St. John of Kronstadt video

Sharing (with caution): Russian narration with English subtitles: St. John of Kronstadt videos

Part 1  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ4k-_yF70s

Part 2  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6V939Fhsoc

Part 3  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEAgVAapv_4

Part 4  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPBxK8RDKxY

Comments: 

*Many old fascinating photos, and also present day photos of places where St. John lived or walked, etc. ...i.e., of his home village of Sura, past and present, and of people related to him by blood, etc.

I just, carefully & critically, viewed all 4 parts of this.

And, if one uses this DIRECT link here, to part 1, the viewer can then, at the end of part  1, click on to the succeeding other parts, 2,3,4,.. (it is the far highest left video section that needs to be clicked on to, when part 1 is finished)

This video was produced in 2008, by:

"The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation....and...the OAO "TPO-St. Petersburg Studio of Documentary Films, 2008".  It is titled: ECCE HOMO ,"Behold the Man {in Latin}". 

I could not perceive (much) overt Kremlin propaganda in it, just their soft-sell approach, and I think that it may be of value, though OF COURSE, the only strong criticism of communism (of those past nasty soviet days), is from some words of St. John himself, whom God took away in 1907, before what he foresaw became a reality. 

Otherwise, those other people  interviewed here, say nothing really strongly against the communists, and of course, nothing at all, against the current regime in power.  (Except perhaps the past history of the deliberate mass drowning of St. John's nuns in the river, by the bolsheviks). 

AND, interestingly enough,..... the brief interview, in part 4, with current Jordanville Abbot Luke-Murianka, who... in explaining his monastery's past (when ROCOR was still a free church), large scale printing of many books by and about St. John, also states that what horrors St. John warned about ..i.e.., the coming catastrophic atheist-communist takeover of Russia and the evils connected to the overthrow of the Czar, ....were all CORRECT, warnings. etc.

But.... because these strong words are spoken by a ROCOR/MP Jordanville Abbot, AND INCLUDED in this official Putin government produced video (in 2008), (yes, the very same Vladimir Putin who admires Stalin and Pat. Sergius, and who often laments the fall of the soviet-union, etc.), are we to assume?, that...  this video means, that the current Kremlin gang ...is...admitting that their predecessors and thus that they themselves, were and are, criminals, etc.?

But, of course not.

This presentation is somewhat, pandering/soft-talking/flattering to the old Russian Emigration, all-in-all.

This is just part of their false-front of seeming sympathy/forgiveness?... (forgiveness for being anti-Communist), towards the old Russian Emigration, & of a FALSE- penitential KGB- 'piety' NOW, and their pretended regrets for the murder of the Czar and of the many millions, from Old Russia in general, (their current KGB Party-Line of bull) and thus, the (former) soviet-era alienation of the anti-communist Russian emigration, etc. (which group of Russians, the Kremlin now believes, with glee,  that it has largely... captured, since 2007).

In plain English: I think that viewing these 4 parts is of definite interest and value, but it should be done with some caution, as to what are the full political motives/message  of those who have produced this.

The current KGB lying successors of the official soviet era, who STILL run Russia, cannot be trusted to tell us the FULL truth, about anything of the past or of the present.

And these clever videos were produced and aimed at, & for the consumption of mainly, the Russians abroad, plus some kindly but vapid/silly sentiments directed at Americans, (or silly street interviews of air-headed Americans who 'love'Russia', etc.), is also included in part 3.

Rd. Daniel 

P.S. And in the final end credits, on part 4,  we see the names of others who bless and approve of this, including ROCOR/MP's Hilarion-Kapral's name. (!)

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