Fr Valery Lukianov's statement at Nyack
FINAL RELEASE
THE RUSSIAN CHURCH ABROAD TODAY
A Report to the All-Diaspora Clerical Council
The circumstances of the appearance of the Russian Church Abroad in the '20s
of the last century, as a result of the bloody Revolution and the forced
evacuation from their homeland of a vast number of Russian people, are well
known. Likewise is known the creation of the Church Abroad in accordance
with Decree ? 362 of His Holiness, Patriarch Tikhon, his Synod, and his
Council, dated November 7th (20th), 1920.
In discussing the question of relations between the Russian Church Abroad
and the Moscow Patriarchate, it is necessary to establish the state of the
Russian Church Abroad today, after almost a century of existence in four
generations of Orthodox people of Russian origin and those converted to
Orthodoxy. We are confident that the Russian Church Abroad is a genuinely
free and conciliar Church of the Diaspora, which has never severed its
spiritual and juridical oneness with the Mother Church of Russia, as the
resolution of the Council of Bishops Abroad, dated August 27th (September
9th), 1927, bears witness. Reading this momentous resolution, we see that
the Church Abroad, "not separating Herself from Her Mother Church and not
considering Herself autocephalous, was in full spiritual and administrative
subordination canonically to the Moscow Patriarchate during Patriarch Tikhon
's time, but ceased all relations with it and its hierarchy following the
Declaration of Metropolitan Sergius, who betrayed the Russian Church into
the hands of its most inveterate foe, entering into union with the
militantly atheistic regime, but the Church Abroad maintains as before its
faithfulness to the Mother Church of Russia and has taken upon Herself the
lofty mission of preserving all the foundations, traditions, and grandeur of
Russian Orthodoxy and the Russian Orthodox Church, and to speak freely and
openly throughout the whole world in the name of the enslaved Mother
Church." The Russian Church Abroad has maintained this mission all these
years. The liveliness of the Church Abroad has always been manifest in its
spiritual liberty, conciliar administration and thinking. The Church Abroad
stands firmly on the confession of its three Pan-Diaspora Councils; it is
governed by the Council of Bishops, diocesan and parish assemblies, in the
spirit of a freely chosen adherence to the unadulterated Truth of Orthodoxy.
The Russian Church Abroad possesses genuine freedom, not being subject to
the control of secular powers, should the latter challenge the spiritual
nature of the Church or attempt to lead it into the stream of apostate
global moral order.
As a result of Her conviction and firm stance, the Church Abroad was able
not only to preserve Herself spiritually throughout the 20th Century, but
also to have a positive and restraining influence on the entire Orthodox
world. Thus, in 1981, witnessing the signs of apostate trends in the
Orthodox world, the Church Abroad glorified the choir of the Russian New
Martyrs and Confessors, led by the Royal Martyrs, an act which resonated
throughout the Orthodox world. In 1983, the Church Abroad anathematized
ecumenism, in order to protect its flock from the corrupting influence of
the ecumenical heresy, which aims, in the spirit of the new world order, to
destroy faith in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Being strengthened by this stance within unadulterated Orthodoxy, the flock
of the Diaspora has zealously participated all these years in the vivifying
building of Church life. These are the fruits of their labors: there are
functioning monasteries for both men and women, church schools, a
theological seminary, youth organizations, missionary work, and the
publishing of church periodicals, as well as liturgical and spiritual
literature. Church-building is flourishing, as are iconography and church
music. It is a comfort that all these endeavors have been accomplished in a
grace-filled manner, under the protection of the Directress of the Russian
Diaspora-the miraculous Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God and the now
disappeared Montreal Myrrh-streaming Icon of the Sovereign Lady, and through
the intercessions of the saints of God canonized in the Diaspora, among whom
a special place is held by Saint John, the great hierarch of San Francisco
and Shanghai, whose relics lie accessible in his cathedral.
It is not with the intent of idealizing or self-praise that we gaze upon the
grace-filled path which the Church Abroad has trodden in the course of its
almost century-long existence. We recall with profound gratitude the holy
labors of a whole assembly of champions and confessors of the Faith: our
Spirit-bearing First Hierarchs and archpastors, who uncompromisingly and
with a firm hand rightly divided the word of divine Truth according to the
testament of His Holiness, Patriarch Tikhon; our humble pastors, who are
often forced to combine their pastoral duties with outside employment; our
teachers in seminary and schools; our church workers and donors, who have
placed the interests of the Church above that of their own well-being. We
are indebted to them for that fact that they, like the Prophet Moses, have
led us safely through the troubles, horrors, and temptations of the
ill-fated 20th Century and have instilled in us the determination to go
forward along the correct and salvific path.
At the same time, during these same decades the Church of Russia in the
homeland was subject to savage persecution by the militantly atheistic
regime, which took the place of the fallen monarchy. Even worse were the
temptations of collaboration with the atheists in the liquidation of the
True Church. The majority of the clergy and faithful did not succumb to
these temptations, preferring martyrdom, confession, and the catacomb
existence, rather than going the way of compromise. There arose a parallel
structure of the Russian Church which did not share the stance of opposition
to atheism, mingling Her interests with the demands of the anti-Church
powers, initiating the epoch of so-called Sergianism. Thus there appeared
the tragic schism within the Church of Russia. A natural continuation of
this course of the Church's coexistence with the government was the demand
of the latter that the official Patriarchate join the World Council of
Churches, actively and prayerfully participating in the community of
ecumenists, in this way overstepping the bounds of service and general
prayer with heretics-in violation of the dogmas of the Orthodox Church and
the Traditions of the holy Fathers. Since the Russian Church Abroad does
not, as a matter of principle, bind itself by the ideology of the "New World
Order," which propagates ecumenism, it cannot be in union with the adherents
of this movement. Thus, it is within these two maladies that one can find
the key to the ideological differences between the Russian Church Abroad and
the Church of the Moscow Patriarchate of today. It is the duty of both parts
of the Church of Russia to find a way to overcome these differences on the
basis of one, unified Truth.
We cannot close our eyes to the historical advances which have taken place
in the life of Russia during the past decade. We must understand that
millions of Russian people are nourished by the Church, despite unbelievable
difficulties, weaknesses, and irregularities known to all in Russia.
Spiritual nourishment is on the rise in the armed forces, in hospitals, and
in prisons. We see the zealous strivings of common believers in the
restoration of defiled sacred sites, the rebuilding of churches and
monasteries from the ruins, the reestablishment of church schools and homes
for children, the publishing of a vast number of books of spiritual content.
As throughout the world, the youth of Russia are experiencing a moral
crisis; nevertheless, young men are filling the clergy and monastic ranks,
while young women are summoned to spiritual labors in convents. Many of the
youth are involved in the realm of church music. The Russian people very
often donate the last remnants of their incomes toward the regeneration of
Orthodoxy. The pious efforts of the Russian faithful need to be
wholeheartedly supported and applauded. However, these rank-and-file
laborers to not set policy, they do not cause spiritual temptations. It is
imperative that salubrious attention be directed at those who wield power
over ecclesiastical ideology on all levels, whose hearts are open to
receiving the Truth, and who are willing and ready to overcome the
impediments toward the union of the two parts of the Church of Russia-those
impediments being servile Sergianism and heretical ecumenism. That time has
come. It is perfectly clear that a respectful and honest dialogue is
necessary, one that is condescending toward human weakness, but is without
compromise, that is tolerant but firm-firm in the rejection of the sin of
heresy, definite in the refusal to subjugate the will of the Church to the
will of the world. This healing process must take place in a peaceful
manner, not impelled by the acceleration of events; in this it would do to
investigate with prudence and reason all the questions and positions which
divide us. We must take into account the individual peculiarities of the
past decades of each side, and not lose sight of the expectations and
sensibilities of the flock. Let us look at the reality of the spiritual
experience of the Diaspora. Is it not a paradox that the Russian Church
Abroad has for many years nurtured thousands of immigrants from Russia in
all countries of the Diaspora? And these are people either from parishes of
the Moscow Patriarchate or those who are coming to church for the first time
in their lives. Inasmuch as these believers are consciously being infused
into the life of the Church, this elicits from those parishioners born in
the Diaspora no objections. Such will it also be with the whole Church, if
that oneness of mind will be attained in that which now makes a merger
impossible.
All the Church councils of all times have come to a mutual, correct
resolution of questions and disagreements through discussion. There is no
reason to fear discussion within dialogue. What should be feared is schism.
It is not difficult to cause a schism, but to gather the whole flock into
one borders on the miraculous. We beg such a miracle from the Lord, yet we
must render ourselves worthy of this miracle.
As for the Church Abroad, the attainment of the oneness of mind of the whole
Church on such a fundamental question as the determination of the fate of
the Church Abroad is possible and judicious only for the conciliar
consciousness of our whole Church-the clergy and the laity, i.e., through
the convocation of a Pan-Diaspora Council. Concurrently, a conciliar choice
on the merging of both parts of the Russian Church must be carried out by a
Local Church Council in Russia. Before that time, preparatory work can be
carried out for the attainment of oneness of mind by the two parts of the
Church of Russia. If both parts of the Church, separate at the present time,
approach true oneness of mind with a conciliar will, the path to mutual
eucharistic service will then be opened. But such concelebration must be
preceded by the repentance of the whole people, by fasting and prayer in
Russia and in the Diaspora. Thus will the Church of Russia arise to a
renewed life, cleansed by tears of repentance, standing on the firm rock of
the Truth of the Orthodox, Apostolic Faith.
On this fateful day we must have one, and only one, concern-not to sin
against the TRUTH, as we priests pray for when clad in our priestly
vestments, before the accomplishment of the unbloody sacrifice of the Holy
Eucharist: "Thy priests, O Lord, are clothed in RIGHTEOUSNESS, and thy
righteous rejoice." Let there be full righteousness, and let there be
tranquil joy; for where there is peace, there is God.
Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov
November 25th (December 8th), 2003 A.D.