I'll be posting another example of the above shortly.
Meanwhile, glancing through videos of Fr Parr's talks, I found a number of telling pieces of this puzzle of who Fr Parr could really be under the Santa Claus beard and chatty manner ?
One interview was done in probably late 2013 after the news of the Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev 'scandal' broke that October. What this deacon of the Moscow Patriarchate did was to expose some homosexuals infesting the famous Kazan Theological Academy. Back in the 'good old days', students there were eager for the spiritual life and quite a number put themselves under the direction of a TRUE Elder, Gabriel of the 7 Lakes Monastery, which was near Kazan. Among these diligent students of his was the future Archbishop Tikhon of San Francisco of the Rocor, the Russian Church Outside of Russia.
Moving ahead over a century, I don't know all the details surrounding Deacon Andrei Kuraev's exposure of both a homosexual 'lobby' in the Moscow Patriarchate and specifc individuals at the Kazan Theological Academy. As far as I could tell, it was a GOOD MOVE on his part ! Why not get this darkness out into the open rather than muffled and quietly kept in a back room as would have happened otherwise ? As a result, most of the administration of the Kazan Academy were fired and other disciplinary measures taken ; but Fr Andrei lost his own position at the Moscow Theological Academy for speaking truth on this particular matter.
In the 5 minute video, Fr Parr is asked for his opinion about this exposure. Notably, he fails to make any statement whatsoever against homosexuals, which is the age-old teaching of the Church !! That strikes me right there as highly suspect. Instead, he delivers evasive comments "we should not judge anyone, we are sinful ourselves". Or general remarks like sin makes everyone sad. Well of course it does, but enabling it only does the Devil's work !
Fr Parr seemed to dodge making any pronouncement whatsoever about Fr Kuraev's bold revelations, seeking refuge in trite, safe statements about Christian behavior. He recommends having someone go to the offending party and speak privately to them. If the party does not correct his offensive behavior, then to send Church 'ELDERS" - note that strange choice of words, more befitting Mormons perhaps than Orthodox ! I am no expert, but assuredly Church OFFICIALS might be a more appropriate term. Why would a real Starets like Fr Amvrosy of Optina be sent to handle a case like this ? The idea is preposterous. A Russian Orthodox Elder would usually remain in his monastery occupied full time with the spiritual direction of disciples and pilgrims.
Is Fr Parr a little too enamoured with the term "elder", one wonders ?
The American monastic also uses the bizarre choice of words "Faith Community". This is more befitting a modernist ecumenical person from no particular religion. Clearly, there is only one possible "faith community" under discussion here, that of the Russian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate.
One can almost see the bright youthful interviewer cringing a few times while trying to maintain a correct neutral expression on his face while listening to Fr Parr's taking refuge in boring, hackneyed remarks rather than standing up for higher principles.
For the station is considered the first Orthodox TV station in Russia, based out of Ekaterinburg, according to its website. Thus this interview was done for the wider Orthodox listening audience.
In summary, the MP Protodeacon, like an investigative reporter, broke news of a major 'skandal'. Instead of lauding him and promoting him for his bravery in upholding Christian values, his Moscow Patriarchate 'faith community' shoved him out into the cold and punished him. Yet Fr Parr has not a word to say about the need for all to defend the truth of Christian beliefs based on the word of God Himself. He can only mourn the fact that Fr Andrei let this unpleasant information out to the public instead of whispering behind closed doors, which would have yielded zero result in changing the outrageous situation.
Could we be seeing in this interview Fr Parr's unconscious anticipation of what might happen when some other truth-tellers half a world away would let the cat out of the bag about his own failings - ?
Fr Parr's recipe in the Fr Andrei Kuraev case would work well to minimize damage to his own reputation : "Oh don't judge, just ignore such major problems, because judging is just as bad of a sin as major ones like 'Elder Abuse' in the Orthodox context - or a ring of homosexuals polluting a previously highly reputable Theological School ?"
In the interview, Fr Parr laments that "the little children of God" are being scandalized by the Kuraev revelation, and even led to sin. Huh ?? How are they led into sin by finding out truth and having those problems rooted out ? That makes no sense at all in the MP situation. But in his OWN one, it does. This sounds like an apology in advance "Don't tell on me, because the little children of God might be led to judge me, and I sure wouldn't want THAT ! They might SIN because of finding out the truth that I am a chronic liar and perhaps a con-artist faking eldership ! "
A distorted approach which - just as in the case of the Kazan seminary scandal - leads to a dead end rather than to active correction of the problem by warning those concerned to not be misled by wolves in sheeps' clothing.
Where is the taking of responsibility for what either he or the nest of Kazan staff homosexuals did to inflict harm and even possibly destroy souls ? Notice how the blame is neatly deflected onto Fr Andrei Kuraev for being a loudmouth. Then, later, onto the creators of the Mercy House Abuse videos for exposing himself as a false elder rather than admitting that he, Fr Parr, has been cheating his followers all this time. This deftness in shielding oneself from criticism by aiming the spotlight elsewhere is highly characteristic of abusive personalities.
The interview below with Orthodox Soyuz in Russia 3 years ago likely foreshadows Fr Parr's own reaction to the scandal that broke around him in his home country.
A small example of what a TRUE Russian Elder, Schemamonk Ignaty of Harbin ( + 1958 or so ) warned of :
"What began in Russia will end in America" ....