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Russian Orthodox Church
Coordinates: 55°42′40″N 37°37′45″E / 55.71111°N 37.62917°E
Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) |
Cathedral Church of Christ the Saviour in Moscow Кафедральный Храм Христа Спасителя |
Founder | Apostle Andrew, Vladimir the Great "Baptism of Rus'" in 988[citation needed] |
Independence | 1589 |
Recognition | as a separate patriarchate in 1589 by Ecumenical Patriarchate |
Primate | Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow |
Headquarters | Danilov Monastery, Moscow, Russia |
Territory | Russian Federation |
Possessions | Russia Ukraine Belarus Moldova Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Turkmenistan Tajikistan Azerbaijan Lithuania Latvia Estonia |
Language | Church Slavonic |
Adherents | 150,000,000 adherents to Russian Orthodoxy estimated worldwide (2011)[1] |
Bishops | 207 |
Priests | 28,434 |
Parishes | 30,142 |
Monastics | |
Monasteries | 788 |
Website | www.patriarchia.ru |
The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; Russian: Русская Православная Церковь, tr. Russkaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov) headed by the Moscow Patriarchate (Russian: Московский Патриархат, tr. Moskovskiy Patriarkhat),[2] also known as the Orthodox Christian Church of Russia, is a body of Christians who constitute an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Moscow, in communion with other Eastern Orthodox Churches.
The ROC is often said[3] to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world. Including all the autocephalous churches under its supervision, its adherents number more than 150 million worldwide — about half of the 300 million estimated adherents of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Among Christian churches, the Russian Orthodox Church is second only to the Roman Catholic Church in terms of numbers of followers. Within Russia the results of a 2007 VTsIOM poll indicated that about 75% of the population considered themselves Orthodox Christians.[1] Up to 65% of ethnic Russians[4][5] and a similar percentage of Belarusians and Ukrainians identify themselves as "Orthodox".[1][4][6] However, according to a poll published by the highly respected church related journal Pravmir in December 2012, only 41% of the Russian population identifies itself with the Russian Orthodox Church.[7] Pravmir also published a 2012 poll by the respected Levada organization VTsIOM indicating that 74% of Russians consider themselves Orthodox.[8] According to figures released on February 2, 2010, the Church has 160 dioceses including 30,142 parishes served by 207 bishops, 28,434 priests and 3,625 deacons. There are 788 monasteries, including 386 for men and 402 for women.[9]
The ROC should not be confused with the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), a self-governing part of the Russian Orthodox Church that traces its existence in North America from the time of the Russian Orthodox missionaries in Alaska in the late 18th century and the Russian settlement at Fort Ross on the Pacific coast in California in the early 19th century. The oldest OCA Russian Orthodox church in the lower forty-eight states, established in 1857, is Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco. After the Russian Revolution, in the 1920s, the Russian Orthodox Church in America began to function de facto as an autocephalous church and attained de jure autocephalous status in 1970.
The ROC should also not be confused with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (also known as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, or ROCOR), headquartered in New York. The ROCOR was instituted in the 1920s by Russian communities outside then Communist Russia, which refused to recognize the authority of the Moscow Patriarchate headed by Metropolitan Sergius Stragorodsky. The two Churches reconciled on May 17, 2007; the ROCOR is now a self-governing part of the Russian Orthodox Church.
- 1 History
- 2 Structure and organization
- 3 Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
- 4 Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR)
- 5 Belarusian Orthodox Church
- 6 Russian church architecture
- 7 Ecumenism and Interfaith relations
- 8 See also
- 9 References
- 10 External links
The Christian community that became the Russian Orthodox Church is traditionally said to have been founded by the Apostle Andrew, who is thought to have visited Scythia and Greek colonies along the northern coast of the Black Sea. According to one of the legends, Andrew reached the future location of Kiev and foretold the foundation of a great Christian city.[10][11] The spot where he reportedly erected a cross is now marked by St. Andrew's Cathedral.
By the end of the first millennium AD, eastern Slavic lands started to come under the cultural influence of the Eastern Roman Empire. In 863-869, Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius translated parts of the Bible into Old Church Slavonic language for the first time, paving the way for the Christianization of the Slavs. There is evidence that the first Christian bishop was sent to Novgorod from Constantinople either by Patriarch Photius or Patriarch Ignatios, circa 866-867 AD.
By the mid-10th century, there was already a Christian community among Kievan nobility, under the leadership of Greek and Byzantine priests, although paganism remained the dominant religion. Princess Olga of Kiev was the first ruler of Kievan Rus to convert to Christianity, either in 945 or 957. Her grandson, Vladimir the Great, made Kievan Rus' a Christian state.
As a result of the Christianization of Kievan Rus' in 988, Prince Vladimir I of Kiev officially adopted Byzantine Rite Christianity — the religion of the Eastern Roman Empire — as the state religion of Kievan Rus'. This date is often considered the official birthday of the Russian Orthodox Church. Thus, in 1988, the Church celebrated its millennial anniversary. It therefore traces its apostolic succession through the Patriarch of Constantinople.
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Liturgy and worship
The Kievan church was originally a Metropolitanate of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Byzantine patriarch appointed the metropolitan who governed the Church of Rus'. The Metropolitan's residence was originally located in Kiev. As Kiev was losing its political, cultural, and economical significance due to the Mongol invasion, Metropolitan Maximus moved to Vladimir in 1299; his successor, Metropolitan Peter moved the residence to Moscow in 1325.
Monastic reform of St. Sergius and its aftermath[edit]
Following the tribulations of the Mongol invasion, the Russian Church was pivotal in the survival and life of the Russian state. Despite the politically motivated murders of Mikhail of Chernigov and Mikhail of Tver, the Mongols were generally tolerant and even granted tax exemption to the Church. Such holy figures as Sergius of Radonezh and Metropolitan Alexis helped the country to withstand years of Tatar oppression, and to expand both economically and spiritually.
The monastic reform of St. Sergius, which culminated in the foundation of the monastery known as Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra near Moscow, was one of the defining events of medieval Russian history. The monastery became the setting for the unprecedented flourishing of transcendent, spiritual art, exemplified by the work of Andrey Rublev, among others. The followers of Sergius founded four hundred monasteries, thus greatly extending the geographical extent of his influence and authority.
The spiritual resurgence of the late 14th century, associated with the names of St. Sergius, the missionary Stephen of Perm and the writer Epiphanius the Wise, contributed to the consolidation of the Russian nation. Lev Gumilev has observed that, having received the blessing of St. Sergius to make a stand against the Tatars, "the Suzdalians, Vladimirians, Rostovians, Pskovians went to the Kulikovo Field as representatives of their principalities but returned after the victory as Russians, although living in different towns",[12] a dictum which has been endorsed by modern church functionaries.[13]
At the Council of Florence (1439), a group of Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church leaders agreed upon terms of reunification of the two branches of Christianity. The Russian Prince Basil II of Moscow, however, rejected the concessions to the Catholic Church and forbade the proclamation of the acts of the Council in Russia in 1452, after a short-lived East-West reunion. Metropolitan Isidore was in the same year expelled from his position as an apostate.
In 1448, the Patriarchate of Moscow (the Russian Church) became independent from the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Metropolitan Jonas, installed by the Council of Russian bishops in 1448, was given the title of Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia. This was just five years before the fall of Constantinople in 1453. From this point onward the Russian Orthodox Church saw Moscow as the Third Rome, legitimate successor to Constantinople, and the Primate of Moscow as head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Consolidation and codification[edit]
The reign of Ivan III and his successor was plagued by numerous heresies and controversies. One party, led by Nil Sorsky and Vassian Kosoy, called for the secularisation of monastic properties. They were opposed by the influential Joseph of Volotsk, who defended ecclesiastical ownership of land and property. The sovereign's position fluctuated, but eventually he threw his support to Joseph. New sects sprang up, some of which showed a tendency to revert to Mosaic law: for instance, the archpriest Aleksei converted to Judaism after meeting a certain Zechariah the Jew.
Monastic life flourished in Russia, focusing on prayer and spiritual growth. The disciples of St. Sergius left the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra to found hundreds of monasteries across Russia. Some of the most famous monasteries were located in the Russian North, even as far north as Pechenga, in order to demonstrate how faith could flourish even in countries that weren't too hospitable. The richest landowners of medieval Russia included Joseph Volokolamsk Monastery, Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery and the Solovetsky Monastery. In the 18th century, the three greatest monasteries were recognized as lavras, while those subordinated directly to the Synod were labelled stauropegic.
In the 1540s, Metropolitan Macarius codified Russian hagiography and convened a number of church synods, which culminated in the Hundred Chapter Synod of 1551. This assembly unified Church ceremonies and duties in the whole territory of Russia. At the demand of the Church hierarchy the government canceled the tsar's jurisdiction over ecclesiastics. Reinforced by these reforms, the Church felt strong enough to challenge the policies of the tsar. Philip of Moscow, in particular, decried many abuses of Ivan the Terrible, who eventually engineered his defrocking and murder.
Autocephaly and schism[edit]
During the reign of Tsar Fyodor I his brother-in-law Boris Godunov contacted the Ecumenical Patriarch, who "was much embarrassed for want of funds,"[14] with a view to establishing a patriarchal see in Moscow. As a result of Godunov's efforts, Metropolitan Job of Moscow became in 1589 the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', making the Russian Church autocephalous. The four other patriarchs have recognized the Moscow Patriarchate as one of the five honourable Patriarchates. During the next half a century, when the tsardom was weak, the patriarchs (notably Hermogenes and Philaret) would help run the state along with (and sometimes instead of) the tsars.
At the urging of the Zealots of Piety, in 1652 Patriarch Nikon resolved to centralize power that had been distributed locally, while conforming Russian Orthodox rites and rituals to those of the Greek Orthodox Church, as interpreted by pundits from the Kiev Ecclesiastical Academy. For instance he insisted that Russian Christians cross themselves with three fingers, rather than the then-traditional two. This aroused antipathy among a substantial section of believers, who saw the changed rites as heresy, although the extent to which these changes can be regarded as minor or major ritual significance remains open to debate. After the implementation of these innovations at the church council of 1666–1667, the Church anathematized and suppressed those who acted contrary to them with the support of Muscovite state power. These traditionalists became known as "Old Believers" or "Old Ritualists".
Although Nikon's far-flung ambitions of steering the country to a theocratic form of government precipitated his defrocking and exile, Tsar Aleksey deemed it reasonable to uphold many of his innovations. During the Schism of the Russian Church, the Old Ritualists were separated from the main body of the Orthodox Church. Archpriest Avvakum Petrov and many other opponents of the church reforms were burned at the stake, either forcibly or voluntarily. Another prominent figure within the Old Ritualists' movement, Boyarynya Morozova, was starved to death in 1675. Others escaped from the government persecutions to Siberia and other inhospitable lands, where they would live in semi-seclusion until modern times.[vague]
Peter the First[edit]
With the ascension of Emperor Peter the Great to the throne of Russia (1682–1725), with his radical modernization of Russian government, army, dress and manners, Russia became a formidable political power.
In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the Russian Orthodox Church experienced a vast geographic expansion. In the following two centuries, missionary efforts stretched out across Siberia into Alaska, then into California, which would become part of the United States. Eminent people on that missionary effort included St. Innocent of Irkutsk and St. Herman of Alaska. In emulation of Stephen of Perm, they learned local languages and translated gospels and hymns. Sometimes those translations required the invention of new systems of transcription.
In the aftermath of the Treaty of Pereyaslav, the Ottomans (supposedly acting on behalf of the Russian regent Sophia Alekseyevna) pressured the Patriarch of Constantinople into transferring the Metropoly of Kiev from the jurisdiction of Constantinople to that of Moscow. The controversial transfer brought millions of faithful and half a dozen dioceses under the pastoral and administrative care of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', leading to the significant Ukrainian domination of the Russian Orthodox Church, which continued well into the 18th century, with Theophanes Prokopovich, Epiphanius Slavinetsky, Stephen Yavorsky and Demetrius of Rostov being among the most notable representatives of this trend.[15]
In 1700, after Patriarch Adrian's death, Peter the Great prevented a successor from being named, and in 1721, following the advice of Feofan Prokopovich, Archbishop of Pskov, the Holy and Supreme Synod was established under Archbishop Stephen Yavorsky to govern the church instead of a single primate. This was the situation until shortly after the Russian Revolution of 1917, at which time the Local Council (more than half of its members being lay persons) adopted the decision to restore the Patriarchy. On November 5 (according to the Julian calendar) a new patriarch, Tikhon, was named through casting lots.
The late 18th century saw the rise of starchestvo under Paisiy Velichkovsky and his disciples at the Optina Monastery. This marked a beginning of a significant spiritual revival in the Russian Church after a lengthy period of modernization, personified by such figures as Demetrius of Rostov and Platon of Moscow. Aleksey Khomyakov, Ivan Kireevsky and other lay theologians with Slavophile leanings elaborated some key concepts of the renovated Orthodox doctrine, including that of sobornost. The resurgence of Eastern Orthodoxy was reflected in Russian literature, an example is the figure of Starets Zosima in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Brothers Karamazov.
Fin-de-siècle religious renaissance[edit]
During the final decades of the imperial order in Russia many educated Russians sought to return to the church and tried to bring their faith back to life. No less evident were non-conformist paths of spiritual searching known as "God-Seeking". Writers, artists and intellectuals in large numbers were drawn to private prayer, mysticism, spiritualism, theosophy and Eastern religions. A fascination with primitive feeling, with the unconscious and the mythic was apparent, along with visions of coming catastrophes and redemption.
In 1909, a volume of essays appeared under the title Vekhi ("Centuries" or "Landmarks"), authored by a group of leading left-wing intellectuals, including Sergei Bulgakov, Peter Struve and former Marxists. They bluntly repudiated the materialism and atheism that had dominated the thought of the intelligentsia for generations as leading inevitably to failure and moral disaster. The essays created a sensation.
It is possible to see a similarly renewed vigor and variety in religious life and spirituality among the lower classes, especially after the upheavals of 1905. Among the peasantry there was widespread interest in spiritual-ethical literature and non-conformist moral-spiritual movements, an upsurge in pilgrimage and other devotions to sacred spaces and objects (especially icons), persistent beliefs in the presence and power of the supernatural (apparitions, possession, walking-dead, demons, spirits, miracles and magic), the renewed vitality of local "ecclesial communities" actively shaping their own ritual and spiritual lives, sometimes in the absence of clergy, and defining their own sacred places and forms of piety. Also apparent was the proliferation of what the Orthodox establishment branded as "sectarianism", including both non-Orthodox Christian denominations, notably Baptists, and various forms of popular Orthodoxy and mysticism.[16]
Russian revolution[edit]
In 1914 there were 55,173 Russian Orthodox churches and 29,593 chapels, 112,629 priests and deacons, 550 monasteries and 475 convents with a total of 95,259 monks and nuns in Russia.[citation needed]
The year 1917 was a major turning point in Russian history, and also the Russian Orthodox Church.[17] The Russian empire was dissolved and the Tsarist government - which had granted the Church numerous privileges - was overthrown. After a few months of political turmoil, the Bolsheviks took power in October 1917 and declared a separation of church and state. Thus the Russian Orthodox Church found itself without official state backing for the first time in its history. One of the first decrees of the new Communist government (issued in January 1918) declared freedom from "religious and anti-religious propaganda". This led to a marked decline in the power and influence of the Church. The Church was also caught in the crossfire of the Russian Civil War that began later the same year, and many leaders of the Church supported what would ultimately turn out to be the losing side (the White movement).
The Russian Orthodox Church supported the White Army in the Russian Civil War (see White movement) after the October Revolution. This may have further strengthened the Bolshevik antipathy against the church.
Even before the end of the civil war and the establishment of the Soviet Union, the Russian Orthodox Church came under pressure from the secular Communist government. The Soviet government stood on a platform of antireligion, viewing the church as a "counter-revolutionary" organization and an independent voice with a great influence in society. While the Soviet Union officially claimed religious tolerance, in practice the government discouraged organized religion and did much to remove religious influence from Soviet society.
Under Communist rule[edit]
After the October Revolution of November 7, 1917, the officially proclaimed objective of the Soviet Union was to unite all of the people of the world in a communist state free of "capitalist exploitation" (see Communist International). With such a view of the world any ethnic heritage closely tied to traditional religion and its clergy was targeted by Soviet authorities.[18][19]
The Soviet Union was the first state to have elimination of religion as an ideological objective. Toward that end, the Communist regime confiscated church property, ridiculed religion, harassed believers, and propagated atheism in schools. Actions toward particular religions, however, were determined by State interests, and most organized religions were never outlawed. Orthodox priests and believers were variously tortured, sent to prison camps, labour camps or mental hospitals, and executed.[20][21] Many Orthodox (along with people of other faiths) were also subjected to psychological punishment or torture and mind control experimentation in order to force them give up their religious convictions.[22][23]
Thousands of churches and monasteries were taken over by the government and either destroyed or converted to secular use. It was impossible to build new churches. Practising Orthodox Christians were restricted from prominent careers and membership in communist organizations (the party, the Komsomol). Anti-religious propaganda was openly sponsored and encouraged by the government, which the Church was not given an opportunity to publicly respond to. The government youth organization, the Komsomol, encouraged its members to vandalize Orthodox Churches and harass worshippers. Seminaries were closed down, and the church was restricted from using the press.
The history of Orthodoxy (and other religions) under Communism was not limited to this story of repression and secularization. Bolshevik policies toward religious belief and practice tended to vacillate over time between, on the one hand, a utopian determination to substitute secular rationalism for what they considered to be an unmodern, "superstitious" worldview and, on the other, pragmatic acceptance of the tenaciousness of religious faith and institutions. In any case, religious beliefs and practices did persist, not only in the domestic and private spheres but also in the scattered public spaces allowed by a state that recognized its failure to eradicate religion and the political dangers of an unrelenting culture war.[24]
In November 1917, following the collapse of the tsarist government, a council of the Russian Orthodox church reestablished the patriarchate and elected the metropolitan Tikhon, the former Metropolitan of All America and Canada, as patriarch. But the new Soviet government soon declared the separation of church and state and also nationalized all church-held lands. These administrative measures were followed by brutal state-sanctioned persecutions that included the wholesale destruction of churches, as well as the arrest and execution of many clerics. The Russian Orthodox church was further weakened in 1922, when the Renovated Church, a reform movement supported by the Soviet government, seceded from Patriarch Tikhon's church (also see the Josephites and the Russian True Orthodox Church), restored a Holy Synod to power, and brought division among clergy and faithful.
In the first five years after the Bolshevik revolution, 28 bishops and 1,200 priests were executed.[25]
Stalin era[edit]
The main target of the anti-religious campaign in the 1920s and 1930s was the Russian Orthodox Church, which had the largest congregation. Nearly all of its clergy, and many of its believers, were shot or sent to labor camps. Theological schools were closed, and church publications were prohibited.
The sixth sector of the OGPU, led by Yevgeny Tuchkov, began aggressively arresting and executing bishops, priests, and devout worshippers, such as Metropolitan Veniamin in Petrograd in 1922 for refusing to accede to the demand to hand in church valuables (including sacred relics). In the time between 1927 and 1940, the number of Orthodox Churches in the Russian Republic fell from 29,584 to less than 500. Between 1917 and 1935, 130,000 Orthodox priests were arrested. Of these, 95,000 were put to death. Many thousands of victims of persecution became recognized in a special canon of saints known as the "new martyrs and confessors of Russia".
At no time before the mid to late 1930s did the Bolsheviks control the situation. They maintained that the clergy organized united resistance against the Soviet state. During the mid-1920s, Soviet officials in Nizhny Novgorod and other locations encountered religious groups successfully circulating anti-Soviet political materials. According to party officials, legal organizations served as fronts for oppositional activities.[26]
In January 1918 Patriarch Tikhon proclaimed anathema to the Bolsheviks (without explicitly naming them),[27] which further antagonized relations. When Tikhon died in 1925, Soviet authorities forbade patriarchal elections to be held. Patriarchal locum tenens (acting Patriarch) Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky, 1887–1944), going against the opinion of a major part of the church's parishes, in 1927 issued a declaration accepting the Soviet authority over the church as legitimate, pledging the church's cooperation with the government and condemning political dissent within the church. By this declaration Sergius granted himself authority that he, being a deputy of imprisoned Metropolitan Peter and acting against his will, had no right to assume according to the XXXIV Apostolic canon, which led to a split with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia abroad and the Russian True Orthodox Church (Russian Catacomb Church) within the Soviet Union, as they allegedly remained faithful to the Canons of the Apostles, declaring the part of the church led by Metropolitan Sergius schism, sometimes coined Sergianism. Due to this canonical disagreement it is disputed which church has been the legitimate successor to the Russian Orthodox Church that had existed before 1925.[28][29][30][31]
With aid from the Methodist Church, two Russian Orthodox seminaries were reopened.[32] Moreover, in the 1929 elections, the Orthodox Church attempted to formulate itself as a full-scale opposition group to the Communist Party, and attempted to run candidates of its own against the Communist candidates. Article 124 of the 1936 Soviet Constitution officially allowed for freedom of religion within the Soviet Union, and along with initial statements of it being a multi-candidate election, the Church again attempted to run its own religious candidates in the 1937 elections. However the support of multicandidate elections was retracted several months before the elections were held and in neither 1929 nor 1937 were any candidates of the Orthodox Church elected.[33]
After Nazi Germany's attack on the Soviet Union in 1941, Joseph Stalin revived the Russian Orthodox Church to intensify patriotic support for the war effort. On September 4, 1943, Metropolitans Sergius, Alexy and Nikolay had a meeting with Stalin and received a permission to convene a council on September 8, 1943, which elected Sergius Patriarch of Moscow and all the Rus'. This is considered by some as violation of the XXX Apostolic canon, as no church hierarch could be consecrated by secular authorities.[28] A new patriarch was elected, theological schools were opened, and thousands of churches began to function. The Moscow Theological Academy Seminary, which had been closed since 1918, was re-opened.
Between 1945 and 1959 the official organization of the church was greatly expanded, although individual members of the clergy were occasionally arrested and exiled. The number of open churches reached 25,000. By 1957 about 22,000 Russian Orthodox churches had become active. But in 1959 Nikita Khrushchev initiated his own campaign against the Russian Orthodox Church and forced the closure of about 12,000 churches. By 1985 fewer than 7,000 churches remained active. Members of the church hierarchy were jailed or forced out, their places taken by docile clergy, many of whom had ties with the KGB. This decline was evident from the dramatic decay of many of the abandoned churches and monasteries that were previously common in even the smallest villages from the pre-revolutionary period.
Persecution under Khrushchev and Brezhnev[edit]
A new and widespread persecution of the church was subsequently instituted under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev. A second round of repression, harassment and church closures took place between 1959 and 1964 when Nikita Khrushchev was in office.
The Church and the government remained on unfriendly terms until 1988. In practice, the most important aspect of this conflict was that openly religious people could not join the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which meant that they could not hold any political office. However, among the general population, large numbers remained religious.
Some Orthodox believers and even priests took part in the dissident movement and became prisoners of conscience. The Orthodox priests Gleb Yakunin, Sergiy Zheludkov and others spent years in Soviet prisons and exile for their efforts in defending freedom of worship.[34] Among the prominent figures of that time were Father Dmitri Dudko[35] and Father Aleksandr Men. Although he tried to keep away from practical work of the dissident movement intending to better fulfil his calling as a priest, there was a spiritual link between Fr Aleksandr and many of the dissidents. For some of them he was a friend, for others - a godfather, for many (including Yakunin) - spiritual father.[36]
By 1987 the number of functioning churches in the Soviet Union had fallen to 6893 and the number of functioning monasteries to just 18. In 1987 in the Russian SFSR, between 40% and 50% of newborn babies (depending on the region) were baptized. Over 60% of all deceased received Christian funeral services.
Glasnost and evidence of KGB links[edit]
Beginning in the late 1980s, under Mikhail Gorbachev, the new political and social freedoms resulted in many church buildings being returned to the church, to be restored by local parishioners. A pivotal point in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church came in 1988 - the millennial anniversary of the Baptism of Kievan Rus'. Throughout the summer of that year, major government-supported celebrations took place in Moscow and other cities; many older churches and some monasteries were reopened. An implicit ban on religious propaganda on state TV was finally lifted. For the first time in the history of the Soviet Union, people could see live transmissions of church services on television.
Gleb Yakunin, a critic of the Moscow Patriarchate who was one of those who briefly gained access to the KGB archive documents in the early 1990s, argued that the Moscow Patriarchate was "practically a subsidiary, a sister company of the KGB".[37] Critics charge that the archives showed the extent of active participation of the top ROC hierarchs in the KGB efforts overseas.[38][39][40][41][42][43] George Trofimoff, the highest-ranking US military officer ever indicted for, and convicted of, espionage by the United States and sentenced to life imprisonment on September 27, 2001, had been "recruited into the service of the KGB"[44] by Igor Susemihl (a.k.a. Zuzemihl), a bishop in the Russian Orthodox Church (subsequently, a high-ranking hierarch - the ROC Metropolitan Iriney of Vienna, who died in July 1999[45]).
Konstanin Kharchev, former chairman of Soviet Council on Religious Affairs, explained: "Not a single candidate for the office of bishop or any other high-ranking office, much less a member of Holy Synod, went through without confirmation by the Central Committee of the CPSU and the KGB".[41] Professor Nathaniel Davis points out: "If the bishops wished to defend their people and survive in office, they had to collaborate to some degree with the KGB, with the commissioners of the Council for Religious Affairs, and with other party and governmental authorities.".[46] Patriarch Alexy II, acknowledged that compromises were made with the Soviet government by bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate, himself included, and publicly repented of these compromises [47]
Post-Soviet recovery and problems[edit]
Under Patriarch Aleksey II (1990–2008)[edit]
Metropolitan Aleksey of Leningrad, ascended the Patriarchal throne in 1990 and presided over the partial return of Orthodox Christianity to Russian society after 70 years of repression, transforming the ROC to something resembling a state religion; some 15,000 churches had been re-opened or built by the end of his reign. The Church also sought to fill the ideological vacuum left by the end of communism, and even, in the opinion of some analysts, became "a separate branch of power".[48]
In August 2000 the ROC adopted its Basis of the Social Concept[49] and in July 2008 its Basic Teaching on Human Dignity, Freedom and Rights.[50]
Under Patriarch Aleksey, there were difficulties in the relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican, especially since 2002, when Pope John Paul II created a Catholic diocesan structure for Russian territory. The leaders of the Russian Church saw this action as a throwback to prior attempts by the Vatican to proselytize the Russian Orthodox faithful to become Roman Catholic. This point of view was based upon the stance of the Russian Orthodox Church (and the Eastern Orthodox Church) that the Church of Rome is in schism, after breaking off from the Orthodox Church. The Catholic Church, on the other hand, while acknowledging the primacy of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia, believed that the small Catholic minority in Russia, in continuous existence since at least the 18th century, should be served by a fully developed church hierarchy with a presence and status in Russia, just as the Russian Orthodox Church is present in other countries (including constructing a cathedral in Rome, near the Vatican).
There had been increasing friction between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church, one example of such friction could be observed at the meeting in Ravenna in early October 2007 of participants in the Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue: the representative of the Moscow Patriarchate, Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev, walked out of the meeting due to the presence of representatives from the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church which is in the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. At the meeting, prior to the departure of the Russian delegation, there were also substantive disagreements about the wording of a proposed joint statement among the Orthodox representatives.[51] After the departure of the Russian delegation, the remaining Orthodox delegates approved the form which had been advocated by the representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.[52] The disagreement occurred because Moscow insists that Estonia is its canonical territory for historical reasons, and has incorporated Orthodox parishes in Estonia into the Orthodox Church of Estonia, a self-governing part of the Church of Russia. The Ecumenical Patriarchate, however, has set up its own jurisdiction in Estonia, called the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church, an action that prompted the Holy Synod of the Church of Russia to announce, in 2000, that it will not take part in any pan-Orthodox meeting where members of the EAOC are present. The Ecumenical See's representative in Ravenna said that Hilarion's position "should be seen as an expression of authoritarianism whose goal is to exhibit the influence of the Moscow Church. But like last year in Belgrade, all Moscow achieved was to isolate itself once more since no other Orthodox Church followed its lead, remaining instead faithful to Constantinople."[53][54]
Canon Michael Bourdeaux, former president of Keston Institute, believed in January 2008 that "the Moscow Patriarchate acts as though it heads a state church, while the few Orthodox clergy who oppose the church-state symbiosis face severe criticism, even loss of livelihood."[55] Such view is backed up by other Russia's political life observers.[56] Clifford J. Levy of New York Times wrote in April 2008: «Just as the government has tightened control over political life, so, too, has it intruded in matters of faith. The Kremlin's surrogates in many areas have turned the Russian Orthodox Church into a de facto official religion, warding off other Christian denominations that seem to offer the most significant competition for worshipers. <...> This close alliance between the government and the Russian Orthodox Church has become a defining characteristic of Mr. Putin's tenure, a mutually reinforcing choreography that is usually described here as working "in symphony".»[57]
Throughout Patriarch Alexy's reign, the massive-scale program of costly restoration of re-opened churches and monasteries (as well as the construction of new ones) was criticized for having eclipsed the Church's principal mission of evangelizing.[58][59]
On 5 December 2008, the day of Patriarch Alexy's death, the Financial Times said: "While the church had been a force for liberal reform under the Soviet Union, it soon became a center of strength for conservatives and nationalists in the post-communist era. Alexei's death could well result in an even more conservative church."[60]
Under Patriarch Kirill[edit]
On January 27, 2009, the ROC Local Council (the 2009 Pomestny Sobor) elected Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus;[61][62] with 508 votes out of 700.[63]) He was enthroned on February 1, 2009.
In 2010 news broke of a child abuse scandal involving a monastery in the city of Vladimir, where children are said to have been "hit multiple times, forced to do agricultural labor from 3 a.m. till 10 p.m. with 30-minute breaks for breakfast and lunch".[64]
In February 2011 the official spokesman of the Synodal Department of the Patriarchate denied reports that the Church was about to merge with the Russian State. He said, "The Russian Church has never in its history been so independent of the state as it is now. It treasures this independence. However, it also treasures the dialogue that it has with the modern state. No doubt, this dialogue cannot be called easy, but it can be called constructive."[65]
Structure and organization[edit]
Administratively, the ROC is organized in a hierarchical structure. The lowest level of organization, which normally would be a single ROC building and its attendees, headed by a priest who acts as Father superior (Russian: настоятель, nastoyatel), constitute a parish (Russian: приход, prihod). All parishes in a geographical region belong to an eparchy (Russian: епархия — equivalent to a Western diocese). Eparchies are governed by bishops (Russian: епископ, episcop or архиерей, archiereus). There are 261 Russian Orthodox eparchies worldwide (June 2012).
Further, some eparchies are organized into exarchates, or autonomous churches. Currently these include the Belarusian exarchate, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; the Latvian, the Moldovan, the Estonian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate. The Chinese Orthodox Church and the Japanese Orthodox Churches were granted full autonomy by the Moscow Patriarchate, but this autonomy is not universally recognized.
Smaller eparchies are usually governed by a single bishop. Larger eparchies, exarchates, and autonomous Churches are governed by a Metropolitan archbishop and sometimes also have one or more bishops assigned to them.
The highest level of authority in the ROC is vested in the Local Council (Pomestny Sobor), which comprises all the bishops as well as representatives from the clergy and laypersons. Another organ of power is the Bishops' Council (Архиерейский Собор). In the periods between the Councils the highest administrative powers are exercised by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, which includes seven permanent members and is chaired by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Primate of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Although the Patriarch of Moscow has extensive powers, unlike the Pope he does not have direct authority over matters pertaining to faith. Some of the more fundamental issues (such as the ones responsible for the Catholic-Orthodox split) can not be adequately and definitively addressed by a meeting of the Local Council and have to be dealt with by an council of representatives from all Eastern Orthodox Churches. The last time such a council was held was in 787. The split into Western and Eastern parts occurred with the Great Schism in the 11th century.
In 2011, Patriarch Kirill launched the reform of the diocesan apparatus Russian Orthodox Church: 5–6 October 2011 a session of the Holy Synod approved the "Regulations on the Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church", and as a result of the Moscow Patriarchate, as well as in other local churches will be a three-tier structure of the organization of the diocesan administration: Patriarchate - Metropolis - Eparchy.[66]
As a result of the reforms gradually in Russia may have about 80 metropolitan sees, the boundaries of each of which must often coincide with the boundaries of one of the 83 subjects of the Russian Federation. A diocese accordingly over time will become more often than regional importance, and their boundaries should coincide with the boundaries of several districts that are part of the republics, territories and regions of the Russian Federation.
Unlike Archdiocese of Metropolitan District is the organization of government. Supreme ecclesiastical authority in the metropolitan district belongs to the Synod chaired by the head of the Metropolitan District. District Synod consists of diocesan and suffragan bishops of the district. In the Archdiocese are no synods and episcopal councils, who are dealing with the focal issues of the dioceses of the Archdiocese.
Proposed Structure[edit]
- Patriarchate of Moscow and all Russia (ROC)
- Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, autonomous Church
- Orthodox Church in America, autonomous Church
- Belarusian Orthodox Church, autonomous Church
- Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), autonomous Church
- Estonian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate, autonomous Church
- Latvian Orthodox Church, autonomous Church
- Moldovan Orthodox Church, autonomous Church
- Japanese Orthodox Church, autonomous Church
- Chinese Orthodox Church, autonomous Church
Orthodox Church in America (OCA)[edit]
Russian traders settled in Alaska during the 18th century. In 1740, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated on board a Russian ship off the Alaskan coast. In 1794, the Russian Orthodox Church sent missionaries — among them Saint Herman of Alaska—to establish a formal mission in Alaska. Their missionary endeavors contributed to the conversion of many Alaskan natives to the Orthodox faith. A diocese was established, whose first bishop was Saint Innocent of Alaska. The headquarters of this North American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church was moved from Alaska to California around the mid-19th century.
It was moved again in the last part of the same century, this time to New York. This transfer coincided with a great movement of Greek-Catholics to the Orthodox Church in the East of the United States. This movement, which increased the numbers of Orthodox Christians in America, resulted from a conflict between John Ireland, the politically powerful Roman Catholic Archbishop of Saint Paul, Minnesota; and Alexis Toth, an influential Ruthenian Catholic priest of St. Marys church in Minneapolis. Archbishop Ireland's refusal to accept Fr. Toth's credentials as a priest induced Fr. Toth to convert St. Marys to the Orthodox Church, and further resulted in the conversion of tens of thousands of other Greek-Catholics in North America to the Orthodox Church, under his guidance and inspiration. For this reason, Ireland is sometimes ironically remembered as the "Father of the Orthodox Church in America." These Greek-Catholics were received into Orthodoxy into the existing North American diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. At the same time large numbers of Greeks and other Orthodox Christians were also immigrating to America. At this time all Orthodox Christians in North America were united under the omophorion (Church authority and protection) of the Patriarch of Moscow, through the Russian Church's North American diocese. The unity was not merely theoretical, but was a reality, since there was then no other diocese on the continent. Under the aegis of this diocese, which at the turn of the 20th century was ruled by Bishop (and future Patriarch) Tikhon, Orthodox Christians of various ethnic backgrounds were ministered to, both non-Russian and Russian; a Syro-Arab mission was established under the episcopal leadership of Saint Raphael of Brooklyn, who was the first Orthodox bishop to be consecrated in America.
In 1920 Patriarch Tikhon issued an ukase (decree) that dioceses of the Church of Russia that were cut off from the governance of the highest Church authority (i.e. the Holy Synod and the Patriarch) should be managed independently until such time as normal relations with the highest Church authority could be resumed; and on this basis, the North American diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (known as the "Metropolia") continued to exist in a de facto autonomous mode of self-governance. The financial hardship that beset the North American diocese as the result of the Russian Revolution resulted in a degree of administrative chaos, with the result that other national Orthodox communities in North America turned to the Churches in their respective homelands for pastoral care and governance.
A group of bishops who had left Russia in the wake of the Russian Civil War gathered in Sremski-Karlovci, Yugoslavia, and adopted a pro-monarchist stand. The group further claimed to speak as a synod for the entire "free" Russian church. This group, which to this day includes a sizable portion of the Russian emigration, was formally dissolved in 1922 by Patriarch Tikhon, who then appointed metropolitans Platon and Evlogy as ruling bishops in America and Europe, respectively. Both of these metropolitans continued to entertain relations intermittently with the synod in Karlovci.
Between the World Wars the Metropolia coexisted and at times cooperated with an independent synod later known as Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), sometimes also called the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. The two groups eventually went their separate ways. ROCOR, which moved its headquarters to North America after the Second World War, claimed but failed to establish jurisdiction over all parishes of Russian origin in North America. The Metropolia, as a former diocese of the Russian Church, looked to the latter as its highest church authority, albeit one from which it was temporarily cut off under the conditions of the communist regime in Russia.
After World War II the Patriarchate of Moscow made unsuccessful attempts to regain control over these groups. After resuming communication with Moscow in early 1960s, and being granted autocephaly in 1970, the Metropolia became known as the Orthodox Church in America.[67][68] However, recognition of this autocephalous status is not universal, as the Ecumenical Patriarch (under whom is the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America) and some other jurisdictions have not officially accepted it. The reasons for this are complex; nevertheless the Ecumenical Patriarch and the other jurisdictions remain in communion with the OCA. The Patriarchate of Moscow thereby renounced its former canonical claims in the United States and Canada; it also acknowledged an autonomous church established in Japan that same year.
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR)[edit]
Russia's Church was devastated by the repercussions of the Bolshevik Revolution. One of its effects was a flood of refugees from Russia to the United States, Canada, and Europe. The Revolution of 1918 severed large sections of the Russian church—dioceses in America, Japan, and Manchuria, as well as refugees in Europe—from regular contacts with the main church.
Based on an ukase (decree) issued by Patriarch Tikhon, which stated that dioceses of the Church of Russia that were cut off from the governance of the highest Church authority (i.e. the Holy Synod and the Patriarch) should be managed independently until such time as normal relations with the highest Church authority could be resumed, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia was established; by bishops who had left Russia in the wake of the Russian Civil War. They first met in Constantinople, and then moved to Sremski-Karlovci, Yugoslavia. After World War II, they moved their headquarters to New York City, New York, where it remains to this day.
On December 28, 2006, it was officially announced that the Act of Canonical Communion would finally be signed between the ROC and ROCOR. The signing took place on the May 17, 2007, followed immediately by a full restoration of communion with the Moscow Patriarchate, celebrated by a Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, at which the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexius II and the First Hierarch of ROCOR concelebrated for the first time.
Under the Act, the ROCOR remains a self-governing entity within the Church of Russia. It is independent in its administrative, pastoral, and property matters. It continues to be governed by its Council of Bishops and its Synod, the Council's permanent executive body. The First-Hierarch and bishops of the ROCOR are elected by its Council and confirmed by the Patriarch of Moscow. ROCOR bishops participate in the Council of Bishops of the entire Russian Church.
In response to the signing of the act of canonical communion, Bishop Agafangel and parishes and clergy in opposition to the Act broke communion with ROCOR, and established ROCA, or the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.[69] Some others opposed to the Act have joined themselves to other Greek Old Calendarist groups.[70]
Currently both the OCA and ROCOR, since 2007, are in communion with the ROC.
Belarusian Orthodox Church[edit]
The Belarusian Orthodox Church is part of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Russian church architecture[edit]
Many Russian Orthodox Church buildings differ in design from other modern-type churches. Firstly, their interiors are enriched with many sacramental objects including holy icons, which are hung on the walls. In addition, murals often cover most of the interior. Some of these images represent Mary, the mother of Christ - the Theotokos - (who is particularly revered in the Russian Orthodox Church), saints, and scenes from their lives. Russian Orthodox Church architecture tends to be very "vertical" - much higher than it is wide - to draw the believer's attention up towards God rather than towards the things of the world.
Gold is the color which resembles the Heavenly Kingdom. It is also used to add a sense of indefinite depth to icons, which would otherwise be perceived as flat. Painted icons are intentionally composed in a two-dimensional, non-perspective fashion to allow equal viewing regardless of the placement, position, and/or angle of the observing person, as well as to emphasize that the depiction is primarily of a spiritual truth rather than of visible reality (which emphasis is also achieved through other iconographic techniques and traditions).
Internally, Russian Orthodox churches follow the arrangement of the Great Temple of Jerusalem and are divided longitudinally into three sections: at the eastern end is the altar (the holy of holies) which is delimited by an iconostasis - icon screen, which separates the nave where the congregation worships from the holy altar, which contains the Sacrament and signifies the heavenly kingdom. The iconostasis mimics the veil of the Temple and is covered with icons. The iconostasis is intended to stop physical sight, and allow the worshipers to achieve spiritual sight. The iconostasis may reach all the way up into the dome (or domes). Near or in front of the western wall of the church nave is the entry or forecourt where candles and other church wares are normally sold.
On the ceiling of many churches (inside the main dome) is the iconography of Christ as Pantokrator ("Ruler of All"). Such images emphasize Christ's humanity and divinity, signifying that Christ is a man and yet is also God without beginning or end.
There are no pews, only a few chairs or side benches for the infirm or elderly. Most churches are lit with candles rather than electric light. Virtually all churches have votive candle stands in front of the more popular icons. It is customary for worshippers to purchase candles in church stores, light them, and place them on the stands. This ritual signifies a person's prayer to God, the Holy Mother, or to the saints or angels asking for help on the difficult path to salvation and to freedom from sin. Placing a candle before icons of saints is not an act of worship but of veneration.
Normally, Russian Orthodox crosses have three cross pieces: small top cross piece symbolizing the board on which the Romans tacked the Latin label "INRI" - Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Hebrews; the major cross piece to which Jesus' hands were tied/nailed; and the lower slanted cross piece - from the vantage point of the person crucified this board slants upward to the right symbolizing the thief on Jesus' right who repented. Additionally, sometimes the bottoms of crosses found in Russian Orthodox churches will be adorned with a crescent. The common misconception attributes these to the fact that in 1552, Tsar Ivan the Terrible conquered the city of Kazan which had been under the rule of Muslim Tatars, and in remembrance of this, he decreed that from henceforth the Islamic crescent be placed at the bottom of the crosses to signify the victory of the cross (Christianity) over the crescent (Islam). In fact, crescents on crosses were widespread during the pre-Mongolian period of Russian history and have no relation to the Islamic symbol. The crescent symbol actually is meant to resemble an anchor, which symbolizes the hope for salvation.[citation needed]
Today, the Orthodox Christian organisation Holy Rus protects churches, priests, and other sacred symbols from desecration and sacrilege.[71]
Ecumenism and Interfaith relations[edit]
In May 2011, Hilarion Alfeyev, the Metropolitan of Volokolamsk and head of external relations for the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, stated that Orthodox and Evangelical Christians share the same positions on "such issues as abortion, the family, and marriage" and desires "vigorous grassroots engagement" between the two Christian communions on such issues.[72]
The Metropolitan also believes in the possibility of peaceful coexistence between Islam and Christianity as the two religions have never had religious wars in Russia.[73] Alfeyev stated that the Russian Orthodox Church "disagrees with atheist secularism in some areas very strongly" and "believes that it destroys something very essential about human life."[73]
The Russian Orthodox Church today has ecclesiastical missions in Jerusalem and some other countries around the world.[74][75]
See also[edit]
- List of Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Moscow
- List of Orthodox Churches
- List of Russian Orthodox eparchies
- List of Russian saints
- List of tallest Orthodox churches
- Eastern Orthodox Church
- Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
- Eastern Christianity
- Russian Catholic Church
- Russian Orthodox bell ringing
- Alexander Men
- Saint Tikhon's Orthodox University
- Valaam Monastery
- ^ a b c Русская церковь объединяет свыше 150 млн. верующих в более чем 60 странах - митрополит Иларион Interfax.ru 2 March 2011
- ^ ROC Statute, Chapter I, § 2
- ^ Because the ROC does not keep any formal membership records the claim is based on public polls and the number of parishes. The actual number of regular church-goers in Russia varies between 1% and 10%, depending on the source. However, strict adherence to Sunday church-going is not traditional in Eastern Orthodoxy, specifically in Russia.
- ^ a b Опубликована подробная сравнительная статистика религиозности в России и Польше Religare.ru June 6, 2007
- ^ Большинство, напоминающее меньшинство Gazeta.ru 21 August 2007
- ^ "Russian Orthodox Church denies plans to create private army". RIA Novosti (BBC News). 2008-11-21. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
- ^ "Religions in Russia: a New Framework : A Russian Orthodox Church Website". Pravmir.com. 2012-12-22. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
- ^ "Number of Orthodox Church Members Shrinking in Russia, Islam on the Rise - Poll : A Russian Orthodox Church Website". Pravmir.com. 2012-12-18. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
- ^ (Russian)Доклад Святейшего Патриарха Кирилла на Архиерейском cовещании 2 февраля 2010 года patriarchia.ru February 2, 2010
- ^ Damick, Andrew S. "Life of the Apostle Andrew". chrysostom.org. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
- ^ Voronov, Theodore (2001-10-13). "The Baptism of Russia and Its Significance for Today". orthodox.clara.net. Archived from the original on 2007-04-18. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
- ^ "Российские Вести - Федеральный Еженедельник". rosvesty.ru. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
- ^ "АРХИЕПИСКОП ИСТРИНСКИЙ АРСЕНИЙ ВОЗГЛАВИЛ В МОСКВЕ ТОРЖЕСТВА ПО СЛУЧАЮ 625-ЛЕТИЯ КУЛИКОВСКОЙ БИТВЫ". pravoslavie.ru. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
- ^ Karl August von Hase. A history of the Christian Church. Oxford, 1855. Page 481.
- ^ Yuri Kagramanov, "The war of languages in Ukraine", Novy Mir, 2006, № 8
- ^ A. S. Pankratov, Ishchushchie boga (Moscow, 1911); Vera Shevzov, Russian Orthodoxy on the Eve of Revolution (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004); Gregory Freeze, 'Subversive Piety: Religion and the Political Crisis in Late Imperial Russia', Journal of Modern History, vol. 68 (June 1996): 308-50; Mark Steinberg and Heather Coleman, eds. Sacred Stories: Religion and Spirituality in Modern Russia (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2007)
- ^ Palmieri, F. Aurelio. "The Church and the Russian Revolution," Part II, The Catholic World, Vol. CV, N°. 629, August 1917.
- ^ President of Lithuania: Prisoner of the Gulag a Biography of Aleksandras Stulginskis by Afonsas Eidintas Genocide and Research Center of Lithuania ISBN 9986-757-41-X / 9789986757412 / 9986-757-41-X pg 23
- ^ Christ Is Calling You : A Course in Catacomb Pastorship by Father Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa Published by Saint Hermans Press April 1997 ISBN 978-1-887904-52-0
- ^ Father Arseny 1893–1973 Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father. Introduction pg. vi - 1. St Vladimir's Seminary Press ISBN 0-88141-180-9
- ^ Sullivan, Patricia (November 26, 2006). "Anti-Communist Priest Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa". The Washington Post. p. C09.
- ^ Dumitru Bacu, [The Anti-Humans. Student Re-Education in Romanian Prisons], Soldiers of the Cross, Englewood, Colorado, 1971. Originally written in Romanian as Piteşti, Centru de Reeducare Studenţească, Madrid, 1963
- ^ Adrian Cioroianu, Pe umerii lui Marx. O introducere în istoria comunismului românesc ("On the Shoulders of Marx. An Incursion into the History of Romanian Communism"), Editura Curtea Veche, Bucharest, 2005
- ^ John Shelton Curtis, The Russian Church and the Soviet State (Boston: Little Brown, 1953); Jane Ellis, The Russian Orthodox Church: A Contemporary History (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986); Dimitry V. Pospielovsky, The Russian Church Under the Soviet Regime 1917-1982 (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1984); idem., A History of Marxist-Leninist Atheism and Soviet Anti-Religious Policies (New York; St. Martin's Press, 1987); Glennys Young, Power and the Sacred in Revolutionary Russia: Religious Activists in the Village (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997); Daniel Peris, Storming the Heavens: The Soviet League of the Militant Godless (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998); William B. Husband, "Godless Communists": Atheism and Society in Soviet Russia (DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 2000; Edward Roslof, Red Priests: Renovationism, Russian Orthodoxy, and Revolution, 1905-1946 (Bloomington, Indiana, 2002)
- ^ Ostling, Richard. "Cross meets Kremlin" TIME Magazine. June 24, 2001. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,150718,00.html
- ^ Husband, William. "Soviet Atheism and Russian Orthodox Strategies of Resistance, 1917-1932" Journal of Modern History 70, (1998), p. 86
- ^ Tikhon's Proclamation as of January 19, 1918 (Julian calendar)
- ^ a b (Russian) Alekseev, Valery. Historical and canonical reference for reasons making believers leave the Moscow patriarchate. Created for the government of Moldova
- ^ Talantov, Boris. 1968. The Moscow Patriarchate and Sergianism (English translation).
- ^ Protopriest Yaroslav Belikow. December 11, 2004. The Visit of His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus to the Parishes of Argentina and Venezuela."
- ^ Tserkovnye Vedomosti Russkoy Istinno-Pravoslavnoy Tserkvi (Russian True Orthodox Church News). Patriarch Tikhon's Catacomb Church. History of the Russian True Orthodox Church.
- ^ Rev. Thomas Hoffmann; William Alex Pridemore. "Esau's Birthright and Jacob's Pottage: A Brief Look at Orthodox-Methodist Ecumenism in Twentieth-Century Russia". Demokratizatsiya. Retrieved 19 October 2009. "The Methodists continued their ecumenical commitments, now with the OC. This involved a continuance of financial assistance from European and American resources, enough to reopen two OC seminaries in Russia (where all had been previously closed). OC leaders wrote in two unsolicited statements: The services rendered... by the American Methodists and other Christian friends will go down in history of the Orthodox Church as one of its brightest pages in that dark and trying time of the church.... Our church will never forget the Samaritan service which... your whole church unselfishly rendered us. may this be the beginning of closer friendship for our churches and nations. (as quoted in Malone 1995, 50-51)"
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Sheila. 1999. Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 179-182.
- ^ Dissent in the Russian Orthodox Church, Russian Review, Vol. 28, N 4, October 1969, pp. 416-427
- ^ Father Dmitri Dudko. The Independent Obituaries
- ^ Keston Institute and the Defence of Persecuted Christians in the USSR
- ^ Born Again. Putin and Orthodox Church Cement Power in Russia. by Andrew Higgins Wall Street Journal Dec 18, 2007.
- ^ Выписки из отчетов КГБ о работе с лидерами Московской патриархии Excerpts from KGB reports on work with the leaders of the Moscow Patriarchate
- ^ Russian Patriarch 'was KGB spy' The Guardian February 12, 1999
- ^ Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West, Gardners Books (2000), ISBN 0-14-028487-7
- ^ a b Yevgenia Albats and Catherine A. Fitzpatrick. The State Within a State: The KGB and Its Hold on Russia - Past, Present, and Future. 1994. ISBN 0-374-52738-5, page 46.
- ^ Konstantin Preobrazhenskiy - Putin's Espionage Church, an excerpt from a forthcoming book, "Russian Americans: A New KGB Asset" by Konstantin Preobrazhenskiy
- ^ Confirmed: Russian Patriarch Worked with KGB, Catholic World News. Retrieved 29-12-2007.
- ^ George Trofimoff Affidavit
- ^ Ириней (Зуземиль) Biography information on the web-site of the ROC
- ^ Nathaniel Davis, A Long Walk to Church: A Contemporary History of Russian Orthodoxy,(Oxford: Westview Press, 1995),p.96 Davis quotes one bishop as saying: "Yes, we -- I, at least, and I say this first about myself -- I worked together with the KGB. I cooperated, I made signed statements, I had regular meetings, I made reports. I was given a pseudonym -- a code name as they say there... I knowingly cooperated with them -- but in such a way that I undeviatingly tried to maintain the position of my Church, and, yes, also to act as a patriot, insofar as I understood, in collaboration with these organs. I was never a stool pigeon, nor an informer."
- ^ He said: "Defending one thing, it was necessary to give somewhere else. Were there any other organizations, or any other people among those who had to carry responsibility not only for themselves but for thousands of other fates, who in those years in the Soviet Union were not compelled to act likewise? Before those people, however, to whom the compromises, silence, forced passivity or expressions of loyalty permitted by the leaders of the church in those years caused pain, before these people, and not only before God, I ask forgiveness, understanding and prayers.". From an interview of Patriarch Alexy II, given to "Izvestia" No 137, June 10, 1991, entitled "Patriarch Alexy II: -- I Take upon Myself Responsibility for All that Happened", English translation from Nathaniel Davis, A Long Walk to Church: A Contemporary History of Russian Orthodoxy,(Oxford: Westview Press, 1995),p 89. See also History of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, by St. John (Maximovich) of Shanghai and San Francisco, December 31, 2007
- ^ Charles Clover (December 5, 2008). "Russia's church mourns patriarch". Financial Times. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
- ^ The Basis of the Social Concept
- ^ The Russian Orthodox Church's Basic Teaching on Human Dignity, Freedom and Rights
- ^ Europaica Bulletin, No 130 (October 21, 2007)
- ^ Interfax, Bishop Hilarion requests the Theologian Commission to examine the ambiguous document adopted at the Orthodox-Catholic conference in Ravenna, 16 November 2007
- ^ Progress in dialogue with Catholics, says Ecumenical Patriarchate new.asianews.it October 19, 2007.
- ^ Ecumenical progress, Russian isolation, after Catholic-Orthodox talks CWNews.com October 19, 2007.
- ^ President Putin and the patriarchs. by Michael Bourdeaux The Times January 11, 2008.
- ^ Piety's Comeback as a Kremlin Virtue. By Alexander Osipovich The Moscow Times February 12, 2008. Page 1.
- ^ Clifford J. Levy. At Expense of All Others, Putin Picks a Church. New York Times April 24, 2008
- ^ Патриарх Алексий Второй: эпоха упущенных возможностей RISU December 11, 2008
- ^ Ветряные мельницы православия Vlast December 15, 2008.
- ^ Charles Clover (December 5, 2008). "Russia's church mourns patriarch". Financial Times. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
- ^ На Московский Патриарший Престол избран митрополит Смоленский и Калининградский Кирилл MP official web site, January 27, 2009.
- ^ (Russian)Имя нового Патриарха названо: Кирилл NEWSru January 27, 2009.
- ^ Незнакомый патриарх, или Чему нас учит история храма Христа Спасителя Izvestia January 26, 2009.
- ^ Interfax news article
- ^ "Interfax-Religion". Interfax-Religion. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
- ^ Положение о Митрополиях Русской Православной Церкви
- ^ Very Rev. John Matusiak, Director of Communications, Orthodox Church in America. A History and Introduction of the Orthodox Church in America
- ^ OrthodoxWiki. ROCOR and OCA.
- ^ "Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA), Synod of Bishops". Sinod.ruschurchabroad.org. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
- ^ Communique of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, June 30, 2007; DEEPENING OF SCHISM: Some clergy of the diaspora church created their own higher church administration, by Pavel Krug, NG-Religiia, 18 July 2007
- ^ Lobzina, Alina (2012-08-22). "Orthodox activists create Moscow patrol squads". The Moscow News. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ^ "From Russia, with Love". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2007-12-31. "Many evangelicals share conservative positions with us on such issues as abortion, the family, and marriage. Do you want vigorous grassroots engagement between Orthodox and evangelicals? Yes, on problems, for example, like the destruction of the family. Many marriages are split. Many families have either one child or no child."
- ^ a b "From Russia, with Love". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2007-12-31. "If we speak about Islam (and of course if we mean moderate Islam), then I believe there is the possibility of peaceful coexistence between Islam and Christianity. This is what we have had in Russia for centuries, because Russian Islam has a very long tradition. But we never had religious wars. Nowadays we have a good system of collaboration between Christian denominations and Islam. Secularism is dangerous because it destroys human life. It destroys essential notions related to human life, such as the family. And here we disagree with atheist secularism in some areas very strongly, and we believe that it destroys something very essential about human life. We should be engaged in a very honest and direct conversation with representatives of secular ideology. And of course when I speak of secular ideology, I mean here primarily atheist ideology."
- ^ Russian Orthodox Mission in Haiti
- ^ Hieromonk Roman (Krassovsky) is Appointed Acting Chief of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Russian Orthodox Church. |
- Russian Orthodox Church official website
- Russian Orthodox Church's channel on YouTube
- Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church official website, in English
- Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia official website
- Orthodox Church in America official website
- Russian Orthodox resources
- Russian Orthodox Church links in Orthodox Christianity Directory
- Russian Church in OrthodoxWiki
- Orthodox Christian's Library
- Donskoi Monastyr. Virtual Tour
- Orthodox Calendar
- Orthodox Calendar and other information at Pravoslavie.ru
- Russian Orthodox Church in a live record
- A Brief Summary of the Russian Patriarchal Period
- The Tragedy of the Russian Church. 1917-53
- A repository with scientific papers on various aspects of the medieval history of the Russian Orthodox Church in English and in German


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Brief opinions about events of the past week: Merit: For Sen. Kay Hagan and her Oklahoma colleague, Sen. James Inhofe, who have sponsored a measure that would restore college tuition benefits for active-duty troops. The senators filed an amendment this week to the continuing resolution that funds the federal government. Congress must act on the resolution by March 27.
About 10,000 soldiers at Fort Bragg alone used the tuition-assistance program in the last fiscal year. The grants totaled $17.2 million and were used to fund 33,329 college courses.
An additional merit is in order for Methodist University, which announced Wednesday that it will offer free tuition to active-duty military personnel for up to four courses until July 15. That's supporting the troops. We hope Congress does, too.
Demerit: For the city of Monroe, whose city council voted last week to spend $44,000 on a battery-powered mini-drone for its police department. The tiny, remote-control aircraft would be equipped with an infrared camera. This has sparked privacy concerns among residents of the Union County city and from the American Civil Liberties Union, as well.
Monroe's decision prompted four North Carolina lawmakers - two Democrats and two Republicans - to file a bill placing safeguards on the use of drones. It would prohibit their use without first obtaining a warrant, with a few urgent exceptions. A big merit for that one. Drones misused are a serious threat to Americans' right to privacy.
Merit: For Sens. Wesley Meredith of Fayetteville and Thom Goolsby of Wilmington, who celebrated Sunshine Week by filing two bills that expand the public's right to know what its government is doing.
The first would strengthen the state's Sunshine Amendment, making it more difficult for the General Assembly to add exceptions to it. And the second expands public access to government personnel records, including hiring, firing and employee performance records. For too long, government personnel rules have protected wrongdoing and wastes of taxpayer money. This is a turn in the right direction.
Demerit: For the predictable return of an effort to repeal North Carolina's laws that require motorcycle riders to wear safety helmets. Rep. John Torbett, a motorcycle-riding Republican from Stanley, is this year's sponsor of a perennial measure that would allow riders 21 and older to stop using helmets.
We'd be more inclined to let motorcyclists be suicidal if we could be assured that no brain-damaged former riders would be entrusted to the care of the taxpayers. Medicaid is already a financial killer. We don't need to add the strain of badly injured motorcyclists who just loved the feeling of the wind in their hair.
Merit: For the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, which is bringing to town two touring exhibits that explore the life and times of Anne Frank, the young Holocaust victim whose diary has inspired millions.
The exhibits - "Anne Frank: A History for Today" and "Art and Propaganda in Nazi-Occupied Holland," open on Monday at the Arts Council downtown and continue through April 21. There will be numerous additional exhibits and events around the community. For details, go to theartscouncil.com.
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Souhan/Ryan weigh in
Not sure if this has been posted anywhere here. If so, my apologies.
In a nutshell: Ryan says "I'll probably stick around. This is my fault...but I don't really plan to do anything to fix it. Maybe bring back the rotting carcass of Carl Pavano."
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You've got to be kidding me!?! I like a stand-up guy, but this is going to become much worse than even I predicted (Hello payroll < $80M?):
"Ryan was blunt about a variety of subjects. He ..
. • Will not fire manager Ron Gardenhire.
• Won't force Gardenhire to make changes to his coaching staff.
• Considers Justin Morneau a "core" player whom he expects to thrive next season.
• Wants people to stop blaming Joe Mauer for the team's problems.
• Would consider re-signing pending free-agent pitchers Scott Baker and Carl Pavano.
• Doubts he will pursue any elite free-agent pitchers this winter, saying it will be a "thin" market and that he's averse to signing such pitchers to the long-term deals required to land them.
• Insists that he, not the previous general manager, the manager or ownership, should take the blame for this season."
Not firing Gardenhire is one thing. Not "forcing" him to make coaching changes is one thing. Strongly suggesting coaching changes is another!
Morneau is the necessary trade to make and this is hopefully just smokescreen. Unless trading Parmelee is the idea? Morneau's salary is a huge move, though, even if the Twins agreed to pay half of it. That $7 million plus the BYE-BYE to Pavano (if they resign him, I will vomit) would open up the right amount for a very good FA starting pitcher signing.
I wonder what he means by "elite"? I might agree if he really means the very top top. The rung below is vital, though. It is NOT a thin market for starting pitching.
Sure it is his fault, the fans that go to the games fault, and the tax payers fault.
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Wow. I hope the Pohlads realize that much of this Twins decline was already set into motion by things Ryan did (and didn't do) the FIRST time around.
Agree with poster above that this is a not a "thin" FA market for SP. That sort of argument is kind of pointless when you thumb your nose at the whole idea of free agency to begin with. (Hey, how did Willingham work out?)
Seriously, Ryan's made some good moves in the past, but for every good move, he seems to handcuff us with some piece of philosophy that makes no sense.
I actually don't disagree with a lot of what he said there but this pitching market is "thin" and that he won't participate in it? WHAT?!?! The only thing I can carry away from that statement that makes me want to watch a single Twins game is 2013 is the word "elite", which is really thin this offseason. If JR is saying that the Twins won't pursue a Hamels-type player (and there isn't really one of those on the market anyway) but instead go after a Marcum/Jackson type player, I'm completely fine with that.
But if he's saying he won't pursue any decent starting pitching at all, fire the guy. Right now. That's the type of statement that is so completely illogical that it makes me want to scream. This team needs four starting pitchers. FOUR. You're not going to assemble four guys by pulling junk like Pavano off the heap and giving him innings. You might get one guy that way. No way in hell are you going to get four. Or even two.
Yeah, Terry Ryan's definition of "elite" weighs heavily! Or maybe it is Souhan's definition (god help us all). Avoiding 6 years and $120 million is one thing (smart), but avoiding 4 years and $50 million is another (totally stupid).
I guess saying Morneau is a core player who will thrive doesn't entail that they wouldn't be serious about trading him.
"But if he's saying he won't pursue any decent starting pitching at all, fire the guy. Right now. That's the type of statement that is so completely illogical that it makes me want to scream. This team needs four starting pitchers. FOUR. You're not going to assemble four guys by pulling junk like Pavano off the heap and giving him innings. You might get one guy that way. No way in hell are you going to get four. Or even two."
Thank you. MORE fans need to realize this.
Agreed. I'm all for avoiding pitching contracts that are longer than four years but this team can't ignore the quality pitching that is on the market this offseason. We'll get to see another 100 loss team if they try it.
The Morneau quotes don't really bother me. JR obviously feels that Morneau's value is on the rise. If he wants to hold on to him longer, it's not the worst idea in the world. I don't think teams are offering anything of value for him right now and it's not as if the Twins need the salary relief (doubly so after JR's comments).
I view much of this as smokescreen/not tipping my hand info. I've seen enough JR over the years to know his pension for dumpster squatting, but I really believe they are not satisfied with what we have to sign a Marcum/Jackson level pitcher (and likely take a long look at Baker's progress). I'll wait it out to get upset.
This is vintage Twins ... and vintage Terry Ryan.
I honestly believe that they do not care about being elite. They care ONLY about being competitive enough to put b*tts in the seats while maximizing the return they get for the dollars they do invest. (It had to kill Ryan to throw away the Marquis and Nishioka dollars). And they recognize that the AL Central is often mediocre enough that the strategy will keep them "competitive" through most of the summer.
That's why Morneau is a "core" player -- they are still hoping to maximize the "draw" of M & M. That's why they won't take very big risks on free agent pitching -- preferring to limit the dollars they expose. Instead, they will spend limited dollars on FA pitching.
Since October 2010, I've been perfectly willing to see them totally rebuild this team -- because I recognized that they were a long way from being eliite (in my definition -- able to win in the playoffs). But that's not how they operate.
The Twins are very risk-adverse. Their moves are always calculated to minimize their exposure whlle doing just enough to bring fans through the gates and keep the dollars rolling in. They miscalculated over the last 2 years -- being decimated by injuries last year and just plain overestimating their team -- especially the starting pitching -- for this year.
But those "miscalculations" won't be enough to cause them to change their overall strategy. Someone posted on another thread last night that Kenny Williams had said the Twins could have won the World Series several times in the last 10 years if they had just been willing to spend those extra dollars. I think he was right -- and I don't think it will ever happen.
I'm not opposed to building starting pitching through trades and draft/develop and Rule V but if you're going to do that, you can't also think that you have to hold on to Morneau (or any other player if you can get a needed return).
Those comments about free agent pitchers bother me a lot.
Maybe I'm misinterpreting Ryan, or maybe Souhan is, but what I'm taking away is that Ryan won't pursue big-time free agent pitchers, regardless of how much money he has to do it. You can talk about trading Morneau and Span to free up some money but the Twins still won't sign any pitchers better than Pavano or Baker.
Souhan gives us "thin" in double quotes, but then doesn't give us the quote by Ryan where he uses that term. Ugh. Maybe we can get the context that was used. I agree - last I looked the market was anything but thin.
More interesting to me was the speculation about Ryan's future....
"We have not played well," Ryan said. "And everything comes underneath my umbrella. So I'll go through the next month and we'll see exactly where we stand here, but sooner rather than later Mr. Pohlad has got to get a decision out of me. I know he can't go on forever with this setup."
I asked Ryan a handful of questions designed to gauge his willingness to keep the job. He did not provide a definitive answer."
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While the FA SP market isn't thin, I do agree that the Elite FA Pitcher market is thin.
The good thing is that Livan and Marquis are back on the market this winter, pitching problems solved.
Trade rumor says Red Sox pitcher Doubrnot has been claimed and speculates it could be part of a Mauer trade.
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Yeah, that is what he appeared to be saying. Don't plan on us making a run at the elite FA pitchers (Greinke) since there asking price will be astronomical. The last thing this club needs to do is hand out some huge contract to a question mark like Grienke or Sanchez. Sounds like he was just preparing the fans that the Twins won't be in the Greinke sweepstakes.
In regards to Morneau, There is no reason for him to say: Oh yeah we definitely want to trade him! What does that accomplish? They have already stated they would listen to offers on Morneau, they need to make sure they get talent back in any trade.
I still think the Twins best bet on acquiring a front of the rotation starter is by trading Span, and Ryan should be able to make some key signings. Last year he was able to land us Willingham, Doumit and Burton which were all great pick ups. Caroll was what we expected, and Marquis didn't work out. Hopefully he can find us the pitching equivalents of Willingham and Doumit this off-season.
"I don't think either one of us should independently make that call. I wouldn't want to force-feed a coach on a manager. That never works in a clubhouse."- exactly, Ryan and Gardy need to sit down after the season and decide who needs to stay or go. Frankly, I don't want them to fire either Varva or Anderson as I think both are pretty damn solid options, could care less about the rest of the guys, but is a new 1st base coach or bench coach really going to change this team?
The Twins best bet for 2013 is to trade one or two of Span/Willingham/Morneau for some high upside pitching and then to fix the rotation with some shrewd signings, also they will need some of Gibson/Hendriks/Hicks/Arcia/Benson to step up as well.
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At this point. Greinke cannot be considered an "elite" pitching free agent. The train has already gone off the rails there.


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Six Britons killed in Kenya attack (From This Is Local London)
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Six Britons killed in Kenya attack
7:21pm Monday 23rd September 2013 in National News © Press Association 2013
Ross Langdon and his partner Elif Yavuz have been identified as two of the victims of a terrorist attack on a mall in Kenya (AP/AAP Image)
Up to six British nationals are now believed to have been killed in the terror attack on a shopping mall in Kenya, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said.
Mr Hammond spoke after leaving a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee in the Cabinet Office which was chaired by the Prime Minister. Writing on Twitter, Mr Cameron said: "I've just chaired a meeting of Cobra. Tragically the latest reports are that six British nationals have been killed in the Kenya terror attacks."
The Defence Secretary said officials were awaiting final confirmation on the sixth casualty but told reporters it was currently thought six Britons had been killed in the attack and that figure could rise further. Earlier estimates had placed the British death toll at four.
Mr Hammond said: "Our current best estimate is we now have six British nationals who have died in this incident. Of the additional two, one is confirmed and another one we believe to be a British national, and we are awaiting final confirmation, but we are pretty certain we now have six British nationals who have died. The total number of people dead we believe exceeds 60 and it is possible we will discover further British nationals once the building is fully secure."
When asked about reports that Britons may have been involved in the execution of the attack, Mr Hammond replied: "I've seen those reports but there's no evidence to support those claims."
Mr Hammond went on: "We have been in touch with the Kenyan authorities throughout... As the Prime Minister made clear, we have said we will provide them with any assistance which they request. We haven't yet been asked to provide any assistance beyond broad background advice."
Earlier, Kenyan police said three terrorists had been killed and others injured as security forces moved into the Westgate complex in an attempt to bring the three-day stand-off to an end. Eleven soldiers from the Kenyan Defence Force (KDF) were also wounded in the fighting.
The official Kenyan police Twitter feed reported that more than 200 civilians had been rescued as troops took control of all the floors of the mall.
The Kenyan authorities have said that 62 civilians have now been confirmed dead while 65 people were being treated in hospital. Responsibility for the attack as been claimed by al-Shabab - an Islamist group based in neighbouring Somalia with links to al Qaida.
Earlier, a Twitter account purporting to belong to an al-Shabab spokesman named a 24-year-old man from London as one of the gunmen. The Foreign Office had said it was investigating suggestions that British terrorist suspect Samantha Lewthwaite - known as the "White Widow" - who was married to one of the 7/7 bombers, was among the attackers.


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Centre for Australian and Postcolonial Writing
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Courtney Highfield is a reporter for FOX 31.
TIFT COUNTY, GA -- According to the Tifton Gazette, the Tift County School Board members are weighing a proposal that would require students to wear uniforms to school. The Gazette reports that Tift County School Superintendent Patrick Atwater brought up the idea at this week's work session. Atwater said uniforms would better allow officials to spot someone coming into the school that doesn't belong there. FOX 31 talked to Tift County residents Friday who support the idea. Debbie Cromer has a granddaughter in a Tift County School and said if they wore uniforms the students would be more focused on what they're actually there for, learning.
Stay connected to MySouthWestGA.com as stories develop and the FOX 31 Newscast at 10 PM. Visit us on Facebook and Twitter to join in on the conversation and connect with FOX 31!


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Dating & Single Living
I run a cooking club for women in the Columbus diocese. Once a month we have a professional chef do a live cooking demonstration, decorate the room like a 5 star restaurant and have women come in to watch the demo and sample the food and wine. It is so much fun. It gives women a pampered night out, a chance to make friends and new recipes to cook for the family. The big problem is that I decided to do ethnic or regional themes this year and I need help picking popular ones. I thought to ask the ladies but we have anywhere from 256 women to 58 ( in december during the holidays) in any given month and the thought of getting them to agree was a bit daunting. I would also prefer not to offend anyone if I did not pick their theme. Therefore I am asking you. Keep in mind that it cannot be anything too crazy as I would have to find a chef that cooks that cuisine and persuade them to do the demo. However if you have something crazy, are a chef and willing to come to Columbus to do the demo, share away. ( It might actually get you quite a few dates. Justin our house chef always gets numbers at the end of the night from both interested ladies or women who have some friend or family member who is single) Plus you are in service to great Catholic women.
So help me. I already decided on food from the Holy Land for March during lent. We are also doing small plates of the Mediterranean or Tapas in January. So gentlemen if you had a wife what cuisine would you wish she could learn to cook at home. Ladies if you could learn to cook a cuisine for your family what would it be.
God bless you in advance for your helpful thinking caps.
roast chicken on rice
pigeon peas with okra
escavite fish
curried goat.
the food of the english-speaking caribbean
That is actually Jamaican food but I like your thinking. I may just have to tell Fr. Marty that I met you on CM so that he can give you a call to come back to recollections.
Those are both great. Thanks so much for the input.
You can go italian style:
1) lasagna 2) chicken parmegiana
You can go hispanic style:
1) arroz con pollo(rice w/ chicken) 2) sancocho (a soup with 3 different types of meat and vegetables), etc
You can go the Spanish style:
1) paella a la valenciana (rice with different type of sea food)
You can go italian style:
1) lasagna 2) chicken parmegiana
You can go hispanic style:
1) arroz con pollo(rice w/ chicken) 2) sancocho (a soup with 3 different types of meat and vegetables), etc
You can go the Spanish style:
1) paella a la valenciana (rice with different type of sea food)
Do you have any good recipes? We usually do an appetizer, entree and desert.
That sounds great and yummy. I not very good at crepes and may need to step up my game. We usually do some extra nights outside of the main event with smaller groups so that might be great then. We did one on fancy cupcake decorating and that was fun. I am not sure how a chef might react to making crepes for 200+ women. Keep thinking and I truly appreciate the ideas.


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I have just returned from this hotel as part of a company trip for employees and their families. The Hotel is great with good dining (the western food is at least as good as the Chinese), theres a small fitness centre and a pool and nice grounds overlooking the lake, oh and KTV if that's your thing, but expect it... More
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