"Is the Conscience Asleep?"

Sharing from GOC Archimandrite Alexius of the Brotherhood of St. Edward's in the UK: "Is the Conscience Asleep?"    Inbox

Dan Everiss <oregdan@hotmail.com> Tue, Aug 22, 2017 at 11:29 AM Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Delete | Show original From: Saint Edward Brotherhood <info@saintedwardbrotherhood.org> Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2017 6:48 AM Subject: Is the Conscience Asleep?   Dear-in-Christ, Everyone, bless!   Regarding the 2007 'Rapprochment' between the old free Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate: In the lead-up to that rapprochement, we, the faithful, were repeatedly told, back then in 2006-2007,  that there were two issues that had to be addressed:  Sergianism and Ecumenism. The continued involvement of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ecumenism, even ten years after the union of 2007, is apparent in almost daily postings from its own representatives, particularly from their Department of External Church Relations.            Sergianism is the name given to collaboration of the Moscow Patriarchate's administration with the Soviet powers which were confessedly theomachistic.  It is so named after Metropolitan (later Patriarch) Sergius (Stagorodsky) after his infamous Declaration of 1927.  As the union 2007 drew near, little evidence was provided to indicate that either of these issues had been fully addressed, but proponents of the proposed union insisted that the former ROCOR would be 'the conscience of the united Church'.           We have noted that the Moscow Patriarchate, now including a sizable number of  the former members of the old free ROCOR, is still involved in Ecumenism.  Two recent articles strongly suggest that neither is Sergianism dead.  We will reproduce them below.  Does this mean that the conscience of the united Church fell asleep? First Article: In Arzamas there is a monument to Sergius Stragorodsky (PHOTO) Автор: Интернет Собор вкл. Author: Internet Sobor incl. 15 Август 2017 15 August 2017 . . Опубликовано в Московская Патриархия (Просмотров: 28) Published in The Moscow Patriarchate (Views: 28) Таги: сергий страгородский , патриарх кирилл , арзамас Tagged : Sergius Stagorodsky , Patriarch of Cyrill , Arzamas 13 августа Патриарх Кирилл освятил в Арзамасе Нижегородской области РФ памятник Сергию Страгородскому. On August 13, Patriarch Kirill consecrated a monument to Sergius Stragorodsky in Arzamas, Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia. Событие приурочено к 150-летию Сергия, родившегося в этом городе. The event is timed to the 150th anniversary of Sergius, who was born in this city. Скульптура почему-то явно напоминает идола, попирающего ногами церковный Престол.  The sculpture for some reason clearly resembles an idol that tramples on the church throne. Памятник установили у Спасо-Преображенского монастыря на площади имени Сергия Страгородского.  The monument was installed at the Savior's Transfiguration Monastery on the square named after Sergius Stragorodsky. В своем слове Кирилл назвал Сергия "выдающимся иерархом нашей церкви". In his speech, Cyril called Sergius "the outstanding hierarch of our church." Second Article: July 29, 2017 – The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church began its regular session at the historic building of the Most Holy Governing Synod in St. Petersburg. It was chaired by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Before the session began, Patriarch Kirill was met at the main entrance to the building – which accommodates today the Holy Synod Sessions Hall with a Chapel of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils and the Yeltsin Presidential Library – by A. Vershinin, general director of the library. Opening the session, Patriarch Kirill greeted the Holy Synod members, saying, ‘According to tradition, we hold the summer session at the historic building of the Most Holy Governing Synod. Today we have a fairly broad agenda consisting of 27 items. I hope we will manage to complete our work during the day. ‘I would like to say that 90 years ago today, Metropolitan Sergiy (Stragorodsky) signed a well-known declaration. It was on July 29, 1927. The declaration had as its aim to seek the legalization of the church in the secular state. The Church, as is known, was deprived of all rights; the clergy were deprived of even electoral rights and completely disqualified… The absence of a legal existence of the Church in Russia could lead to a full elimination and disappearance of Christianity in the country. ‘We know that Metropolitan Sergiy took this step without violating in any way either dogmata or canons in order to create prerequisites for possible development of relation with the state and strengthening the status of the Church in the then Soviet Union. At first some attempts succeeded and we know that the late 1920s and early 1930s were marked with a great number of episcopal consecrations and the establishment of dioceses even in districts. It seemed that the Church now had an opportunity for restoring her canonical order… But, as history showed, all that ended already in 1934, when a first wave of repression began in the 30s. And then came 1937, 1938 and by the war our Church had become completely drained of blood, with the clergy and episcopate having gone through an era of terrible persecutions. It is the gravest page in our national history, the hardest page in the history of the Church. ‘But perhaps thanks to the intercession of new martyrs and confessors, who remained faithful to Christ, did not waver in their faith and did not reject God and the Church that something good is happening in the life of the Church and in the life of our people. For this reason we remember today’s date with gratitude to our fathers, grandfathers and all those who have upheld Orthodoxy in Russia and preserved the succession, including the apostolic, hierarchical succession in our Church. Eternal memory be to all those who worked hard for the glory of God in our Motherland’. Patriarchal Press Service DECR Communication Service