Hegumen Andrei Erastov calls for a schism in ROCA

Sharing: The Sad & Confusing Words From Hegumen Andrei Erastov-After the Odessa Synod (Russian and human-English)-    Inbox

Dan Everiss <oregdan@hotmail.com> Thu, Jul 28, 2016 at 9:26 PM Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Delete | Show original My brief comment: ...-and my pre-apology for offending anyone...but I must speak the truth, who likes it or not! NO! NO! NO!... to most of what poor confused, though no doubt in his own mind, his 'righteous positions',  Hegumen Andrei pathetically spouts here, as he is being utilized by the other schism makers here in N. America- "THE FEAR OF GOD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM!" and, "Where the bishop is, there is the Church! I cannot agree with hardly anything he asserts as the truth here. His thoughts and words are very out of order and untrue and/or simply illogical. His personal and peculiar anti-bishop vision of the church is something bordering on a fantasy version, one not corresponding to the realities we face today.... nor indeed accurately reflecting on the harsh historical realities in past church life, throughout the last approximately  2000 years, – which is why, we have so many canons, and the God appointed authority of the bishops to apply or to enforce them, and in Orthodox Monarchies, enforced also by the heavy hand of the secular Imperial Authorities too!... who arrested and imprisoned and banished or executed church trouble-makers, in both Byzantium and Imperial Russia.... indeed in every Orthodox country. He is a sort of a utopian  nihilist  anarchist, [i.e. let everyone do as he pleases without any restraints] and clearly a monk and a priest who will not accept any bishop's authority.  He and his fellow church destroyers are thus, 'self-holy'.  Yet the current schism makers here, hope to get him made a bishop, by some hands, [only God knows who!], and to be an 'episcopal' leader of their new uncanonical vagante 'church', as also they plan for, with the aid of Sofrony, and Andronik Kotlaroff, and Choir Director Mark Kotlaroff (?) And too, they all have the further arrogant delusion of hoping for and appealing for  of their schism...getting the GOC's blessing for what they are doing, which would be a profound and utterly uncanonical  interference into our internal ROCA church affairs, of the GOC of Greece, and thus for them, to be seen as ..aiding our internal schism.  That is most unlikely to happen, as it would break apart our, much valued by all, current fraternal unity, to the world-wide detriment of all of our sister churches...and to the joy  of the MP. And all that he alleges against Met. Agafangel and our other honorable ROCA bishops, is pure malicious slander and indeed, libel. HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT!!! : "He speaks with a tongue that has no bone in it"... a Russian, Old-Believer  saying, which fits him. While our honorable and deeply self-sacrificing and DEDICATED bishops are struggling to hold together our little WORLD-WIDE TINY REMNANT [especially in this time of war, an immoral  war which neo-soviet KGB dictator V. Putin has pushed on Ukraine], of the old once free Russian Church Abroad,  Fr. Andrei, sitting safely in Australia, is lost in his own make-believe pretend fantasy dream-world of what... he thinks... 'the ideal church'... should be... all about... an imaginary  perfect church which has never existed on this earth.... NEVER! Struggle and conflict have always been a part of Christian Church life... which is why Bishops are necessary. In reality, Fr. Andrei rejects the authority of both the sacred canons and of our bishops....both God ordained and Apostolic. WHO IS HE? In which case then, WHO is left to keep peace and order and to oversee the church?....himself?... and his fellow schismatic church destroyers? He is some sort of a product of Soviet-Russian-culture, a  Protestantizer rebel against lawful Orthodox episcopal authority. He would have also rebelled against Holy Patriarch Tikhon too! He paints a picture of himself, as... himself being the learned and wise and pious arbiter and judge over our bishops, indeed, over any bishops. He as a priest, wants/no doubt, demands,  devotion and full obedience from the laity who go to him for the sacraments, but ..he...  will not be obedient to his superior, the Metropolitan and our Synod. Rather, he slanders them. What kind of an Orthodox priest, or monk (worse yet) is that??? All of the schism-makers here, are of that same impious and arrogant self-deluded and self-centered SELFISH, power-hungry anti-Orthodox mindset.  And both they and Fr. Andrei paint a picture of our metropolitan and our other bishops, of crass, power and money grubbing dictators, and all ..evil willed vile men. This is how nihilists and anarchists [the atheist mindset] see all earthly powerful persons, and institutions and governments.... and most especially, churches.  And to my view [and I have closely studied them over these years, including the malicious and false attacks of their enemies],  of what decisions our Metropolitan and other bishops have made in these past few years, all of them have been correct, and right, and ones which they HAD to pronounce, to protect our flock.... while being put under endless malicious attacks from all sides.. no matter what they have done or said...or not ...said or  not done. SLANDER!... and DEFAMATION is our metropolitan and our other honorable bishops reward, for their tireless struggles to run and to hold our world-wide flock together. Hegumen Andrei is guilty of this, over the past years. SHAME! on him! SHAME! Which decisions of our bishops  does wise Fr. Andrei find are flawed?...I would like him to list them, and to give his version of what ...he... would have done, or would do now, as then we will clearly see, what he believes in  or who he supports...a true picture of his own mind and soul. When we see that, then he will prove that he is not a pious Orthodox monk or priest. To my mind, Fr. Andrei, the monk and the priest and the icon-painter, is living in profound pride, prelest, and  in his own private make-believe conceited world of delusional ideas as to what his perfect earthly church should be...but which IT IS NOT,  all about. He is just another ordained clerical curse on our struggling church, a mistaken priestly ordination. This  is but another piece of evidence that we are indeed now, in the End Times, where:  "Shall there be found faith anywhere upon the earth?"..and when men shall ask: "But... WHERE IS THE CHURCH?" On this earth, there has NEVER been the perfect church [ the New Testament epistles testify to this], ...that we are called to, for us to aim at, and to  become, through THEOSIS and REPENTANCE,  a part of,... but which exists only in Heaven, the Heavenly Church of the Saints, of the PERFECTED. St. Paul said: "Ye are called to be saints!".. yet in fact, sadly most of us are NOT! On earth here, CHRIST-GOD has ordained that we be TAUGHT and GUIDED  and directed and ruled  FIRMLY by strong BISHOPS, THE SUCCESSORS OF THE APOSTLES!, who have the power of the Holy Spirit,  who teach the faith, and who reward the good doers, and who punish the evil doers... and have to sometimes, remove and excommunicate the evil doers from our church, THE BISHOPS! who must keep order in the church.  Once too, Orthodox Monarchs also kept, by physical force, that order. Now, we have none of them. Yet, yes, if a bishop departs from the Faith, then that one, we Orthodox must reject and flee from Vl. Metropolitan Agafangel and our other honorable bishops, have NOT been  guilty of that, of apostasy. Those, regretable  bishops and priests,  who betrayed the Orthodox Faith by their 2007 submission to anti-Christ, THEY did go into apostasy, and THEM we must reject and flee from,...  as so orders our canons, the Patristic Fathers, and Holy Scripture. I suspect that  this product of soviet culture, this Fr. Andrei Erastov,  does not really have a traditional/accurate a  vision of genuine or Patristic Orthodoxy. His words here prove it. He, along with the other current impious church-wreckers, are the New Testament church-dissemblers that St. Paul told us to cast out of our midst, and for the Orthodox people to avoid and to shun.  That casting out, is the DUTY of our bishops so to do. He spends six hours per average day, painting icons, and most of them for the ROCOR/MP churches in Australia. Perhaps they are also paying him, to make trouble in our church, and to drive us to the MP? Also, he seems to have a very imperfect and flawed knowledge as to the exact problems here in N. America, OR of the problems in  Russia or Ukraine or in Europe, as he seems to swallow whole, what the church destroyers  relate to him. And much of their erroneous information as to what goes on in Russia or Ukraine, is straight from the Putin propaganda machine! He infers, clearly,  that he is on the side of those who left our church in Russia, and.. automatically...blaming our metropolitan and our other honorable bishops, for what THOSE PEOPLE have done wrong.  Astounding ignorance and unashamed self-righteous judgementalism ! Is this a product of his 'monastic' life? My picture of our honorable Metropolitan Agafangel and our other honorable Synod of Bishops: THEY ARE NAILED TO THEIR OWN CROSSES and ARE CO-SUFFERING WITH CHRIST!...and those doing this to them, are of the Sanhedrin of the Ungodly....the false-brethren. But all-knowing and all-wise Fr. Andrei and his fellow impious cohorts in this schism game, know better than our bishops,...about everything. Or, do they??? SHAME! on them all! and may Almighty GOD [Whom they clearly do not believe in nor fear),  STOP ALL OF THEM!, in this world and the next. May at least some of them, repent. Just my observations- Rd. Daniel Everiss in Oregon  Russian version:  Игумен Андрей Ерастов. После одесского синода  27 июля 2016  В основе нынешнего конфликта в РПЦЗ лежит различное понимание догмата о Церкви; настолько различное, что люди просто не понимают друг друга.  Церковь это тело Христово. Церковью управляют не люди-архиереи, а Дух Святой. Приснопамятный Митрополит Виталий говорил, что когда архиереи издают свой указ, они должны затем духовным слухом прислушиваться: какое действие оказал этот указ на Церковь, принимает ли тело Церкви - церковный народ - этот указ или отвергает. В последнем случае этот указ остается лишь листом бумаги в архиве. Так происходит взаимодействие между возглавлением Церкви - архиереями с телом церковным - народом. Это взаимодействие – духовный, таинственный процесс; оно не может быть логически объяснено, поставлено в какие-то формальные рамки. Митрополит Агафангел и его присные понимают Церковь как земную организацию с иерархической структурой, наподобие армии. Митрополит Агафангел любит говорить о церковной дисциплине, которую он понимает как беспрекословное повиновение самому себе. Однако, Церковь не армия. Послушание в Церкви основано не на принуждении и страхе, а на добровольном, свободном убеждении и любви.  Последние несколько лет деятельность Митрополита Агафангела можно охарактеризовать как непрестающую войну с церковным народом. Как может голова враждовать со своим телом? Церковь не принимает указы одесского синода, отторгает их, как чуждый элемент. Однако, Митрополит Агафангел видит в этом происки своих врагов и неутомимо борется с телом церковным, отсекая от него все новые и новые части. Митрополит Агафангел установил в Церкви единоличную диктатуру. Послушные епископы его синода без разбора одобряют все его действия и решения. Таким образом митрополит в нашей Церкви получил власть подобную власти римского папы. Такое положение совершенно анти-канонично, противоречит самому принципу канонического права Православной Церкви. Ведь и отпадение римской церкви произошло, в первую очередь, из-за притязаний папы на верховную власть в Церкви. Всякого, кто осмелится протестовать против такого порядка вещей, ждет расправа. Митрополит Агафангел привык сам судить и расправляться с тем, кто требует церковного суда над митрополитом. Это вопиющее попрание самого  принципа правосудия, как гражданского, так и церковного. Причем все это обильно сдабривается цитатами из Св. Писания и ссылками на св. каноны.  Каноны составлены свв. отцами для созидания Церкви, для того, чтобы жизнь Церкви протекала согласно Божией правде и милосердию. У Митрополита Агафангела, напротив, несправедливость кощунственно подтверждается ссылками на каноны.  Но это еще не самое страшное. Диавол изначала борется с Церковью путем создания подделок под Церковь. Такими подделками были и есть все еретические сообщества, которые выдают себя за Церковь. Еще более тонкой подделкой было сергианство, по форме вполне каноническое и православное, но по сути анти-церковь.  Такой же подделкой является и синод Митрополита Агафангела. Заседания одесского синода с каждым разом все больше похожи на какую-то уродливую пародию. По слову Писания, Церковь – это «столп и утверждение истины» (1 Тим. 3,15). Можно ли сказать это о нашем синоде? Ложь у них выдается за правду, насилие и месть - за справедливый суд, лицемерие и своекорыстие – за пастырское душепопечение. Своими действиями они отрицают Евангелие, отрицают учение Христово. Самое страшное в одесском синоде – это его единодушие; единодушие в неправде.  Наша совесть не может мириться с таким положением. У нас разногласие не по какому-либо второстепенному вопросу, это принципиальное расхождение. Наш долг перед паствой требует, чтобы мы ясно высказали свое отношение к синоду Митрополита Агафангела: это не возглавление Церкви, а подделка.  Согласно 15-му правилу Константинопольского собора, прекращение поминовения своего митрополита допускается лишь в том случае, если он проповедует какую-либо ересь. Но нужно учитывать, что каноны составлялись по поводу реальных ситуаций, а не гипотетических; поэтому каноны не могли предусмотреть всего, что может произойти в Церкви. Например, такое явление как сергианство не предусмотрено в канонах.  Сергианство страшнее любой ереси. Как сказал о нем один из новомучеников, - это попытка объединить Христа с Велиаром. Однако, сергианство не догматическая ересь, а явление духовно-нравственного порядка. Поэтому в 1927 г. для многих не легко было сделать решение об отделении от митроп. Сергия (Страгородского).  Каноны написаны для вселенской соборной Церкви. Каноны не предвидят отдельного независимого существования маленькой церковной структуры, как наша. По канонам, всякий епископ, какую бы кафедру он ни занимал, может быть привлечен к церковному суду высшей инстанции. У нас это невозможно, поскольку мы являемся маленькой независимой частью Русской Церкви, порабощенной сергианами.  Согласно Положению о РПЦЗ, митрополит подсуден архиерейскому собору РПЦЗ под председательством старейшего архиерея. Однако, в нашей ситуации, когда большинство архиереев – послушные угодники митрополита, такой суд может стать лишь очередным фарсом.  Не существует канонического выхода из этого тупика. Разделение неизбежно, как оно было неизбежно в 1927 г. для отошедших от митр. Сергия. Иг. Андрей             English version- both language versions, the work of Fr. Andrei Hegumen Andrei Erastov – After the Odessa Synod  July 27, 2016    At the root of the current conflict within the ROCA lies different understandings of the Church’s dogma; so different that people simply do not understand each other.    The Church is the Body of Christ.  The Church is not led by people who are bishops, but by the Holy Spirit.  Metropolitan Vitaliy of venerable memory said, when bishops issue their ukases, they must then listen closely with their spiritual sense of hearing; what effect did the ukase have on the Church, does the body of the Church, the church members, accept this ukase or reject it.  In the latter case, the ukase remains no more than a sheet of paper in the archives.  This is the how the interaction occurs between those heading the Church, the bishops, and the body of the Church, the people.  This interaction is a spiritual, mystical process; it cannot be explained logically or contained in some formal framework.    Metropolitan Agafangel and his minions understand the Church as an earthly organization with a hierarchical structure similar to an army.  Metropolitan Agafangel likes to talk about church discipline, which he understands as unquestioning obedience to himself.    Alas, the Church is not an army.  Obedience in the Church is not founded on coercion and fear, but on well-meaning, free persuasion and love.    Metropolitan Agafangel’s actions in the last few years can be characterized as a ceaseless warring with the church members.  How can the head battle with its own body?  The Church does not accept the ukases of the Odessa synod and rejects them as a foreign element.  Sadly, Metropolitan Agafangel sees in this the schemes of his enemies and battles endlessly with the body of the church, hacking off from it yet more and more parts.    Metropolitan Agafangel has established a personal dictatorship in the Church.  Obedient bishops of his Synod approve of all of his actions and decisions indiscriminately.  As a result, the metropolitan of our Church has assumed power similar to the power of the Pope in Rome.  Such a situation is completely against the canons and contradicts the very principle of the canonical rights of the Orthodox Church.  Note that the fall of the Church of Rome occurred precisely because of the Pope’s claim of complete dominance in the Church.    Punishment awaits anyone who dares to protest against such a state of affairs.  Metropolitan Agafangel is used to judging and punishing those who demand an ecclesiastical court judgment of the metropolitan.  This is a flagrant abuse of the principle of justice, whether civil or ecclesiastical.  This is all accompanied with sprinklings of quotes from the Holy Scriptures and references to the Holy Canons.     The canons were created by the Holy Fathers for the enlightenment of the Church, so that life in the Church flowed in accordance with God’s truth and mercy.  It is just the opposite with Metropolitan Agafangel, where injustice is blasphemously confirmed by scriptural quotes.    Yet this is not the worst of it.    The Devil has always fought with the Church by creating fraudulent copies of the Church.  Such forgeries have been and are still all the heretical groups, who pass themselves off as the Church.  A more nuanced forgery was sergianism, which looked canonical and Orthodox, but was in essence an anti-church.    Metropolitan Agafangel’s Synod is a similar sham.  With each time, the sessions of the Odessa synod look more and more like some disfigured parody.  Scripture tells us, the Church is “the pillar and foundation of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15).   Can this be said of our synod?  Falsehoods are presented as truth, coercion and vengeance as righteous judgment, hypocrisy and self-interest as pastoral care.  By their actions they renounce the Gospel, they renounce the teachings of Christ.    What is most horrible about the Odessa synod is their unanimity, unanimity in falsehood.    Our conscience cannot abide with such a situation.  We do not have a disagreement on some secondary question, we have a fundamental disagreement.  Our duty before our flock demands that we clearly announce our relation to the synod of Metropolitan Agafangel, that this is not the administration of the Church, but a sham.    The 15th rule of the Council of Constantinople stipulates that not commemorating your metropolitan is allowed only in that instance, if he professes some heresy.  It must be noted, that the canons were developed as a result of real, not hypothetical situations.  Therefore, the canons could not foresee everything that may occur in the Church.  For example, a development like Sergianism was not anticipated by the canons.    Sergianism is more horrible than any heresy.  As one new martyr characterized it, it is the attempt to unite Christ with Belial.  Sergianism, though, is not a dogmatic heresy, but more of a religious and morale one.  That is why in 1927, it was not easy for many to decide to separate from Met. Sergey (Stragorodskiy).    The canons are written for the ecumenical, conciliar Church. The canons do not provide for the separate, independent existence of a small church structure such as ours.  According to the canons, any bishop, regardless of what cathedra he leads, can be called before the ecclesiastical court by a higher church body.  That is not possible for us, because we are a small, independent part of the Russian Church, which is held captive by sergianists.    In accordance with the Status of the ROCA, a metropolitan can be tried by the ROCA Council of Bishops under the chairmanship of a senior bishop.  Unfortunately, in our circumstances, such a trial can simply become yet another farce.    A canonical way out of this stalemate does not exist.  A separation is unavoidable, just as it was unavoidable in 1927 for those who broke with Met. Sergey.    Hegumen Andrei