ВЕРНОСТЬ - FIDELITY № 83 - 2007
APRIL/АПРЕЛЬ 22
The Editorial Board is glad to inform our Readers that this issue of “FIDELITY” has articles in English, and Russian Languages.
С удовлетворением сообщаем, что в этом номере журнала “ВЕРНОСТЬ” помещены статьи на английском и русском языках.
CONTENTS - ОГЛАВЛЕНИЕ
1. SHOULD THE CHURCH BE IN STEP WITH THE TIMES? Archbishop Averky of Jordanville
2. An Open Letter of the Acting Head of the Russian Spiritual Mission of ROCOR(L) in Jerusalem, Abbot Andronicus (Kotlyarov) to Metropolitan Laurus and the ROCOR(L) Synod.
ОТКРЫТОЕ ПИСЬМО от исполняющaго обязанности начальника Русской Духовной Миссии в Иерусалиме Игумена Андроника Котлярова
A LETTER FROM a group of 13 Jordanville monastics to Metr. Lavr:
3. JUDAS, PILATE AND ROCOR. Vladimir Moss
4. A GRECO-RUSSIAN SAINT NUN HELENA OF CHIN. Dr. Vladimir Moss
5. ALEXANDER PETROVICH BYRDIN. Dr. Vladimir Moss
6. WHAT WAS METROPOLITAN SERGIUS LIKE?
7. ЭФФЕКТЪ ДIОМИДА. Вадим Виноградов
8. ЛОЖНАЯ УЛОВКА НЕПОМИНОВЕНИЯ. Г. М. Солдатов
9. БИБЛИЯ О ВРАЧАХ И МЕДИЦИНЕ, О ЛЕЧЕНИИ И ВРАЧАХ. свящ. М.Обухов
10. MORAL VALUES . Joel Belz
11. БИБЛИЯ ОБ АБОРТЕ.
12. СВЯТЫЕ ОТЦЫ И ЦЕРКОВЬ ОБ АБОРТЕ.
13. РОНС ТРЕБУЕТ ЗАПРЕТИТЬ АБОРТЫ В РОССИИ
14. РОССИЯ - ПОСЛЕДНЯЯ КРЕПОСТЬ. Родион Часовников
15. СЕРБСКИЙ ЧУДОТВОРЕЦ В РОССИИ. Перевод Алексея Чароты
16. ВОСТОЧНЫЕ ПОХОДЫ. К ИСТОРИИ "КРЕСТОВЫХ ПОХОДОВ" ВАТИКАНА НА ВОСТОК. Свящ. Андрей Плионсковский
17 ПРОСОВЕТСКАЯ АДМИНИСТРАЦИЯ РФ И ЕЁ ОТДЕЛ МП ПОПРЕЖНЕМУ ПРЕСЛЕДУЮТ ПРАВОСЛАВИЕ. Монах Даниил
18 НОВЕЙШИЕ СЕКТАНТЫ. Г.М. Солдатов
19. О КАНОНИЧЕСКОМ ПОЛОЖЕНИИ РУССКОЙ ИСТИННО-ПРАВОСЛАВНОЙ ЦЕРКВИ И СЕКТАНТСКИХ ГРУПП: "михальченковцев" (т.н. "РосИПЦ")
20. Нам пишут. Letters to the Editor.
H O L O C A U S T
THE GENOCIDE OF THE SERBIAN PEOPLE - ГЕНОЦИД СЕРБСКОГО НАРОЛА
21. KOSOVO, 1999: AN INSIDER'S VIEW. Christopher Deliso
22. СЕРБИЯ БЕЗ МОНАРХА. Александр Рожинцев
23. THE INCONVENIENT SERBS. Spengler
24. TERRORISED BY 'WAR' ON TERROR'. How a Three-Word Mantra Has Undermined America. Zbigniew Brzezinski
* * *
Слава Отцу и Сыну и Святому Духу * Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
Δόεα Πατρί καί Υίώ καί 'Αγίώ Πνεύματι
Общество Блаженнейшего Митрополита Антония, со времени своего основания, следуя примеру своего небесного покровителя, непрестанно стремилось объединить разразненные части, совсем еще недавно, бывшей единой Русской Православной Церкви Заграницей. Поэтому Общество с великим прискорбием относится ко всем возникающим распрям между этими разразненными частями и не поддерживает ни одну из них в отдельности, призывая их вновь сплотиться воедино для совместного противостояния унии с Московской Патриархии, пока МП не вернется на путь истиного Православия.
* * *
Где бы не были русские беженцы и эмигранты, всегда по близости находится их мать -- Зарубежная Церковь. Она их духовно окормляет, опекает и заботится о них. Они в ней молятся, крестятся, венчаются и умирают. Они в ней говеют, исповедоваются и причащаются. Они в ней встречают своих, близких по духу людей и соотечественников.
Русские люди, живущие на чужбине, да и конверты, благодарны Господу Богу, что у них есть Зарубежная Церковь ведущая их спасению душ. Для многих из них существование без нее было бы просто немыслимо.
А теперь? А теперь, мы с ужасом наблюдаем как - презрев заветы Митрополитов Антония, Анастасия, Филарета и Виталия - духовенство Церкви, не только уселось за один стол, и не только лобызается, но и сослужит с духовенством МП, становясь на необновленческий путь, не считаясь, ни с церковными канонами, ни с традициями Церкви, ни с волей своей паствы - не желающей быть с прокоммунистическими и аморальными архиереями МП.
Православная Церковь должна доносить до сердец народа не земное, не человеческое учение, а учение Царствия Небесного. По словам апостола Павла, она должна быть воинствующей и вести непрерывную борьбу с тремя врагами: с окружающим лукавым мiром, плотью и дьяволом. Это главное, ради чего Господь создал Церковь на земле. А современная, новая, обновленческая “церковь” утратила это главное назначение и не воинствует уже, а наоборот, подчинилась этому новому лукавому мiру, приспособилась под него, и современные экуменические архиереи и священники Московской патриархии учат так, как угодно правительству страны, греховному человеку и лукавому мiру сему. Многие современные архипастыри и священники утратили духовное разумение, утратили понятие о спасении души человека и вместо этого стали хитрыми обольстителями народов, ведущими паству свою в погибель. Поэтому РПЦЗ не по пути с МП до тех пор пока она не вернется на путь истинного Православия и осудит принятые ей ереси.
* * *
Orthodox Christians have a tradition to greet each other for 49 days after Pascha with a greeting: Christ is Risen! and an answer: Indeed, He is Risen! Therefore we give to our readers a list of this greeting in different languages.
Albanian: Krishti Ungjall! Vertete Ungjall!
Arabic: Al Maseeh Qam! Haqqan Qam!
Armenian: Christos harjav i merelotz! Orhniale harutjun Christosi!
Byelorussian: Khristos Uvoskros! Zaprowdu Uvoskros!
Chinese: Helisituosi fuhuole! Queshi fuhuole!
Coptic: Pikhirstof aftonf! Khen o methni aftonf!
Czech: Kristus vstal zmrtvy'ch! Skutec ne vstal!
Danish: Kristus er opstanden! Ja, sandelig opstanden!
Dutch: Christus is opgestaan! Hij is waarlijk opgestaan!
English: Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!
Estonian: Kristus on surnuist ülestõusnud! Tõesti ülestõusnud!
Finnish: Kristus nousi Kuolleista! Totisesti Nousi!
French: Christ est Ressuscité! En Vérité, Il est Ressuscité!
Gaelic: Erid Krist! G'deya! n erid she!
Irish Gaelic: Tá Críosd ar éirigh! Go deimhin, tá e ar éirigh!
Scots' Gaelic: Tha Crìosd air èiridh! Gu dearbh, tha e air èiridh!
Georgian: Kriste aghsdga! Cheshmaritad aghsdga!
German: Christus ist aufgestanden! Er ist wahrhaftig aufgestanden!
Greek: Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!
Hebrew: Ha Mashiyach qam! Ken hoo qam!
Hungarian: Krisztus feltámadt! Valóban feltámadt!
Italian: Cristo è risorto! È veramente risorto!
Japanese: Harisutosu Fukkatsu! Jitsu Ni Fukkatsu!
Latin: Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit!
Norwegian: Kristus er oppstanden! Han er sannelig opstanden!
Polish: Khristus Zmartvikstau! Zaiste Zmartvikstau!
Portugese: Christo Ressuscitou! Em Verdade Ressuscitou!
Rumanian: Hristos a Inviat! Adeverat a Inviat!
Russian: Khristos voskres! Voistinu voskres!
Serbian: Hristos Vaskrese! Vaistinu Vaskrese!
Slavonic: Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!
Slovak: Kristus vstal zmr'tvych! Skutoc ne vstal!
Spanish: Cristo ha resucitado! Verdaderamente ha resucitado!
Sweedish: Kristus är upstånden! Ja, Han är sannerligen uppstånden!
Syriac: Meshiha qam! Bashrira qam!
Ukranian: Kristos Voskres! Voistinu voskres!
Welsh: Atgyfododd Crist! Atgyfododd in wir!
Should the Church Be
In Step With the Times?
Archbishop Averky
In a time when under the name of Christianity, even Orthodox Christianity, every
kind of compromise and surrogate is offered men whose spiritual hunger can be
satisfied only by uncompromising Truth, the spiritual shepherds have become few
who speak straightforwardly the saving word. Archbishop Averky, Abbot of Holy
Trinity Monastery at Jordanville, New York, and a leading hierarch of the
Russian Church Abroad, is one of these few. In the pages of the Russian
religious newspaper published by the Monastery, Orthodox Russia, his voice is
continually heard, calling for faithfulness to Holy Orthodoxy and warning of the
impending judgment of God on this evil generation.
"Know that we must serve, not the times, but God." St. Athanasius the Great,
Letter to Dracontius
IN STEP WITH THE TIMES!-Behold the watchword of all those who in our time so
intensely strive to lead the Church of Christ away from Christ, to lead
Orthodoxy away from true confession of the Orthodox Christian Faith. Perhaps
this watchword does not always nor with everyone resound so loudly, clearly, and
openly-this, after all, might push some away!-The important thing is the
practical following of this watchword in life, the striving in one way or
another, in greater or lesser degree and measure, to put it into practice.
Against this fashionable, "modern" watchword, perilous to souls however it may
be proclaimed or however put into practice, openly or under cover, we cannot but
fight-we who are faithful sons and representatives of the Russian Church Abroad,
the whole essence of whose ideology, in the name of which it exists in the
world, is not to be "in step with the times," but to preserve an unchanging
faithfulness to Christ the Saviour, to the true Orthodox Christian Faith and
Church.
Let us recall how the Blessed Metropolitan Anthony, founder and first head of
the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, in his remarkable essay, "How does the
Orthodox Faith differ from the Western Confessions?" wrote concerning the
profound difference between our Faith and heterodoxy. He finds this profound
difference in the fact that the Orthodox Faith teaches how to construct life
according to the demands of Christian perfection, whereas heterodoxy takes from
Christianity only those things which are, and to the degree to which they are,
compatib1e with the conditions of contemporary cultural life. "Orthodoxy looks
upon Christianity as the eternal foundation of true life and demands of everyone
to force himself and life until they attain this standard; whereas heterodoxy
looks upon the foundations of contemporary cultural life as an unshakable fact.
Orthodoxy demands moral heroism-podvig; heterodoxy searches for what in
Christianity would be useful to us in our present conditions of life. For
Orthodox man, called to eternity beyond the grave, where true life begins, the
historically-formed mechanism of contemporary life is an insubstantial phantom;
whereas for the heterodox the teaching concerning the future life is a lofty,
ennobling idea, an idea which helps one ever better to construct real life
here."
These are golden words, indicating for us clearly and sharply the truly
bottomless abyss that separates genuine Christian faith-Orthodoxy-from its
mutilation-heterodoxy! In the one is to be found ascetic labor (podvig), a
turning to eternity; in the other, a strong attachment to the earth, a faith in
the progress of mankind on earth.
Further, as Metropolitan Anthony so sharply and justly sets forth, "the Orthodox
Faith is an ascetic faith," and "the blessed state which the worshippers of the
'superstition of progress' (to use the felicitous expression of S. A. Rachinsky)
expect on earth, was promised by the Saviour in the future life; but neither the
Latins nor the Protestants desire to reconcile themselves to this, for the
simple reason-to speak frankly-that they poorly believe in the resurrection and
strongly believe in happiness in the present life, which, on the contrary, the
Apostles call a vapor that shall vanish away (James 4:14). This is why the
pseudo-Christian West does not wish and is unable to understand the renunciation
of this life by Christianity, which enjoins us to fight, having put off the old
man with his deeds, and having put on the new man, that is renewed unto
knowledge after the image of Him that created him (Col. 3: 9-l0).
"If we investigate all the errors of the West." Vladika Anthony writes further,
"both those which have entered into its doctrinal teaching and those present in
its morals, we shall see that they are all rooted in a failure to understand
Christianity as ascetic labor (podvig) involving the gradual self-perfection of
man."
"Christianity is an ascetic religion," concludes this excellent, forcefully and
perspicuously-written essay. "Christianity is a teaching of constant battling
with the passions, of the means and conditions for the gradual assimilation of
virtues. These conditions are both internal-ascetic labors-and given from
without-our dogmatic beliefs and grace-bestowing sacramental actions, which have
one purpose: to heal human sinfulness and raise us to perfection."
And what do we see now in contemporary "Orthodoxy"-the "Orthodoxy" that has
entered into the so-called "Ecumenical Movement"? We see the complete negation
of the above-cited holy truths; in other words: renunciation of true Orthodoxy
in the interest of spiritual fusion with the heterodox West. The ''Orthodoxy''
that has placed itself on the path of "Ecumenism" thinks not of raising
contemporary life, which is constantly declining with regard to religion and
morals, to the level of the Gospel commandments and the demands of the Church,
but rather of ''adapting" the Church herself to the level of this declining
life.
This path of actual renunciation of the very essence of Holy Orthodoxy-ascetic
labor, for the purpose of uprooting the passions and implanting the virtues-was
taken in their time by the partisans of the so-called "Living Church" or
''Renovated Church". This movement immediately spread from Russia, which had
been cast down into the dust by the ferocious atheists, to other Orthodox
countries as well. Still fresh in our memory is the "Pan-Orthodox Congress"
convened by Ecumenical Patriarch Meletios IV of sorry memory in 1923, at which
were devised such "reforms" as a married episcopate, remarriage of priests, the
abolition of monasticism and the fasts, abbreviation of Divine services,
suppression of special dress for clergy, etc.
Notwithstanding the collapse at that time of these impious designs, the dark
powers were not, of course, pacified, and continued from that time their
obstinate and perseverant activity, finding for themselves obedient tools in the
ranks of the hierarchy of various Local Orthodox Churches. At the present time
also, by the allowance of God, they have attained great success: almost all the
Local Orthodox Churches have already entered into the "Ecumenical Movement,"
which has set as its purpose the abolition of all presently-existing
churches-including, of course, the Orthodox Church-and the establishment of some
kind of absolutely new "church," which will be completely "in step with the
times," having cast away as useless rags, as something "obsolete" and "behind
the times," all the genuine foundations of true Christianity, and first of all,
of course, asceticism, this being the indispensable condition for the main
purpose of Christianity: the uprooting of sinful passions and the implanting of
Christian virtues.
We have before us, as an example, an official document of this sort, belonging
to the Local Church of Serbia: the journal Theology, published by the Orthodox
Theological Faculty in Belgrade (8th year, issues 1 and 2 for 1964). In this
journal we find a lead article literally entitled: "The Necessity for the
Codification and Publication of a New Collection of Canons of the Orthodox
Church." The author of this article, while cunningly affirming that "the ideal
principles of the Church will remain everywhere and always unchanging,"
nonetheless attempts to prove that the collection of canons of the Orthodox
Church is only the product of a time long since passed into eternity, and
therefore that it does not answer to the demands of contemporary life and must
be abolished and replaced by another. This new collection of canons, observe,
"must be brought into agreement with the fundamental principles of life," with
which the Church supposedly "has always reckoned." "Our time," says this cunning
author, "is different in many respects from the time of the Ecumenical Councils,
at which these canons were composed, and therefore these canons cannot now be
applied."
Let us look now and see precisely which canons it is that this modernist author
considers obsolete and subject to abrogation:
-The 9th canon of the Holy Apostles, which demands that the faithful, after
entering church, should remain at the Divine service to the end, and should not
cause disorder by walking about the church.
-The 80th canon of the Council of Trullo, which punishes clergy by deposition,
and laymen with excommunication, for failure to attend church for three
successive Sundays without some important reason.
-The 24th canon of the Council of Trullo, which prohibits clergy and monks from
visiting race tracks and other entertainments; to this canon the author adds the
entirely naive, strange remark that it was only in earlier times that such
amusements were places of depravity and vice, while now they are supposedly
"centers of culture and education."(?!)
-The 54th canon of the Holy Apostles, which prohibits clergy, without
unavoidable necessity, from entering a tavern; here again it somehow seems that
previously the tavern was some different kind of establishment from what it is
now.
-The 77th canon of the Council of Trullo and the 30th canon of the Council of
Laodicea, which prohibit Christian men from bathing together with women; why it
is necessary to acknowledge these canons too as "obsolete" is completely
incomprehensible!
-The 96th canon of the Council of Trullo, which condemns artificial curling of
the hair and in general all adornment of oneself with various kinds of finery
"for the enticement of unstable souls"-instead of "adorning oneself with virtues
and with good and pure morals"; this canon in our times, it would seem, has not
only not become "obsolete," it has become especially imperative, if we call to
mind the indecent, shameless womens fashions of today, which are completely
unsuitable for Christian women.
This is sufficient for us to see what purpose it is that the aforementioned
"reform" in our Orthodox Church has in view, with what aim there is proposed the
convocation of an Eighth Ecumenical Council, about which all "modernists" so
dream, already having a foretaste of the "carefree life" that will then be
openly permitted and legitimized for all!
But let us reflect more deeply upon what is the terrible essence of all these
demands for the abrogation of supposedly "obsolete" canonical rules. It is this:
these contemporary church "reformers" who now so impudently raise their heads
even in the bosom of our Orthodox Church itself (and terrible to say, their
number includes not merely clergy, but even eminent hierarchs!) accept
contemporary life with all its monstrous, immoral manifestations as an
unshakable fact (which is, as we have seen above, not at all an Orthodox, but a
heterodox, Western conception!), and they wish to abrogate all those canonical
rules which precisely characterize Orthodoxy as an ascetic faith that calls to
ascetic labor, in the name of the uprooting of sinful passions and the
implanting of Christian virtues. This is a terrible movement, perilous for our
Faith and Church; it wishes to cause, in the expression of Christ the Saviour,
the salt to lose its savor; it is a movement directed toward the overthrow and
annihilation of the true Church of Christ by means of the cunning substitution
for it of a false church.
The above-mentioned article in the Serbian theological journal is still
discreet, refraining from complete openness. It speaks of the permissibility in
principle of marriage for bishops, but in life we hear ever more frequent and
persistent talk of far worse-namely, of the supposed inapplicability in our
times of all those canonical rules which demand of candidates to the priesthood
and of priests themselves a pure and unblemished moral life; or, to speak more
simply, of the permissibility for them of that terrifying depravity into the
abyss of which contemporary mankind more and more plunges itself.
It is one thing to sin and repent, knowing and acknowledging that one is sinning
and is in need of repentance and correction of life. It is something else again
to legitimize lawlessness, to sanction sin, lulling thus one's conscience and
thus abolishing the very foundations of the Church. To this we have no right,
and it is a most grievous crime before God, the Holy Church, and the souls of
the faithful who seek eternal salvation.
And for how long, to what limits may we permit ourselves to go on such a
slippery path, abrogating the Church canons which uphold Christian morality?
Right now in America and, as we hear, in places also in other countries which
have accepted contemporary "culture," there is increasing propaganda for the
official abrogation of marriage and the legalization in place of marriage of
"free love"; the use of contraceptive pills is being sanctioned for married
couples, and even for the unmarried, since marriage supposedly has as its
purpose not the procreation of children, but "love"; legal recognition is being
prepared for the heinous, unnatural passion of homosexuality, all the way to the
establishment for homosexuals of a special church wedding rite (proposal of an
Anglican bishop); etc., etc.
And so? Should our Church too follow this fashionable path- "in step with the
times," so as not to be left behind the march of life? But what kind of "church"
will this be that will allow itself all this, or even merely look at it with
all-forgiving condescension? It will be no longer a church at all, but a
veritable Sodom and Gomorrah, which will not escape, sooner or later, the
terrible chastisement of God.
We must not allow ourselves to be deluded and deceived, for we do not need such
a "church," or rather "false church." We may ourselves be weak, and feeble, and
we may often sin, but we will not allow the Church canons to be abrogated, for
then it will become necessary to acknowledge the very Gospel of Christ, by which
contemporary men do not wish to live, as "obsolete," as "not answering to the
spirit of the times," and abrogate it!
But the Gospel of Christ, together with all the canons of the Church, as well as
the Church ordinances, outline for us that Christian ideal toward which we must
strive if we desire for ourselves eternal salvation. We cannot allow a lowering
of this ideal for the gratification of sinful passions and desires, a
blasphemous abuse of these holy things.
Whatever "reforms" all these contemporary criminal "reformers" may desire, the
truly-believing Orthodox Church consciousness cannot acknowledge or accept them.
And whatever the apostates from true Orthodoxy, from the ascetic Faith, may do,
we will not allow the modernization of our Church, and we will NOT go "in step
with the times"!
* * *
An Open Letter of the Acting Head of the Russian Spiritual Mission of ROCOR(L) in Jerusalem, Abbot Andronicus (Kotlyarov) to Metropolitan Laurus and the ROCOR(L) Synod.
To His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus of Eastern Americana and New York and Your Graces, the Members of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops.
"Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us." (2 Thess. 3"6)
Your Eminence,
Your Graces,
Bless!
I appeal to You through this open letter in order to again call upon Your Eminence and Your Graces at the meeting of the Synod of Bishops which begins April 6/19, 2007 prior to the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion with the Moscow Patriarchate, to again approach examination of the issue of the signing of this Act with great caution.
The reasons for such apprehension are as follows:
I. The All-Diaspora Sobor adopted a Resolution concerning the healing of the wounds of division within the Russian Church, in which is stated in particular that "Our Paschal joy is joined by the great hope that in the appropriate time, the unity of the Russian church will be restored upon the foundation of the Truth of Christ, opening for us the possibility to serve together and to commune from one Chalice."
"The appropriate time" was considered by each one of us to be the "forthcoming Local Council of One Russian Church", which we had hoped would "settle remaining unresolved church problems" (from the Resolution of the IV All-Diaspora Council on the issue of healing the wounds of division with the Russian Church, from May 11, 2006).
The IV All-Diaspora Council emphasized unambiguously that one of the primary obstacles dividing our oneness is the ecumenism preached by the Moscow Patriarchate, which unconditionally ranks among primary dogmatic issues.
The leadership of the Moscow Patriarchate did not wish to hear our collegial voice, expressed in the Resolution and reject the heresy of ecumenism - on the contrary it became even more active and in July, 2006 conducted the World Summit of Religious Leaders in Moscow, the largest ecumenical orgy in the history of the Church. One can only call such events the absolute disdain on the part of the Moscow Patriarchate leadership for the determination of the Church Abroad Sobor.
II. In the November 26/December 6, 2006 "Epistle to the God-loving Flock", the Holy Synod of ROCOR echoes the All-Diaspora Council, explaining the impermissibility of the MP's ecumenical activity which impedes our canonical unity with it: "One such issue is the continued participation by representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate in the World Council of Churches. The All-Diaspora Council had brought attention to this in its Resolution: "From discussion at the Council it is evident that the participation of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in the World Council of Churches disturbs our clergy and flock. We ask the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate with heartfelt pain to hearken to the entreaty of our flock to immediately remove this temptation.
III. Likewise, the question of sergianism is among the "yet unresolved church issues". Yielding the authority of its final resolution to the forthcoming Local Council of the One Russian Church, we all hope that it will be convened. However to our great sorrow we must admit that the convening of such a Sobor is not visible in the foreseeable future.
IV. Is it possible to approach the signing of the Act of
Canonical Communion, and moreover approach eucharistic communion with Christian
churches with which we have unresolved issues? Such a move will unavoidably
result in believers and non-believers approaching One Chalice! But in his
Epistle, the holy Apostle Paul teaches the Church quite the contrary: "Be ye
not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness
with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Cor.
6:14)
In his "Discourse on the Dread Judgment" Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco wrote: "The search for compromise will be the characteristic trait of people. Directness of confession will vanish. People will cunningly justify their fall and a tender malice will support this common state; and people will form the habit of apostasy from truth and the sweetness of compromise and sin." Did not St. John prophesy about our current days? About whom was our Vladika Saint John speaking when he prophesied: "There will be a massive falling away from the faith, furthermore many bishops will betray the faith and in justification they will point at the glowing well-being of the Church."
But the Most Blessed Metropolitan Philaret said: "You have
probably heard many times how there are many most sublime, beautiful and
seemingly Christian words being said about everyone joining together into one
faith, one religion. But remember, what lies behind this is precisely
indifference towards truth. If a person valued truth, he would never agree to
this. It is precisely because everyone is little interested in truth and wishes
only to make things simpler and more convenient even in matters of the
faith, this is why they say that everyone must unite", i.e. each person must
admit that his faith is not the truth, and only when all these truth-less faiths
combine into one, then somehow truth will emerge. Brethren, let us fear such
indifference toward the truth. Our Lord Jesus Christ clearly indicates to us in
Revelations how terrifying indifference toward the truth is. He speaks to the
Angel of the Church of
Laodiceans: "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would
thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor
hot ( lukewarm - you do not treasure the truth) I will spue thee out of My
mouth." This is expressed more severely and strongly in the Slavonic text: "I
will vomit you out of My mouth", just as an organism expels something truly
repulsive and harmful to it.
As a supporter of the unity of the Russian Church, I draw your attention to the fact that genuine union is only possible on the basis of Christ's Truth, in the spirit of the conciliar decisions of the IV All-Diaspora Council, otherwise a split will definitely occur within the Church Abroad, may God deliver us from this!
I am greatly concerned for my fellow brethren and sisters in God's service in the Holy Land as well as for my flock and their future. Will the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion and the commemoration of Patriarch Alexei II as First Hierarch of the Russian Church be an act of coercion against the people who have dedicated their entire lives to the service of Truth and the confession of the ideals of our Russian Orthodox Church Abroad? Our striving for unity with the MP must not bring us to falling away from the Truth!
In the "Epistle to the God-loving Flock from the Synod of Bishops Russian Orthodox Church Abroad meeting on May 15-19, 2006" Your Eminence and Your Graces had promised "to make steps on the path of reconciliation with the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate circumspectly so as not to break a bruised reed (Matt. 12:20)., you assured us that we intend to pursue the matter of the union of the Russian Church without delay, but only in step with a satisfactory, mutually acceptable resolution of remaining problems."
As we can see the problems with the MP remain, yet the date of the triumphant unification with it has been decided!
Before drinking from a well it is cleaned thoroughly and only then do people drink water from it: this applies even more to us for we must remove the spiritual impurities of sergianism and ecumenism prior to partaking in union of the Vivifying Moisture from One Chalice.
I humbly ask You, dear Vladika's, to enclose our Church within Truth and preserve the small flock entrusted to You in Church unity and Love!
I remain the humble servant of Your Eminence.
Abbot Andronicus
Holy City of Jerusalem
3/16 April, 2007
St. Nicetas the Confesso
* * *
ОТКРЫТОЕ ПИСЬМО от исполняющaго обязанности начальника Русской Духовной Миссии в Иерусалиме Игумена Андроника Котлярова
Его Высокопреосвященству Высокопреосвященнейшемму Лавру
Митрополиту Восточно-Американскому и Нью-Йоркскому
И Преосвященным Членам Архиерейского
Синода Р.П.Ц.З.
" Завещаем же вам, братия, именем Господа нашего Иисуса
Христа удаляться отвсякого брата, поступающего бесчинно,
а не по преданию, которое приняли отнас "(2 Фес. 3, 6).
Ваше Высокопреосвященство,
Ваши Преосвященства,
Благословите!
Обращаюсь к Вам сим открытым письмом дабы вновь призвать Ваше
Высокопреосвященство и Ваших Преосвященств на Архиерейском Синоде, который
начнется 6/19-го апреля 2007 г. перед подписанием Акта Канонического Общения с
Московской Патриархией еще раз с большой осторожностью подойти к рассмотрению
вопроса о подписании этого Акта.
Причины этого опасения сутьследующие:
1. Всезарубежный Собор принял Резолюцию по вопросу уврачевания раны разделения
внутри Русской Церкви, где в частности нами было сказано:“ Нашей Пасхальной
радости сопутствует великая надежда, что в благоприятное для сего время, будет
восстановлено, на основе Христовой Истины, единство в Русской Церкви,
открывающее нам возможность служить вместе и причащаться от единой Чаши.”
Благоприятным для сего временем, каждый из нас считал “грядущий Поместный Собор
Единой Русской Церкви”, который, как того мы и чаяли “ урегулирует и остающиеся
неразрешенными церковные вопросы ”(из резолюции IV-го Всезарубежного Собора по
вопросу уврачевания раны разделения внутри Русской Церкви от 11 мая 2006 г.) .
IV Всезарубежный Собор недвусмысленно подчеркнул, что одним из важнейших
препятствий, разделящим наше единство есть проповедуемый Московской Патриархией
– экуменизм, который безусловно относится к разряду наиважнейших вероучительных
вопросов.
Руководство Московской Патриархии не пожелало услышать нашего Всезарубежного
Соборного голоса, выраженного в Резолюции и отказаться от ереси экуменизма –
напротив она стала еще активнее и в июле 2006 г. провела в Москве крупнейший в
истории Церкви экуменический шабаш - Всемирный Саммит Религиозных Лидеров. -
Только совершенным пренебрежением руководства Московской Патриархии к Соборным
Определениям Зарубежной Церкви можно назвать подобные мероприятия.
2) 26 ноября /9 декабря 2006 г Священный Синод Р. П. Ц. З. в своем “Обращением к
боголюбивой пастве” вторит Всезару-бежному Собору, разъясняя недопустимость
экуменической активности МП, препятствующей нашему с ней каноническому единству:
“ Одним из таких вопросов является продолжающееся участие представителей
Московского Патриархата во Всемирном Совете Церквей. Всезарубежный Собор обратил
на это внимание в своей Резолюции:«Из обсуждений на Соборе видно, что участие
Русской Православной Церкви Московскаго Патриархата во Всемирном совете церквей
вызывает смущение в среде нашего клира и паствы. Мы с сердечной болью просим
священноначалие Русской Православной Церкви Московского Патриархата внять мольбе
нашей паствы о скорейшем устранении этого соблазна. ”
3) Вопрос сергианства так же относится к разряду «остающихся неразрешеных
церковных вопросов». Отдавая полномочия его окончательного разрешения грядущему
Поместному Собору Единой Русской Церкви – мы все уповаем на Его созыв. Однако к
великому прискорбию стоит вcе же признать, что в обозримом будующем созыв такого
Собора не предвидится.
4) Возможно ли приступатьк подписанию Акта о каноническом общении, а уж тем паче
приступать к Евхаристическому общению с теми христианскими церквями, в
отношениях с которыми имеются неразрешимые вопросы? Такой путь непременно
приведет нас к тому, что к единой Чаше приступят верные с неверными! Но св.
Апостол Павел в своем Послании поучает Церковь совершенно другому:“ Не
преклоняйтесь под чужое ярмо с неверными, ибо какое общение праведности с
беззаконием? Что общего у света с тьмою? ” (2-е Корф. Гл.6, Ст. 14)
Святитель Иоанн Шанхайский и Сан-Францисский в своей “Беседе о Страшном Суде”
писал:“Искание компромисса будет характерным настроением людей. Прямота
исповедания исчезнет. Люди будут изощренно оправдывать свое падение и ласковое
зло будет поддерживать такое общее настроение, и в людях будет навык отступления
от правды и сладость компромисса и греха.” Не о сегодняшних ли днях
пророчествовал Святитель Иоанн? О ком говорил наш Владыка Святитель Иоанн, когда
пророчествовал:“ Будет массовое отпадение от веры, причем изменят вере многие
епископы и в оправдание будутуказыватьна блестящее положение Церкви.” .
А Блаженнейший Митрополит Филарет говорил:“ Вы, вероятно слышали не раз, как
теперь много говорится самых высокопарных, красивых, как будто-бы христианских
слов, об объединении всех в одну веру, в одну религию. Но помните, что
внутренняя подкладка здесь как раз и есть равнодушие к истине. Если бы она была
дорога для человека, он никогда бы это не пошел. Именно потому, что истина мало
всех интересует, а просто хотят попроще да поудобнее как-то устроится и в деле
веры, поэтому и говорят нужно объединиться всем”, т.е. каждый должен признать,
что его вера не истинная, а
только когда все эти неистинные веры сольются в одну, то откуда-то появится
истинная. Будем, братие, бояться такого равнодушия к истинне. Господь наш Иисус
Христов в Апокалипсисе нам ясно указывает, на то как страшно равнодушие к
истине. Он там обращается к Ангелу, Предстоятелю Лаодикийской Церкви, и
говорит:«Знаю твои дела, Ты не холоден и не горяч, о если бы ты был горяч или
холоден! Но так как ты не холоден и не горяч (а тепл, ни то -ни се, недорога
тебе истина), то извергну тебя из уст Моих!” Еще резче и сильнее сказано в
словянском тексте:«Изблевати тя имам из уст Моих», как организм выбрасывает из
себя что-то решительно противное и вредящее ему."
5) Являясьсторонником единства Русской Церкви, я обращаю Ваше внимание, что
действительное единение возможно только на основе Христовой Истины, в духе
Соборных решений IV Всезарубежного Собора, ибо в противном случае в Зарубежной
Церкви непременно произойдёт раскол, от чего да избавитнас Бог!
Переживая за собратьев и сестер, несущих служение на Святой Земле и за своих
пасомых, обеспокоен за их будущее. Не явится ли подписание Акта о каноническом
общении и поминовение Патр. Алексия II, как Предстоятеля Русской Церкви - Актом
духовного насилия над людьми, всю свою жизнь посвятивших служению Истине и
исповеданию идеалов нашей Русской Православной Церкви Заграницей? Наше
стремление к единению с МП не должно привести нас к отпадению от
Истины!
В “Послании к боголюбивой пастве Архиерейского Собора Русской Православной
Церкви Заграницей, состоявшегося с 15 по 19 мая 2006 г.” Вы, Ваше
Высокопреосвященство и Ваши Преосвященства обетовали:“ с осмотрительностью
делать шаги на пути примирения с Русской Православной Церковью Московского
Патриархата, чтобы "не сломить тростинки надломленной"(Мф. 12, 20)..., заверяли,
что... дело единения Церкви Русской мы намерены совершать неотлагательно, но по
мере удовлетворительного взаимоприемлемого решения остающихся проблем.”
Проблемы в МП, как видим, остались, а дата торжественного соединения с ней уже
определена!
Прежде чем пить из колодца – его основательно чистят, и только потом пьют из
него воду: тем более необходимо нам удалить духовные нечистоты сергианства и
экуменизма, прежде чем мы вкусим сообща Живительную Влагу от единой Чаши.
Смиренно прошу Вас, дорогие Владыки, оградить нашу Церковь Правдою и Истиною и
сохранить вверенное Вам малое стадо в церковном единстве и в Любви !
Остаюсь Вашего Высокопреосвященства смиренный послушник.
Подпись - Игумен Андроник
Св. Град Иерусалим,
3/16 Апреля 2007
Преп. Никиты Исповедника
* * *
A Letter to Metropolitan Laurus from a group of 13 Jordanville monastics
Dear All,
Christ is Risen!
Indeed, indeed, indeed He is Risen!
Bright paschal news keep coming these days; here is one in my hasty
translation from Russian
A group of 13 Jordanville monastics have forwarded the following letter to Metr.
Lavr:
"We witness, with great sorrow and frustration, that as the rapprochement with
the MP progresses, our ROCOR is disintegrating more and more, both externally
and internally. We observe with a sad feeling, that many staunch believers
of our Church make a decision to no longer be with us. We regret to see
the bitter fruits of the unification process: strife, contention at
court, dissent, general perplexity; tragic destinies of some believers;
loss of trust in our
archpastors; disillusionment often bordering on despair; self-willed
behavior of certain bishops not aligned with truth and canons; obvious
deviation from the traditional patristic path of ROCOR; heading for
unification in spite of the fact that many questions of sergianism and
ecumenism have yet to be dealt with in the light of the pure patristic
teaching of the Church. Globalization gains momentum, a tendency for
unification of all nations and religions is all too apparent. Holy Fathers
warned us of this time, and interpreted it as an unleashed preparation for
the coming of the anti-Christ. Participating in this are all those who are
members of the God-fighting WCC, who supports the unificatory movement of
world's religions, termed ecumenism. In light of this understanding, we
experience deep anxiety when we are told about the forthcoming union of
our Church with such as are obviously not prepared to follow her patristic
course, are not conscious of the dangers of the apostate ecumenist
movement, nor do they readily resist it. If we unite with MP, we will be
one with it in all things, including the heresy of heresies - ecumenism,
and the ecclesiology-distorting sergianism, hence we will be betraying our
Church. Such resistance is the corner-stone of the faith of the Holy
Fathers, the faith that prompted a mother, in times of old, to bless her
children to accept a martyric death. We are wary of the fact, that unless
those crucial problems find their rightful solution, in the spirit of
churchly humility and repentance, it may so happen that in the future we
will not be able to "endure to the end" (Mt. 10.22). When we are faced
with the final decision, who are we with? we may find ourselves lacking
the resoluteness and steadfastness, while the deadly spirit of apostasy
would prevail. This is exactly why we are so worried and are asking
ourselves, can such be the fruits of the Holy Spirit? We have always
believed the admonition of our archpastors that there can be no unity
except in the Truth, and we wish to be loyal to these words unto the end.
These days, however, many believers have been scandalized by the open
disloyalty of many bishops."
Signed by eight
(8) monastics, including one archimandrite and three priestmonks, of the
Holy Trinity Monastery, as well as by all the 5 sisters of the St.
Elizabeth nunnery in Jordanville.
Metr. Lavr has not responded to this address and forbade its publication.
* * *
JUDAS, PILATE AND ROCOR
Vladimir Moss
Sergianism is the sin of Judas, the selling of the Body of Christ for the sake of security – the “security” provided by the Committee of State Security (the KGB). Ecumenism is the sin of Pilate, the turning away from the quest for truth in dogmatic questions for the sake, again, of security – the “security” provided by union with World Orthodoxy and World Religion in general. At one stroke on May 17 ROCOR will have committed both sins, and fallen into a double condemnation, when it enters into the “ecucommunist” organizations of the Moscow Patriarchate and the World Council of Churches.
The parallels between Sergianism and the sin of Judas, and between Ecumenism and the sin of Pilate, are closer than might be expected. Just as Judas sold Christ to the Jews, to Annas and Caiaphas, so Metropolitan Sergius sold his Church to the Jews – the atheist Bolsheviks who at that time controlled the Soviet Union. Decades later, as has been established by the MP priest Fr. Sergius Gordun, the Bolsheviks compelled the MP to enter the World Council of Churches because in this way they could obtain the seal of approval from the Gentile “Christian” world for their own apostasy. And so, before that impious tribunal, after washing their hands in a hypocritical confession of their innocence, the Soviet hierarchs proclaimed that there was no persecution of the faith in the Soviet Union, thereby condemning the true confessors to further torments while absolving the true thieves and murderers, the Barabbases of our age, of all blame. They then proceeded, as the holy Metropolitan Philaret of New York put it, to “put a sign of equality between truth and falsehood”, Orthodoxy and heresy, by signing up, over the course of the last 46 years, to a long series of anti-Orthodox resolutions of the WCC. In this criminal indifference to truth they were true Pilates, wearily shrugging their shoulders before Truth incarnate and saying: “What is truth?”
“But what has this to do with us?” say the ROCOR uniates. “We are free of the sins of our holy Father Sergius. We protested for a time, and now we have decided to stop protesting. After all, as our most holy Patriarch Alexis says, ‘the declaration of Metropolitan Sergius has gone into the past.’ Let bygones be bygones.” But did not the Jews of Christ’s time say: “His Blood be on us and on our children”? And does not the blood of the New Martyrs betrayed by Sergius fall on every succeeding generation of Russian Christians that does not decisively and publicly denounce his sin? After all, St. John Maximovich said that the guilt for forcing the tsar’s abdication falls on all Russian Christians to all succeeding generations who did not then, or do not now, condemn those who forced the withdrawal of “him who restrains”. Metropolitan Sergius’ sin of 1927 is a continuation of the sin of 1917. If the first removed the restraining power of the Orthodox State, the second removed the restraining power of the confessing Orthodox Church…
Shortly after the Bolsheviks came to power, they erected a statue to Judas Iscariot in Tula. Now the MP is erecting monuments to Metropolitan Sergius in his homeland, while in Ishim, home of ROCOR’s Bishop Eutyches of Ishim, a monument has been erected to Stalin. More than that: a MP website is proclaiming