sherryreceived his awardin Clevelandin November,1999, at the meetingof the NationalCouncil of Churches on accountof 50thanniversary cf Ecumenisrn.ln his speechhe said:"l knowthe exclusionand pain ycu havefelt. But I iruiybelieve that through your efforts God's purpose will be fulfilled"" It seems,that Dr. Sherry who headed the "UnitedChurch of Christ"never held a Biblein his hands! ln our timesthe worldwide spreadof various*O-11, perversionand especiallyhomosexuality and lesbianism hasreacheC unheard of dimensicnsand regularizedcohabitations and abortions became an everyday fact in a multitude of "Christian"countries.

A NEWSTYLE OF MONASTICISM IN RUSSIA \--l The officialpublication of the SerbianChurch "Pravoslavlje" iOrthodo4i) in the beginningof Navemberreported that on the initiativeof Aiexisll Ridigerin accordwith his agreementwith the DefenseMinistry there were founded the mcnasticbarracks, According to this plantonsured monks and noviceshave to carryout the usualmilitary duties, but theyare to be closeto theirmonasteries. Soiciier-monks start their day withthe prayer(something, that is expectednot only from the monks,but all OrthodoxChristians), geiting up a bit earlierthan other soldiers. ln the sameway the eveningrule is cbservedand in the dormitoriesthere are icons {again,this is also expectedfrom all Orthodox Christians).Once a weekthey are to be visitedby a priestto heartheir confessions,and monasteriesare obligedto sendthem vegetables, fish and monk-madebread. Accordingto the newspaper,"the monksare very happythat they servein the militaryand stillcan adhereto the monasticrules." lt is nat relatedwhat sort of "uniform"these monks wear. Maybescufias instead of militaryhats? Thereare alreadythree such monastie barracks: in the Vladimirregion, in the Uralsand in Valaam. lt is not accidentalthat somefathers predicted that at the lasttimes monks will be livinglike lay pecpleand iay peoplewould resemble demons. lt is characteristicthat the startfor a new brandof "rnonasticism"in Ru*sia is made by the false PatriarchRidiger. lt seems that somethinglike this had not occurredto even the renovationistsand membersof the LivingChurch!

DWINDLINGOF CHRISTIANS!N THE HOLY LAND Accordingto the SerbianOrthodax Newspaper in the USA"The Path of Orthodoxy"for November-Decemberthe numbersf e hristiansliving in the Holytand is drasticallydwindling. The Christianexodus from the HolyLand started in 1948after British authorities left Palestine.At thattime there were 31,000 in Jerusalemalone. By 1967under pressure frsmthe Jordanians,12,000 remained and at the presenttime, when the Jewishand Muslimpopulations have exploded, thereare now less that 10,000Christian and the majorityof them consistof the clergyand staff of the ecclesiastical establishments.The Christianresidents of the HolyLand hope that the millenniumfestivities will in somemanner attract the attentionof worldChristianity not so muchto theirown problems, but mainlyto the internationalstatus of Jerusalem.

ONEMORE BLASPHEMOUS OUTRAGE "The .-- The newspapers Christianl{ews" of December20 and "Daily News"of Deeember18 reportedthat "The NationalCatholic Reporter" announced a contestfor a contemporarypicture of Christthe Saviouras "Jesusof the people."ln thiscontest 1,700 "ariists" participated from 19 countries.The awardis to be $2,000. The contestwas won by Janet McKenzie,an Americanwoman from Vermontand rrho calls hersetfa "devout agnostie."She said that this was hervery first picture of Christand thai it tookher 3 weeksto completeit. Both newspaperspublished this outrageousimage, given the nameof Christ. On it is depicteda beardless youngman wiih a typicalAfrican hair, which was paintedby this blasphemouswoman from a blackwoman. Aroundthe headthere is painteda halo. The garmentshave no particularform, but as a backgroundof this horriblepicture there is paintedsort of a cross,decorated with a feather. lt is supposedto depict"the spiriiualityof AmericanIndians," also an lndianbig circleon the cross,wtrich represents a perfectharmony in life and nature. A judgeat thisblasphemous contest was an EnglishCatholic nun, Wendy Becket. She decided that the imageof "Christ"was "a pleasantJesus" and that He was"looking out at us withineffable dignity." The "nun"also deciared that a longtime ago in Westernculture Christ was depictedas a whiteman, but noq whenthe world is turningtoward the thirdworld African countries, there must be a differentunderstanding of the Savior's personalityand origin so thatit would impressmodern humanity. Amongthe variousimages of "Christ*'there were picturesof Him as a farmer,a convictbefore execution, dancingon Jerusalemstreets with Arabs and... even a clown! lt is amazingthat this outrageous contest was arranged by the RomanCatholics and the judge was a Catholicnun!

NEWTHEOLOGICALBOOKS IN FRENCH "ChurchNews" does not havea sectionfor bookreviews and almost never publishes any advertisements.Yet at presentwe feel it is necessaryto informour readersthat almost simultaneously, for the first time in French,three books were published. "OrthodoxDogmatics" by Fr. MichaelPomazansky, a bookletsf se.monsby St. John of Kronstadtand "The Dogmaof Redemption"by MetropolitanAnthony Khrapovitsky. The translatorof thesewcrks is a gentleman,both Frenohand Russianby birth, who is at present a seminarystudent in Jordanviile. The priee of Fr. Pamazansky's Dcgmatics{467 pages) is $40;the sermons(63 pages},$15 and "The Dogma of Redemption"{55 pages}is $15. \__, Ordersare to be sentto this address: La Fiere Angulaire/Cornerstone PO.Box 6335, Albany,NY 12206-0335- USA Fax 1 518437 9345 http:llCornerstone@VirtualeAve. neU ORTHODOXarchives -- January2000, week 2 (#35)- MicrosoftInternet Exflery L of 2

Date: Mon, 10 .Ian 2000 10:38:00 -0800 Reply-To: Orthodox Christj-anity Sender: Orthodox Christianity From: "Fr. Alexander Lebedeff" Subject: Ra. Ran1- i qm f nr .:OnVeftS In-Rep1y-To: Mail.wgn.net) Content-\pe: text/p1ain; charset:"us-ascii"

.r.hi nnc ir^ n^f . t,.,ava cn eimnl - q+YYqfUUvUf]lLyf9, so black and white.

For example, one should remember in this discussion of Reception of converts that the opinions of the leadlng hierarchs of Russla in the last .an'|-rrr\/ - a q ural I aS thOSe Of itS l-rcsf f heol nai :ns t- Werevru!s OVerWhelminol rr supportive of the position that the Roman Catholic Church possessed valid mysteries.

The theologian Konstantin Leontj-ev wrote:

"There is a great difference between the views of the Eastern hierarchs about Rome and Catholicism. The Greek Patriarchs believe it to be simply a heresy (although there has been no Council). But among us, many, like Phil-aret [Metr. of Moscow], are not ready to consider them to be as such qinco ^-!L^] I - Lrre!sLruolfhercl-icsl t rrrrgs onlvvrrrj amnnoqrrrvrry theLrrs udLll9rfuD qtrlvlrg qrl-l- of those who have split themsefves off from Greek Orthodoxy, neither the grace of Apostolic

Srrcccqqinn- nor l--fig TfaditiOnS Of the Holv !sLrru!rtFafhers. nnr l.hc tcechino nn thc Seven Mysterles have been broken." ("Selected Letters," St, Petersburg, 1 00? h R,4'r \ LrJJt P. JaLt.

Let us see what the great Hierarch MetropoJ-itan Philaret of Moscow (mentioned above) hlmself wrote on this issue.

fn his "Discussions between One Who is a Seeker and One Who is Convlnced about the Orthodoxv of the Eastern Greco-Rusian Church" includes this dialogue:

"Seeker: So must I consider as true, for example, the Roman Church, as well?"

"Answer: You unswaveringly wish to force me to judge. Know then, that

hn'l riinn fn thc wrrr.ls of fhc vv!fyLu!u,IIvvIIq!v]]'YScrin'|-rrrc. nn chrrrch -hlCh bel_ieveSttthat JeSuS is the Christ," will I dare to call false. The Christian Church can only be either "purely true, " confessing the true and salvific Divine teaching wi-thout the commingling of false and harmful human opinions; or it can be "not purely true, " comj-xing to the true and sal-vific teachinq of Christ false and harmful human opinions. . . As far as the Church of the East is concerned, I have already proven that its Creed contaj-ns pure teaching. But as I do not know how many Chrj-stians in the West and how deeply they are imbued with individual opinlons whi-ch are found in the Churches of the West, and which of them firmly hol-ds to the faith, the cornerstone of the Universal- Church of Christ, -- the due respect that I have expressed as to the opinion of the Eastern Church in no way comprises a judgment and condemnation of Western Christians and the Western Church. Accordinq to the

Dtlru2000 10:38:55PM ORTHODOXarchives -- January2000, week 2 (#35)- MicrosoftInternet ExfloW 2 of 2

laws of the Church themselves, I offer up all of the Western Church to the .irrAmant- nf 1-ha [Inirrcrsal Chrrrch-vIIg! v]], and the soulS of Christians tO the judgrment or especially the kindheartedness of God." (Works of Phi-laret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, Moscow 1994, pp. 408-409).

An finally, look at what (St.) Theophan the Recl-use had to say when asked directl-v whether grace existed in the Roman Cathol-lc Church:

"It seems that our Church j-s condescending to Catholi-cs and recognizes the n^l-an^\7 nnt nn l \r v!^€ vqLrrvr'-a-+1-.^l j ^ -o1,'ism]--^+ and the other mysteriesr but also of ordination. whi-ch is very significant. Therefore, j-t is better for us to refrai-n both from the asking of sueh questions, as well as resolving them, We must hol-d to only one thing, that one should not go over to the Cathol-ics, because among them some parts in the structure of their confession and church order are defective or changed by departure from the more ancient ones. More than this I do not know what to say." (Collected Letters, Vo1. 7, Moscow, 1994, p. 2O2).

With love in Christ,

Prot. Alexander Lebedeff

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