Fine Flagpole
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Anglican Parish of Caversham Saint Peter, THE ROCK Dunedin, New Zealand March 2014—Lent—Ordinary Time Politics and Religion always mix in Eastern Orthodoxy By The Vicar oon after Christianity became a about what was or wasn’t the orthodox faith of the legitimate and approved religion in the Church rumbled on for several hundred years, with Roman Empire the Emperor all sides appealing to the Emperor to sort things Parish Contacts: intervened in its affairs. The Emperor out. While his interventions were often welcomed, VICAR: SConstantine called the ecumenical Council of Nicea Church leaders rarely stopped to ask themselves in 325 AD, which pretty much defined the faith we where this trend would end. Father Hugh Bowron, affirm in the creed Sunday by Sunday. He The Vicarage, By the time eastern and western Christianity broke personally attended the Council, and also knocked 57 Baker St., apart the Emperor of the eastern Roman Empire heads together, to get an outcome that he hoped Caversham, had an automatic and assured place in many of the would bring peace to the Church. In fact disputes Dunedin, executive decisions to do with the Church’s life. New Zealand 9012. When, a thousand years later, Orthodoxy spread to Telephone: (03) 455 3961 Fine Flagpole Russia the Tsars of the emerging Muscovite state Email: made sure they had a tight grip on the Church’s [email protected] amaged beyond repair in recent wild affairs right from the start. As the long-lived D weather, Saint Peter’s flagpole has been Romanov dynasty got under way it proclaimed that CHURCH WARDENS: replaced thanks to the generosity and pro-activity its legitimacy rested on three pillars, autocracy, the Vicar’s Warden: of parishioners Elizabeth and Bruce Moore. Tsar as the Father of his people, and the Orthodox Tubby Hopkins Church. So the nobility, the Emperor, and the Telephone: (03) 454-2399 Seeing the problem, the Moore’s decided to do Patriarchs were in the driver’s seat, with the Tsar at Email: VicarsWarden something about it, purchasing and paying for the apex of the triangle. This is what is known as @stpeterscaversham.org.nz installation of a new aluminium mast which should Ceasaropapism—the divinely appointed Emperor last “for ever” according to The Vicar. directing the affairs of the Church. People’s Warden: “We are very As time went on the exercise of Tsarist power Kate Paterson fortunate and became even more naked. The modernising Tsar Telephone: (03) 455-5384 most grateful to Peter the Great abolished the Patriarchate and Email: PeoplesWarden parishioners who @stpeterscaversham.org.nz replaced it with a Holy Synod of compliant assist the parish modernising clerics whose activities were directed in such practical by an Imperial official, called the Chief Procurator. VESTRY SECRETARY: ways”, he said. In 1917, with the Tsar deposed, the Patriarchate Ian Condie The Vicar also took back control of the Church, but too late as the Telephone: (03) 454-4316 mentioned the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia. Email: Vestry generosity of @stpeterscaversham.org.nz Adams Flags, The key leaders of the Bolshevik party were in the who provided a main the children of the intelligentsia, who as a DIRECTOR OF MUSIC new lanyard and group tended to be alienated from traditional AND PARISH CENTRE MANAGER: flag repairs gratis. Russian culture, and who had imbibed the David Hoskins secularising ideals of the European enlightenment, Telephone: (03) 455-7537 Work is also including a generous dose of contempt for under way on Email: ParishCentre Christianity and the Church. For the next 70 years @stpeterscaversham.org.nz preparing the vigorous attempts were made to eliminate Eastbourne street organised religion from Soviet life. FINANCE: frontage, for replanting. A But the Church, though severely vitiated, survived Danielle Harrison because of an atavistic hold on the traditional Telephone: (03) 455-0759 The new “lean-free” parishioner has donated funds for pockets of Russian society. So the communist Email: Finance flagpole in action. state adopted a double edged strategy of using the @stpeterscaversham.org.nz PHOTO.: INFORMATION SERVICES OTAGO LTD. native plants there. (Continued on page 2) www.stpeterscaversham.org.nz Page 2 March 2014—Lent—Ordinary Time The Rock Politics, Religion, Eastern Orthodoxy Letters The Rock welcomes letters to the Editor. Letters should and often successful attempts to get its be no more than 150 words in length and are subject to (Continued from page 1) property back, and to resume its pride of selection and, if selected, to editing for length and house place in the religious affairs of the nation. style. Letters may be : Church for its own ends, while at the same The Russian Orthodox Church has found Posted to : The Editor of The Rock, time severely restricting its life. So, during itself on the defensive. c/- The Vicarage, 57 Baker Street, “the Great Patriotic War,” its leaders were It is significant that in one of the tense Caversham, encouraged to appeal to a spirit of sacrifice encounters outside military bases in the Dunedin, N.Z. 9012 among Russians to drive out Hitler’s armies. Crimea in recent weeks a Ukrainian Orthodox Emailed to: The security apparatus controlled the Church Bishop stood outside the gates confronting by ensuring that only approved and complaint Russian troops, in solidarity with the [email protected] candidates became Patriarchs and Bishops. Ukrainian soldiers in the base. His Church It made it clear to these Church leaders that will now be anxiously wondering if it will be the Church’s limited privileges would only back to the bad old days if Putin’s annexation Ask The Vicar continue if they assisted the party in a wide campaign continues and expands. For answers to questions doctrinal, spiritual and liturgical. variety of ways. And in some sinister cases The Russian Orthodox Church of today is not KGB agents infiltrated the Church to become Write to: Ask The Vicar, controlled in the same way it was in 57 Baker Street, priests and Bishops. communist times. But it rejoices that the new Caversham, This was the ecclesial tool that Stalin decided Russia honours it, privileges it, building Dunedin, N.Z. 9012 to use to assist with pacifying and controlling splendid churches for it, and shutting out Or email: the Ukraine. Although the Ukraine had long some of its overseas competitors. It is led by [email protected] been incorporated in the Tsarist Empire, it patriotic Russians who want the best for the also had a proud spirit of independent cultural rodina, the motherland as Russians call it, nationalism, particularly in the western parts. and the habits of servitude to what the state Ask The Vestry The great famine that followed on from wants run deep. And for sure the security Stalin’s collectivisation programme in the apparatus is subtly shaping its policies. Putin Questions about the secular life and fabric of the parish 1930s hit the Ukraine particularly hard, and himself as a former KGB operative well may be: earned the hatred of many Ukrainians for understands how to do this, as he turns up to Posted to : Ask The Vestry, Stalinist rule. Although the short sighted cruel major Orthodox Services, and spreads the c/- The Vicarage, 57 Baker Street, treatment of the invading German armies tentacles of autocratic rule through many Caversham, soon burnt off potential Ukrainian layers of Russian society. Dunedin, N.Z. 9012 collaborators, it is an embarrassing fact for When Russian Orthodox leaders visit large Emailed to: the Russian state that several large Ukrainian Russian communities in different parts of the partisan groups fought on against the Red [email protected] world they are usually keen to encourage Army for several years after 1945 in the name loyalty and assistance to the home country. of an independent Ukraine. occur even in countries well away from the And they are right behind the current Orthodox homelands, as Romanian Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Often churches give ground to the government priests have found in Australia even years churches are divided state, … But when they have campaign to after the downfall of the Ceausescu up into what are choices, … they have no business recover becoming tools of government…” dictatorship, because parishioners go on called “ Russia’s near suspecting their parish priests of being former autocephalous abroad, to get agents or informants for the Ceausescu churches, which represent different culture back the periphery states. Russia has few security apparatus, as regrettably some of and national groups, in the same way that the defensible geographical barriers. If invaded, them were. Anglican Church has separate Provinces for as it so often has been, it must trade space different nations. The Ukrainian Orthodox for time until its armed forces are ready to Of course Anglicanism had the same Church is one such autocephalous Church. deal to the invader. tendencies in the reigns of the Tudor and Stalin was determined to diminish it, and to Jacobean Monarchs, but in the end it largely Its sense of mystery, mysticism, and symbol, get it in a headlock, for fear that it would act resumed control of its own affairs, in part and the sheer beauty of its worship, draws as a hidden encourager of Ukrainian because of the insistence of the Oxford many people to Orthodoxy. But its supine separatism. One way to do this was to make movement that parliament should stop and craven attitude to the authority of the the Russian Orthodox Church, present in the interfering in the affairs of the Church of state is an Achilles heel. God wants the Ukraine because of the considerable number England. And Bishop Selwyn insisted that the Church to run its own affairs, to direct its life of ethnic Russians, the leading and preferred Anglican Church be autonomous from the according to the priorities of the gospel, to be agent of Orthodox religion.