posted 2003
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/orthodox-rocor/conversations/messages/2035
Archbishop ANTHONY of Geneva and Western Europe
Archbishop ANTHONY of Geneva and Western Europe
Our Church in the Modern World
(Report for the III Pan-Diaspora Council of 1974)
"For I Desired Mercy, not Sacrifice"
I wish today to clarify that main particularities of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, which exists independently for over a half a century, in order to: 1) understand all its significance for the modern world; 2) to understand the importance of this Council; 3) to understand the responsibility laid upon each of us, its participants; 4) to reach a conclusion on what our belonging to our Church obliges us to do.
At the beginning of our century, the Church of Christ awaited terrible persecutions and blows, foreseen by many saints and sages, including St. John of Kronstadt. But before then, God allowed the devil to incur his hatred upon the children of the Church, the Lord led a part of the Russian Church out of Russia, which was embraced by the madness of atheism. This Russian Church outside of the borders of its homeland became an unusual ecclesiastical Body, but the exceptional situation of the moment demanded exceptional measures. This time, the devil, gathering all his powers for the destruction of the Church, led an attack against Her in two ways concurrently: through merciless persecutions on the part of open atheists and deceit, clothed in the garb of modernism--the manipulation of Church life--the kingdom of the Holy Spirit, the kingdom not of this world--to the life of the sinful world, on the basis of the human mind fallen into sin.
The energy of deceit and atheism, long accumulating in the world, like the terrifying explosion of a bomb, shook the foundations of the Church. Streams of martyric blood flowed, the devil reaped a rich harvest--they fell like ripe ears of wheat in the fields, martyrs and confessors of Christ, a million churches were destroyed, Christian relics desecrated. Judases were found within the Church Herself, who served the devil, beginning to corrupt Her from within, shocking Her with blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, through apostasy, foreign innovations, etc.
The power of the explosion of the Russian revolution was maximal, and its horrible detonation was heard throughout the world. From the assault of evil forces, both inside and out, the few bishops in Russia compromised with the devil, and in the free world many were seized by weakness of spirit, modernism, the readiness to serve the powerful of this world. The devil operated not only through the atheists of the Soviet State. He found helpers in other governments as well, who were if not open strugglers against God, then at least secret enemies of the Church. For each local Orthodox Church is connected with the government of its country, with the territory of its people. This is why the persecutors and enemies of the Church, through their leaders, were able to oppress the children of the Church. One need not look far for an example of this. Before our very eyes in Greece, the government removed, without so much as a discussion, the true Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostom, the head of the Greek Church, and replaced him with Archbishop Ieronimos. The latter, to appease the leaders, immediately embarked on the path of ecumenism. Now he was removed as well...now the head is Archbishop Seraphimos... but for how long? And what of the Church? The Church is silent and obedient! If this is so in a country where the leaders consider themselves Orthodox, what does this say of Communist countries?
This is why in our difficult time, the Lord, we believe, required a special ecclesiastical Body--our Russian Church abroad, not bound with the territory of the Russian people and the atheist Soviet State in control. In other words, the words "Church Abroad." On such a Church can be free in our evil times. She covered all the countries of the free world with a network of Her churches, with the works of its pastors, including even the territories of the local autocephalous Churches.
Finding Herself on the territories of many governments, the Russian Church, outside of Her fatherland, became as though impervious to the powers of evil! For, if we cannot be guaranteed against anything, if in any given country where we happen to be the local authorities pressured the representatives of our dioceses and parishes, using force, to take up activities or declarations not in accordance with the teachings of the Church, then in other countries our bishops remain free to witness the Truth. Our First Hierarchs if necessary can freely change their places of residence, not bound by territory or city; for example, Sremskije Karlovtsy in Yugoslavia, Munich in Germany, and now New York have all been residences of our metropolitans.
In this way, the fundamental particularity of our Church is Her freedom, her imperviousness to Her enemies (relatively speaking of course, like all other relative things in our world).
In this regard She stands at the head of all Orthodox Churches of our time. Our Church can freely and openly speak about that which the bishops of other Orthodox Churches are silent, for fear of the Jews. Here is an example: recently Patriarch Nicholas of Alexandria, in an interview with a journalist, expressed the Orthodox viewpoint of ecumenism, dotting all the i's in this matter. What were the results? Firstly, the journal of the Constantinople Patriarchate published in Geneva reacted negatively, where, to the shame of us Orthodox Christians, it was written that it was unlikely that Patriarch Nicholas would refuse to participate in the ecumenical movement in light of the fact that he received 12,000 dollars from the Ecumenical Council for the establishment of a printshop in Alexandria. That was the result. The declaration of some professor was published who, in the name of the Patriarch, retracted what the latter had said. This professor made the retraction, and the name of the Patriarch was no longer heard. Why not? What did this mean? What does the Patriarch think? Obviously, there are forces able to silence him. Is this not sad? This has not yet happened with our First Hierarchs. God grant that it doesn't!
We are given more, more is expected of us. Thanks to our God-given freedom, we are placed upon a candle stand, to declare the truth. What a terrifying responsibility lies upon each one of us!
Besides our Church, the following also courageously joined in the battle with the enemy of our salvation: the Catacomb church in the Soviet Union, the part of the Russian Church-the true Orthodox Church and a part of the Greek Church-the Greek Old-Style Church. But they do not possess what we do, that is, freedom. We bow with reverence before the courage of these martyrs and confessors, oppressed and persecuted by the government, and in the Soviet Union physically destroyed. We know that the Grace of God abides in them, but there is less responsibility placed upon them than upon us, who enjoy freedom and live in this other world. That is why we will not speak of them here.
For only our Church speaks before the world on the modern martyrs and confessors of the truth of Christ, only our Church speaks in the name of those persecuted for Christ and witnesses our unity with them. Only our Church, among the autocephalous Orthodox Churches did not become members of the Ecumenical Council, which could so easily be done. Only our Church witnesses throughout the world that the Moscow Patriarchate of our day, imprisoned by atheists, is not the voice of the Russian Church. Only She, while official representatives of the local Churches remain silent, or fall into temptation. Does not this fact place our Church as the cornerstone of the Church of Christ?
This is the second special characteristic of our Church-She is a fearless witness of the truth of God in the modern world, thanks to Her freedom. Our First Hierarchs have always fulfilled this obligation, as far as they were able.
The children of every local Church are usually the offspring of a single people, living on the territory of one government. The part of the Russian Church scattered throughout the world, immediately began to attract people of other nations, of other religions, to the Orthodox faith. Filling our ranks, these newly-converted Orthodox are sometimes more zealous than we are ourselves. They treasure our Church's strong stance in the truth, Her uncompromising path, which lay the foundation of our Church, established by Her leader-an Orthodox bishop with universal recognition and authority-Metropolitan Anthony of Kiev and Galicia of blessed memory. The aura of this universal bishop, his many facets, his many languages devoted to the praise of the Creator gave our Church, lest any think this borne of pride, a special character, a virtual "universal Church."
This is the third special trait of our Church-Her universal missionary significance. She was recognized as such from the beginning by all the local Churches.
Even on their own territories, the patriarchs and heads of Churches allowed the existence of dioceses, parishes, churches and parishioners of the Russian Church. The Serbian Church did more than any other, accepting with brotherly love Metropolitan Anthony and the Synod of Bishops of our Church, and granting in this manner the possibility for Russian bishops to lead their Russian flock throughout the world. Councils of our bishops convened on the territory of the Serbian Church, two historical Councils were held here along with the clergy and laity, in 1921 and 1938. The Russian Church and Russian people will always be grateful to the brotherly Serbian Church and Serbian people for its heartfelt hospitality. United in spirit with the Serbian Church were at first all the local Churches, trying with all their might to support and aid the survival of the free Russian Church in her new surroundings.
Born in the terrible crucible of tribulations, suffering the bloody drama of Her people, the horrors of the godless revolution, our Church brought out of Russia an experience that the representatives of other Churches understood poorly, still living well in a world free of Communism and still possessing its advantages. The spirit of martyrdom, the image of refugees, miraculously preserving their lives, losing everything in their homeland, understanding the futility of the things of this world, this is what the Russian Church brought to the Orthodox world. We were welcomed into the family of the Orthodox Churches like brother-martyrs, refugees for the Truth, persecuted and tortured at the hands of overt atheists. In this regard, the Russian refugees stood above their brethren in the free world.
This image of our Church, and the universal authority of Her establisher and head, Metropolitan Anthony, being the most Orthodox, the most pious, the most revered and eminent bishop of our time, created and confirmed the authority of our Church in the Orthodox world.
The fourth particularity of our Church is that She was often the moral underpinning and authority for the children of other Churches.
The whole Orthodox world was already partly shaken by the explosion that occurred in Russia. The Judases, the betrayers in the USSR were creating a so-called "living church," by request and under pressure of the Soviet state, for the destruction of the Church from within. Almost concurrently, Patriarch Meletii IV of Constantinople, in the free world, takes action. He convenes on the Holy Mountain of Athos a meeting of all the local Churches in 1923. Only five Churches responded to his call. The meeting turned out to be a so-called congress, at which Patriarch Meletii proposed to introduce a whole series of reforms into the life of the Church, for example: a married bishop, second marriage for widowed priests, the abbreviation of services and fasts, the simplification of priestly vestments, the new calendar, etc. This congress left a fatal mark on the life of some Churches, and is the origin of modernism in Orthodoxy.
Who protested against these tendencies? Metropolitan Anthony-his representative in Constantinople, Archbishop (later Metropolitan) Anastassy objected to the proposed reforms before the Patriarch, and, in the name of the Russian Church, pointed out their threat and danger. Still, they did not heed his voice in the capital of former Byzantium.
In this way, the Russian Church abroad, from the moment of its origin, raised the spiritual sword against militant atheism, and on the other hand, against blatant, unabashed modernism. It was necessary to fight on two fronts, to determine what weapons to employ, so as not to emulate the apostles who wished to bring down fire from the heavens, to burn and destroy the enemies of Christ, whom the Savior rebuked: Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of! But the head of our Church, Metropolitan Anthony, knew what manner of spirit he was of, and like a true pastor of the Church of Christ, and not like the Scribes and Pharisees of our time, directed our Church towards a middle, royal path, arming himself on this road with the sword of truth and the fire of love and mercy. This path, upon which the free Russian Church travels, is for a half a century now, is its very essence, making Her so necessary for the various sides of the Orthodox world veering in different directions. By the mercy of God our Church has never strayed from this path, and God keep us from losing it, so that we are not weakened, like the salt the loses its power, so that we do not change that to which we are called!
The fifth special quality of our Church is Her straight path, the path of Truth and mercy. We repeat: the qualities of the free Russian Church, which place Her morally and spiritually at the cornerstone of the Orthodox world, are: 1) the God-given freedom, imperviousness from Her enemies; 2) the fearlessness and witness to the Truth which come from freedom; 3) Her universal missionary character; 4) Her obligation to be a moral foundation and authority for the Orthodox children of the Church and 5) Her firm and uncompromising path of truth and mercy.
The Attitude of Our Church to the Deceit of the Soviet State
Following the failed attempts of the "living church," unrecognized by the people and the free world supporting the Russian Church, the Soviet state enslaves the will of Metropolitan Sergius and creates a modern "Moscow Patriarchate," needed in its battle with the Church, for deception, like a screen of its true intentions, that is, the complete liquidation of the Church. For such a deception of the free world, it was necessary for the Soviet authorities that all recognize the "Moscow Patriarchate" as the true Russian Church.
Metropolitan Anthony continued his spiritual bond with the Russian Church in the homeland, sensing himself the head of only a part of Her. Despite the fact that His Beatitude Patriarch Tikhon was in red Moscow, that between the part of her enveloped in the flames of atheistic madness in Russia and the part finding itself abroad, an iron curtain descended, we prayed for Patriarch Tikhon until his very death in 1925. Then we prayed for his deputy, the locum tenens of the Patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Peter, until his death.
Metropolitan Anthony broke with the Moscow Patriarchate only after the well-known declaration of Metropolitan Sergius, since from this moment on, the Moscow Patriarchate ceased to represent the Russian Church. Having split from the apparition of the Church created by the Soviet state, he wisely undercut the Communist deception and warned the heads of all the local Churches. The deception was not completely successful.
Vladyka Metropolitan Philaret wisely foresaw another deception of that government: the granting of autocephaly by the alleged Russian Church to the American Metropoliate, separating from our Church after the last war. The sword of the servant of God was not idle, and in his epistle to the bishops and flock of the Metropoliate, Metropolitan Philaret exposed the new deception, saying that the autocephaly will be given not from the Church, but from the godless state and in the latter's interests. And so it happened, which everyone can see. But the autocephaly was already accepted, after which the bishops of our Church at the Council of 1971 cease prayerful communion with the representatives of the so-called autocephaly. It is not recognized, not only by our Church, but by all the local Churches of the free world.
But the enemy does not sleep. The Soviets invent another deception. Several times it has appealed through its imprisoned bishops, in their name, to the children of our Church, with the call to return to the bosom of the "Mother Church," allegedly guaranteeing the canonicity of our situation abroad, promising other worldly goods as well. Patriarch Pimen even now appealed to the pastors and flock of our Church with this epistle. Behind the screen of such brotherly appeals are the true intentions of the godless state, to wit: to deprive our Church of freedom, the subject Her to an imprisoned patriarch, to force Her to be silent, to betray the Truth, to give up the mission placed upon Her by the Lord.
Metropolitan Philaret responded to this last epistle with honor and great clarity, saying that our Church, as the free part of the Russian Church, firmly stands on canonical ground.and does not intend to lose Her freedom. Using this freedom, we are obligated to speak loudly to the whole world about the persecution of religion in the USSR. Unlikely that anyone would fall for this deception by the Soviet state! Our Church-the free part of the Russian Church--stands in the way of every trick of the Soviets.
Our Church's Stance on the Temptations of Modernism
Finding himself outside the borders of his homeland, Metropolitan Anthony raised the sword of truth also against the modernization of the Church in the USSR-the creation of the so-called "living church" and that same modernism in the free world, expressed in the congress of 1923, of which I already spoke. For the proposed and accepted reforms were the same both there and here! The deception of modernism will not fully succeed and only a few Churches at first change to the new calendar rejected by the majority.
Decisively rejecting the new calendar for the Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Anthony did not swerve to the opposite extreme and his sword did not smite the sinners. He brings down upon their heads the fire of love and long-suffering. He does not cease prayerful communion with the Churches which accepted the new calendar, he does not anathematize anyone, which could have been done from the start, it would seem. By the testimony of our First Hierarch, and from what we ourselves heard from Metropolitan Anthony, he did not consider the new calendar a heresy, for him it was a serious violation of Church discipline. He accepts, for example, the invitation of the Rumanian Church and travels to Rumania after its Church changed to the new calendar.
The congress of 1923 left a fatal mark on the Serbian Church. Several widowed priests married a second time, clearly violating the canons of the Church. The most-Orthodox Metropolitan Anthony could not sympathize with such lawlessness. Still, he did not openly criticize anyone, he did not cease relations with the Serbian patriarch, but remains living there and with his personal example of piety and loyalty to Orthodoxy supports the Orthodox sensibilities in the Serbian Church, where second marriages among widowed priests did not continue.
A sword against sin and mercy for sinners, this is what our blessed bishop taught us. For it is easy to call one's brother a heretic. For mankind it is easy, but in the eyes of God, one takes responsibility upon oneself of anticipating the judgment of the Church by accusing one's neighbor of heresy.
Let us recall the monk who was called a thief, a debaucherer and liar, who humbly responded to all accusations that he was exactly all of those things. But when he was accused of heresy, he denied it. When asked why he agreed with other accusations but now he protests, the monk replied: "Although I am a debaucherer, a liar and a thief, I am within the Church and for me repentance and salvation are open.But if I am a heretic, then I am outside of the Church, deprived of salvation."
To cast someone out of the Church, to declare someone a heretic, is something only the Church can do, through a lawful court of Her bishops. Who among us dares to anticipate the judgment of the Church? Every Orthodox Christian can say, with great caution, that this brother has un-Orthodox views, commits sin in matters of faith, etc. But to call someone a heretic in the full sense of the word, only because it seemed to me that way, that I find him to be such, is to fall into pride, unforgivable self-importance, to take upon my soul more that simply the sin of accusation.
Under Metropolitan Anastassy, until the most recent times, we prayed for the holy Orthodox patriarchs, though they were already ecumenists and observers of the new calendar. During his time a great and grievous event occurred in the Orthodox world: all the local Churches permanently joined the World Council of Churches. Metropolitan Anastassy did not waver. In the free world, only our Church rejected the ecumenical movement. What does this mean? It means that without unnecessary words and anathemas, the Free Russian Church condemned firmly and decisively ecumenism as an un-Orthodox movement! She chose Her own path in Orthodoxy, a special path, the only path. Metropolitan Anastassy was not afraid to remain alone on this road. Yet the courageous elder did not cease communion with anyone, did not declare anyone heretics, did not cast lightning and thunder, but invokes the fire of long-suffering upon those who fell into sin.
Two letters of the Synod of Bishops of our Church are of interest, addressed to the Greek old-style Church, copies of which were sent at the time to the Greek Archbishop of America and the Ecumenical Patriarch.
The first letter, No. 3/50/1296 of 27 September 1961:
"Our Church retains the old calendar and considers the introduction of the new calendar a great error. Still, Her tactics were always to preserve spiritual communion with the Orthodox Churches which accepted the new calendar, since they celebrate Pascha according to the decision of the First Ecumenical Council. Our Church never declared the Ecumenical Patriarchate or the Greek Archdiocese of North and South America schismatic and did not cease spiritual communion with them."
Unclear is the second letter, exactly a week later, No. 3/50/1443 of 3 October 1961:
"Our Church retains the old calendar and considers the new calendar an error. Still, in accordance with the policy of Patriarch Tikhon of blessed memory, we never ceased spiritual communion with the canonical Churches in which the new calendar was introduced."
Metropolitan Anastassy for the first time allows the new calendar in our Church for those who converted from other faiths. So did the late Archbishop John, revered by many as a man of God and a struggler for the faith of our time, accepted into the Western European Diocese a group of Orthodox Dutch, who, using the new calendar, existed for 22 years in our Church-not a brief period of time. At the same time, new calendarists appeared in our Church-the Rumanians. Archbishop John, not without the consent of Metropolitan Anastassy, ordained together with a Rumanian metropolitan, a refugee in Paris, Bishop Theophilus, a new calendarist, with which he gave rise to the existence in our Church of new calendar Rumanian parishes. These parishes even now are subject directly to our First Hierarch, who, every year, while in Europe, serves in the Rumanian church in Paris, which happened this year on Sunday 28 July (15 July old style). Moreover, the question of consecrating into the bishopry of a Rumanian protopriest from Paris was raised, with the awareness on our part that Rumanians will not abandon the new calendar. For the Rumanian Church has existed for over 50 years with according to the new calendar. Two generations have come not knowing the old calendar.
Under Metropolitan Anastassy, a group of Orthodox French was accepted into the Western European Diocese, led by Protopriest E. Kovalevsky-a new calendarist. Metropolian Anastassy himself looked positively upon the elevation of Protopriest Kovalevsky into the episcopacy, even without the changing of the calendar.
Archbishop John together with the new calendarist Bishop Theophilus ordained Kovalevsky to Bishop of San Denis. It was not our Church that cast out the new calendarist Bishop John (the monastic name of Protopriest E. Kovalevsky). He himself left the Church that had given him the grace of Episcopal service, for which he was convicted and defrocked.
A part of the flock of this unworthy bishop remained true to our Church and exists now on the territory of the Western European Diocese as a separate deanery, headed by Archimandrite Amvrosii, a Frenchman who voluntarily and gradually changed his parishes to the old calendar, which was the result of our patience and condescension towards them.
Metropolitan Anastassy, rejecting the ecumenical movement, willingly sends observers to their conference to witness the truth. Without pondering the question, he sent observers from our Church to the Vatican Council. In this way, with dignity, he took part in the lives of Catholics and Protestants, without fear, yet never mixing truth and deceit, not placing himself on even ground with the heterodox. He tried to cast into this movement the seeds of truth. Although ecumenism in his time already assumed great participation in the Orthodox world, the Metropolitan did not take any decisive measures against the latter.
This was done by our Council of Bishops in 1971 with Metropolitan Philaret, which declared ecumenism a heretical teaching from the point of view of the Orthodox Church. But the Council was far from considering as heretics the representatives of all the local Churches that joined the Ecumenical Council. Metropolitan Philaret sent two sorrowful epistles to the bishops of the Church of Christ in which he points out the danger of the infiltration of ecumenical ideas into the Orthodox mindset, showing the faulty ideas and expressions of Patriarch Athenagoras, without calling anyone a heretic! "Your Holiness" is how he addresses the Patriarch of Constantinople.
Our Church's Position on the Temptations of Schism
When Metropolitan Evlogii did not submit to the decision of the Synod of Bishops in matters of his diocese, he thereby took a terrible sin upon his soul-the sin of an ecclesiastical schism.
These were nightmarish years in church life in Western Europe. Many could not discern the complicated church situation, trusting Metropolitan Evlogii and following him. Brother rose against brother, divisions in the Church spread to divisions within families, giving rise to mutual accusations, reaching the point of hatred. It was necessary to put an end to this confusion which brought spiritual harm to the children of the Church, so Metropolitan Anthony read a prayer of release over the the apparently repentant sinner, and returns the grace of the priesthood to him. The heart of the preacher of God's sympathetic love for the sinner knew no bounds. Yet this love, saving the flock of Metropolitan Evlogii from doom, did not touch the latter's heart, and he remains separated from the Synod of Bishops, continuing to submit to the Patriarch of Constantinople.
The lawlessness of this submission was understood by Metropolitans Anthony and Anastassy, but they made peace with the Russian Exarch of the Constantinople Patriarchage in Western Europe and, after lifting the suspension from Metropolitan Evlogii, they never ceased prayerful communion with the one who left us for the Greeks, even to this day. The responsibility was placed on those who left us, and waited patiently.
By this time, after the last war, Metropolitan Evlogii left Constantinople and joined Moscow, but after his death, his flock, now headed by Metropolitan Vladimir, leaves to return to Constantinople. Upon their return, we concelebrate with them, which can be shown through numerous examples. We will limit ourselves to a few: with the blessing of Archbishop John, as his vicar bishop, I consecrated a new church with Bishops Mefodii and Sylvester at the old-age home in San Rafael (France). At the time of the Vatican Council in Rome, almost every Sunday, Bishop Cassian, the Rector of the Theological Institute in Paris, served with me in our church. It did not even occur to anyone that this was inadmissible. Metropolitan Anastassy expressed his pleasure when he learned that I, in the absence of the ruling Archbishop John, decided the matter myself and, having been invited, took part in the funeral of Metropolitan Vladimir. Our concelebration with representatives of the Greek Exarchate in France, approved by Archbishop John, was conducted without objections on our part.
But then, unexpectedly, the Patriarch of Constantinople rejects his Russian Exarchate in Western Europe at the request of Moscow and directs his former flock to submit to the Moscow Patriarchate. The Parisians do not follow this directive, but make a no less risky and dangerous move-they declare themselves, no more, no less, an autocephalous Church of Western Europe. It is difficult to imagine greater ignorance in canonical law.
How does Metropolitan Philaret react? He appeals to them as the bishop of the Russian Church with a warning, pointing out the illegality of their actions, calling upon them to return to the free Russian Church-and Her alone.
Then the Parisians return, not to us, but to the Greeks, not as a Russian Exarchate of the Constantinople Patriarchate, but this time simply as a part of the Greek Exarchate of Western Europe, subjected to the Greek Exarch in Paris, Archbishop Meletius. The Council of Bishops of our Church in 1971 decrees as unlawful the joining of Russian parishes, flocks, churches and properties to the Greek Exarchate, but does not censure them and remains silent about prayerful communion.
Archbishop George, ruling the Russian parishes of the Greek Exarchate in Western Europe, takes measures of censure towards us, and, as far as we know, he forbids his clergy, through an ukase, from serving with us, referring to the will of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Still, there continue to be concelebrations even now: before the face of death, which makes peace with all, at youth and children's summer camps, replacing each other for services of need, sometimes our clergy and "other" clergy concelebrate.
In our time of terrible persecutions of the Church and the unforeseen circumstances of church life, it is very difficult to call someone a one-hundred-percent schismatic, especially among the lower clergy and laity. For even the independent existence of the Russian Church was not foreseen fully by the canons. It is justified only by two facts: the unheard-of persecutions of the Church in Russia and the temporary nature of our independent existence. If the godless regime ends, if the persecutions of the faithful in the homeland cease, if religious freedom is restored, then the Russian Church abroad will cease to exist, uniting with the Mother Church.
The Attitude Towards Our Church on the Part of the Local Churches After the Last War
Until the end of the last World War, we freely concelebrated with the representatives of all the local Churches in the free world, even with those that moved to the new calendar and toyed with ecumenism. The change in the attitude of these Churches towards us began after the war, when the feeble Patriarch Alexy was sent by the Soviet government to visit the patriarchs and heads of the local Churches. The elder, a captive of the atheists, deceived his brothers, persuading them that everything had allegedly changed for the better in Russia now, that thousands of worshipers fill the churches, etc. The official representatives of the Churches could not resist the false witness of the elderly patriarch. They recognized Alexy as the legitimate, lawful Patriarch of All Russia. He, in turn, asked them to cease prayerful communion with our Church, as a schismatic one, not recognizing their lawful patriarch. How much was agreed to is unclear. We only know that concelebration did not cease immediately. And so the representative of the Constantinople Patriarchate, Metropolitan Emilian concelebrated liturgy with me in our church in Geneva, already after the visit of Patriarch Alexy. This was fully acceptable for us and for the Greeks.
It was not Metropolitan Anastassy that was displeased with this concelebration, not Archbishop John, Ruling Bishop of Western Europe, but the Patriarch of Moscow, issuing a thunderous letter to Patriarch Athenagoras, demanding the cessation of concelebration of the clergymen of the Constantinople Patriarchate with our clergy. Only after that, not, I repeat, by the decision of our Church, but through the ukase of Patriarch Athenagoras, were the Greeks forbidden from serving with us. From approximately this time, in fact, our concelebration with the official representatives of the local Churches ends. For all of these Churches, without exception, from the time of the Rhodes Conference, began to cooperate with the Patriarch of Moscow and his Synod, recognizing it as official, but not by conscience, as the head of the Russian Church.
We did not seek and do not seek concelebration with their official representatives. This split reflects our attitude towards them as well. But our prayerful communion with the Orthodox Churches was not fully interrupted. Firstly, there is no document accepted by all the Churches on our excommunication from universal unity! When Metropolitan of L-grad Nikodim demanded this document from the representatives of the autocephalous Churches at a pan-Orthodox conference in Geneva, he did not get one. His demand was met with silence and ignored by the official representatives of the Churches, which is testimony to the fact that among them we have not only enemies, but friends. As a result, the wishes of the atheists were not satisfied. For the majority of the representatives of the Churches, both official (who were silent "for fear of the Jews") and unofficial, who sympathize with our Church, understand that the free bishops among them, and so genuine bishops among them, are we!
The Attitude of Our Church to the Representatives of the Local Churches
I think, I feel, I witness that we must rejoice at the expression of good will towards our Church in the Orthodox world. We must understand that many children of the local Churches place their hopes and reliance on our Church. We are obliged to maintain contact with them and rejoice over the opportunity to have prayerful communion with them, so rare today.
For the unity of the Church is not a hollow expression, futile words, it is Her essence and foundation. Following the example of our First Hierarchs, we must also carefully preserve the bare threads that bind us to the Orthodox world.
We must in no way isolate ourselves, seeing around us-often imagined-heretics and schismatics. By gradually isolating ourselves, we fall into the extreme which our Metropolitans wisely avoided, we will reject the middle, royal path by which our Church has so far traveled, we will find ourselves a shorn church branch, and not the Church, witnessing the Truth freely and fearlessly!
By isolating ourselves, we will embark on the path of sectarianism, fearful of all, in the grip of paranoia, we will lose the last friends in the Orthodox world! But to embark on such a path, we must first reject our Church's past, and condemn it.
By the mercy of God we are far removed from such temptation, but such attitudes are sensed in our midst. Prudence is a basic Christian virtue. For in each local Church, except its official representatives, who are often bound and dependent on complicated daily and political circumstances, there exists the very BODY OF THE CHURCH-pious pastors and God-fearing laypersons, those who, for example, saved the Church of Constantinople where Her official representatives signed the Florentine Union with Rome. How many more such living forces exist in every local Church, thank God, Her faithful children, and how grievous it would be for us if we do not see and sense these forces, if we are prepared to cease prayerful communion with them, unity in Christ, for the sins of her possibly unworthy present official representatives.
In the Serbian Church, standing guard over the Orthodox forces, is at this time the most-Orthodox Archimandrite Justin (Popovich), renowned throughout the Orthodox world. He raised his voice long ago against the temptation of ecumenism, denounced this movement in his recently-published book "The Orthodox Church and Ecumenism." He denounced even the Serbian bishops who were weak in their defense of Orthodoxy. And when Patriarch German of Serbia became one of the representatives of the Ecumenical Council, what did this defender of Orthodoxy do? He did the same as our Metropolitan Anthony and Anastassy, whom he revered, did, he did not cease prayerful communion with his patriarch, he called no one a heretic or schismatic, he continued to submit to the hierarchy of his Church and commemorate his patriarch at each service. Why? He could have created a schism in the Serbian Church. Archimandrite Justin educated a whole generation of loyal, learned monks, who follow him without question, whom a part of the flock would have followed. But Father Justin does not do this, since the "unity of the Church" for him are not idle words, since he understands that schism in the Church is a greater sin than hesitation and waywardness in the faith of even the bishops of the Church. We have no sinless bishops, but the unsure, the wayward, the weak in spirit still belong to the Church, for Christ came not to heal the healthy, but the ailing, which is why He endured to the end the presence of Judas among the apostles, and at the Last Supper did not cease prayerful communion with him, giving the unworthy one communion.
In our age of uncertainty and waywardness and all manner of violence, some, out of zealousness, fall into a dangerous extreme, foreign to the origins of our Church, as I tried to show in my report; there are those who are prepared to see in his neighbor, at first suspicion, a wicked heretic or dangerous schismatic, incurring in himself evil feelings towards the latter, instead of love and condescension, at the same time himself falling unwittingly into pride, no less dangerous than weakness in the faith for the human soul. A sad example of this we see in Geneva in the person of the fairly good Priest V. Sakkas, for whom even our Synod of Bishops in insufficiently Orthodox and for whom submission to the latter is unnecessary. This is not Orthodoxy anymore, but sectarianism!
What is important for us: the Church itself and the living forces in it or temporary, maybe unworthy official representatives? For the sake of the latter are we to tear away from the Church of Christ, in which the majority think like we do, in whom, despite our unworthiness, the Holy Spirit breathes? But whom do we punish in this way? Only ourselves!
So, if not for our Church in the modern world:
1) it would not have a single free Church, impervious to this day by the forces of evil;
2) it would not have a free ecclesiastical voice, able to speak fearlessly in the name of the Church;
3) there would be no reliable and quiet ecclesiastical asylum for the true sons of Orthodoxy;
4) there would not be a single Church which did not join the World Council of Churches;
5) there would not be a Church that would uncover Soviet deception, representing the contemporary Moscow Patriarchate as the Russian Church;
6) There would be no Church openly speaking of the martyrs of our time and openly glorifying them;
7) without our Church, it is possible that the Orthodox world would sink deeper into modernism;
8) without our Church, the free world would sooner succumb to the propaganda of Communism.
This is why our Church is so vitally to this world.
2) Our Church and Russia
3) The reason for our existence abroad was the preservation of Orthodoxy, the preservation of the succession of ordinations from the bishops of the Russian Church, the preservation and education of our youth in Orthodoxy as Russians. Only our Church has never under any circumstances rejected the name "Russian!" Never has our Church sought foreign omophors in order to allegedly gain greater lawfulness outside of Russia. We always were and remain the children of the free part of the Russian Church, or the Russian Church abroad. If we have not been recognized as such, if the lawfulness of our existence has not been recognized, this has not bother us. We were certain that under the present circumstances it is worse for those who do not recognize us. The late Bishop Mefodii of the Parisian Archbishopry, for example, traveled to the Holy Land and received from the patriarch the right to serve as a bishop of the Greek Church. We Russians were not allowed to serve, but we did not disguise ourselves, and remained Russian, bearing the cross of Russia.
4) And now we stand before the face of a Russian undergoing renewal. Gradually that which we had awaited for so long, for which we labored and lived is occurring. Russian is awakening. Better people have begun to speak in Russia. The Soviet government, grasping for straws, not daring to punish them at home, are expelling them abroad.
5) Great Russian writers have appeared in the free world. In what way are they remarkable? Not only with their talent, not only the courage they exhibited in the USSR, but mostly because they declared themselves first of all Orthodox Christians. For they were reared under the Soviets, graduated Soviet schools, and left the Soviet Union not only believing Christians, but convinced Orthodox Christians. How can we not agree with the poet who said that one can only believe in Russia. And the greatest of these, A.I. Sozhenitsyn, in a conversation with me, declared that the salvation of Russia is impossible without the Church, and that it can occur only with national repentance. We hear this from the mouth of a student of the Soviet schools, an officer of the Red Armny, a long-time prisoner of Soviet camps. Is this not a miracle? What impressed Solzhenitsyn most of all in the free world was our ecclesiastical division. Without accusing anyone, he started to understand, with difficulty, why we, in the free world, in the face of the Russian tragedy, have church division? For not only Solzhenitsyn will wonder. He is for us a spokesman for the best people in Russia. This is a voice from over there! And heeding his words, we must first of all, in the name of this Council, appeal with a brotherly call for unity, in the name of the much-suffering Russian Church and the Russian people, addressing the American Metropoliate and the Parish Archbishopry. If we are the Russian Church, we must do this, it is our duty! It may be that we will be misunderstood, let us be mocked again, we should not fear this. For they laughed at Christ! If we are of Christ, if we are Russian, we must fear nothing in this world. Our freest Church must speak the truth, She must call for unity, for serving Russia. In this way we will justify our Russian name, our existence abroad. We must not push people away, but draw them closer, without fear, we must stride forward, not rend asunder, but unite!
The entire time of our existence abroad we spoke of our desire to save Russia, that we work towards her salvation. And now, when there is a real chance for us to do something for Russia, for the salvation of our homeland from the cruel atheist nightmare, we are doing so little! WE must double, triple, increase our efforts tenfold to help our much-suffering people and faithful in the homeland. Even sending literature over there is now a real option. Sailors in every port in the world from arriving Russian ships snatch up books, ask for books by Solzhenisyn. We receive responses to letters from all over Russia. There is a living bond with the homeland, the iron curtain has fallen! And we stand here idle and see nothing beyond our personal matters. In regard to help to Russia we have individuals working, even groups, but that is a drop in the ocean. We must organize work everywhere, we must publish literature, we must join forces to seek ways to send them to the homeland. We have Orthodox Work in Europe working on this, please help!
6) For to help our homeland is living work, for which we can draw the interest of our youth. We can and we must! Otherwise, how can we rear our children in the Russian spirit? For work for Russia will make them Russian not in word, but in deed!
Our Duty Before the Church and the Homeland
7) 1) To preserve the purity of Orthodoxy, casting off all temptations of atheism and modernism. In other words, courageously follow the path drawn on the tablet of our Church.
8) 2) To be the bold and free voice of the Church of Christ, uncompromisingly speak the truth, which our First Hierarchs have so far done.
9) 3) To use our freedom to condescend to the imprisonment of others, trying not to accuse them lightly, but to understand, support, and show brotherly love.
4) To preserve and treasure church unity, sensing ourselves as being a pat of the living universal Church of Christ and carry with dignity within it the banner of the Russian Church.
10) 5) To avoid the self-imposed isolation wherever possible, for the spirit of the Church is one of union, not division. Not to seek heretics where they may not exist, fearing exaggeration in this regard.
11) 6) To call Russian Orthodox people and clergy who left us to unity. To call them not with threats, but with brotherly love, in the name of the suffering Russian Church and the much-suffering homeland.
12) 7) To turn and face Russia in her rebirth, offer a hand of assistance where possible!
+Archbishop ANTHONY of Geneva and Western Europe
Jordanville, 1974
---------------------------
posted 2015
---------------------------
posted 2015
Do not trust what ROCOR-MP says about this report, read it for yourself.
http://internetsobor.org/index.php/istoriya/rptsz/arkhiv-rptsz/arkhiepiskop-antonij-bartoshevich-nasha-tserkov-v-sovremennom-mire
04 марта 2015
ARCHBISHOP ANTHONY (Bartoshevich)
Our Church in the contemporary world
(Report on the III All-Diaspora Council - 1974)
"I will have mercy, and not sacrifice"
I want today to identify the main features of the Russian Church Abroad, which has existed independently for more than half a century, in order to: 1) understand the significance of it for the modern world; 2) understand the importance of our Synod; 3) to understand the responsibility lying with each of us, its participants; 4) to conclude that membership in our Church obliges us.
At the beginning of this century, the Church of Christ was expecting terrible persecution and turmoil, which had been foreseen by many righteous and seers, including St. John of Kronstadt. But before, by God's allowance, the devil unleashed his malice on the children of the Church, the Lord had already withdrawn from Russia, a part of the Russian Church being enveloped by the madness of godlessness. This Russian Church Abroad of its homeland has become an unusual Church Body, for the exceptional times called for exceptional measures.
The devil at this time, collecting all the forces to destroy the Church, led the attack against her in two ways simultaneously: the merciless persecution by the open atheists; and by lies lies, clothed in the mantle of modernism - adaptation of life of the Church - from the kingdom of the Holy Spirit not-of-this-world to the life of a sinful world, based on a flawed human mind.
Energy lies and godlessness, long accumulated in the world as a terrible bombshell shook the foundations of the Church. Streams poured of martyrs' blood, the devil shook the abundant harvest – they fell like ripe ears on the field, the martyrs and confessors of Christ, millions of churches destroyed and Christian shrines desecrated. There were Judas traitors within the Church itself, who providing a service to the devil, began to disintegrate her from within, shaking her with blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, the departure from the truth, and alien innovations, etc.
Force of the explosion, which opened in the Russian revolution, this time was maximal and its terrible detonation resounded worldwide. Pressure from evil forces within and without caused a few bishops in Russia to compromise with the devil; and in the free world, many were captured in the network of cowardice, modernism, willingness to please the powerful.
The devil did not act only through the godless Soviet government. His assistants were inside other governments, not only open theomachists but also there were hidden enemies of the Church.
After all, each local Orthodox Church is connected to the government of its country, with the territory of its people. That is why the persecutors and enemies of the Church, through the rulers, may put pressure on the children of the Church. You do not have to go very far to see examples of this. Before our eyes in Greece civil authorities removed without a word, truly Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostomos, head of the Hellenic Church and in its place put Archbishop Jerome who is obedient to them. Serving the rulers, he immediately embarked on the path of ecumenism. Now he was removed ... Archbishop Seraphim, became the new head, but for how long? And what about the Church? The Church is silent and obeys! If this happens in a country where the rulers consider themselves Orthodox Christians, then what can happen in the communist governments?
That is why in these difficult times, the Lord, we believe, the church took a special body - our Russian Church Abroad into a territory not connected to the Russian people or the atheist Soviet government ruling over them. In other words the Church is FOREIGN. Only such a church can be free in our evil time. She has spread her temples and pastors to almost all the countries of the free world, including even the territories of the local autocephalous Churches.
While in the territory of many countries Russian Church outside of their home country, has become as if immune to the evil forces! For if in one country our freedom can not be guaranteed and if local authorities start putting pressure on us and force us into actions and statements that do not agree with the Church teachings; then we are still in other countries where our hierarchs remain free for a witness of truth. Our first hierarchs, if necessary, can change their residence freely, without being associated with an area or a city, so for example: Sremski Karlovci in Yugoslavia, Munich in Germany, and now New York - were both the residences of our metropolitans.
Thus, the main feature of the Church - is her freedom, her invulnerability to the enemies (relatively, of course, as everything is relative in this mire of a world).
In this respect our Church is in the first place among the local Orthodox Churches of our time. Our Church is free to speak openly about what other hierarchs of the Orthodox churches are silent, for fear of the Jews.
Here is an example of this: recently the patriarch of Alexandria, Nicholas, in an interview with a journalist, spoke about the Orthodox in regards to ecumenism, setting the record straight on in this issue. What were the consequences? First of all, the Journal of the Patriarchate of Constantinople published in Geneva, to the shame of us Orthodox, wrote in an editorial that it is unlikely that the patriarch Nicholas will refuse to participate in the ecumenical movement in view of the fact that he receives from the World Council of Churches $12,000 from the Ecumenical Council Typography in Alexandria. And so it happened. A professor who denied the statement on behalf of the patriarch, but from the patriarch himself we are no longer heard. Why? What does this mean? What is the opinion of the Patriarch? Clearly there are forces that are able to silence him. Is this not sad? With our First Hierarchs this has not happened yet. God grant that it will not happen!
We are given more, so more is asked of us. Thanks to the God-given grace of our Church, and our freedom, we put on a candle stand to broadcast the truth. What a terrible responsibility lies with each of us!
In addition to our Church in exile, another part of the Russian Church that remains in the Soviet Union has courageously entered the catacombs. Another Orthodox Church is true and part of the Hellenic Church - Greek Old Calendarists. But they do not have the abundance of freedom as we do. Before the courage of all martyrs and confessors, stifled and persecuted, and in the Soviet Union simply physically destroyed by the governments, we bow with reverence. We know that on them rests the grace of God, but they bear less responsibility to the world than we who enjoy freedom and live in this world. That's why we will not speak of them now.
After all, only our Church publicly speaks of the modern martyrs and confessors of the truth of Christ, but our Church speaks on behalf of those persecuted for Christ and testifies to its unity with them. Only our Church among the autocephalous Orthodox Churches did not become a member of the Ecumenical Council, which could easily have been done. Only our Church throughout the world suggests that the Moscow Patriarchate of our day is held captive by the atheists and not the voice of the Russian Church. Only she speaks out, while officials from the local churches are silent or give in to temptation. Does not this place our Church at the forefront of the Church of Christ?
This is the second feature of our Church – she is a fearless witness to the truth and the truth of God in the world today, thanks to her freedom. This is a debt which has always been fulfilled by our first hierarchs as far as possible.
The children of each local church are usually children of the people living in the territory of one state. A part of the Russian Orthodox Church, scattered throughout the world, immediately began to attract representatives of different peoples of different faiths. Replenishing our ranks, these converts are sometimes more zealous Christians than ourselves. In our Church, they appreciate its firm standing in the truth, its uncompromising stance, the foundation laid by its Founder - the Orthodox hierarchy with the universal recognition and authority - the most blissful Metropolitan of Kiev and Galich, Anthony. The aura of this universal saint, versatility, and multi-national, multi-lingualism in praise of the Creator, gave our Church, but did not suspect us pf pride, an unusual character, as it were of the "universal church."
This is the third feature of our Church - its universal missionary significance.
As such, this has been recognized by all the local Churches from the beginning. Even in their territories patriarchs and heads of churches allowed the Russian Church to exist and have her own dioceses, parishes, churches and believers. More than others in this respect did the Serbian Church, which adopted with brotherly love Metropolitan Anthony and the Synod of Bishops of the Church, and gave Russian bishops the possibility to manage the Russian flock worldwide. On the territory of the Serbian Orthodox Church were gathered Councils of our bishops, and here were held two historic councils with clergy and laity, one in 1921 and another in 1938. Russian Church and the Russian people will always be grateful to the brotherly Serbian Church and the Serbian people for their cordial hospitality. All local churches were unanimous at the beginning with the Serbian Church, in their support of the free Russian Church helping her exist in the new conditions.
Born in the crucible of terrible trials, our people having endured a bloody drama of the horrors of the atheist revolution, our Church has learned from the Russian experience something that the churches, who lived more happily free from communism and world powers, can not understand as well. The spirit of martyrdom, the image of the exiles, lives miraculously preserved, those who lost everything in their homeland, who understand the vanity of earthly life, –– that's what brought the Russian Orthodox Church of the world. We have been adopted into the family of Orthodox Churches, as brothers, martyrs, as exiles for righteousness' sake, as persecuted and suffered at the hands of explicit atheists. In this regard, the Russian exiles were then spiritually tried above the trials of their brethren in the free world.
Such an image of our Church and the universal authority of her founder and head – Metropolitan Anthony, who was the most Orthodox, the most pious, the most revered and outstanding hierarch of our time, – built and strengthened the authority of our Church in the Orthodox world.
.
The fourth feature of the Church is that it is often the moral support and authority for the children of the other Churches.
The entire Orthodox world was already shocked by the detonation of what happened in Russia. Judas traitors in the USSR created the so-called "living church" at the request of and under pressure from the Soviet authorities to destroy the Church from within. Operating simultaneously in the free world Patriarch of Constantinople Meletios IV summoned an assembly of all the local Churches in 1923 held on Mt. Athos. Only five Churches responded to the call. At this so-called 'Pan-Orthodox Council' Patriarch Meletios proposed a series of reforms in Church life, such as: a married episcopate, the second marriage for widowed priests, a reduction in worship and fasting, simplification priestly garments, the new calendar, etc. This meeting left a disastrous mark on the lifes of some Churches, and was the beginning of modernism in Orthodoxy.
Who protest against such sentiments? Metropolitan Anthony - his representative in Constantinople, Archbishop (later Metropolitan) Anastasia appealed to the Patriarch's proposed reforms, and on behalf of the Russian Church he pointed out their perniciousness and danger. However, his voice was not heard in the capital of the former Byzantine Empire.
Thus, the Russian Church abroad since its existence raised sword of the Spirit on the one hand against militant atheism, on the other - against the open and lost the shame of modernism. We had to fight on two fronts, had to decide which weapon to use, not to be like the apostles who would snizvesti fire from heaven to consume and destroy the enemies of Christ, and that the Savior reproachfully said, Ye know not what spirit you are! But the head of the Church, Metropolitan Anthony knew what he spirit and like a true shepherd of the Church of Christ, and not as the scribes and Pharisees of our time, our Church have low, the royal way, armed with a sword on the way the truth and the fire of love and mercy. This way, followed by the Russian Church is free, for more than fifty years, and is the essence of it, which makes it so necessary for oscillating in different directions of the Orthodox world. By the grace of God, our Church has never strays from this path, and God forbid losing it to not seized with us, as the salt have lost his savor, not to change us to what we are called!
Thus, the Russian Church abroad, from the moment of its existence, raised its spiritual sword on the one hand against militant atheism, on the other - against open and shameless modernism. It was necessary to fight on two fronts, it was necessary to decide what kind of weapon to use, so as not to become like the apostles who wanted to lower fire from heaven in order to burn and destroy the enemies of Christ, and the Savior reproachfully said: you do not know what your spirit is! But the head of our Church, Metropolitan Anthony, knew what spirit he was and, as the true pastor of the Church of Christ, and not as the scribes and Pharisees of our time, pointed out to our Church the middle, royal path, armed with the sword of truth and the fire of love and mercy on this path. This path, which the Russian Free Church follows, has been for more than fifty years now, and is its essence, making it so necessary for the Orthodox world, which fluctuates in different directions. By the grace of God, our Church has never strayed from this path, and God forbid that we should lose it, so as not to overwhelm us, as salt that has lost power, so as not to change us for what we are called to!
The fifth feature of our Church is its straight path, the path of truth and charity.
To repeat: the features of the free Russian Church, which put her mentally and spiritually at the center of the Orthodox world, are: 1) God gave her freedom, her invulnerability to enemies; 2) resulting from the freedom of her courage and witness to the truth; 3) its universal-missionary character; 4) its duty to be moral support and authority for Orthodox children of the Church, and 5) it is hard and uncompromising way of truth and charity.
Let us repeat: the features of the free Russian Church, which put it morally and spiritually at the forefront of the Orthodox world, are: 1) the freedom given to her by God, her invulnerability to enemies; 2) the fearlessness and witness of the Truth arising from its freedom; 3) her universal missionary character; 4) her duty to be moral support and authority for the Orthodox children of the Church; and 5) her firm and uncompromising way of truth and mercy.
The attitude of the Church to deception of the Soviet regime
After an unsuccessful attempt with the "living church", unrecognized by the people, nor the free world for the Russian Church, the Soviet government enslaves the will of Metropolitan Sergius and creates a modern "Moscow Patriarchate", it needs to deal with the Church, to cover, as a cover their true intentions - ie complete elimination of the Church. For such a deception of the free world, it was necessary to Soviet power, to all recognized "the Moscow Patriarchate" for the true Russian Church.
After an unsuccessful attempt with a “living church,” not recognized by the people or the free world for the Russian Church, the Soviet government enslaves the will of Metropolitan Sergius and creates the modern “Moscow patriarchate” necessary for it to fight the Church, to cover up as its true intentions. those. the complete liquidation of the Church. For this kind of deception of the free world, it was necessary for the Soviet government that everyone recognize the “Moscow Patriarchate” as the true Russian Church.
On the Russian Church in the homeland, Metropolitan Anthony continued to maintain a spiritual connection, feeling only people in charge of it. Despite the fact that His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon was in red Moscow between Russian Church, enveloped by fire godless insanity, between Russia and part of it went abroad, iron curtain has descended, we prayed for Patriarch Tikhon until his death in 1925. Then we prayed for his deputy - Locum Tenens - Metropolitan Peter, the same until his death.
Metropolitan Anthony continued to maintain a spiritual connection with the Russian Church in his homeland, feeling himself to be the leader of only a part of it. In spite of the fact that His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon was in red Moscow, that between the Russian Church, enveloped in a fire of godless madness, Russia and between a part of her abroad, the iron curtain fell, we prayed for Patriarch Tikhon until his death in 1925. Then we prayed for his deputy - the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne - Metropolitan Peter, the same before his death.
Metropolitan Anthony broke with the Moscow Patriarchate, only after all the declaration of Metropolitan Sergius, as from this moment the Moscow Patriarchate has ceased to pose a Russian Orthodox church. Breaking with the Soviet government created the visibility of the Church, he wisely compartment Communist deception and it warned the heads of all the local Churches. Cheating is not completely successful.
Metropolitan Anthony broke with the Moscow Patriarchate, only after the well-known declaration of Metropolitan Sergius, since from that moment the Moscow Patriarchate ceased to represent the Russian Church. Having broken with the appearance of the Church created by the Soviet authorities, he wisely cut off the communist deception and warned the heads of all the local churches about it. Cheating completely failed.
Vladyka Metropolitan Filaret wisely foresaw another deception of the same power. The giving of the alleged Russian Church autocephalous American archdiocese, separated from our church after the last war. Not asleep sword minister of God, and in his letter to the hierarchy and flock archdiocese Metropolitan Filaret exposes new deception, saying that autocephaly is not obtained from the Church and from the atheist regime and in favor of the latter. And so it happened, in what is now everyone can make. But autocephaly yet been adopted, after which the bishops of the Church at the Council of 1971 interrupted prayerful communion with the representatives of the so-called autocephaly. She did not recognize not only our church, but all the local Churches of the free world.
Vladyka Metropolitan Philaret wisely foresaw another deception of the same power. The gift of the autocephaly of the American Metropolitania by the alleged Russian Church, which separated from our Church after the last war. The sword of the servant of God did not doze in the message to the hierarchs and the flock of the metropolis, Metropolitan Philaret exposes a new deception, saying that autocephaly will be received not from the Church, but from godless authority and in the interests of the latter. So it happened, what everyone can now see. But nevertheless, autocephaly was adopted, after which the bishops of our Church at the Council in 1971 interrupted their prayerful communion with representatives of this so-called autocephaly. It is not recognized not only by our Church, but also by all the local Churches of the free world.
But the enemy never sleeps. Soviet authorities have come up with the hype. Several times already she had applied, through its captive bishops, on their behalf, to the children of our Church, with a call to return to the arms of the "Mother Church"
But the enemy does not sleep. The Soviet government invented another deception. Several times already she addressed, through the hierarchs she captured, on their behalf, to the children of our Church, to return to the embrace of the “Mother Church”,
Ensuring that the alleged canonicity of our position abroad, promising and other blessings of this world. With such a message addressed and now Patriarch Pimen pastors and children of our Church. Behind the screen, these supposedly fraternal appeals concealed the true intentions of the godless regime, such as to deprive our church freedom, subjecting it unfree patriarch, keep her quiet, devoted to the truth, to give way to the mission entrusted to her by the Lord.
Providing with this the alleged canonicity of our position abroad, promising other benefits of this world. Now Patriarch Pimen has addressed this message to the pastors and children of our Church. Behind the screen, these supposedly fraternal calls, the true intentions of the godless government are concealed, somehow: to deprive our Church of freedom, subordinating it to the unfree patriarch, make her silent, betray the Truth, and thus refuse the mission entrusted to her by the Lord.
On this last message said with dignity and crystal clear first hierarch, Metropolitan Filaret, saying that our church as a free part of the Russian Church, firmly based on the canonical ... and does not intend to give up their freedom. Using it, we must loudly proclaim around the world about the persecution of religion in the USSR. "Hardly anyone goes to this deception and Soviet power!
This last message was answered with dignity and very clearly by the First Hierarch, Metropolitan Philaret, saying that our Church, as a free part of the Russian Church, firmly stands on a canonical basis ... and does not intend to give up its freedom. Using it, we are obliged to loudly proclaim to the whole world about the persecutions of religion in the USSR. ” Hardly anyone would go on this deception of the Soviet government!
Each time the Soviet tweaks worth our Church - the free part of the Russian Church. That's why so much anger and hatred against her, so open and secret agents hired Moscow.
Each time, our Church stands in the way of Soviet tricks, the free part of the Russian Church. That is why there is so much anger and hatred against her, so much overt and covert hired agents of Moscow.
The attitude of the Church to the temptations of modernity
Once abroad his homeland, Metropolitan Anthony picked up the sword of truth and at the same time against the modernization of the Church in the USSR - the creation of so-called "Living Church" and the same modernism in the free world, has revealed to Congress in 1923, which I have already spoken. After all, the alleged and adopted reforms here and there were almost the same! Cheating modernism completely fail and only a few churches in the beginning moving to a new style, rejected by the majority.
Once abroad his homeland, Metropolitan Anthony raised the sword of truth at the same time against the modernization of the Church in the USSR - the creation of the so-called “living church” and the same modernism in the free world, revealed at the congress of 1923, which I have already mentioned. After all, the proposed and adopted reforms here and there were almost the same! The deception of modernism will not fully succeed, and only a few Churches at first switch to a new style, rejected by the majority.
Do not take decisive new style for the Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Anthony did not defraud the other extreme, and his sword is not flogs the necks of sinners. He brings down upon their heads the fire of love, and patience. He does not break prayerful communion with the Churches that have adopted the new calendar, he was not anathematizes that could seem to do at first. According to the testimony of our First Hierarch, and by the fact that we ourselves have heard from Metropolitan Anthony, he did not think the new style of heresy, he was for it was a flagrant violation of church order. It takes, for example, the invitation of the Romanian Church and sent to Romania, after the Church was moved to a new style.
Metropolitan Anthony, who did not adopt a decidedly new style for the Orthodox Church, did not dodge to the other extreme, and his sword does not cut the neck of sinners. He brings down the fire of love and long-suffering upon their heads. He does not break the prayerful communion with the Churches that have accepted the new calendar; he does not anathemaze anyone, which could have seemed to be done at the beginning. According to the testimony of our First Hierarch and by the fact that we ourselves heard from Metropolitan Anthony, he did not consider the new style to be heresy, for him he was a gross violation of church order. He accepts, for example, an invitation from the Romanian Church and goes to Romania after this Church has moved to a new style.
In the Serbian Church Congress in 1923 also left a trail of disastrous. Several widowed priests entered into a second marriage, clearly violating the canons of this Church. Orthodox Metropolitan Anthony such lawlessness could not sympathize. However, publicly he was not rebuked, does not break with the Serbian Patriarch, but he remains alive and personal example of his piety and faithfulness to Orthodoxy Orthodox sentiment in support of the Serbian Church, where marriages are widowed priests will not be repeated.
In the Serbian Church, the 1923 congress also left a disastrous mark. Several widowed clergymen entered into a second marriage, clearly violating the canons of the Church. The Orthodox Metropolitan Anthony could not sympathize with such lawlessness. However, he publicly denounces no one, does not break with the Serbian patriarch, but remains to live with him and with a personal example of his piety and loyalty to Orthodoxy, he maintains Orthodox sentiments in the Serbian Church, where marriages of widowed priests no longer repeated.
Sword against sin and mercy to sinners, taught us so blessed saint. After all, his brother called a heretic is not difficult. On a human is not difficult, but in the eyes of God, condemned the passing of heresy, takes on the responsibility of the soul, as predvoskhititel Court Church.
The sword is against sin and mercy to sinners, so the blessed saint taught us. After all, it’s not difficult to name your brother a heretic. Humanly it is not difficult, but in the eyes of God, who has condemned his neighbor in heresy, he accepts responsibility for the soul, as an anticipator of the court of the Church.
Recall the monk, who was called a thief and a liar and a fornicator who was responsible for all the charges humbly that he is such and there. But when he was accused of heresy, he said no. And being asked why he still disagreed with the charges and now protests, the monk replied, "Although I am a fornicator, a liar and a thief, but I am in the Church, and for me is not closed repentance and salvation ... But if I am a heretic , then I'm out of the Church, outside of salvation ... ".
Recall the monk, who was called a thief, a fornicator and a liar, and who answered all the charges humbly, that he was exactly that. But when he was accused of heresy, he said no. And being asked why so far he agreed with the accusations, and now he is protesting, the monk answered: “Although I am a fornicator, a liar and a thief, but I am in the Church and for me repentance and salvation are not closed ... But if I am a heretic, I am outside the Church, outside salvation ... ".
Spew out of the Church, declaring someone a heretic, can only the Church itself, a legitimate court of their bishops. And who of us dare to anticipate the judgment of the Church? Every Orthodox Christian can say, and then only with great caution, that a certain brother has unorthodox ideas, erred in the faith, etc. But to call someone a heretic in the full sense of the word, only because it seemed to me that I find - it means to fall into pride, unforgivable arrogance, take the soul more than a sin of judging.
Only the Church itself, the legal court of its bishops, can spew out of the Church, declaring someone a heretic. And who among us dares to anticipate the judgment of the Church? Every Orthodox Christian can say, and then with great caution, that such and such a brother has non-Orthodox thoughts, sins in faith, etc. But to call someone a heretic in the full sense of the word, just because it seemed to me that I find it that way means to fall into pride, unpardonable self-conceit, to take a soul more than the sin of condemnation.
Under Metropolitan Anastasia, we, until very recently, to pray for the holy Orthodox patriarchs, although they were already Ecumenists and New Calendarists. When it happened important and sad event in the Orthodox world: all the local Churches finally joined the World Council of Churches. Metropolitan Anastasius did not hesitate. One of our church in the free world abandoned the ecumenical movement. What does this mean? So, without further ado and anathemas Free Russian Church firmly and resolutely condemned ecumenism, as the movement is not Orthodox! It elects its own path in Orthodoxy, the path is special, unique. Metropolitan Anastasius, not afraid to be alone on this path. And however brave old man does not tear anybody prayerful communion, does not declare any heretics, not hurling thunderbolts, but patience brings down fire to err.
Under Metropolitan Anastasia, we, until very recently, prayed for the most holy patriarchs of the Orthodox, although they were already ecumenists and new calendarists. Under him, an important and sad event occurred in the Orthodox world: all local Churches finally entered the World Council of Churches. Metropolitan Anastasius did not hesitate. Our Church alone in the free world has abandoned the ecumenical movement. What does it mean? It means that without unnecessary words and anathemas the Free Russian Church condemned firmly and resolutely Ecumenism, as the movement is not Orthodox! She chooses her own path in Orthodoxy, the path is special, the only one. Metropolitan Anastassy was not afraid to be lonely on this path. And yet the courageous old man does not tear up any prayerful communion with anyone, does not declare anyone a heretic, does not hurl thunder and lightning, but reduces the fire of patience to those who sin.
Interested in two letters to the Synod of Bishops of the Church, addressed the Greek Old Calendar Church, copies of which were sent at the time the Greek Archdiocese of America and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The two interesting letters of the Synod of Bishops of our Church addressed to the Church of the Greek Old Calendarists, copies of which were sent in due time to the Greek Archbishop of America and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
First Letter, Number of 3/50/1296 09/27/1961 as follows:
"Our Church is committed to the old calendar, and considers the introduction of a new calendar, a big mistake. Nevertheless, it was always a tactic to keep a spiritual communion with the Orthodox Churches which have adopted the new calendar on as to how they celebrate Easter according to the decision of the First Ecumenical Council. Our Church has never declared or the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Greek Archdiocese of North and South America schismatic and interrupted spiritual communion with them. "
“Our Church adheres to the old calendar and considers the introduction of a new calendar a big mistake. Nevertheless, her tactic was always to keep spiritual communion with the Orthodox Churches, which adopted the new calendar, as long as they celebrate Easter according to the decision of the First Ecumenical Council. Our Church has never declared the Ecumenical Patriarchate or the Greek Archdiocese of North and South America schismatic and has not interrupted spiritual communion with them. ”
It is not clear why the second letter in exactly one week, the number of 3/50/1443 03/10/1961 as follows:
"Our Church follows the old calendar and considers the introduction of a new calendar error. Nevertheless, according to the policy of the ever-memorable Patriarch Tikhon, we never interrupted spiritual communion with the canonical Church, which introduced a new calendar. "
It is not clear why the second letter exactly a week later, number 3/50/1443 of October 3, 1961: “Our Church adheres to the old calendar and considers the introduction of the new calendar to be a delusion. Nevertheless, according to the policy of ever-memorable Patriarch Tikhon, we never interrupted spiritual communion with the canonical Churches, in which the new calendar was introduced. ”
Metropolitan Anastasius the first time allow a new style in our Church for converts from the non-Orthodox. Since the late, revered by many as a righteous and ascetic of our time, Archbishop John takes in Western European Diocese of the Orthodox group the Dutch, who, taking advantage of the new calendar, existed in our church in '22 - not a short term. At the same time appeared in our new calendarists Church - Romanians. Archbishop John, not without the consent of the Metropolitan Anastasia, ordained together with the Romanian Metropolitan refugee in Paris, Romanian bishop Theophilus - New Calendarists than gave rise to the existence of the church in our new calendarist Romanian parishes. These parishes now report directly to our First Hierarch, every year, while in Europe, is in the Romanian Church in Paris, which took place this year on Sunday July 28th (15th by the old calendar). Moreover - raised the issue of the construction of a bishop of the Romanian archpriest of Paris, consciousness, on our part, in advance that the Romanians are now on the new style will not give up. After more than 50 years old Romanian Church lives according to the new calendar. Grew two new generation who do not know the old one.
For the first time, Metropolitan Anastassy admits a new style in our Church for converts from non-Orthodoxy. Thus, the late, revered by many as the righteous and ascetic of our time, Archbishop John accepts a group of Orthodox Dutch in the Western European Diocese, who, using the new calendar, have existed in our church for 22 years - not a small period. At the same time, the new pioneers, Romanians, appeared in our Church. Archbishop John, not without the consent of Metropolitan Anastasia, together with the Romanian metropolitan, ordained Romanian Bishop Theophilus, the neo-styler, a refugee in Paris, with the Romanian refugee, who gave birth to our new-born Romanian parishes in our church. These parishes are now directly subordinate to our First Hierarch, who every year, being in Europe, serves in the Romanian church in Paris, which took place this year on Sunday July 28th (15th old style). Moreover, a question was raised about the elevation of the Romanian archpriest from Paris to the bishop’s conscience, from our side, beforehand that the Romanians would not reject the new style. Indeed, for more than 50 years, the Romanian Church lives by the new calendar. Two new generations of not knowing the old have grown.
Under Metropolitan Anastasia was adopted in the Western European group of Orthodox Diocese of the French, led by Archpriest E. Kovalevsky - New Calendarists. Metropolitan Anastasius himself a long time sympathized with the construction of archpriest E. Kovalevsky bishop, but without showing any changes in terms of the calendar. Archbishop John with new calendarist bishop Theophilus Kovalevsky ordained bishop of San Denis. It is not our church erupted novostilnago Bishop John (monastic name prot E. Kovalevsky) of their bowels. He resigned from that church, which gave him the grace of episcopal ministry, for which he was tried and defrocked.
Under Metropolitan Anastasia, a group of Orthodox French was admitted to the West European Diocese, led by Archpriest E. Kovalevsky, a new sign. Metropolitan Anastasius himself for a long time sympathized with the construction of Archpriest E. Kovalevsky to the rank of bishop, without, however, presenting the conditions for changing the calendar. Archbishop John, together with the new stable Bishop Theophilus, ordained Kowalewski as bishop of San Denis. It was not our Church that spelled the new-stricken Bishop John (the monastic name, Archpriest E. Kovalevsky) out of its depths. He himself left the Church, which gave him the grace of episcopal service, for which he was tried and deprived of dignity.
Part of the flock of the unworthy hierarch remained faithful to our Church, and there is now within the boundaries of the Western European Diocese, as deanery headed by Archimandrite Ambrose - a Frenchman, who himself voluntarily and gradually transferred its French parishes in the old style, which was the result of our patience and indulgence to them.
A part of the flock of this unworthy hierarch remained faithful to our Church and now exists within the boundaries of the Western European Diocese, as a blessing led by Archimandrite Ambroise, a Frenchman who voluntarily and gradually translates his French parishes to the old style, which was the result of our patience and condescension to by him.
Metropolitan Anastasius, abandoning the ecumenical movement, willingly sends their Congress observers to witness the truth. Without hesitation, he sent observers of our Church and the Vatican Council. He took so with dignity, participation in the life of Catholics and Protestants, not being afraid, but not mixing but never the truth with falsehood, without putting yourself on an equal footing with non-Orthodox. He tried to throw in the movement of grain of truth. Although ecumenism in his time had already taken wide dimensions in the Orthodox world, Metropolitan does not take decisive action against it.
Metropolitan Anastasius, refusing the ecumenical movement, willingly sends his observers to their congress, to witness the truth. Without thinking, he sent observers from our Church and to the Vatican Council. He thus participated with dignity in the lives of Catholics and Protestants, not fearing, but also not mixing truth with falsehood, never putting himself in an equal position with the heterodox. He tried to throw grains of truth into this movement. And although ecumenism in its time had already taken on a wide scale in the Orthodox world, the metropolitan did not take decisive measures against it.
This makes the Cathedral of our bishops in 1971 with Metropolitan Filaret, declared heretical teachings of ecumenism, in terms of the Orthodox Church. However, far from the cathedral was thought to be considered heretics representatives of all the local Churches that are included in an ecumenical council. Metropolitan Filaret refers to the bishops of the Church of Christ with two mournful messages, which indicates the possibility of penetration of ideas in the Ecumenical Orthodox consciousness, points to wrong thoughts and statements of Patriarch Athenagoras, without naming anyone a heretic! Your Holiness, so he says to the patriarch of Constantinople.
This makes the council of our bishops in 1971 under Metropolitan Philaret, declaring ecumenism a heretical teaching, from the point of view of the Orthodox Church. However, the cathedral was far from thinking that representatives of all local Churches included in the Ecumenical Council would be considered heretics. Metropolitan Philaret addresses the episcopate of the Church of Christ with two mournful messages in which he points to the danger of ecumenical ideas penetrating the Orthodox consciousness, pointing out the wrong thoughts and sayings of Patriarch Athenagoras, not calling anyone a heretic! Your Holiness, this is how he addresses the Patriarch of Constantinople.
The attitude of our Church to the temptations of schism
The attitude of the Church to the temptations of the split
When Metropolitan Eulogius did not obey the decision of the Synod of Bishops in the affairs of his diocese, and that took a terrible sin to split his soul - the sin of church division. Nightmares were the years of church life in Western Europe. Many could not understand the complex situation of the Church, trusting Metropolitan Eulogius, followed him. Brother rose up against his brother, the division of the churches permeated family rodivshi mutual condemnation, amounting to hate. It was necessary to put an end to this confusion, bringing spiritual harm children of the Church, and Metropolitan Anthony reads the prayer over him and penitent, as he thought, a sinner returns grace of the priesthood. Knew no bounds love heart sostrazhduschey preacher of God's love for the sinner. However, this love that saved from destruction flock Metropolitan Eulogius not touched his heart and he remains in a break with the Synod of Bishops, continuing to obey the Patriarch of Constantinople.
When Metropolitan Eulogius did not obey the decision of the Synod of Bishops in the affairs of his diocese, and thus took the terrible sin of splitting into his soul - the sin of church division. Nightmares were these years of church life in Western Europe. Many could not understand the difficult church situation, trusting Metropolitan Eulogius, followed him. The brother rebelled against his brother, the separation from the churches penetrated into the family, giving birth to mutual condemnation, reaching hatred. It was necessary to put an end to this confusion, which brings spiritual harm to the children of the Church, and Metropolitan Anthony reads a prayer of permission over him and repent, as he thought, to return the grace of the priesthood to the sinner. The heart of a preacher of God's conciliating love for a sinner did not know the limits of love. However, this love, which saved Metropolitan Eulogius’s flock from destruction, did not touch his heart, and he remained at odds with the Synod of Bishops, continuing to submit to the Patriarch of Constantinople.
The illegality of this submission understood Metropolitans Anthony and Anastasius, but with Russian Exarchate of the Patriarch of Constantinople in Western Europe were reconciled, and after removal of the rebuke with Metropolitan Eulogius never prayerful communion with departed from us to the Greek is not interrupted, even to this day. All responsibility conferred on ahead of us, and slow to anger.
The metropolitan Anthony and Anastasius understood the illegality of this submission, but reconciled with the Russian Exarchate of the Constantinople Patriarch in Western Europe and, after the removal of the pardon from Metropolitan Eulogius, they never again prayerfully communicated with those who left us for the Greek, even to this day. All responsibility was laid on those who left us and were patient.
Meanwhile, after the last war, Metropolitan Eulogius of Constantinople goes under Moscow, where his flock, after the death of Metropolitan, returned to Constantinople, led by Metropolitan Vladimir. Upon their return, we will concelebrate with them, so you can cite many examples. Restrict ourselves to some: I am blessing of Archbishop John as his suffragan bishop consecrated bishops Methodius and Sylvester newly built church at nursing home in San Rafael (France). During the Vatican in Rome, almost every Sunday, served with me in our Church Bishop Kasian, the rector of the Theological Institute in Paris. Or anyone then and had no idea that this is unacceptable. Metropolitan Anastasius expressed pleasure when I learned that I, in the absence of European ruling Archbishop John, he resolved the issue, and having been invited, took part in the funeral of Metropolitan Vladimir. Encouraged by the late Archbishop John, our concelebration with representatives of the Greek Exarchate in France was done smoothly on our part
In the meantime, after the last war, Metropolitan Eulogius of Constantinople goes under Moscow, from where his flock, after the death of the Metropolitan, returns to Constantinople, led by Metropolitan Vladimir. Upon their return, we will work with them, to which many examples can be cited. We confine ourselves to some: I, with the blessing of Archbishop John, as his vicar bishop, consecrated with the bishops Methodius and Sylvester the newly built church at the old house in San Rafael (France). During the Vatican Council in Rome, almost every Sunday, Bishop Kasyan, the rector of the Theological Institute in Paris, served with me in our Church. No one then had the idea that this was unacceptable. Metropolitan Anastassy expressed pleasure when he learned that I, in the absence of the ruling Archbishop John from Europe, resolved the issue myself, and being invited, took part in the burial of Metropolitan Vladimir. Encouraged by the late Archbishop John, our co-service with representatives of the Greek Exarchate in France was carried out unhindered on our part.
.
But now, suddenly, the patriarch of Constantinople, renounces his Russian Exarchate in Western Europe, at the request of Moscow and indicates his former flock path subordination to the Moscow Patriarchate. Parisians this advice is not followed, but did not make less risky and dangerous step - declare themselves, neither more nor less than the Autocephalous Church of Western Europe. Greater literacy in canon law is difficult to imagine.
But now, unexpectedly, the patriarch of Constantinople refuses his Russian exarchate in Western Europe, at the request of Moscow, and indicates to his former flock the path of submission to the Moscow patriarchate. The Parisians do not follow this advice, but they take an equally risky and dangerous step - they declare themselves, no more, no less, as the autocephalous Church of Western Europe. Greater illiteracy in canon law is hard to imagine.
How it responds to Metropolitan Filaret? He refers to them as the saint of the Russian Church, with the exhortation, pointing to the illegality of their actions, calling them back to the free Russian Church and only.
How does Metropolitan Philaret react to this? He appeals to them, as the prelate of the Russian Church, with admonition, pointing out the lawlessness of their actions, calling them to return to the free Russian Church and only.
There comes a time, Parisians are not returned to us, and to the Greeks, not as a Russian Exarchate of the Patriarch of Constantinople, and, this time, just as part of the Greek Exarchate in Western Europe, subject to Greek Exarch in Paris - Archbishop Meletius. The Council of Bishops of the Church in 1971 makes a decision about the illegal accession Russian parishes, congregations, churches and property to the Greek exarchate, but the action does not take rebuke and break communion in prayer does not say.
The time comes, the Parisians do not return to us, but to the Greeks, not as the Russian Exarchate of the Patriarch of Constantinople, but this time simply as part of the Greek Exarchate in Western Europe, submitting to the Greek Exarch in Paris - Archbishop Meletius. The Bishops' Council of our Church of 1971 decides on the illegal accession of Russian parishes, congregations, churches and property to the Greek Exarchate, but does not take any punitive measures and does not speak of a break in prayer communion.
Measures with respect to rebuke us takes Archbishop George, Managing Russian Parishes Greek Exarchate in Western Europe, and, as far as we know, he decree prohibits its clergy to serve us, referring to the will of the patriarch of Constantinople. However concelebration in rare cases there are now: in the face of death, whether to reconcile everything, whether in children and youth summer camps, just to replace each other on our concelebrate require infrequent and not "our" clergy.
Archbishop Georgy, who governs the Russian parishes of the Greek Exarchate in Western Europe, takes measures against us and, as far as we know, he forbids his clergy from serving with us, citing the will of the Patriarch of Constantinople. However, in rare cases, concelebrations are now: in the face of death, everything reconciling, whether in children's and youthful summer camps, our and “not ours” clergymen will occasionally stand by replacing each other on demands.
In our time, the terrible persecution of the Church and the contingencies of church life, it is very difficult for someone to call a wholly schismatic, especially among the lower clergy and laity. After all, even the independent existence of the Russian Church is not provided fully canons. It is justified only by two facts: unprecedented persecution of the Church in Russia and the time of our independent existence. If you end the godless regime, if they stop the persecution of believers in the country, if restored religious freedom, the Russian Church Abroad will cease to exist, having merged with the Mother Church.
In our time, the terrible persecutions of the Church and the unforeseen circumstances of church life, it is very difficult for someone to be called one hundred percent dissenter, especially among the lower clergy and flock. After all, even the independent existence of a part of the Russian Church is not completely foreseen by canons. It is justified only by two facts: the unheard of persecutions of the Church in Russia and the temporality of our independent existence. If the god-fighting regime ends, if the persecution of believers at home ends, if religious freedom is restored, the Russian Church abroad will cease to exist, merging with the Mother Church.
Attitude to our Church of the local Orthodox Churches after the last war
Before the end of the last world war, was joined us freely with representatives of all the local Churches in the free world, even with switched over to the new style, and carried about ecumenism. Changing attitudes to us these churches began after the war, when the decrepit Patriarch Alexy was sent to the Soviet regime with visits to the patriarchs and heads of local Churches. Captivated by atheists deceived his fellow elder, suggesting to them that Russia is now supposedly everything changed for the better, that the Church is now free, thousands of worshipers filled with temples, etc. Perjury before the aged patriarch could not resist church officials. They recognized this Alexis, right ruling Patriarch of All Russia. He, in turn, asked them to suspend all prayerful communion with our Church as schismatic, unrecognized their lawful patriarch. At the time it was promised, we do not know. But we know that concelebration is not immediately stopped. So representative Patriarch of Constantinople Metropolitan Emilian stood me in the liturgy in our church in Geneva, after the visit of Patriarch Alexy. It was then, and for us and for the Greeks is perfectly acceptable.
Until the end of the last world war, we served freely with the representatives of all the local Churches in the free world, even with new ecumenism who had switched to a new style. The change in attitudes toward us of these Churches began after the war, when the decrepit Patriarch Alexy was sent by the Soviet authorities to visit the patriarchs and the heads of the local Churches. The old man, captivated by the atheists, deceived his brethren, suggesting to them that in Russia now everything was supposedly changed for the better, that the Church is now free, that thousands of worshipers fill churches, etc. The official representatives of the Churches could not resist the perjury of the elderly patriarch. They recognized Alexis as the present, the right of the ruling patriarch of all Russia. He, in turn, asked them all to interrupt their prayerful communion with our Church, as a schismatic, unrecognizing his legitimate patriarch. As far as it was promised, we do not know. We only know that the service did not immediately cease. So the representative of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Metropolitan Emilian, served me at the liturgy in our church in Geneva, after the visit of Patriarch Alexy. It was then both for us and for the Greeks is quite acceptable.
Indignant that no concelebration Metropolitan Anastasius, nor Archbishop John, the ruling in Western Europe, and the Moscow Patriarch, broke the terrible message to the Patriarch Athenagoras, demanding an end to concelebrate with us clergy of Constantinople Church. Only after that, the decision is not, I repeat our Church, and by the decree of Patriarch Athenagoras was banned Greeks serve us. Since then, around the time actually stopped our concelebration with officials of the local Churches. After all, these Churches, without exception, since the Rhodes Conference began to cooperate with the Patriarch of Moscow and his synod, declaring it officially, but not in all conscience, as the head of the Russian Church.
Neither Metropolitan Anastasius, nor Archbishop John, ruling in Western Europe, but the Moscow patriarch, who broke out in a formidable message to the patriarch Athenagoras, demanded that the clergy of the Constantinople Church stop us. Only after this, not by a decision, I repeat to our Church, but by the decree of the patriarch Athenagoras, the Greeks were forbidden to serve with us. From this time approximately, our concelebration with the official representatives of the local Churches actually stops. After all, all these Churches, without exception, since the Rhodes Conference began to cooperate with the Patriarch of Moscow and his synod, having recognized it officially, and not according to conscience, the head of the Russian Church.
We concelebration with officials were not looking and not looking. This gap is responsible and our relation to them. But our prayerful communion with the Orthodox Churches was not that completely interrupted. Firstly document about our excommunication from the universal unity of all the Churches adopted does not exist! When L-Gradskij Metropolitan Nicodemus demanded such a document from the representatives of the autocephalous churches on a pan-Orthodox meeting in Geneva, he had not. His request was ignored and passed over in silence church officials, suggesting that some of them we have not only enemies, but friends. Thus, the godless desires were not fulfilled. After all, most of the representatives of the Churches and the official (often silent fear of the Jews), and informal sympathize with our church, knowing that free her bishops, and therefore real, are we!
We did not seek and do not seek co-serving with official representatives. This gap responds to our attitude towards them. But our prayer communion with the Orthodox Churches was not completely interrupted by this. First of all, the document on our excommunication from the universal unity accepted by all the Churches does not exist! When Metropolitan Nicolas of L-grad demanded such a document from representatives of autocephalous churches at a pan-Orthodox meeting in Geneva, he did not receive it. His demand was passed over in silence and ignored by the official representatives of the Churches, which indicates that among them we have not only enemies, but also friends. Thus, the wishes of the godless men were not realized. After all, most of the representatives of the Churches and the official (often silent fear for the sake of the Jews), and the unofficial sympathize with our Church, realizing that we are the free bishops, and therefore real, we are!
Attitude of our Church to Representatives of Local Churches
I think I feel, I confess that we should rejoice in the manifestation of goodwill to our Church in the Orthodox world. We need to understand that many of the children of the local Churches are pinning their hopes and trust in our Church. We are required to maintain contact with them and enjoy those rare now, perhaps our prayerful communion.
I think, I feel, I confess that we should rejoice at the manifestation of goodwill towards our Church in the Orthodox world. We must understand that many of the children of the local Churches are placing hope and hope in our Church. We are obliged to maintain contact with them and rejoice at the very rare possibilities of our prayer fellowship.
After all, the unity of the Church is not an empty phrase, not idle words, it is the nature and the basis of it. Following the example of our First Hierarchs, and we should cherish the delicate threads that bind us to the Orthodox world.
After all, the unity of the Church is not an empty phrase, not idle words, it is nature and its foundation. Following the example of our first hierarchs, and we must carefully preserve the thin threads that we are connected with the Orthodox world.
In any case we should not isolate ourselves, seeing around them, often imaginary, heretics and schismatics. Gradual self-isolation, we fall into that extreme, which is so wisely avoided our metropolitans, we abandon that medium, the royal way, which still was our church, we will cut off a branch of the church, not the church, which broadcasts the truth freely and without fear!
In no case should we isolate ourselves, seeing around us, often imaginary, heretics and schismatics. By gradual self-isolation, we fall into the extreme that our metropolitans so wisely avoided, we will abandon the middle, royal path that our Church has hitherto walked, we will be a cut off branch of the church, and not the Church, broadcasting the truth freely and fearlessly!
Samoizoliruyas, we will be on the path of sectarian, afraid of everyone and everything, we can be obsessed with delusions of persecution, we will lose the last friends in the Orthodox world! But that would be on this path, we have to first give up the last of our church and to condemn it.
By the grace of God, we are far from such a temptation, but such sentiments are felt in our midst. Discretion is the basic Christian virtue. Indeed, in each local church, but her officials often unfree and dependent complex everyday and political circumstances, there is the very body of the Church - the pious, God-fearing pastors and lay people, those who have saved for example the Church of Constantinople, when the official representatives signed the Florentine union with Rome . How much can thank God for these living Orthodox forces in each local church, the true children of it, and woe to us if we do not see these forces and nechuvstvuem if we are willing to break with them happen are prayerful communication, unity in Christ, for the sake of their sins may be unworthy now officials.
By self-isolating, we will take the sectarian path, fearing everything and everyone, we will be obsessed with persecution delusions, lose our last friends in the Orthodox world! But in order to take this path, we will first have to abandon the past of our church and condemn it.
By the grace of God we are far from such temptation, but such sentiments are felt in our midst. Prudence is the main Christian virtue. Indeed, in every local church, apart from its official representatives, often unfree and dependent on complex everyday and political circumstances, there is the body of the Church itself — pious pastors and God-fearing laity, for example, who saved the Church of Constantinople, when its official representatives signed Florentine union with Rome . How much more glory to God these living Orthodox forces in each local Church, its true children, and woe to us if we do not see these forces and feel them, if we are ready to break with them a prayer connection, unity in Christ, for the sake of their unworthy ones currently official representatives.
In the Serbian Orthodox Church on guard forces should now known throughout the Orthodox world, the Orthodox Archimandrite Justin (Popovich). He raised his voice against the long hobbies ecumenism, denounced the movement in his recent book "The Orthodox Church and Ecumenism." He even denounced the Serbian hierarchs in solid standing in the Orthodox Church. And when the patriarch of the Serbian Herman was one of the chairmen of the Ecumenical Council that made this defender of Orthodoxy? He acts also as a revered them our Metropolitans Anthony and Anastasius, he did not break communion in prayer with their patriarch, he has not declared a heretic or schismatic one, he continues to obey the hierarchy of his Church and remember for the devotions of his patriarch. Why? After a split in the Serbian Orthodox Church, he could inflict. Archimandrite Justin trained an entire generation of loyal learned monks, who follow him without question, for whom would go and part of the flock. But Justin does not, as the unity of the Church for him is not just empty words, because he understands that the split in the Church a greater sin than hesitation and incertitude in the faith even bishops of the Church. Infallible bishops we have, and the vacillating, misguided, cowardly yet belong to the Church, as Christ did not come to the healthy and the sick, why he endured to the end, among the apostles and Judas at the Last Supper did not interrupt him communion in prayer, communion unworthy .
In the Serbian Church, the guardians of the Orthodox forces, now known to the entire Orthodox world, stands the Orthodox Archimandrite Justin (Popovich). He had long ago raised his voice against the enthusiasm for ecumenism, exposed this movement in the recently published book “The Orthodox Church and Ecumenism”. He even denounced the Serbian hierarchs in unsteady standing in Orthodoxy. And when Patriarch Herman of Serbia became one of the chairmen of the Ecumenical Council, what did this defender of Orthodoxy do? He does the same as our metropolitan Anthony and Anastasius revered by him, he did not break up prayerful communion with his patriarch, he did not declare anyone a heretic or a schismatic, he continues to submit to the priesthood of his Church and commemorate his services to the patriarch. Why? After all, the split in the Serbian Church, he could make. Archimandrite Justin raised a whole generation of faithful monks to him, who followed him implicitly, followed by a part of the flock. But Father Justin does not do this, since the unity of the Church is not empty words for him, since he understands that schism in the Church is more sin than hesitation and insecurity in the faith even of the Church’s hierarchs. We do not have infallible hierarchs, but those who waver, erroneous, cowardly still belong to the Church, since Christ did not come to healthy, but sick, why he endured Jude to the end among the apostles and did not interrupt prayer communion with him, communing the unworthy .
In this age of vibrations and shocks and all kinds of errors, some of jealousy fall into dangerous extreme, an alien from the beginning of the Church, as I have tried to show, in his report, there are ready to see your neighbor at the first suspicion of ready malicious heretic or schismatic harmful , thus arousing a bad feel to them, instead of love and indulgence, and at the same time indulge themselves, unwittingly, in pride, not less harmful than the fluctuations in the faith for the human soul. Such a sad example we see in Geneva in the face of decent priest V. Saccas for which the Synod of Bishops and our already insufficient orthodoxy and obedience to him is optional. This is not the orthodoxy and sectarianism!
In our age of hesitation and delusion and all sorts of upheavals, some of jealousy fall into a dangerous extreme, alien from the beginning of our Church, as I tried to show in my report, they are ready to see in their neighbor, at first suspicion, of a malicious heretic or a harmful schismatic thus arousing in them bad feelings towards them, instead of love and condescension, and at the same time falling into oneself, imperceptibly for oneself, into pride that is no less harmful than fluctuations in faith for the human soul. We see such a sad example in Geneva in the face of a good priest V. Sakkas, for whom even our Synod of Bishops is not enough Orthodox and submission to it is not necessary. This is not Orthodoxy, but sectarianism!
What is important for us - the Church itself and the living forces in, or temporary, can be unworthy of its officials? For the sake of the past will surely break with the Church of Christ, in which the majority feels the same way as we do, in which breathing, despite our unworthiness, the Holy Spirit? Yes whom we punish this? After all, only themselves!
What is important for us - the Church itself and the living forces in it or temporary, perhaps unworthy, its official representatives? For the sake of the latter, are we really going to break with the Church of Christ, in which the majority thinks the same way as we do, in which the Holy Spirit breathes, in spite of our unworthiness? But who will we punish with this? After all, only themselves!
So, if it were not in the modern world of our Church:
1) would not be in it only free of the Church, still invulnerable to evil forces;
2) would not be in the world of free voice of the Church that is likely to speak fearlessly on behalf of the Church;
3) there would not be a reliable and quiet sanctuary of the church to the children of her true Orthodox;
4) would not be in the free world only Church not included in the World Council of Churches;
5) would not be the Church, revealing the Soviet deception, which is modern Moscow Patriarchate, as the Russian Church;
6) would not be the Church openly talking about the martyrs of our time and openly celebrate them;
7) without our church it is possible that the Orthodox world mired deeper in to modernism;
8) without our Church the free world would soon succumb to the propaganda of communism.
That is why our Church is so necessary this unto the world.
1) there would not be in it the only free Church, invulnerable until now for evil forces;
2) there would not be a free church voice in the world that can speak fearlessly on behalf of the Church;
3) there would not be a reliable and quiet refuge of the church for its truly Orthodox sons;
4) there would not be in the free world a single Church that did not join the World Council of Churches;
5) there would be no Church exposing the Soviet deception, representing the modern Moscow patriarchate as the Russian Church;
6) there would be no Church openly talking about the martyrs of our time and openly glorifying them;
7) without our Church, it is possible that the Orthodox world would sink deeper into modernism;
8) without our Church, the free world would rather succumb to the propaganda of communism.
That is why our Church is so necessary to this world.
Our Church and Russia
The meaning of our existence abroad was to preserve Orthodoxy, continuity ordination of hierarchs of the Russian Church, the preservation and education of our youth, and Russian Orthodox. Only our Church has never and under no circumstances and under no circumstances did not refuse the name "Russian"! Never our Church is not looking for others to give themselves Omophorion supposedly more laws outside of Russia. We have always been and remain the children of the free part of the Russian Church and the Russian Church Abroad. If we did not accept for themselves, if you do not recognize the legitimacy of our existence, we are not bothered. We were sure that in this case worse by the fact that we do not recognize. The late Bishop Methodius Archdiocese of Paris went to the Holy Land like and get it right from the patriarch of serving as a bishop of the Greek Church. We - Russian serve not given, but we do not repainted and remained Russian, carrying all-Russian cross.
The meaning of our existence abroad was the preservation of Orthodoxy, the preservation of the continuity of ordination from the saints of the Russian Church, the preservation and upbringing of our youth by Orthodox and Russians. Only our Church has never, under any circumstances and under any circumstances, refused on behalf of the “Russian”! Our Church has never looked for foreign homophores to impart to itself supposedly greater legitimacy outside of Russia. We have always been and remain children of the free part of the Russian Church or the Russian Church abroad. If we were not recognized as such, if we did not recognize the legitimacy of our existence, it did not bother us. We were sure that in this case it is worse for those who do not recognize us. The late Bishop Methodius from the Parisian Archdiocese, for example, traveled to the Holy Land and received the right to serve there from the patriarch, as the bishop of the Greek Church. We were not allowed to serve the Russians, but we did not repaint and remained Russians, carrying the All-Russian cross.
And, now we are facing a resurgent Russia. Is gradual what we were waiting for so many years, in the name of what we have worked and lived. Russia wakes up. Talking the best people in the homeland. Perplexed, the Soviet government, not daring to deal with them at home, throws them abroad.
And so, now we are facing a resurgent Russia. Gradually, what we have been waiting for, for the sake of which we have worked and lived, takes place. Russia is awakening. The best people in their homeland spoke. The embarrassed Soviet government, not daring to crack down on them, throws them abroad.
In the free world were great Russian writers. Than they affect us? Not only for his talent, not only the courage they had shown in the USSR, but mainly to the fact that they have declared themselves first of all Orthodox Christians. After all, they were brought up during the Soviet era, Soviet finishing school, and came out of the Soviet Union not only Christian believers, but convinced Christians Orthodox. How not to agree with the poet that Russia can only believe? And most of them are AI Solzhenitsyn, in a conversation with me said that the salvation of Russia is impossible without the Church, and that it can happen only universal repentance. We have heard it from the mouth of the Soviet school student, an officer of the Red Army, long-term prisoner in Soviet camps. Is not it a miracle? But what most struck by Solzhenitsyn in the free world - our church separation. Not condemning anyone, he had difficulty trying to understand why we are living in the free world, in the face of Russian tragedy, the church split? After all, this would not be surprised one Solzhenitsyn. For us he is the best voice for the people of Russia. It is the voice of there! And listening to this voice, we must first apply to the cathedral with the fraternal appeal for unity in the name of the long-suffering Russian Church and the Russian people, to the American Metropolia and the Archdiocese of Paris. If we are Russian Church, we should do it, it is our duty! Let us again do not understand, let them once again laugh at us, we should not be afraid of it. After all, Christ over laughing! If we belong to Christ, if we are Russian, then we should not be afraid of anything in this world. Our most free church must speak the truth, must call for unity, for the service of Russia. In this way we justify our Russian name, his stay abroad. We must not repel, and attract, not to be afraid, and to boldly go forward, not to break, and connect!
In the free world were great Russian writers. What do they amaze us with? Not only by their talent, not only by the courage they showed in the USSR, but mainly by the fact that they first of all declared themselves Orthodox Christians. After all, they were brought up under Soviet rule, graduated from Soviet schools, and left the Soviet Union not only believing Christians, but convinced Orthodox Christians. How not to agree with the poet that one can only believe in Russia? And the greatest of them is A.I. Solzhenitsyn, in conversation with me, declares that the salvation of Russia is impossible without the Church and that it can happen only by universal repentance. We hear this from the mouth of a student of the Soviet school, an officer of the Red Army, a long-term prisoner of the Soviet camps. Isn't it a miracle? What impressed Solzhenitsyn most of all in the free world was our church divisions. Without condemning anyone, he struggled to understand why we, living in the free world, in the face of the Russian tragedy, were divided into church? After all, it will not be Solzhenitsyn alone who will be surprised. He is for us the expression of the opinions of the best people of Russia. This is the voice from there! And listening to this voice, we must first of all from this council make a fraternal appeal to unity, in the name of the long-suffering Russian Church and the Russian people, to the American Metropolis and to the Paris Archdiocese. If we are the Russian Church, we must do it, it is our duty! Let us not understand again, let them laugh at us again, we should not be afraid of this. After all, they laughed at Christ! If we are Christ, if we are Russian, then we should not be afraid of anything in this world. Our freest Church should speak the truth, should call for unity, for the service of Russia. By this we justify our Russian name, our stay abroad. We should not push away, but attract, not be afraid, but boldly go forward, not break, but connect!
Stay out of our Russia, we talked about how we want to save Russia that we are working to rescue her. And now that has a real opportunity for us to do something for Russia, for the salvation of our country from the godless cruel nightmare, we are doing so little! We have double, triple, tenfold their strength to help our suffering people and believers in the homeland. Indeed, although there would be transfer of literature - has become a real fact. Sailors in all ports of the world, where people come to Russian ships, snapping the book, ask Solzhenitsyn's books. The letters from there we get the answers from different parts of Russia. There is a living link with the motherland, the Iron Curtain collapsed! And all of us to be idle and on their own personal affairs do not see anything. With regard to Russia's assistance work for us, individuals and even groups of people, but what they are doing is just a drop in the sea. It is necessary to organize work everywhere, it is necessary to publish literature, should be joint efforts to seek ways to send her home. We in Europe in this respect works "Orthodox Case", help him!
All the time of our stay outside of Russia, we said that we want to save Russia, that we are working to save it. And now, when there is a real opportunity for us to do something for Russia, to save our country from a godless cruel nightmare, we do so little! We must double, treble, double our strength to help our long-suffering people and believers in their homeland. After all, at least the transfer of literature there - has become a real fact. Sailors in all ports of the world, where Russian ships come, snatch books, ask for books of Solzhenitsyn. To letters from there we get answers from different parts of Russia. There is a live connection with the homeland, the iron curtain has collapsed! And we all stay in inaction, and we see nothing further than our personal affairs. With regard to helping Russia, we have individuals and even groups of individuals, but what they do is drop in the ocean. It is necessary to organize work everywhere, it is necessary to print literature, it is necessary by common efforts to look for ways to send it home. The “Orthodox Work” works in Europe in this respect, help him!
After care home - it is a living work, which can inspire and youth. Can and should be! Otherwise, how to educate our young Russian? After working for Russia to make them real, not abstract, Russian! Hence
After all, help to the motherland is a living work for which young people can be attracted. Can and should! Otherwise, how to educate our young Russian? After all, work for Russia will make them real, and not abstract, Russian! From here
We owe it to the Church and the Homeland
Our duty to the Church and the Motherland
1) Keep the purity of Orthodoxy, cutting off all the temptations of atheism and modernism. In other words, the courage to follow the path, which is inscribed on the tablets of our Church.
2) Be brave and the free voice of the Church of Christ, uncompromisingly tell the truth and the truth that have done so far, our First Hierarchs.
3) Using the freedom to condescend to the lack of freedom of others, trying not to judge them is easy, but to understand, support, show brotherly love.
4) Protect and cherish the unity of the church, feeling a part of the universal Church of Christ alive and worthy to bear it in the banner of the Russian Church.
5) Avoid where you can isolate themselves, and for the spirit of the Church unites, rather than divides. Do not look for heretics, where they can be and not being afraid of exaggeration in this direction.
6) To call us separated from the Russian Orthodox people and their pastors to unity. Call not rebuke, and brotherly love in the name of the suffering of the Russian Church and the long-suffering country.
7) turn to face the resurgent Russia, stretch her a helping hand where we can!
† Archbishop Anthony of Geneva and Western Europe
Jordanville, 1974
Our duty to the Church and the Motherland
1) Keep the purity of Orthodoxy, cutting off all the temptations of godlessness and modernism. In other words, it is courageous to follow the path that is inscribed on the tablets of our Church.
2) To be the courageous and free voice of the Church of Christ, uncompromisingly speak the truth and the truth that our First Hierarchs have done up to now.
3) Taking advantage of the freedom to condescend to the unfreedom of others, trying not to condemn them easily, but to understand, support, show brotherly love.
4) To cherish and cherish church unity, feeling oneself a part of the living universal Church of Christ and adequately carry in it the banner of the Russian Church.
5) Avoid self-isolation where possible, for the spirit of the Church is unifying, not divisive. Do not look for heretics where they may not be, fearing any exaggeration in this direction.
6) To call the Russian Orthodox people who have separated from us and their pastors to unity. To call not by precepts, but by brotherly love in the name of the suffering Russian Church and the long-suffering homeland.
7) Turn your face to a resurgent Russia, lend a helping hand to her where it is in our power!
Archbishop ANTONI (Bartoshevich)
Report at the III All-Diaspora Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia,
Jordanville, 1974
original Russian posted here for future improvements on the machine translation
Наша Церковь в современном мiре
(Доклад на III Всезарубежном Соборе – 1974 г.)
«Милости хочу, а не жертвы»
Мне хочется сегодня выявить главные особенности Русской Церкви за границей, существующей САМОСТОЯТЕЛЬНО, более полувека, для того, чтобы: 1) понять все значение ее для современного мира; 2) понять важность настоящего собора; 3) понять ответственность лежащую на каждом из нас, его участниках; 4) сделать вывод о том, к чему принадлежность к нашей Церкви нас обязывает.
В начале нашего века, Церковь Христову ожидали страшные гонения и потрясения, предвиденные многими праведниками и прозорливцами, в том числе и святым Иоанном Кронштадтским. Но прежде чем, попущением Божиим, диавол обрушил свою злобу на чад Церкви, Господь выводит из России, объятой безумием безбожия, часть Русской Церкви. Эта русская Церковь за границей своей родины стала необычным церковным Телом, но исключительность момента требовала исключительных мер.
Диавол и на этот раз, собирая все силы для уничтожения Церкви, повел атаку против нее двумя путями одновременно: беспощадными гонениями со стороны открытых безбожников и ложью, облеченную в тогу современного модернизма – приспособления жизни Церкви – царства Духа Святого, царства не от мiра сего – к жизни грешного мира, на основе огреховленного человеческого разума.
Энергия лжи и безбожия, давно накопляемая в мире, как страшная разорвавшаяся бомба, потрясла основы Церкви. Полились потоки мученической крови, обильную жатву пожал диавол – падали, как зрелые колосья на поле, мученики и исповедники христовы, разрушены миллионы церквей, осквернены христианские святыни. Нашлись Иуды предатели в самой Церкви, которые оказывая услугу диаволу, начали разлагать ее изнутри, потрясая ее хулой на Духа Святого, отступлением от истины, чуждыми нововведениями и т.д.
Сила взрыва, открывшегося в русской революции, на этот раз была максимальна и страшная детонация его отозвалась во всем мире. От нажима злых сил и совне и изнутри немногие иерархи в России пошли на компромисс с диаволом, в свободном же мире многие были захвачены в сети малодушия, модернизма, готовности угождать сильным мира сего.
Диавол действовал не только через безбожников советского правительства. Нашлись помощники ему и в других правительствах, то были если не открытые богоборцы, то скрытые враги Церкви.
Ведь каждая поместная православная Церковь связана с правительством своей страны, с территорией своего народа. Вот почему гонители и враги Церкви, через правителей, могут давить на чад Церкви. За примерами ходить далеко не надо. На наших глазах в Греции гражданские власти убрали без всяких разговоров, истинно-православного архиепископа Хризостома, главу Элладской Церкви и на его место поставили послушного им архиепископа Иеронима. В угоду правителям последний тотчас же стал на путь экуменизма. Теперь и его убрали... главою же стал архиепископ Серафим, на долго ли? А что же Церковь? Церковь молчит и подчиняется! Если так в стране где правители признают себя православными христианами, то что говорить о коммунистических правительствах?
Вот почему в наше трудное время, Господу, верим мы, понадобилось особое церковное Тело – наша Церковь русская за границей, не связанная с территорией русского народа и безбожным советским правительством ею ныне управляемым. Другими словами Церковь ЗАРУБЕЖНАЯ. Только такая Церковь может быть свободной в наше лукавое время. Она покрыла мрежею своих храмов, деятельностью своих пастырей почти все страны свободного мира, включая даже территории поместных автокефальных Церквей.
Находясь на территории многих государств Русская Церковь вне своего отечества стала как бы НЕУЯЗВИМА ДЛЯ ЗЛЫХ СИЛ! Ибо если бы, не от чего мы не можем быть гарантированными, в какой ни будь стране местные власти и оказали ба давление на представителей наших епархий и приходов, принуждая их силою, к действиям или высказываниям не согласным с учением Церкви, то в других странах наши иерархи остаются свободными для свидетельства Истины. Наши первоиерархи в случае надобности, свободно меняют местожительство, не будучи связаны с территорией или городом, так например: Сремские Карловцы в Югославии, Мюнхен в Германии, а теперь Нью-Йорк – были резиденциями наших митрополитов.
Таким образом, основная особенность нашей Церкви – это ее свобода, ее неуязвимость врагами (относительно конечно, как все относительно в нашем мiре).
В этом отношении она стоит на первом месте среди поместных православных Церквей нашего времени. Наша Церковь может свободно и открыто говорить то, о чем иерархи других православных Церквей молчат, страха ради иудейского.
Вот пример этому: недавно патриарх Александрийский Николай, в интервью с журналистом, высказался православно об экуменизме, поставив все точки над «и» в этом вопросе. Каковы же были последствия? Прежде всего на это неодобрительно реагировал журнал Константинопольской патриархии издающийся в Женеве, в котором, к позору нас, православных, было написано, что вряд ли патриарх Николай откажется от участия в экуменическом движении в виду того, что он получает от экуменического Совета 12.000 долларов на устройство типографии в Александрии. Так оно и вышло. Было опубликовано заявление какого-то профессора, который отрекся, от имени патриарха, от того, что сказал последний. Отрекся профессор, после чего мнения патриарха мы больше не слыхали. Почему? Что это значит? Что же думает патриарх? Очевидно существуют силы, которые способны заставить его молчать. Не прискорбно ли это? С нашими первоиерархами до сих пор такого не случалось. Даст Бог и не случится!
Нам больше дано, с нас больше и спросится. Благодаря, дарованной Богом нашей Церкви, свободе, мы поставлены на свещнице, чтобы вещать истину и правду. Какая страшная ответственность лежит на каждом из нас!
Кроме нашей Церкви, в открытую борьбу с врагом нашего спасения мужественно вступили: катакомбная, в советском союзе, часть Русской Церкви – истинно православная Церковь и часть Элладской Церкви – греческие старостильники. Но они не имеют того, что в изобилии имеем мы – т.е свободы. Пред мужеством этих мучеников и исповедников теснимых и гонимых, а в советском союзе просто физически уничтожаемых, правительствами, мы преклоняемся с благоговением. Мы знаем, что на них почивает благодать Божия, но на них лежит меньше ответственности перед миром, чем на нас, пользующихся свободою и живущих в этом мире. Вот почему о них мы сейчас говорить не будем.
Ведь только наша Церковь во всеуслышание говорит о современных мучениках и исповедниках правды Христовой, только наша Церковь говорит от имени гонимых за Христа и свидетельствует свое единство с ними. Только наша Церковь среди автокефальных православных Церквей не стала членом Экуменического Совета, что легко могла бы сделать. Только наша Церковь повсеместно свидетельствует о том, что плененная безбожниками Московская Патриархия наших дней не есть голос Русской Церкви. Только она, в то время как официальные представители поместных Церквей молчат или поддаются на соблазн. Разве это не ставит нашу Церковь во главу угла Церкви Христовой?
Это вторая особенность нашей Церкви – она является бесстрашным свидетелем истины и правды Божией в современном мире, благодаря своей свободе. Этот долг свой наши первоиерархи всегда исполняли, по мере сил и возможностей.
Чада каждой поместной Церкви являются обычно детьми одного народа, живущими на территории одного государства. Часть Русской Церкви, разбросанной во всем мире, сразу стала привлекать к вере православной представителей разных народов, разных верований. Пополняя наши ряды, эти новообращенные являются иногда более ревностными христианами, чем мы сами. В нашей Церкви они ценят ее твердое стояние в истине, ее бескомпромиссный путь, что положил основание нашей Церкви создатель ее – православнейший иерарх со вселенским признанием и авторитетом – блаженнейший митрополит Киевский и Галицкий Антоний. Ореол этого вселенского святителя, многогранность, многонародность и многоязычие в прославлении Творца, дали нашей Церкви, да не заподозрит кто нас в гордости, необычный характер, как бы «вселенской Церкви».
Это третья особенность нашей Церкви – ее вселенско-миссионерское значение.
Таковой она была признана по началу всеми поместными Церквами. Даже на своих территориях патриархи и главы Церквей допустили существование епархий, приходов, церквей и верующих Русской Церкви. Больше других в этом отношении сделала Сербская Церковь, принявшая с братской любовью и митрополита Антония и Архиерейский Синод нашей Церкви и давшая таким образом возможности русским архиереям управлять русской паствою во всем мире. На территории Сербской Церкви собирались Соборы наших иерархов, здесь же происходили два исторических Собора с клиром и мирянами 1921 и 1938 годов. Русская Церковь и русские люди будут всегда благодарны братской Сербской Церкви и сербскому народу за сердечное гостеприимство. Единодушны по началу с Сербской Церковью были и все поместные Церкви, стараясь всеми силами поддержать и помочь существованию в новых условиях свободной Русской Церкви.
Рожденная в страшном горниле испытания, пережившая кровавую драму своего народа, ужасы безбожной революции, наша Церковь вынесла из России опыт того, что плохо понимали представители Церквей, жившие еще благополучно в свободном от коммунизма мире и державшиеся за блага его. Дух мученичества, образ изгнанников, чудом сохранивших свою жизнь, потерявших все на родине, понявших тщету земного, вот что пронесла Русская Церковь православному миру. Мы были приняты в семью православных Церквей, как братья мучеников, как изгнанники правды ради, как гонимые и пострадавшие от рук явных безбожников. В этом отношении, русские изгнанники стояли тогда духовно выше своих братьев в свободном мире.
Такой образ нашей Церкви и вселенский авторитет создателя и главы ее – митрополита Антония, бывшего самым православным, самым благочестивым, самым почитаемым и выдающимся иерархом нашего времени, создало и укрепило авторитет нашей Церкви в православном мире.
Четвертой особенностью нашей Церкви является то, что она часто бывала моральной поддержкой и авторитетом для чад других Церквей.
Весь православный мир был уже отчасти потрясен детонацией того, что произошло в России. Вот иуды, предатели в СССР создают так называемую «живую церковь», по требованию и под давлением советской власти, для разрушения Церкви изнутри. Почти одновременно в свободном мире действует патриарх Константинопольский Мелетий IV. Он созывает на святой Афонской горе совещание всех поместных Церквей в 1923 году. На призыв его отозвались только пять Церквей. Совещание вылилось в так называемый теперь конгресс, на котором патриарх Мелетий предложил провести в церковную жизнь целый ряд реформ, как то: женатый епископат, второй брак для вдовых священников, сокращение богослужений и постов, упрощение священнических одежд, новый календарь и т.д. Этот конгресс оставил пагубный след в жизни некоторых Церквей, и является началом модернизма в православии.
Кто протестует против таких настроений? Митрополит Антоний – его представитель в Константинополе архиепископ (впоследствии митрополит) Анастасий опротестовал перед патриархом предполагавшиеся реформы и, во имя Русской Церкви, указал на пагубность и опасность их. Однако в столице бывшей Византии голосу его не вняли.
Таким образом Русская Церковь за границей с момента своего существования подняла меч духовный с одной стороны против воинствующего безбожия, с другой – против открытого и потерявшего стыд модернизма. Надо было воевать на два фронта, надо было решить какое оружие употребить, чтобы не уподобиться апостолам, которые хотели снизвести огонь с неба, чтобы попалить и уничтожить врагов Христовых, и которым Спаситель с укором сказал: не знаете какого вы духа! Но глава нашей Церкви митрополит Антоний знал какого он духа и, как истинный пастырь Церкви Христовой, а не как книжники и фарисеи нашего времени, указал нашей Церкви средний, царский путь, вооружившись на этом пути мечем истины и огнем любви и милосердия. Этот путь, которым следует Русская свободная Церковь, вот уже более пятидесяти лет, и есть сущность ее, делающая ее столь необходимой для колеблющегося в разные стороны православного мира. Милостью Божиею наша Церковь никогда не сбивалась с этого пути, и не дай Боже потерять его, чтобы не обуять нам, как соль потерявшая силу, чтобы не изменить нам тому к чему мы призваны!
Пятой особенность нашей Церкви является ее прямой путь, путь Истины и милосердия.
Повторим: особенностями свободной Русской Церкви, которые ставят ее морально и духовно во главу угла православного мира, являются: 1) дарованная ей Богом свобода, неуязвимость ее для врагов; 2) вытекающее из свободы ее бесстрашие и свидетельство Истины; 3) ее вселенско-миссионерский характер; 4) ее долг быть моральной поддержкой и авторитетом для православных чад Церкви и 5) ее твердый и бескомпромиссный путь истины и милосердия.
Отношение нашей Церкви к обману советской власти
После неудачной попытки с «живой церковью», непризнанной ни народом, ни свободным миром за русскую Церковь, советская власть порабощает волю митрополита Сергия и создает современную «московскую патриархию», необходимую ей для борьбы с Церковью, для прикрытия, как ширмою истинных намерений своих – т.е. полную ликвидацию Церкви. Для подобного обмана свободного мира, необходимо было советской власти, чтобы все признали «московскую патриархию» за истинную Русскую Церковь.
С Русской Церковью на родине митрополит Антоний продолжал поддерживать духовную связь, чувствуя себя возглавителем лишь части ее. Несмотря на то, что святейший патриарх Тихон находился в красной Москве, что между Русской Церковью, объятой пожаром безбожного безумия, России и между частью ее оказавшейся за границей, опустился железный занавес, мы молились за патриарха Тихона до самой его смерти в 1925 году. Потом мы молились за его заместителя – местоблюстителя патриаршего престола - митрополита Петра, то же до смерти его.
Порвал митрополит Антоний с московской патриархией, только после всем известной декларации митрополита Сергия, так как с этого момента московская патриархия перестала представлять собою Русскую Церковь. Порвав с созданной советской властью видимостью Церкви, он мудро отсек коммунистический обман и о нем предупредил глав всех поместных Церквей. Обман полностью не удался.
Владыка митрополит Филарет мудро предвидел и другой обман той же власти. Дарование якобы Русской Церковью автокефалии американской митрополии, отделившейся от нашей Церкви после последней войны. Не дремал меч служителя Божия и в послании к иерархам и пастве митрополии митрополит Филарет разоблачает новый обман, говоря, что автокефалия будет получена не от Церкви, а от безбожной власти и в интересах последней. Так оно и вышло, в чем теперь все могут убедиться. Но автокефалия все же была принята, после чего епископы нашей Церкви на Соборе 1971 года прерывают молитвенное общение с представителями этой, так называемой, автокефалии. Ее не признают не только наша Церковь, но и все поместные Церкви свободного мира.
Но враг не дремлет. Советской властью придуман еще обман. Несколько раз уже она обращалась, через плененных ею иерархов, от их имени, к чадам нашей Церкви, с призывом вернуться в объятия «Матери Церкви»,
Обеспечивая этим якобы каноничность нашего положения за рубежом, обещая и другие блага этого мира. С таким посланием обратился и ныне патриарх Пимен к пастырям и чадам нашей Церкви. За ширмой, этих якобы братских призывов, таятся истинные намерения безбожной власти, как-то: лишить нашу Церковь свободы, подчинив ее несвободному патриарху, заставить ее молчать, предать Истину, отказаться таким образом от миссии, возложенной на нее Господом.
На это последнее послание ответил с достоинством и предельно ясно первоиерарх митрополит Филарет, сказав, что наша Церковь, как свободная часть Русской Церкви, твердо стоит на канонической основе... и не намерена отказываться от своей свободы. Пользуясь ею, мы обязаны громко возвещать всему миру о преследованиях религии в СССР». Вряд ли кто пойдет и на этот обман советской власти!
Каждый раз на пути советских ухищрений стоит наша Церковь, - свободная часть Русской Церкви. Вот почему столько злобы и ненависти против нее, столько явных и тайных наемных агентов Москвы.
Отношение нашей Церкви к соблазнам модернизма
Оказавшись за границей своей родины, митрополит Антоний поднял меч истины одновременно и против модернизации Церкви в СССР – создания так называемой «живой церкви» и того же модернизма в свободном мире, выявившемся на конгрессе 1923 года, о котором я уже говорил. Ведь предполагаемые и принятые реформы там и тут были почти одни и те же! Обман модернизма полностью не удастся и только несколько Церквей по началу переходят на новый стиль, отвергнутый большинством.
Не принявший решительно новый стиль для православной Церкви, митрополит Антоний не уклонился в другую крайность и меч его не сечет выи грешников. Он низводит на главы их огонь любви и долготерпения. Он не порывает молитвенного общения с Церквами, принявшими новый календарь, он никого не анафематствует, что можно было бы, казалось, сделать по началу. По свидетельству нашего первоиерарха и по тому, что мы сами слыхали от митрополита Антония, он новый стиль не считал ересью, он для него был грубым нарушением церковного порядка. Он принимает, например, приглашение Румынской Церкви и отправляется в Румынию, после того, как эта Церковь перешла на новый стиль.
В Сербской Церкви конгресс 1923 года оставил тоже пагубный след. Несколько вдовых священнослужителей вступили во второй брак, явно нарушив этим каноны Церкви. Православнейший митрополит Антоний такому беззаконию сочувствовать не мог. Однако во всеуслышание он никого не обличает, не порывает с Сербским патриархом, но остается жить у него и личным примером своего благочестия и верности православию поддерживает православные настроения в Сербской Церкви, где браки вдовых священников больше не повторялись.
Меч против греха и милосердие к грешникам, так учил нас благостный святитель. Ведь назвать своего брата еретиком не трудно. По человечески не трудно, но в очах Божиих, осудивший ближнего в ереси, принимает на душу ответственность, как предвосхититель суда Церкви.
Вспомним монаха, которого называли вором, блудником и лжецом и который на все обвинения отвечал смиренно, что он именно такой и есть. Но когда обвинили его в ереси, он сказал нет. И будучи спрошен, почему до сих пор он соглашался с обвинениями, а теперь протестует, монах отвечал: «Хотя я и блудник, лжец и вор, но я нахожусь в Церкви и для меня не закрыто покаяние и спасение... Но если я еретик, то я вне Церкви, вне спасения...».
Извергнуть из Церкви, объявив кого-либо еретиком, может только сама Церковь, законным судом своих епископов. И кто из нас дерзнет предвосхищать суд Церкви? Каждый православный христианин может сказать, и то с большой осторожностью, что такой-то брат имеет неправославные мысли, погрешает в вере и т.д. Но назвать кого-либо еретиком в полном смысле этого слова, только потому, что мне так показалось, что я так нахожу – значит впасть в гордость, непростительное самомнение, взять на душу больше чем грех осуждения.
При митрополите Анастасии, мы, до самого последнего времени, молились за святейших патриархов православных, хотя были они уже экуменистами и новостильниками. При нем же произошло важное и грустное событие в православном мире: все поместные Церкви окончательно вошли в Мировой Совет Церквей. Митрополит Анастасий не колебался. Одна наша Церковь в свободном мире отказалась от экуменического движения. Что это значит? Значит, что без лишних слов и анафем Свободная Русская Церковь осудила твердо и решительно экуменизм, как движение не православное! Избирает она свой собственный путь в Православии, путь особенный, единственный. Митрополит Анастасий не боялся остаться одиноким на этом пути. И однако мужественный старец не рвет ни с кем молитвенного общения, не объявляет никого еретиками, не мечет громы и молнии, но низводит огонь долготерпения на погрешающих.
Интересны два письма Архиерейского Синода нашей Церкви, адресованные Церкви греческих старостильников, копии которых были в свое время посланы греческому Архиепископу Америки и Вселенскому патриархату.
Письмо первое, номер 3/50/1296 от 27.9.1961 года:
«Наша Церковь придерживается старого календаря и считает введение нового календаря большой ошибкой. Тем не менее, ее тактикой было всегда хранить духовное общение с православными Церквами, которые приняли новый календарь, по столько, по сколько они празднуют пасху согласно решению Первого Вселенского Собора. Наша Церковь никогда не объявляла Вселенскую патриархию или греческую Архиепископию Северной и Южной Америки схизматическими и не прервала с ними духовного общения».
Не понятно почему второе письмо ровно через неделю, номер 3/50/1443 от 3.10.1961 года: «Наша Церковь придерживается старого календаря и считает введение нового календаря заблуждением. Тем не менее, согласно политики приснопамятного патриарха Тихона, мы никогда не прерывали духовного общения с каноническими Церквами, в которых был введен новый календарь».
Митрополит Анастасий впервые допускает новый стиль в нашей Церкви для обращенных из инославия. Так покойный, многими почитаемый как праведник и подвижник нашего времени архиепископ Иоанн принимает в Западно-Европейскую епархию группу православных голландцев, которые, пользуясь новым календарем, просуществовали в нашей церкви 22 года – срок не малый. В то же время появились в нашей Церкви новостильники – румыны. Архиепископ Иоанн, не без согласия митрополита Анастасия, рукоположил вместе с румынским митрополитом беженцем в Париже румынского епископа Феофила – новостильника, чем дал начало существованию в нашей церкви новостильных румынских приходов. Эти приходы ныне подчиняются непосредственно нашему Первоиерарху, который каждый год, будучи в Европе, служит в румынском храме в Париже, что имело место и в этом году в воскресение 28-го июля (15-го по старому стилю). Более того – поднят вопрос о возведении в сан епископа румынского протоиерея из Парижа, сознанием, с нашей стороны, заранее того, что румыны в настоящее время от нового стиля не откажутся. Ведь более 50-ти лет Румынская Церковь живет по новому календарю. Выросло два новых поколения не знающих старого.
При митрополите Анастасии была принята в Западно-Европейскую епархию группа православных французов, руководимая протоиереем Е. Ковалевским – новостильником. Сам митрополит Анастасий долгое время сочувствовал возведению протоиерея Е. Ковалевского в сан епископа, не предъявляя однако условия изменения календаря. Архиепископ Иоанн вместе с новостильным епископом Феофилом рукоположил Ковалевского во епископа Сан-Дениского. Не наша Церковь извергла новостильнаго епископа Иоанна (монашеское имя прот Е. Ковалевского) из своих недр. Он сам ушел от той Церкви, которая дала ему благодать епископского служения, за что и был судим и лишен сана.
Часть паствы этого недостойного иерарха, осталась верной нашей Церкви и существует ныне в границах Западно-Европейской епархии, как благочиние, возглавляемое архимандритом Амвросием – французом, который сам добровольно и постепенно переводит свои французские приходы на старый стиль, что явилось результатом нашего терпения и снисхождения к ним.
Митрополит Анастасий, отказавшись от экуменического движения, посылает охотно на их съезд своих наблюдателей, для свидетельства истины. Не задумываясь, послал он наблюдателей от нашей Церкви и на Ватиканский собор. Он принимал таким образом с достоинством участие в жизни католиков и протестантов, не боясь, но и не смешивая однако никогда истины с ложью, не ставя себя в равное положение с инославными. Он пытался бросить в это движение зерна истины. И хотя экуменизм в его время принял уже широкие размеры в православном мире, митрополит не принимает против него решительных мер.
Это делает собор наших епископов в 1971 году при митрополите Филарете, объявив экуменизм учением еретическим, с точки зрения православной Церкви. Однако далек был собор от мысли о том, чтобы считать еретиками представителей всех поместных Церквей, вошедших в экуменический Совет. Митрополит Филарет обращается к епископату Церкви Христовой с двумя скорбными посланиями, в которых указывает на опасность проникновения идей экуменических в православное сознание, указывает на неправильные мысли и высказывания патриарха Афинагора, никого еретиком не называя! Ваше Святейшество, так обращается он к патриарху Константинополя.
Отношение нашей Церкви к соблазнам раскола
Когда митрополит Евлогий не подчинился решению Архиерейского Синода в делах его епархии, и тем взял страшный грех раскола на свою душу – грех церковного разделения. Кошмарны были эти годы церковной жизни в Западной Европе. Многие не могли разобраться в сложной церковной обстановке, доверяя митрополиту Евлогию, шли за ним. Брат восстал на брата, разделение из церквей проникло в семьи, родивши взаимное осуждение, доходящее до ненависти. Надо было положить конец этому смятению, приносящему душевный вред чадам Церкви и митрополит Антоний читает над ним разрешительную молитву и кающемуся, как думал он, грешнику возвращает благодать священства. Не знало границ любви сердце проповедника состраждущей Божией любви к грешнику. Однако эта любовь, спасшая от гибели паству митрополита Евлогия, не тронула его сердца и он остается в разрыве с архиерейским Синодом, продолжая подчиняться Константинопольскому патриарху.
Незаконность этого подчинения понимали митрополиты Антоний и Анастасий, но с русским Экзархатом Константинопольского патриарха в Западной Европе примирились и, после снятия прещения с митрополита Евлогия, больше никогда молитвенного общения с ушедшими от нас к грека не прерывали, даже до сего дня. Ответственность всю возложили на ушедших от нас и долготерпели.
Тем временем, после последней войны, митрополит Евлогий от Константинополя уходит под Москву, откуда его паства, после смерти митрополита, возвращается к Константинополю, во главе с митрополитом Владимиром. По их возвращению, мы с ними сослужим, чему можно привести много примеров. Ограничимся некоторыми: я с благословения архиепископа Иоанна, как его викарный епископ, освящал с епископами Мефодием и Сильвестром новопостроенную церковь при старческом доме в Сан-Рафаэле (Франция). Во время Ватиканского собора в Риме, почти каждое воскресение, служил со мною в нашей Церкви епископ Касьян, ректор Богословского Института в Париже. Ни кому тогда и в голову не приходило, что это недопустимо. Митрополит Анастасий выражал удовольствие когда узнал, что я, в отсутствие из Европы правящего архиепископа Иоанна, сам решил вопрос, и будучи приглашен, принял участие в погребении митрополита Владимира. Поощряемое покойным архиепископом Иоанном, наше сослужение с представителями греческого экзархата во Франции совершалось беспрепятственно с нашей стороны.
Но вот, неожиданно, патриарх Константинополя отказывается от своего русского экзархата в Западной Европе, по требованию Москвы и указывает своей бывшей пастве путь подчинения московскому патриархату. Этому совету парижане не следуют, но делают не менее рискованный и опасный шаг – объявляют сами себя, ни больше, ни меньше, как автокефальной Церковью Западной Европы. Большей безграмотности в каноническом праве трудно представить.
Как реагирует на это митрополит Филарет? Он обращается к ним, как святитель Русской Церкви, с увещеванием, указывая на беззаконность их действий, зовет их вернуться в свободную Русскую Церковь и только.
Приходит время, парижане возвращаются не к нам, а к грекам, не как русский Экзархат Константинопольского патриарха, а, на этот раз просто как часть греческого экзархата в Западной Европе, подчиняясь греческому экзарху в Париже – архиепископу Мелетию. Архиерейский собор нашей Церкви 1971 года выносит решение о незаконном присоединении русских приходов, паствы, храмов и имущества к греческому экзархату, но мер прещения не принимает и о разрыве молитвенного общения не говорит.
Меры прещения относительно нас принимает архиепископ Георгий, управляющий русскими приходами греческого экзархата в Западной Европе, и, на сколько нам известно, он указом запрещает своему духовенству служить с нами, ссылаясь на волю патриарха Константинопольского. Однако сослужения в редких случаях бывают и теперь: перед лицом ли смерти все примиряющей, в детских ли и юношеских летних лагерях, просто ли заменяя друг друга на требах изредка сослужат наши и «не наши» священнослужители.
В наше время страшных гонений на Церковь и непредвиденных обстоятельств церковной жизни, очень трудно кого-то назвать стопроцентным раскольником, особенно среди низшего духовенства и паствы. Ведь даже самостоятельное существование части Русской Церкви не предвидено полностью канонами. Оно оправдывается только двумя фактами: неслыханными гонениями на Церковь в России и временность нашего самостоятельного существования. Если кончится режим богоборцев, если прекратятся преследования верующих на родине, если восстановится религиозная свобода, то Русская Церковь за границей перестанет существовать, слившись с Матерью-Церковью.
Отношение к нашей Церкви поместных православных Церквей после последней войны
До окончания последней мировой войны, сослужили мы свободно с представителями всех поместных Церквей в свободном мире, даже с перешедшими на новый стиль и увлекающимися экуменизмом. Изменение отношений к нам этих Церквей началось после войны, когда дряхлый патриарх Алексий был послан советской властью с визитами к патриархам и главам поместных Церквей. Плененный безбожниками старец обманывал своих собратьев, внушая им, что в России теперь якобы все изменилось к лучшему, что Церковь теперь свободна, что тысячи молящихся наполняют храмы и т.д. Перед лжесвидетельством престарелого патриарха не устояли официальные представители Церквей. Они признали Алексия настоящим, право правящим патриархом всея Руси. Он же, в свою очередь, просил их всех прервать молитвенное общение с нашей Церковью, как раскольническою, непризнающею своего законного патриарха. На сколько это было обещано, мы не знаем. Знаем только, что сослужение не сразу прекратилось. Так представитель Константинопольского патриарха митрополит Емилиан сослужил мне на литургии в нашем храме в Женеве, уже после визита патриарха Алексия. Это было тогда и для нас и для греков вполне приемлемо.
Возмутился этим сослужением ни митрополит Анастасий, ни архиепископ Иоанн, правящий в Западной Европе, а московский патриарх, разразившийся грозным посланием к патриарху Афинагору, требуя прекращения сослужения с нами клириков константинопольской Церкви. Только после этого, не решением, повторяю нашей Церкви, а указом патриарха Афинагора было запрещено грекам служить с нами. С этого приблизительно времени фактически и прекращается наше сослужение с официальными представителями поместных Церквей. Ведь все эти Церкви, без исключения со времени Родосской конференции стали сотрудничать с патриархом московским и его синодом, признав его официально, а не по совести, за главу Русской Церкви.
Мы сослужения с официальными представителями не искали и не ищем. Этот разрыв отвечает и нашему отношению к ним. Но наше молитвенное общение с Православными Церквами не было этим полностью прервано. Во-первых документа о нашем отлучении от вселенского единства принятого всеми Церквами не существует! Когда митрополит Л-градский Никодим требовал такого документа от представителей автокефальных церквей на всеправославном совещании в Женеве, он его не получил. Его требование было обойдено молчанием и игнорировано официальными представителями Церквей, что свидетельствует о том, что среди них мы имеем не только врагов, но и друзей. Таким образом, не осуществились желания богоборцев. Ведь большинство представителей Церквей и официальные (молчащие часто страха ради иудейского), и неофициальные сочувствуют нашей Церкви, понимая, что свободными епископами ее, а потому настоящими, являемся мы!
Отношение нашей Церкви к представителям поместных Церквей
Я думаю, я чувствую, я исповедую, что мы должны радоваться проявлению доброжелательства к нашей Церкви в православном мире. Должны понимать мы, что многие чада поместных Церквей возлагают надежду и упование на нашу Церковь. Мы обязаны поддерживать контакты с ними и радоваться тем, редчайшим теперь, возможностям нашего молитвенного общения.
Ведь единство Церкви это не пустой звук, не праздные слова, это природа и основа ее. По примеру наших первоиерархов, и мы должны бережно хранить тонкие нити, которыми связаны мы с православным миром.
Ни в коем случае не должны мы самоизолироваться, видя вокруг себя, часто воображаемых, еретиков и раскольников. Постепенной самоизоляцией мы впадаем в ту крайность, которую так мудро избегали наши митрополиты, мы откажемся от того среднего, царственного пути, которым до сих пор шла наша Церковь, мы окажемся отрезанной ветвью церковной, а не Церковью, вещающею истину свободно и безбоязненно!
Самоизолируясь, мы станем на путь сектантский, боясь всех и всего, окажемся одержимыми манией преследования, будем терять последних друзей в православном мире! Но что бы стать на такой путь, нам придется прежде отказаться от прошлого нашей церкви и осудить его.
Милостью Божиею мы далеки от такого соблазна, но подобные настроения ощущаются в нашей среде. Рассудительность есть основная добродетель христианская. Ведь в каждой поместной Церкви, кроме ее официальных представителей, часто несвободных и зависящих от сложных житейских и политических обстоятельств, существует само ТЕЛО ЦЕРКВИ – благочестивые пастыри и богобоязненные миряне, те, которые например спасли Константинопольскую Церковь, когда ее официальные представители подписали флорентийскую унию с Римом. Как много еще слава Богу этих живых православных сил в каждой поместной Церкви, истинных чад ее, и горе нам если мы этих сил не видим и нечувствуем, если мы готовы бываем порвать с ними молитвенную связь, единство во Христе, ради грехов их недостойных может быть в настоящее время официальных представителей.
В Сербской Церкви на страже православных сил, стоит ныне известный всему православному миру, православнейший архимандрит Иустин (Попович). Он давно поднял голос против увлечения экуменизмом, разоблачил это движение в недавно вышедшей книге «Православная Церковь и Экуменизм». Он обличал даже сербских иерархов в нетвердом стоянии в православии. И когда патриарх сербский Герман стал одним из председателей Экуменического Совета, что сделал этот защитник православия? Он поступает также, как почитаемые им наши митрополиты Антоний и Анастасий, он не порвал молитвенного общения со своим патриархом, он не объявил никого еретиком или раскольником, он продолжает подчиняться священноначалию своей Церкви и поминать за богослужениями своего патриарха. Почему? Ведь раскол в Сербской Церкви он мог бы учинить. Архимандрит Иустин воспитал целое поколение верных ему ученых монахов, которые следуют за ним беспрекословно, за которыми пошла бы и часть паствы. Но отец Иустин этого не делает, так как единство Церкви для него не пустые слова, так как он понимает, что раскол в Церкви больший грех, чем колебания и нетвердость в вере даже иерархов Церкви. Непогрешимых иерархов у нас нет, а колеблющиеся, заблуждающиеся, малодушные все же принадлежат Церкви, так как Христос пришел не к здоровым, а больным, почему он терпел до конца в числе апостолов Иуду и на тайной вечери не прервал с ним молитвенного общения, причастив недостойного.
В наш век колебаний и заблуждений и всевозможных потрясений, некоторые из ревности впадают в опасную крайность, чуждую от начала нашей Церкви, как я старался показать в своем докладе, готовы бывают видеть в своем ближнем, при первом подозрении, уже готового злостного еретика или вредного раскольника, возбуждая таким образом в себе нехорошие чувства к ним, вместо любви и снисхождения, и в то же время сами впадая, незаметно для себя, в гордость, не менее вредную, чем колебания в вере для души человеческой. Такой грустный пример мы видим в Женеве в лице неплохого священника В. Саккаса, для которого и наш Архиерейский Синод уже недостаточно православен и подчинение ему необязательно. Это уже не православие, а сектантство!
Что важно для нас – сама Церковь и живые силы в ней или временные, может быть недостойные, ее официальные представители? Ради последних неужели будем рвать с Церковью Христовою, в которой большинство думает так же как и мы, в которой дышит, несмотря на наши недостоинства, Дух Святой? Да кого же мы этим накажем? Ведь только сами себя!
Итак, если бы не было в современном мире нашей Церкви:
1) не было бы в нем единственно свободной Церкви, неуязвимой до сих пор для злых сил;
2) не было бы в мире свободного церковного голоса, могущего говорить бесстрашно от имени Церкви;
3) не было бы надежного и тихого прибежища церковного для истинно православных сынов ее;
4) не было бы в свободном мире единственной Церкви не включившейся в Мировой Совет Церквей;
5) не было бы Церкви, разоблачающей советский обман, представляющий современную московскую патриархию, как Русскую Церковь;
6) не было бы Церкви открыто говорящей о мучениках нашего времени и открыто прославляющей их;
7) без нашей Церкви возможно, что православный мир погряз бы глубже в модернизме;
8) без нашей Церкви свободный мир скорее бы поддался пропаганде коммунизма.
Вот почему наша Церковь так нужна этому мiру.
Наша Церковь и Россия
Смыслом нашего существования за границей было сохранение православия, сохранения преемственности рукоположения от святителей Русской Церкви, сохранение и воспитание нашей молодежи православными и русскими. Только наша Церковь никогда и ни при каких условиях и ни под каким видом не отказывалась от имени «Русская»! Никогда наша Церковь не искала чужих омофоров для придания себе якобы большей законности вне России. Мы всегда были и остаемся чадами свободной части Российской Церкви или Русской Церковью за границей. Если нас не признавали за таковых, если не признавали законности нашего существования, нас это не смущало. Мы были уверены, что в данном случае хуже тем, которые нас не признают. Покойный епископ Мефодий из Парижской Архиепископии ездил например в Святую Землю и получал там от патриарха право служения, как епископ греческой Церкви. Нам – русским служить не давали, но мы не перекрашивались и оставались русскими, неся общерусский крест.
И вот, теперь мы стоим перед лицом возрождающейся России. Совершается постепенно то, чего мы столько лет ждали, во имя чего мы трудились и жили. Россия пробуждается. Заговорили лучшие люди на родине. Растерявшееся советское правительство, не смея расправиться с ними у себя, выкидывает их за границу.
В свободном мире оказались большие русские писатели. Чем поражают они нас? Не только своим талантом, не только мужеством проявленным ими в СССР, но главным образом тем, что заявили они себя прежде всего православными христианами. Ведь воспитывались они при советской власти, кончали советские школы, а вышли из советского союза не только верующими христианами, но убежденными христианами православными. Как не согласиться с поэтом, что в Россию можно только верить? И вот наибольший из них А.И. Солженицын в разговоре со мной заявляет, что спасение России невозможно без Церкви и что произойти оно может только всеобщим покаянием. Это слышим мы из уст ученика советской школы, офицера красной армии, многолетнего заключенного советских лагерей. Разве это не чудо? А что больше всего поразило Солженицына в свободном мире – это наши церковные разделения. Не осуждая никого, он с трудом старался понять, почему мы, живя в свободном мире, перед лицом русской трагедии, церковно разделились? Ведь этому будет удивляться не один Солженицын. Он для нас является выразителем мнений лучших людей России. Это голос оттуда! И внимая этому голосу, мы должны прежде всего с этого собора обратиться с братским призывом к единению, во имя многострадальной Русской Церкви и русского народа, к Американской митрополии и к Парижской Архиепископии. Если мы русская Церковь, мы должны это сделать, это наш долг! Пускай нас опять не поймут, пускай еще раз над нами посмеются, мы не должны бояться этого. Ведь и над Христом смеялись! Если мы христовы, если мы русские, то мы не должны ничего бояться в этом мире. Наша самая свободная Церковь должна говорить правду, должна звать к единению, к служению России. Этим мы оправдываем свое русское имя, свое пребывание за границей. Не отталкивать должны мы, а привлекать, не бояться, а смело идти вперед, не порывать, а соединять!
Все время пребывания нашего вне России, мы говорили о том, что хотим спасти Россию, что мы работаем на спасение ее. И теперь, когда открылась реальная возможность для нас сделать что-то для России, для спасения нашей родины от безбожного жестокого кошмара, мы так мало делаем! Мы должны удвоить, утроить, удесятерить свои силы для помощи нашему многострадальному народу и верующим на родине. Ведь хотя бы передача туда литературы – стала реальным фактом. Моряки во всех портах мира, куда приходят русские корабли, расхватывают книги, просят книг Солженицына. На письма оттуда мы получаем ответы из разных концов России. Существует живая связь с родиной, рухнул железный занавес! А мы все пребываем в бездействии и дальше своих личных дел ничего не видим. В отношении помощи России работают у нас отдельные лица и даже группы лиц, но то, что они делают это капля в море. Надо организовать работу повсеместно, надо печатать литературу, надо общими усилиями искать путей к отправки ее на родину. У нас в Европе в этом отношении работает «Православное Дело», помогите ему!
Ведь помощь родине – это живая работа, на которую можно увлечь и молодежь. Можно и должно! Иначе, как воспитывать нашу молодежь русской? Ведь работа для России сделает их реально, а не отвлеченно, русскими! Отсюда
Наш долг перед Церковью и Родиной
1) Хранить чистоту Православия, отсекая все соблазны безбожия и модернизма. Другими словами, мужественно идти по тому пути, который начертан на скрижалях нашей Церкви.
2) Быть смелым и свободным голосом Церкви Христовой, бескомпромиссно говорить истину и правду, что делали до сих пор наши Первоиерархи.
3) Пользуясь свободой снисходить к несвободе других, стараясь не осуждать их легко, а понять, поддержать, проявить братскую любовь.
4) Беречь и дорожить церковным единством, чувствуя себя частью живой вселенской Церкви Христовой и достойно нести в ней знамя Русской Церкви.
5) Избегать где можно самоизоляции, ибо дух Церкви объединяющий, а не разделяющий. Не искать еретиков там, где их может быть и нет, боясь всякого преувеличения в этом направлении.
6) Звать отделившихся от нас русских православных людей и их пастырей к единению. Звать не прещениями, а братской любовью во имя страждущей Русской Церкви и многострадальной родины.
7) Повернуться лицом к возрождающейся России, протянуть ей руку помощи там, где это в наших силах!
† Архиепископ АНТОНИЙ Женевский и Западно-Европейский Джорданвиль, 1974
Posts
