"Sic transit OCA"- (thus goes the OCA),
interview with OCA's Mark Stokoe by Portal Credo.ru-
interview with OCA's Mark Stokoe by Portal Credo.ru-
My comments:
All need to read this: "A History of The Russian Church Abroad, 1917-1971"
(A clean reprint available from the St. Nectarios Press, Seattle, WA for about $20.00)
Long time OCA loyalist, though often mis-perceived as a frequent critic/'enemy' of it, Mark Stokoe, here, honestly and from his heart, responds to some very pointed questions addressed to him by Portal Credo.ru., about his 'Orthodox Church in America', in full communion with and indeed subservient to the Moscow based MP, it's "Patriarchate".
What all he says here, is very revealing, & very interesting, to be sure! He speaks for many in his church, that is for sure. And, he is a very intelligent person, in many subjects and fields.
As a fellow American convert to Orthodoxy, I well understand all of what he relates. I have been through much of his experiences here in our native America. I too have lived through such realities. However, because he seems totally oblivious to some central historical facts, his naive outlook and delusional triumphalistic predictions and indeed his HOPE for the future of American Orthodoxy, is very flawed and incomplete, anti-historical, and an ostrich-head-in-the sand approach., which is typically American, I am sorry to say.
For starters, he is a long term active and confirmed ecumenist, -present day, "Orthodox--Ecumenism'" being a total betrayal of our Orthodox faith and ecclesiology. Therefore, Mr. Stokoe's very central vision of Orthodoxy, is very very deficient, is quite anti-Sacred-TRADITION, in much error, ..and indeed thus, he and his OCA are but a part of the useful idiots, of the current end-times world-wide Apostasy.
He and his Moscow dependent, as also now, with the betrayed ROCOR/MP, OCA, are in heresy, schism, and are not genuine Orthodox Christians, NOT AT ALL! ...and they are tools of Sergianism. He, like most in his Moscow dependent OCA, is totally/conveniently ignorant of the true Russian history/facts – that the 'Moscow Patriarchia' is a communist/Stalin invention, (wacked together from 1927-1943), and is NOT the canonical continuation of the real Russian Church, that of Holy New Confessor Tikhon and of the millions of Russian martyrs.
And, that the Alaskan-formed North American Metropolia, originally a full historic part of THE Russian Church, was taken into schism and separation, by rebel Archb. Platon Roshdesvsnsky in 1923, – using his fraudulent false-ukaz 'of Pat. Tikhon', with it's final schismatic/total separation from the canonical/lawful/Pat. Tikhon's ORDERED/BLESSED to administer to ALL Russian Orthodox outside of Russia, administration of The Russian Synod in Exile, in which synod of bishops, Platon had been a full member!
This schismatic church, this rebelious majority of the North American-Russian Metropolia, that 'Platonite' schism originating and promulgated and lead by, schismatic Arch. Platon, & his fellow rebelious bishops, made it's final pathetic break with the Russian Synodal Church, (after a series of back and forth re-uniting and then re-separating from 1923-1946, in 1946, after that infamous/stormy "Cleveland Sobor", where the majority of the (pro-Soviet/pro-Red/anti Monarchist and anti-Russian Church in Exile) when delegates voted for their North American Metropolia, to outright join the Soviet- MP, but whose bishops wisely ignored / set aside that vote,.... but instead, those schismatic bishops did decide to FINALLY break 100% with their lawful/canonical higher authority, i.e. the anti-communist Russian Synod In Exile..
That 1923 false forged 'ukaz' with Pat. Tikhon's forged signature on it, supposedly gave the North American Metropolia, AUTONOMY, and appointed Archb, Platon as it's head – thus making it, superior and separate from the rule of the the Russian Eexile Synod. (and the MP for that matter).
Even, years later, when the great Alexander Schemmann was asked about the validity of that ukaz, said (laughing):
"Everyone knew!... it WAS FORGED!... HA! HA!" (...YET, IT WAS/is THE 'canonical' foundation of the Metropolia/OCA !!)!
Also, it was a minority of those who were still loyal to the Russian Synod in Exile, a bishop Apolonary and some few/scattered other clergy and laity, that a nucleus of pro-syndal church life in America was built. Those, refused Platon's Schism.
Thus, in later years, the OCA's, 1970 foolish and ill-advised acceptance of their 'autocephaly' from that COMMUNIST FRONT, PSEUDO-CHURCH, the KGB run 'MP' calling it, wrongly, their 'Mother Church', is 100% BOGUS, and graceless and downright fraud.
It has made and still makes their 'church', a part of world-wide Kremlin political/military espionage, ....whose central aim for America, is to infiltrate, subvert, and CONQUER us, as they in Moscow still see America, as their number one enemy in the world!
The KGB's 1970 granting of 'autocephay' to that AMERICAN body, was intended to infiltrate and subvert, this country, and to divide the formerly solid anti-communist Russian diaspora.
And, today, that MP fraud is still operated as a front for the Kremlin neo-soviet Putin KGB gangsters. It has never been purified or cleansed or reformed, NEVER!
In conclusion then, I see this graceless OCA as a dead false-church, ...which just like it's Moscow model, PRETENDS to be a genuine local church of The Universal Orthodox Church ....which neither is.
Yet both organizations, as does the newly captured ROCOR/MP too, perform all the Orthodox rituals, and outward FORMS/APPEARANCES of... being Orthodox, i.e., a theatrical stage presentation.
Mr. Mark Stokoe, please, please! wake up, and see the full story, and become, a true Orthodox Christian, not the false one you and your OCA are now. Flee your OCA! it stinks to high heaven.
Rd. Daniel Everiss ....a fellow American convert to Orthodoxy, but one whom God has spared from delusion.
>
All need to read this:
"A History of The Russian Church Abroad, 1917-1971"
Order from:
scroll down about 1/2 to 2/3 down the page
or put HRC in your finder
$15 + shipping
Don't just hear the OCA side of the story without examining the unrewritten history.
ReplyDeletelet's remember that Fr. Seraphim Rose published many articles in the early Orthodox Words that revealed the truth about Metropolia's autocephaly. Issue #41 Nov/Dec 1971 has Boris Talantov's photo on the cover. The MP gave the autocephaly in trade for Japan, and the MP fully expects someday to get back what it had to give away in trade.
Go to the Remnant Rocor blog and click on the label: OCA
http://remnantrocor.blogspot.com/search/label/OCA
Here's a quote from one of the posts:
But if one even admits that the Communist government is somewhere behind the "autocephaly," is it really so difficult to see the benefits which it obtains? It obtains recognition for its puppet church from a large group of free Russians abroad. It gains a foot hold in every Orthodox church in America that accepts the "autocephaly," for its ecclesiastical representatives will be able to serve and preach there while it keeps the long-disputed St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York and any parish of the Exarchate that chooses to remain under Moscow. It gains control of the Church of Japan. It tightens the noose around the neck of the Russian Church Abroad, the last free voice of conscience in the Russian Church. It crushes those few brave souls inside the USSR who have dared to protest openly against the persecution of Orthodoxy by the hierarchs of the Soviet Church. The layman Boris Talantov, for example, writes that
"a full unmasking of what Metr. Nikodim and the Patriarchate are doing would mean the end of his undercover enterprise. The time has come to reveal how delegates from the Moscow Patriarchate have betrayed the Church Abroad..."