church news oct 1997.pdf

8/14/2019 Church news oct 1997.PDF

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A .I" IN D E P E N D E N T U B L IC A .T O NF O RT H O D O X H U R C HO P IN IO I ' , J

Cctober ' 997Vo i 9 . N o 1 0 (6 5 )

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AN IRREPLACEABLEOSS FOR THE RUSSIAN RTHODOX HURCH BROAD

During he night of Octobei' 17130-18131he guardian of the miraculous myrrh-streaming ortaitissa con of theTheotokos f lveron ceiebrated n Nov. 24), Jose N{ufroz-Cortes. as viciously murdei'ed n Athens. Known hroughoutthe Russian Ciaspora, e belongeci c a famiiy cf hereditary Spanish diplomats nd was born n Chile,where his fatherserved as ambassador. When still quite young he was attracted o the Orthodox Church n Santiago, ecame closely,acquainted ith Archbishop eonty and conver"ted o Orihodoxy He is srii'vived y an elderly mothei""wo sisters and abrother, who is an ambassador o one of the Scandinavian ounti-res

Since he tirne v'rhen ose n a miraculous manner eceived he ccn (tc rr,'hich e .,vasvery attracted) rom one ofthe sketes on Mt . Athos and which after a few weeks started o exude -nyrrh. ose became he faithfulguardran f thissacred con and took upon himself he podvrg of wandering Never eavin g he icon alone. or'15 year"s e constantlytraveled with it, visiting parishes of the Church Abroad which are scattered not only over many countries, but evenvarious ontinents. Once he said hat it was very rare or him to spend 3 consecutive eeks n his own apartment n thecourse of a year.

These ravels. which he was constantly ndertakrng or the comfort f the faithful, ery seriously undermined ishealth. although he appeared o nave a Herculean constitution. Suffering rom a severe case of diabetes. a heartcondition nd a chronic nidciie ar rnfectron he overcame il these ailments and woulcj eadiiy accept any invitatron ovisit parishes and sometimes vefr very srck rndividuals) nd witl-rout bjection went wherever he was askecl o go.Being extremely ompassionaie oward anyone's miseries, ose often would give he needy all the money he had in hiswallet . i though e himseif ad c l ive on a very humble ncome. Due o his constant ravels, e only occasionally ouldfiil an crder o paint aR rcon aithcugh ne nad quiie a ferv equests.

Only 311st is ,rioient jeathdrd t became known hat he had been secretly onsured on Mt. Athos n the sameskete rom which he had receivec he miraculous con, or only very ew selected riends knew of this

Fi' .Joseph iient o Greece because he had to retrieve a lettei" eft oi-him rom his elder, who i'eposed ot longago. At the same rm e bernq talented conographer, e wanted o see an icon exhibit n Thessalonica. ut he, as wellas Fr, Alexander wasze\r\rrcz\Nere ot permrtted o enter Mt Athos

The last person o see hrm211y" as Fr. Alexander waszewicz rom Ar-gentina. s they sat in a small earoom atthe hotelwhere Jose was stayrng he was approached y a Romanian man, who said hat his vrsa had expired, u t hathe badly wanted o go to Canada nd asked ose o help h im. Jose, who would never efuse request , ent withhim ohis roorn o write down nformation i seems hat he next day the Romanran sked him to go to his room n anotherhotel where he was murdered Some rme after midnight, hrs man hastily walked rom he hotel and satd o a porter ha the wanted o buy some water and soon De bacK. He never came back, but n the morning ose's body was cjiscovered nhis room, yingon a bed Hrs arms and egs were ieci p and mouth eaied wiiha iape. l t is suspected hat his kii ierof

short burldhad an accompiicejust brteflybefoi'e ts madyi'ic eath Jose, ogether with Fr. Aiexander isited he isiand of Andros ln one of tsmonastei'ies here s an myri-h-flo'"vingcon of the Theotokos nd as well as an ancient resco, also of the Theotokos withthe Christ Chili, which scmetrmes heds tears The service had finished when they arrived, but one mcnk cpenedchurch or them so they could pray At that rrne e noticed hat he icon was crying, which had not happened uring hemorning ei-vice. The monks have noticed hat his icon cries oniy when something errible has happenecl r is about o -^^^^^ ^ 'h^ '^ '^ ' t / As Fi" Alexander rote 'We wrthBi ' Joseph, nderstood hat h is event s connected i th us oi 'i q y P g i i i l | u r g w u t t u .with our Church. After hat Br. Joseph on several cccasions olc me that he felt that something errible would hapoenand very soon, but he did not know what He spoke of rt quite caimiy. I believe," Fr Alexander oncludes is account,"thatwithoutany doubt he lcon eried because of the death of Br Joseph, but not ust because of hrs death but becausehis death s the present, isiblepart of a grant ceberg

Those who hate he sacrecj nd he saints on many occasions hreatened r'. oseph by telephone n CanadaNow that he has perished. his immaculate eputation s being suddenly besmirched y someone with loads of

sordid nsinuations, lthoughwhen he was alive nothrng f the sort was ever said of h im. The vrle slanderer-murdererwas arrested.

It is hard to reconc iie oneself o the ihought hat Fr Joseph s no longer with us ancj hat ihe lcon. which heguarded with such ove and veneration robrably ill no ionger vrsitall the little corners of the Russian diaspora and thecotton wads saturated with myrrh - which he so generously ave oui all over he woi'ld - may disappear with time. Butone thing is clear. No matter"where here is a photograph f this icon, hose who pray before t, without doubt. willrernember n their prayers ts guardian, Fr. Joseph. as we know him now.

Annnrrlinnn i6fsrn2{i6n iven on the lnternet y the Synod office, he lcon s in a safe plaee and Fr. Joseph wasburied according o his desii'e n the cernetery f HoiyTriniiyMonastery n Joi"danvilie n Nov 6/12 Archbishop aurusofficiatedwith 18 priests. Another 20 clei'gy were present as well as a mult itude f the faiihful. After hesitating boutopening he coffin, t was decided o go ahead. And when the plastic covering around he body was cpened a sweet


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fragrance was noted by some. lt was also noied by some hat although he had reposed almost wo weeks earlier, herewere no signs of corruption.

ABOUT OOD NTENTIONSNDSORRY EALITY

Our editors eceived he following rom a prrest of the RFOC outsrde Moscow who was a noted ournalist anciwhose amily s weil known n Russia.

"Vesttrik The Herald) of the Diccese of Gern any" {#4 1997) published n extensive rticlebyArchbishop Mark, entitled The Siiength :f ihe Church Lies n the Unrtyof Farth and Love". li descr"ibesthe possible approchement nd frnai unrfrcation f the Russian Orthodcr Church and the MoscowPairiarchate.

For a person istant rom church elated roblems he reasoning f the Archb 'rshop ay appearobjective nd persuasive Br"Jthe reader who is acquainteci ot by hearsay wrth he present situation fRussian Orthodoxy. ill react o the article of Vladyka Mark wrthcaution lt rs not that rhere s present nthe art icle trect alsehood but rather t i s evident hat many hinqs are passed ver n si lence and hisin part icular ermits he autlror o drsplay decided optinrisnr,rr spiie of the verf sad reali ty v*hrchsurrounds s

ln his articie Archbrshop Mark in particular, ouches on an acute ssue - the involvement f theMoscow Patriarchate n Ecumenrsm He writes: Today we see on the part of a substantiai umber ofclergy ancl aiiir n Russra a decrded epulsion oward unheaithv developments

n the field of coniactswith he iieterocioxBut aias noi a singie word s mentioned boui he people, aiied neo-renovationists" n Russia.

who over the coui-se of decades have propagated noi without success) he idea of blending ai iccnfessioirs Nothrng S Ssrd about he substantiai unrbers f the eprscopate f the Patriarchate hat ar eproteges of l ' lettopot,tan N,kodim (Rotov) of sorry memory -- one of the pillars of contemporaryEcumenism. nd nothrng s "neniioned bout one of the main ecclesiast ical chools of contemporaryRussta nenlel)/ f S: Petersburg ,^rhtchas and remains hothouse f thrs pan-heresy"

Vladyka Mark rvrrtes We are guardedly bserving he form taken on the part of the MoscowPatrtarchate n her cooperation ith he contemporary ussian overnment. hen he eadershrp f theMoscow Patrtarchate ries o supoort with her authority he thoughtless nd inconsistent olicyof theqovernmeni Are not the splendid eremonies nvolving he partrcrpaiion f church hierarchs nddist inguished olt t tcal ersonali t ies. h ich are broadcast n television, dangerous rnitatron f the'symphony '

o f Churcn nd state?"And agarn silence One cannot suppose hat the Archbishop s totally gnorant f the shamefulfacts of ccliaboration y the hrerarchs n business ieids the trade n oil and diamonds, scandalousaffair nvolvtng he saie of tobacco and alcohol, he story of "a Christian bank" which cheatecj ll itsdeposrtors nd so on ancj n

And meanwnrie ust Decause of this very close unity of "business partners" with "treasuryembezzlei-s" he Patrtai-chate s unabie o fuifili he functionwhich rs so pressingiy 'equired rom theChrrrch n cui- inres to beccnre fcrce whrchwcuid ake he ead n the rebirth f Russia - spiritually sweil as patrioticaily

His Eminence aments, lt rs sad that he glorlfrcation f the New Mar-tyr-snd in particular f theholy Passion-bearers - the mperia amrly - proceeds o slowly The arguments bout hrs proceed yconvoluted paths that are strange o us Until the last bishops' counci t seemed even judging bydocuments ublished by the commission or glorrfrcatron.hat the lclng awaited move would come, or'there were signs that the glorificationwould take place at the Local Council. So far there is nomovement."

We already publicized sentence which was spoken n a private onversation y one influentialMoscow hierarch: Allof us -- including he Patriarch - acknowledge hat Tsar Nicholas s a saint. Butwe cannot glorifyhim, because both he'democrats' nd Communists'will be against us." In the lightofthis open deciaration, the convoiuted paths" and absence of "the long awaited move" become quiteunderstandabie. he reason or it is the very same cowardice nd obeciience o the authorities hich headherents o the sorry memory of Metropolitan ergius Stragorodsky) ave drspiayed ince 1927.

At ihe encj of his anicle Vladyka Mark puts orward a number of proposals which, n his opinion,eould heip unite he separated parts of ihe Russian Chur"ch. The first is io convene an ali-diaspoi-aCouncil,which wculd "cccupy tselfwith issues of the relationship ;ithMoscow Patriarchate nd fr.rrtherdevelopment f that relationship. "


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But, alas' one has to say that he Church Abroad has come o such a degree of degradation ndadministrative haos hat a true "all-diaspora ouncil"which could equal hose of former tmes s out ofquestion' What happened ast summer n Hebron estifies o this moi-e han eloquent words can say.

ln addition he German Archotshop roposes tarting the serrsus work of preparation or tne all-Russian ouncil" And this s a totally absurd dea. it is a common nowleclge hat there s no conciiiaritywhatsoever n the fuloscow atriarchate. eeause he fullpower beiongs o the Synod and it in generJlanswers o no one and has 150 obedient and voiceless bishops So how can one in such an situationdream of a general Council?

The very ast proposal f Vladyka lark is "to horoughly nvestlgate he kind cf thinkingof such avenerable ierarch s New MartyrMetropolitan yrill Srnirnov) f Kazan,, hose blameless cclesiologype 'mits' while retaining an uncompromrsing pproach o the pur"ity f the canons and dogmas, atiodistinctions n the practical orms of their er^nbodiment.',

Probably, he author has in mind here an opinion which was expressed y Metropolitan yrill nhis let ter of 2l15th of May. 1929 ". .The blame or the commemoration f ihe name of Metropoli tanSergius annot be placed upon ay people and should not serve as an obstacle o therr attendance t theservices and receiving he Holy Gifts n churches which are under Metropolitan ergius. f there is nochurch n their neighborhood hich preserves nimpaired ts canonical elationship oward he Deputy ofthe Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal hrone."

This opinion of Hreromartyr yrill s common knowledge, ut it was expressed n those distantttmes when he "Sergianrst hurch"nad not yet immersed tself n Ecumenism. orruptron, usiness an dher bishops were noi appointed y

he Lubianka... [the nfamous eaciquarters nd prison of the KGB]Undoubtedly, his article by Vladyka Mark was dictaied by the very best of intentions. But on eshould not fcrget that such inientions. f not conjoined with sobriety and sound reasoning, uite oftenlead nol to the "unityof faith and ove" but to the place, whei"e here s heard the waiiingand gnashing fteeth ."

November. 997 Moscow A.rchpriest ichaelA.rdov

A B R IL L IA N TT R AT E G IC A MO U F L A G EYA R C H B IS H O P A R KO F B E R L IN N DG E R MA N Y

"Vestnik Herald) f the Diocese f Germany" 4 (1997) published long articte y Archbrshop ark, enti led"The Strength f the Church s in the Unrtyof Faith and Love" This artrcle f 5 plges is too long or our publication oreprint t in full,but we willquote he most mportant tatements.It seems. hat Archbishop Mark himself attaches great mportance o it because he author's name ts nor onty

prtnted above he titie.but we find his handwritten ignature lso at the end of the article The direct citatrons, o makeihem clearer we have put in italics,while using bold ace for the most mportant entences Our commeniaries n thistextare rn eguiar rrntThe thoughts which are expounded n this document cottected ver several monihs of the first hatfof 1gg7. The

expulsion ai the begrnntng f Juiy of our ntanks rom Hoty TrinityManastery near Abraham's Cak in Hebron n front afrepresettfatives af the Moscow Patriarchate who, as if mocking the angelic habit, were dress ed in manastiegarments felt ltke a knife piercing my hear-t

The Moscow Patriarchate once more showed lfs Sovref origins, an imperiatistic spirit and that her powerstructures are ready to trample on the dignity of Church and person *ith ae"eption and violence - andseemingly t wauld be naturat ust fo c/ose the question of our relationship with the Moscow patriarchate.

I refused to follow such a simple solution, atthough t expect that once again I will face slander. As before,I believe hat we are responsible or our ecclesiastical ourse before atl he Russran Ofthodox peopte, and notonty - andeven less so '- before fhose structures incorrigibty accustomed to a thirst for pow'er, which, unfartunately,successtully use fhe name of the Russran Church to cover fhernse/yes up. Therefare, publishmy thoughts n thistheme in the same manner as they occurred prior to the events n the Holy Land, which, unfortunateiy, disgraces thewhale Russian Church.

Now: what part of the Russian Church rn particular does Archbishop Mark have in mind? The MoscowPatriarchate r the ROCA,or maybe both of them?

The thoughts ollected by Archbrshop Mark during he several months of the first half of 1gg7, demand a veryconcentrateci nd repeated e-reaciing f hrs ariicle n order o be abie o aporaise his basic heme. He has rnastereci heR.ussian artguage tsrfectly nd therefore his reticence ncjsometimes nclear phrasing make one believe hat this isdone on purpose.

Archbishop Mark starts his article with information bout his well known visit to Tver and the co;-i-espondencebetween him and Metropclitan italy,which was widely publicized. Then he briefly ists he facts egarding he Ukaz of


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4Patriarch ikhon ssued ogetherwith he Synod and Supreme Church Council dated November7l20, 1920,#362. Hewntes.

Ihe Russian Orthodox Church is our common Mather Church -- and thls is indisputable. yet, by ,'mother', oneunderstands a birtt't-g:ing principte. The ruiing struclures of the Moscow Patriarchate, such as they have been slnce1927 and as they have defined themseives n regarci o the Russian Church Abroad until naw, may iot pretend o bearffie fiame af a birthgiving mother. Simplificatians are convenient in wortdiy potitics, which attempts to detrimentaliyinfiitrate ihe life at the Church, but ihey are airt of piace n matters cancerning Chrisf'S Church, and in pafticular, i ,emuch-suffering Church of Russra. For fnose wha speak about " 'reunion v,iith he fviother Churclt' ", it wauici be

better notfo seif-assuieciiy assur,ne cr thernseives /iis iofty titie, but to turn witit filiailcve to ihe very same Russran Churclt frainwhich ait af us, having lived far nare than 7 decau+es navs n quite different circumsiances, n ane ,vay ar anather,received aur beginning

In this lest rather unclear sentence v"hrchs lacking a subject, whil-.aClectives nd verb remain) t is impessibleto understand vhomdoes A.rchbrshop lark ha'.,e n mind when he say.. those who talk about reunion vrith he Mother-Cht-rrch"?Does he mean here he Moscow Patriarchate. r is he hLrmbly peakrng f himself as an arcient r-rpporter funion with this Patriarchate? Also who namely, and to which part of the Russiin Church should one turn ,,withfiliallove"?

Then he says hat in every part of the Russian Church here occurred ome dislocations hich "were producedby unique psychological etiings

.'.ln the contemporary condrtrons f retative reedom n Russ,a, since if is necessary for us, he Br'shops, opose fhe question of the possibility and even that it is time ta summon a Council, we sioutd consider ifs goalsand the manner in which

it will be conducted.Then Archbishop vlark tates hat no one has a recrpe or overcoming he Church's iscord and admrts hat herecouid not be such an recipe, because n arder fo esfaorsn .tniiy nere must be a iabor-intensive, rayeiui and repentantpodvig. The oniy quesircn s -- who has o repeni ancj or whai ancj o whom?

ifu"eind out ronr Archbishop v'lark isc tfratFar every ci?e of us this path will demand a rejection of inertia n the images we have af the Church,s iife,

which #as del'eloped n the state of separation, a reiection of inherited ste,'eoti,pes and clich6s. And precisetynaw, v'then here s cpenlng up a ne\Ypcssrbr/rly c overcome everythtng alen anC L/nngcessa,ry er the Church hrough apurely ecclesial approach, here arises a new danger -- the conservation of a habituat separation. lt rs necestary

Archbishop ark eels hat he ollowinq uestions hould e mmediatetv esoived1) ThequestionoftherelationshipoftheOrthodoxChurchwithheterodoxcutturesandtheissueconnectedwith

them cf Ecumenism2) The questron of the relationship of ecciesrasticat ubtic figures pnesfs and herarchs turth theomachisticgavernments and organEatlons nd in wtder sense * the reiattonship f the Church towards he state n genera .

3) The question oi the glorificationoi the hoiy New Martyrs and Confes.sors f RussraIn a chapter entitied yvhatciivides s?" Archbishop Mark writes1) Untortunateiv, here arise doubts irsf of all in the ciogmatic area Tne questton has noi ae resotved about

what sort of cammunication here might be between members af the Russian Church ancj he heterocjax, who cailtfternseives Chnslrans n aitotlier woicrs - where the boundaLies f the Ciiurch iie Representafiyes of the MsscowPatriarchate, espec.ialfy her siructures which operate abroad ar are in contact with it, went ail tao far here,permitting the unpermittable... Ecumenical confacfs are nat a new phenomenon and ong aga were in need of aevaluation in principle.

Than Archbishop Mark'quite correctly 51",*t. Toda.v ,4/e ee on the paftof a substantia umber of clergy and laityrn Ru-s-sra decided repulsion taward unheatthy deveiopments n the field af contacts with the heterociox

nd he thinksthat in this area the experience of the ROCA could bdng about a beneficial nptit fawards a truly ecc/esra/ esolutian f thisproblem lt is worthwhile o note that Archbishop*liark not once characterizes Ecumenism s a heresv.As we have known or a long ime, he "evaluation n principle" f this matter was made by the Councilof Bishops

of the ROCA when she anathematized he heresy of Ecumenism nd ts adherents. While referringmosly to ,,structures,,of the Moscow Patriarchate which operate abroad or are in contact with it",Archbishop Mark crJftily s sitent about hefact that the very same Patriarchate, n aodition o "Ecumenical ontacts", as signed Ecumenicai greements whichconsider ereticai monophysites o be Orthodox. t also has signed he "Baiamand Union"with he Roman Catholics.

2) The problem of the cooperation of bishops and ather public figures of Moscow Patriarchate with the godlessgovernmeni is disiurbing. Patriarch Alexis has aiready iried to address fhr's ssr./e by expresstng a generat repentance andgiving a criiical evaluatian of the "Deciaratian" af Metropolitan Sergius (sfragoroo's y) . Especiaily ainiui is the warningaf the presence in midst of the Church in the past and at present of aetive collahorators iitn ft?c sfafe securityor-$ars. Io ffte degree to which fhese sfiii keep heir poslflons, he Mascow Patrlarchate s denying ta herseif the fruits of


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genuine repentance. But, just because of the principtes involved in this problem, it must be approached withextreme care.

It seems hat Archbishop Mark s counting n (unfortunately ithgood reason) he remarkably imited nowledgeof the common members of the Church Abroad of the officialdeciarations f the hierarchs f the Moscow PatriarchateAccording o his statement, P?triarch Alexis has already iried to address this issue by expressing a generalrePentance nd giving a critical evaluation of ihe "Declaration" of Metropolitan Sergius stragorodsky],'.

"The repentance nd expianations" f Alexis Ridiger egardrng he Declaration f Metropolitan Sergius weregiven by him n an interview o the newspaper lzvestia" n 199i in the foliowingwords. First of ali, would not like tobe put in the position of seeming to deny it This Declai'ation s a part of oui-history Did this Declaration elp ourChurch n t hcse difficult days -- let history be the judge. I would not like to evaluate he actions of MetropolitanSergius. In that [Soviet]night we could only weep u.,ith im. This much we can say he was offered he alternative feither signing or facing the execution of several hundred bishops already arrested The tragedy of MetropolitaSergius was that he attempted o reaeh an understanding n the basis of the "word of honor" of eriminals ho happenedto grab power... But oday we are in a positton o declare hat he Declaration of Metropolitan Sergius ies in the pastand we no longer abide by i t ." {Quotationaken rom he "suzdal Diocesan esister" 1 sepi 1gg7).

Unfortunately, n letting a trusting eader accept his information bout a "general epentance" f the MoscowPatriarchate, rchbishop Mark in a substantially alliates he fact that not only the Ieadrng hierarchs of the MoscowPatriarchate ere he paid agents of the KGB,but the false Patriarch lexis l hrrnself as the agent name of "Drozdov,,According o the authoritative taternent f the repcrter A. Nezhny given a few years ago 85% of the Moscow hierarchswere official agents of the KGB.

...Therefore we are guardedly obseruing the form taken on the part of Moscow Patriarchate in hercoaperation with the contemporary Russian government. when the leadership of Moscow Patlarcnate trgs tosupport with its authority he thoughtless and inconsistent oiicy oi the government. Are not the spiendici eremonies,invalving the participation of church hierarchs and distinguished potittcat persortatities, whrch are broacicast n television, adangeraus mitatian of ihe "symphony" of Church and state?

In ihe third paragraph Archbishop Mark expresses is sadness over the prolonged matter of the glorification fholy New Mar-tyrs nd rn partlcular. he lrnperial amily.

ln a chapter entrtled VVhat nites us and which problems all for a common solution?" Archbishop Mark quitecorrectly states that '|n my optnion doctrtnat purity stands n the first place. When it is e,sfab/ished hat there are nodoctrrnal differences among us. the extsttng emparary separatian has fo come to an end. But... n arder to correcgyevaluate he sifuation, we shouid get acquainted with one another and learn more about the path we have traversed.Every churchly person can turn fo Chrsf's truth and bring his experience to the future development of the one RussianChurch and thts rrght should be acknowledged. However, this appraach does nat mean a denial of the possibility fcallinga srn -- a stn and a lie -- a lie

After our pages of these Jesuit ical ialectics he tactics of ArchbishopMark become. one may say, moreobvious

ln my opinron here must be a ALL-DIASPORACOUNC\Lso that he R{rssla Church Abroad could finally,after free deliberation and discussion, determine n a conciliar manner the positions of the diaspora clergy an dflock on contemparary church problems. And after that, there must fotlow the future work of preparing for anALL RUSSTAw COUTVCTL.

Archbishop arkdoes not dare o acknowiedge hat he has rn mrrd a joinicounciiwrth he Moscow Patriarchatebut this idea logically ollows,otherwise he would not tell us that after he all-draspora ouncrl there must follow thefuture work of preparing or an all-Russian council "

The alhdiaspora councilhas fo consider the matter of our relatianship with the Moscow Patriarchate andfuture development of these relations:

- establish what unites us and what separales us;- what manner of unity is possib/e and desirable;- is Eucharistic union possrble, while retaining totat autonomy, ar,- what rs ffie cannection between Eucharistic union and administrative unity.Eesides unilateral approaches, which give rise ta confrontations and extremlsf asserfib ns, in the

Rsssian Church fhere exr'sfs also another tradition, the interpretation of which could hetp to arrive at temporarytransitional decisions on the way to the sought-for unity.

Will not. to a majority of the readers of the article of Archbishop Mark, the most attraetive of all his rdeas about':nionwith Moscow Patriarchate e that which describes Eucharistic nionwhile etaining utonomy?While speaking f the necessiiy o cail wo councils: irstlyan all-diaspora nd hen an all-Russian - Archbishop

Mark s careful not o bring o his readers' ttention o ihe fact that at Church councils aii the ciecrees ave o be madeunanimously or in cases of the absence of unanimity by a majority vote), otheruriise uch a decree cannot beconsidered conciliar decision. The hierarchy f the Church Abroad consists of 17 bishops, of whom at least 5 are


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incapable f work being elderly. However. he Moscow Patriarchate as 146, f not even more, bishops So, what sort ofdecrees are we to expect rom his uture all-Russran ouncil as planned and proposed y Archbishop Mark?

To support his theories. Archbishop Mark offers his trusting eaders o tharoughly nvestigate he kind of thinkingof such a venerable hierarch as New Martyr Metropolitan Cyrilt iSmirnov) of Kazan, whose blameless ecciesiologypermits, while retaining an uncompromising appraach to the purity ai the canons and dogmas, aiso distinctions n thepractical orms af their embodiment. nterestingiy nough, here he author dicinot eel ii necessary o cite even one li nefrom his works (i,vhich re. probably, etters rom exile) of the, indeed, very authoriiative Metropolitan Cyrill,but whoperished t the hands of the godless n he years when he heretical nd perfrdrous MoscowPatriaichate" stablished yStalin n 1943 sti l ld id nct exist .

While putt ing o hrs readers abroad a number of questions whrch rn hrs opinion need to be corn,"nondeliberated, rchbishop Mark knowingly mits acknowledgment hat all of them have been resolved or many years by anumber of bishops' ouncils even all-diaspora nes) of the ROCA.

The matter concerning he Moscow Patriarchate as resolved by a number of councils of the ROCA based onthe 30 th Apostolrc Canon. "lf any bishop comes nto possession f a ch urch by employing ecular ulers, et him bedeposed rom office, and et him be excommunicate, nd all those who commune with him also." Besides, n the basis ofthis Canon not one of the decrees and rulrngs of Moscow Patriarchate ntil now (this includes he elections of theirPatriarchs) ave been recognized s valid. Besides his, he Communists nd their supporters ere anathematized yPatriarch Tikhon, and some time later also by the Catacomb Church Can one have any doubts that the MoscowPatriarchate losely collaborated with the godless government of the former USSR? This anathema (a solemnannouncement hat his or that person or group no ionger belongs o tne Orthodox Church and, herefore, here can beno Communion with them) can be liftedonly afier the repentance of aii ihose who were anathematized nd

oniyby a

council of the same evel of auihority s the one which proclaimed he anaihema in our days t couid be iiftedonly by afree local council of the Russian Orthodox Church with the particrpatron f the Catacomb Church and the ROCA. As weknow, he Moscow Patriarchate as noi i"epented f her collaboration it h he godless Sergianism), f her eading ole nthe Ecurnenical ovement nd of unvrillingne ss o glorify he New Martyrs "vhofor the most part suffered as a result cfits collaboration rith he godiess government. Also, here has been no free ocal counciiof the ROC, whrch could ift hisanathema

Also. he questron f glorifrcationhe holyNew Martyrs nd Confessors ncludrng he mperial New Martyrswasresolved They were solemnly lorrfiecln 1981

Therefore one rs ustrfiecin askrng ArchbishopMark again: who. namely, houlcl epent and for what and towhom. Should t be the ROCA who for 75 years carefully reserved he punty of doctrine and faithfulness o the canonlaw of the Universai Church - before he Moscow Patriarchate, ho betrayed Orthodoxy?

A L E T T E RO F E X P L A N AT IO NO T H E S Y N O DO F B IS H O P S YA F O R ME R H IE FO F T H EJE R U S A L E M IS S IO N

The builetrn Vertograd-lnform' ublrshed n Moscow. n ts ssue 8-9 published n "Address" f ArchimandritBartholomew, he former Chref of the ROCA Ecciesiast icai ission n ierusaiem during he cjays f ihe seizure f theAbraham's Oak fulonastery n Hebron The Archimancirrte's etter has no date ancj eads:

Your Eminences, our Graces blessRiEht ow hro"rgf.outhe enirre worid hei 'e s a Jfeat 'vaveor pi-oiests Eainst he awless cts

of the Soviet Mosccw Patriarchate ho through he hands of the Palestin ian clice accornplished heseizure f our monestery n Hebr^on Now the leaders f the Palestrnran uthorrty pologize or theirlawless ctions nd speak of the necessrty f returning he monastery o rts awful andlords he ROCA.The main cause of t he uproar n the world community s the use of force on the part of the Palestinianpolice against he unarmed nhabrtants f our mo nastery which was d escrrbed n detail by the massmedra.

In connection with this one can only wonder about he behavior of the "commission" haired byArchbishopMark of Berlinand Germany. The members f the "commission" xpressed heir displeasurebecause of our actions against awless claims of the MP. On several occasions Patriarch Alexisdeclared n his speeches hat soon he property f the ROCA n the F{oly and will be returned o it. Weheard about he preparations or this provocation nd naturally ook measures o frustrate heir plans an din part we were successful. Anci f ever he return of this monastery n Hebron were o happen, t will bethe result of our resistance nd of the help of the world community.

One has to say that unfortunaieiy mong he members of our ROCA there are persons wh oassist he efforts of Moscow Patriarchate o unite he Church Abroad with MP. Why not "reunion"? - r^^^' ^ *"^ Soviet hurch prang p in 1927 by accepting he SerEianist eclaration, h ich handed heOrthodox Church over o the atheistic Communistic overnment. t is also a common nowledse hat he


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MP continues o faithfully erve an anti-popular overnment, hich changes ts outer appearance. On erecalls he words rom a parable: although ou are n an different k in. your heart s still he same."

And the members of "commitiee" ealously ush to wh itewash he actions of the Soviet church(some of them already propose o accept a compromise nd share he Hebron monastery ith ne MPi.

And no wonder: our whoie ROCA has read he correspondence etween Archbishop Mark andMetropoiitan italy,and a malority f her children. ogether with he Metropoiitan, ondemned rchbishopfulark'smeeting with the faise Patriai"ch iexis i and his contacts with the Moscow hierarchy. And oneshould not wonder at seeing effoi'ts o disci'edit he actions of defendei"s f our propertres n Holy Landand oud demands o punrsh hernl

Although he members f "the cornmission" eke contacts i.iith ifrerent fficials, iplomats. heydo this secretively, hile rying o cast a shadow on the decisive actions of the Abbess of Mt. of OlivesConvent, uliana. ho contributed o not admitt ing he alse Patriarch o Mt of Olrves At the same ime,they try in every way to exaggerate he "merits"of the Abbess of Gethsemane Convent, Anna, who inspite of her declaraiton o the contrary, et with he alse Patrrarch nd accepted is blessing.

The real purpose f the actions f th is commissron"s o attempt o replace he eadership f theMt.Of Olives onvents f the Ecclesiast ical ission nd appornt o the top postt ions heir own peoplein another words. he people with"far-reaching" oals

There s another nteresting ide to this. The multrtude f documentation hich Priest PeterHolodny eceived rom he former awyer Matrin, or some eason was not returned y him o the RussranEcclesiastical Mtssron, but was brought o New YorK. And now he has handed these documents(weighing boui80 lbs) o Prresi George arin . member f the Commission. n ihis case, as well as rnmany others, t is obvious hat he Chief of the Mission was ignored because he is not of thei r own, no tpro-lvloscow.

Signed. Archimandriie ai'thoiomew,he Chiefof the Russian Ecclesiasticai t/lissionn Jei'usalem

QUOTATIONS ROMTHE LETTEROF SR. MARTNACHERTKOFF) O TUETROpOLtT.a.NtTA.Ly

The very same bulletin "Vertograd-lnform" lso published a letter of Sr Marina Chertkoff addressed oMetropolitan ttaly Due o lack of space. we can give only he most rmportant uotations rom t. Sr. Marina worked ora number of years or the officeof the Russian Ecclesiastrcal ission n Jerusaiem.

" As soon as the Synod recerved n 1986 hrough he lawyer Zezultn he documents f the REM (during hetenure of Chief Fr VladimirScalon) n the Holy Land, a policywas immediatelir nit iated, upposedly n name of ourChurch of rapprochement ith he Moscow Patriarchate nd he extensive ale of our properties.

"As is common knowledge in the Mrssion's office the folders [of documents] re missing concerning hosepropertres hich may yei be sold The'rapprochement' ith he MP and sale of properties re not conducted n a normalmanner. openly - but n a hush-htrsh manner Who receives he money thrs s not (nown. In any case we sisters ofthe convent were old hat he Mission has no funds. Many sisiers suffer ooth aiiments nd waik n sandais ull of holes.

"The present roubies supposeciiy onnected with the so-calied 150th anniversary f the fulission a historicalfalsehood) - are a serious and crude aitempt by a group ed by Archbishop Mark to arrange a union wrth he MP. lfArchbishop Mark.who withoui he knowledge nd blessing f Synod and First Hiei'arch f the Chui"ch broad during astwintervisi ted alse Patrrarch lexiscf the MP strl l etains is posit ion s a member f the Syncd 's Church Abroad, tmeans he Church Abrced has becorne branch of the Soviet hurch with all of the consequences f that..

" . . .Archbishop ark s dorng everythrng o 'return ' to us the Monastery n Hebron on half and half erms, hatmeans he wants o force he members of our Mission o live here with representatives f the Moscow Patriarchate Hehas not succeeded n it so far but also he doesn't want o part with he halo of a brshop of benevolence Therefore epersuaded our First Hierarch who has been deceived since 1986) to remove Fr Bartholomew, ho following hisprineiples efused o have any connections with the MP and to send In hrs place he very rude and very impertinentArchimandrite lexisRosenthul, ho brawls as badly as the Palestinian olrce

"...ThenVladyka Mark lew tn and told us that he found out about our events rom the newspapers. He calledhimself a "commission", ook the administratron ntirelyout of the hands of Fr Bartholomew nd started o work byhimself.as a "commission". As a result. Fr. VlictorlPotapov declared hat we have o l ive in Hebron with the MP. wehave o 'make room or them' ?l). The Moscow Patriarchate s not stingy n rewards. We know t from experience it hArchimandrite heodossy Clare)...

"So now he ROCA s turning nto a branch of the Sovliet] hurch and works ogether with their mafiosi. Whereare the last wills of the First Hierarchs f biessed memory: Metropolitans nthony. Anastassy. Philaret? Vladyka Markhas he boldness o say hat all their willsai'e heir pei'sonal pinionsl )..."


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At the end of the letter of Sr. Marina here s a postscript y Abbess Juliana: l agree with everything written bySr. Marina. Unfortunately he wilis of the First Hierarchs ave already been orgotten r are being or"gotten.UnworthyAbbess Juliana. July 11124, 997)"

The same builetrn ubiished lso an Ukaz rom he Synoci o Abbess Juiiana which s characteristic f our times.

"July17130, 997The Synod of Bishcps of the Russian OrthodoxChurch h e a r d

#|i t35 -- 124ft8

A report of the special Committee cn matters of our cornnrunities n the Holy Land and particularly oncircumstances n the Mt of Oiives Convent and the events which ha're aken place n Hebron Monastery. The Synod ofBishopsafterdeliberating n detailon he distur-banceswhich rose here re s o lv e s

Ts relieve you of your position as Abbess of Christ's Ascension Convent on the Mt of Olives or your stubborndisobedience nd opposition o your Supreme Church Authority. nd also or insults o Patriarch Diodoros, s the Headof the Local Church. You are obliged o surrender o the Deputy Chief of the Mission Archpriest George Larin and yourDeputy Nun Raphaela he ollowing:

a) all convent documentation onnected with he administratrve epartment f the convent.b) al l monetary avingsAfterhandrng ver he above, you are o return o Chile. o the orphanage o your orrner osition.D e c r e e d : To s e n d y o u a n U k a z a b o u t t h e a b o v e - m e n t i o n e d s o t h a t y o u m a y f u l f r l lt s s t r p u l a t i o n s .

President f the Synod of Brshops,Metropolitan rtalyDeputy Secretary, ishop Gabrrel.

After publishing his officialdocumentation. he bulletrn Vertograc-lnform' 1n he same way as "Church News")expresses n a postscripiEreat surprise. iating

"The total si lence of the July issues of 'Pravosiavnaya Rus tne n arn pelcdrcal of cur Church s to tal iyn e r n l p v r n n . n n n o r n i n n f e c t c n f l l q h o r n n n a . q e a r r t a a i ' n t l ' r a H ^ ; \ / | 2 n r r A r : ^ c t i h o n 2 ^ i < ^ r ^ ' n r i n f c n r r n t l o c c n r r h l i n a t i n n c| | | | v l g v t v v ' J - J . \ i v p g v ' \ J

in the Russian nd nternationai ress such silence ecomes oo eioquent Whrie he'"vhoie orldspeaks nd shoutsab o u t th ec r im e n H eb ro n f h e MP an d h e P a les t rn ran u th o r r tv e s rm D iv av e n o ro h t o b e s r l en t

NEW AGGRESSION F THE MOSCO\IJ ATRIARCHATE

Shortly fter he crrminal erzure f t he monastery n the urrsdrction f the ROCA n Hebron another uch effortin the Holy Land became known and apparently hrs ime without he drrect artrcrpatron f the Moscow Patriarchate.

Due o the vigilance f the lsraeli polrce hrs serzure id not take place. According o informationrom he Holy Land,within he territot-v f the former Lavra of St Khariton, wo "fishermen" howed up who sat wrth ishing ods near a verysmail creek. runntng hrough hrs property Thrs s a deserted piace wrthout a watchman. Only once a year, on St.Khariton's ay a service s conducted n a smail chapel buiiton the ruins of ihe former Lavra. This territory s coniroliedby he Palestirr ians. i though here s a spot belonging o lsrael .

An lsraeli policeman otrced man and a woman fishing" t a creek where here can be no fish and started orvatch hem cai-efully. Then he saw a srgn stating hat this place s the property f the Russian Federation. When the"fishermen" ulled out a portable elephcne he called his police station. That station ntercepted he conversation ndwhen he representatives f consulate ppeared at the former Lavra. hey were met by a police squad" Therefore hey'had to retreat.

It also became known hat one of the well drstributed ewspapers n Russia Sevodnia" Today) published anarticie n which s laid out a new plan or seizing he property f the Church Abroad, his time n Germany. There are anumber of pre-revolutionary hurches here, which the Moscow Patriarchate as laid claim o. The new plan's goal atpresent consists of making he German Government evoke a 1938 aw which recognized he R OCA as the sole legalowner of all the pre-revolutionary hurches n Germany. The government f the Russian Federation nsists hat this lawshould have no legal orce, as it was issued by the Nazi government, nd with all her massive weight s pressuring heGerman Government o hand over to her all the churches n Germany. The Patriarchate id not hesitate o seize acathedral n Berlinwhich was built and consecrated n 30's and yet never belonged o Russia.

Having absoiutely o weapons against he Church Abroad. he MP for decades has used he same argument tany opporiunity o accuse her of sympathy with he Nazis, of which he main evidence s a thank-you peech o Hitler orris enormous ssistance n buildinga ca thedral n one of the best ocations n the capital. Of course, no one mentionsthat Hitler showed his rue colors only several ears ater. Here s a short hisioryof thi s address:

When the cathedral was ready and 48 hours before the consecration eremony Metropolitan Anastassy arrivedin Berlin,he was given an artistically ecorated hank-you peech o sign. The Metropolitan ound he text o be too florid


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and asked o change t. Yet. he organizers ad already ent a copy of it to the Internal Ministry nd therefore here wa sno way to rnake he desired corrections.

It is most amazing and quite beyond understanding hat n spite of this absolutely lear aggressive olicyof theMoscow Patriarchate, rchbishop Marx of Berlinand Germany whose diocese s irst n line to be seized) continues oceaselessly ork on a union of the Church Abroad with he heretical nd criminai MP Aithough.maybe he has in mindthat or his services, he MP willbe very patient nd not grab his entire diocese mmediateiy.

A SOLEMNCONSECRATION F THE CHURCH N LAKEWOOD

On Friday and Saturday October' 7 and 18) n the town of Lakewood, N J there was a solernn onsecration fthe Church of St Grand Duke Alexandei' Nevsky. The festivities were presrded by the First Hierarch of the ROCAMetropolitan itaiy and conceiebrating rchbishops: nthony of San Francisco and Western America. Mark of Berlin,Germany and Great Brrtainand Hilarron f Sydney. Australia and New Zealand. also Bishops Michael of Toronto an dGabriel of Manhatian Some 30 priests oncelebrated ith he bishops nd a multrtucje f faithfuiwas presenr.

Also he miracuious ursk Root con of the Theotokos was broi.rght o this ceiebration.In all respect s hrs chui'ch undoubtedly an be called he best of those rn the Church Abroad. Not only is this

church adorned with paintrngs of Hieromonk Andrew {Erastov), who by now has surpassed his famous teacherArchimandrite yprian. but also with outstandrng ood carvings. The church s unique and outstanding n having verycompletely hought hrough every single corner and the separate ooms. For example, here s a wonderful aptistry oradults, which s invisible f one does not know t s iocation. Water rom t. as well as from he sinks next o the altar s letout by underground tpes. sending t to a nearby creek. Ail the advantages f modern echnology are marveiiouslyutilized,withoutbeing n aRy way vrsrble Between he cleros. he aitar and the bel ltower here s both a teie phone ndelectronic onnections.

The newly eiected chui'ch should serve as a prototype or all fuiui"e hurches, because t is very evidenily hefine work of a priest who n one perscn s alsc a professional ngineer Years ago Fr. Valery has eft a successful areeras an engineer n order o become a prrest How many irnes does one see churches desrgned nd built by engrneer-swho do not understand ny of the practrcal eeds of serving priests One of the standard defects of chur-ches uiltabroad s hat he altar s oo small and wrthout water upply

The rector, s an acknowledgment f hrs achrevement n burldrng n outstanorng hurchwas awarded he rank ofprotopresbyter. s h is r ight hand Fr Valery has hrs son Protodeacon erge who establrshed nd runs a very goodbookstore. he ormer maller hurch. t the request f the own o preserve t as an archrtectr:ral onument. i i l serveas a chapeifor minor ervices Through he efforts f Fr Valery hrs parrsh as a very weliestablished aturday chool,also wi th ts own building, ery well designed nd burltby hrm All of thrs s located n a huge poroperty According o

contemporary aws, a special amp was burlt o permit wheel-chair ccess o the church That cost the parish some$40,000Both churches, ew and oid stand next o a very arge asphait overed parking ot .

A B O U T H E R U S S IA N RT H O D O X R E E C H U R C H

The Nerv York Times Sunday nternational ection f October 12th published n its irsi page (witha continuationon p. 10) a long article by Mrchael Gcrdon entitled lnside he Onion Dcme of R ussian Orthodoxy,Many Layered FaithsChafe". Under his rather connpltcated rtle one can find some details about he situation f the Diocese of Suzdal andVladimirof the Free Russian Or-thodox hurch. The article on the first page is supplemented ith a photograph ofseveral clergy standing n front of one of Suzdal's hurches. Michael Gordon got interested n the Suzdal situation nconnection ith he aw recentlir igned by Yeltsin on "Freedom f Conscience nd Religious ssociations."

The reporter tarts with he statement hat Suzdal with ts domes makes an impression f "quietsereniiy", ut it isa deceptive icture. lt is a place struggling o save 15 churches, ully restored by Archbishop Valentin with his and hisparishroners unds and which are claimed by the Moscow Patriarchate.

As Archbishop alentrn old the reporter. he MP "does not want he closed and half-destroyed hurches n ou rregion. lt wants he churches hat have been restored rom he ruins at our expense nd by the hands of our believers."

Mr. Gordon quite accurately eports hat "The religious aw hat Mr. Yeltsin signed on Sept. 26th was noi ust toprotect he Russian Or-thooox hurch against competition rom Roman Cathoiics, Protestants nd other rival aiths romthe West. lt is also part of a brewing nternal truggle or the controiover he Orthodox hurches, athedrals, eminariesand religious chools. The Russian Orthodox Church under Patriarch lexy l in Moscow nsists hat it simply wants oprotect ts spiritual eritage rom self-appointed lerics".

Further, e mistakenly epoi^ts hat "lt (the R.OFC) as drawn support i"om he Orthodox Church n America. helargest Orthodox Church of Russian descent n the USA.which ccmplains hat breakaway roups have gained control ofreligious roperty n the confusion hat ollowed he breakup of Soviet union."


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The church buildingswere handed o'.,er c the Diocese of Suzdal and Vladimir n an absolutely egal manner bu tthe local city authorities nd in every single case of the transfer f a church building here s an agreement, igned by thecity authorities nd Archbishop alentin Therefore, o speak of some sort of serzure f those buildings is absolutelyimproper.

In support of the pretensions f the Moscow Patriarchate, r. Daniei Hubiak, who represents he "OrthodoxChurch n America" n Moscow. angrily declared hat these churches were built by Russians n the Russian OrthocioxChurch hundreds years ago, not by a splinter group But, these churches were received and restored not by anyforeigners. ut by- he very same Suzdal nhabitants ho are descendants f the people who built hese churchesl

The curnalist eports also he existence n Russia cf representatives f the Ukrainian Patriarchate" nd also ofthe ROCAand Old Believer ornrnunities.

Micnaei Gordon stresses hat the new iaw greatly ncreased he ctout of the Moscow Patriarchate, hich doesnot oieraie any competition. Any who cjo nor agree with he new iaw even within her own midst have aireaciy ufferecjwrongs. Fo r exampie, long inre eaeher of ihe Si. Petersburg eclesiasircai caderny was rernoveci rom his positiononiy because his superiors ound out aboui his writtenopinion on a di'afiof the new aw which criiicized i as iimiting he. ; ^ l ^ + ^ ^ f F. a t i a . , n . ^I t g t t t J v t g g I E Y g t J .

Gcrdon inishes hls lcng article r.vell.vrittenby an non-Russian ,., ' itha lrnlted acquaintance f church maiters)with the surn ota l of the consequences f thrs new larv. While talkingwrth htnr A r-chbrshop alentin pointed o a hugebt"ick-t:ildingwhich already has a sp acior-rs hur"ch n case the dlocesan hurches are serzec nd said that if need bethis willbe his base Next o this very attractive nd of interest ing uilding s also another - a hotel or visrtors o thediocesan ent er n Suzdal Locai people alreadv peak of him as of "the BuilderBrshoo

A representative f Moscow Patriarchate, ndrei Zolotov aid: l am absolutelV ure he Moscow Patriarchate illcontinue o pursue is efforts o unify he church under ts aegis. lt wants o prevent new Vaientins rom happening."

Several weeks after the appearance f this article, he same reporter askeo Archbishop Valentin or anotherinterview. Mr. Gordon ai'rived rom lvloscow n Suzdal, attended a church sei'vice whrch he videotaped on severalcassettes. At this ntervtew rchbishop alentinwas able o make some corrections o hrs publlshed rtrcle

AGAINON THE CHURCHOF GEORGIA {Seizure f rhe monastery f Zarzma)

The Georgiarr Church wi'rich departeei" rorn the V{CC, neveriheiess rost viciousiy prurrishes ii those wh oforced her to make his siep Aii ofthem are suspended. 'emoved rom heir posts and even excommunicaied.

Among those who disobeyed his oi'dei" y Catholicos lia is Ai-chim Geoi-ge belo','ed nd i'especied y, hi specple. he abbct of the rnonastery f Zarzma

The Catholicos ppointed o thrs positron f abbot Archirnandrite oachin'rwho rs o o\.,ersee mcnasteries nd

who on Auoust 24th demanded hat he ar,vful bbot eave he monasterv ithin 24 hours otherwise he would use orce.- ' - 9 - - _On September 4th, about 6 PM at the walls of monastery Levan Khorzevanidze he reoresentat ive f theGeorgian Ministry f the Interior appeared who said hat he is also a Chief of the crrmrnal ivision of the Minrstry f theInterior. He was accompanied y ihe chief of police or the Alkhalitiskhe egion Mrcharl Maisuracjze, f the Agydeniarea, Gela Kokhodze, nd he Public Frosecuior. hose name s unknown.

Wishing o gain he sympathy f the poverty tricken ocal villagers. he Cathoircos ent hem a truckload f flour,but hey 'eturned t with he message "We will noi sell our spiritual athei'for a ti-uckioad f flour"

As a result cf all these persecuticns. he fathers of Georgia's Church orned he Synod of the reposed Ol dCalendar Greek Bishop Auxentios. The leaCer of this Geor"gian rthodox novernent A.rchimandrite ohn Sheklashvili,traveied rom Georgia o Boston and was offrcraiiy ccepted by Btsnop Ephrarm Srnce he wt th his brotherhood wasexiled rom he monasiery ncj hey haci no piace o iive, some wealthy cjonor n ihe USA purchased house and someiand or the athers who have establisireej Dorrnriiori f the Theotokos Monastery n tireireountry.

Frababiy, oiher msnasteiies wili find ihemseives n a simiiar siiuaiion and wili be forced o iook for different, . , t , , ,^ i l ;^^^u Y Y E i l i l t \ . l J .

In he same manner as in the Russian Federation r ln Latvia, he Georgian overnment efuses o register hoseOrthodo.r ho oppose heretics s a religious rganization lt is known hat Georgia or sorne ? years norv has illegallystopped egistering eligior:s roups who, as a resrrlt. re denied he rrght o own property nd. of course, hurches.

In mid-October he editor of "Church News" sent a letter of protesi o President Shevarnadze, he President fParliament, urab Zhuvania, nd the Georgian Consul n the US A

ln reply, on October 31st we received he following ax of Document # 154 from the Deputy Secretary or theSouncil of NationalSecurity nd he Defense f Human Rights, Rusudan Beridze:

"Mrs. Schatiloff,I was authorized o respond o your letter tc President of Georgia Mr. Shevernadze. You have expressed your

concern n ccnnection ith contradictions ithin he Georgian OrthodoxChurch.


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Paragraph of the constitution f Georgia eads as follows: The state recognizes he outstanding ole of theGeorgian Orthodox Church n the history of Georgia and at the same time declares complete reedorn of religiousconvictions nd aiths, he ndependence f the Church rom he State,.

Accordtng o the Constitution, he State may not interfere n the Internai affairs of the Church. lt can rnterfereoniy f there are vioiations f the rights ancj reedoms f clergy as ciiizens of Georgia

There were no such violations The State may not make a judgement on the legality of appointments rexcommunications f ciergy.

We are one of the most ancient Crthodox countries n the woi"ld We respect and honor our faith (of course.while especting ther aiths also).

The state assists eligion. ut does not nterfere n its nterna nattersRespectfully. igned.

This reactron f the Georgian Gcvernment o our expression f astonishment hat rt s possible o persecute 0%of it s own Orthodox population s in no way different rom the deciarations ypicalof the Moscow Patriarchate, Exactiythe same kind of answer could have been sent by the Patriarchate r the government f the Russian Federation

ls it that because he Georgran Government does not interfere" n Church's nternal matters hat it sent o themonastery f Zarmza on September th a representative f the Ministry f the Interior. Chiefs of Police rom rwo reqtonsand an Public Prosecutor, ho certainly id not come here unaccompanied?

THE HOLYMOUNTAIN F ATHOS ANDWOMEN

The newspaper f the Serbian Orthodox Church n the USA, "The Path of Orthodoxy" or October-Novemberpublished n ariicle entitled All-maleStatus of Mt.Athos Chailenged"

Since he Greek Government s being more and more pressured rom outside o turn the H oly Mountain nto atourist attraction nd at the same ime he feminists ernand hat hey be adrnitte d o Mt. Athos. his question was raisedal a recent meeting f the European nion orergn ninisters n Brussels

The Greek government s st t l l afratd o violate oo blatantly hrs ancient tatus nd requested n amendment othe Amsterdam reaty n European nion o reaffirmMt Athos speoat status Two ministers of Sweden nd Finland)strongly rotested uch a proposrt ion laiming hat he HolyMountarn roiates he prrncipies f equalrty nd reecjom fmovement tth tn he European Unton But the Holy Mountarn ad two defenders n the persons f the GreeK AnnaKaramanou nd he tal ian uctana Castell ina Bothwomen hold eftrst ptnlons nd are defenders f "women's rqhts" .but even hey protested he use of force against Mt Athos

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