Dear Jerjis,
Fr. Elia has publicly declared on Paradosis that Metropolitan Valentine was not arrested for smuggling $100,000. Could you please provide some documentary evidence - a newspaper report, for example?
Yours in Christ,
John
REPLY:
I, Reader Jerjis, have been an eye-witness to most of the conflict with Met. Valentine even before his arrival in the US.
This is the information concerning Met. Valentine's arrest for the federal crime of smuggling, which we obtained unofficially, and which Abp. Gregory inserted in his Special Epistle of 12/25 July 2004:
ANATOLY P. RUSANTSOV
DOB: MARCH 3, 1939
ALIAS: METROPOLITAN VALENTINE
HEIGHT: 6'
WEIGHT: 245 lbs
WHITE MALE
DISTINGUISHING MARKS: GOLD CAPPED TEETH
DATE OF ARREST: JULY 3, 2004 [SATURDAY]
TIME: 1900 HOURS
ENTITY: U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROL
1st HEARING: AUGUST 3, 2004 [TUESDAY]
WHERE: FEDERAL COURT, NY, NY
CRIME: SMUGGLING [Currency, foreign and domestic]
Here is other corroborating evidence:
A) In a phone conversation between Fr. Dionysi (Colorado) and Fr. John Claypool (California), on Monday 5 July 2004, Fr. Dionysi admitted the following:
1- Than Met. Valentine was arrested and searched by US Customs at JFK Airport on Saturday 3 July 2004
2- That US CUstoms found on Met. Valentine "only a few Roubles" which were confiscated.
3- Than Met. Valentine then signed "some papers" and was released.
Fr. John asked him why was Met. Valentine arrested and made to sign some papers if he was only carrying "only a few Roubles", since this is not illegal? Fr. Dionysi was not able to reply to this. It is either that he was concealing part of the truth or that he was told the distorted version of the story by Met. Valentine, who himself concealed part of the truth when he called Fr. Vladimir Shishkoff from JFK airport after his release.
Fr. John Claypool has worked in law enforcement many years, and knows that federal law permits carrying of undeclared cash up to $10,000 US. Anything above that is charged with the crime of smuggling. Therefore it is safe to assume that at the minimum, Met. Valentine had more that $10,000 on him.
B) We are still in the process of getting documentary evidence of the arrest. Our sources say that a deal was concluded between the Russain consulate and US Customs whereby the $100,000 were confiscated, Met. Valentine signed and affidavit declaring that he si either guilty of smuggling or pleading not guilty with the promiss to appear later in court to defend the charge of smuggling, and that 2 security officers form Aeroflot accompanied him at all times from his release until his arival in Russia. I will publish mere evidence when we receive it.
C) Here is another incident: when Met. Valentine was in the hospital in Colorado Springs, Fr. Dionysi carried his clothes from the hospital to his home for safekeep. Fr. Dionysi thought it would be a good idea to wash his trousers, so he checked the pockets before doing that. And Lo and Behold ! Fr. DIonysi discovered extra sewn pockets in Met. Valentine's pants which contained 2 stacks of US Dollar and Euro currency, all in 100-bill denominations, cealed neatly in cellophane wrap as they come straihght form the bank.
D) One more piece of evidence: In my first conversation over the phone with Met. Valentine on St. Thomas Sunday, 18 April 2004, Met. Valentine told me "he borrowed" $30,000 worth of US Dollars and Euros from a bank in Russia, in anticipation for a cardiac stent placement that he was planning to have in Switzerland, and told me that Tatiana in Switzerland had pledged another $10,000 for the stent procedure. He then asked if I cold help him with another $10,000 to 30,000 towards covering the cost. I replied that I would be glad to help him with what I could. We know of course that Met. Valentine had a "heart attack" that same night and he was operated upon in Colorado. After his recovery, when I met him at Dormition Skete on the Sunday of Pentecost, 30 May 2004, I pledged to him $30,000 to pay his other loan in Russia, one of which was at the astronomical rate of 15%. He had told me through Fr. Andrew that he had 2 loans, both for about $30,000. One was at the rate of 15% and the other at "a very cheap rate". Therfore I told him my pledge was to pay-off the 15% loan. Later however, after I witnessed his ecumenical statement that "everybody is baptized toady", and after I sensed he talked and acted like a politician rather than a man of God, and I after saw his malice and envy towards Vladyka Gregory, and I beheld his contemptible behavior and his violation of the canons, I withdrew my pledge to him in an email, to which he responded in a hypocritical fashion (see attached below).
In conclusion, it is obvious that Met. Valentine was arrested at JFK Airport, as admitted by Fr. Dionysi, and that he evidently had more than "only a few Roubles". Again Fr. Dionysi has shown himself to be a pathologic liar, and has probably lied and deceived his friend-in-arms, the monophysite, Old-Testament denier, evolutionist, Fr. Economia (Oh, sorry I meant Elia).
In Christ our Lord, God, and Savior,
Reader Jerjis
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-----Original Message-----
From: Alajaji, Jerjis
Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2004 12:28
To: Fr. Dionysi (priestdionysi@russianorthodox-roac.com.)
Cc: Vladyka Gregory (BishopGregory@starband.net); Fr. George (DormitionSkete@starband.net); Fr. Andrew Maklakov (frandrew@starband.net); Fr. John Robert Claypool; Deacon Fotios Roseboro
Subject: Well Wishes to Vladyka Valentine
Importance: High
Dear Fr. Dionysi,
Evlogeite.
I want to thank you, Matushka Christina, your mother, and your kids, from the bottom of my heart, for hosting Metropolitan Valentine since Mid-Pentecost in your home. You have done this with great love and hospitality. You and your whole family are in my daily prayers and those of Naaman.
Please give the following message to Fr. Andrew, who will kindly translate and write it into Russian and forward it to Vladyka Valentine.
In Christ our Lord, God, and Savior,
Reader Jerjis
Dear Fr. Andrew,
Evlogeite.
Thank you very much for being by the side of Metropolitan Valentine 24/7. You have expended great energy and effort in helping Vladyka Valentine since his arrival in Colorado on Thomas Sunday. Archbishop Gregory, all the brotherhood at Dormition Skete, Fr. John Claypool, Fr. Fotios Roseboro, and myself sympathize greatly with the mental and emotional difficulties that have encompassed you in the last several weeks. You are in my daily prayers as well as those of Naaman. I thank you for your loyalty to our beloved Archbishop Gregory and your great love and service to our Metropolitan Valentine.
I would like to ask you to please translate in writing the following letter to Vladyka Valentine and give it to him as soon as he fully recovers from his prostate surgery. Please use you judgment as to the most optimal time to deliver my short letter to him.
In Christ our Lord, God, and Savior,
Reader Jerjis
Dear Vladyka, his Eminence Metropolitan Valentine,
I kiss your right hand and ask for your blessing.
I pray and hope that you are recovering well from your prostate surgery. I have greatly rejoiced at your complete recovery from open-heart surgery and the ensuing complications, thanks be to God. I was very pleased to see you in excellent health on the Sunday of Pentecost at Dormition Skete and the Monday of the Holy Spirit at Fr. Dionysi's house. You are daily in my prayers, as well as in the prayers of my 5-year old son Naaman.
I have a very genuine desire to donate financial support to you and to our Church in Russia. I understand to a significant extent the difficulties that you and our brethren in Russia have suffered and patiently endured over the past few years. I am very grateful to our Savior Who has helped me to be in a position of strength where I can be of help to His Church. For all the good things that I have received in my life come from Him, the only Good, and to Him and His Church I desire to give back from the blessings I have received.
I have found in Archbishop Gregory a very capable and genuine orthodox shepherd, who is zealous for the Immaculate Faith, who honors the Holy Canons, who is loving, wise, and completely devoted to his flock throughout the world. I love him and trust him exceedingly and I keep close contact with him. He is a very rare and unique orthodox christian and pastor, and a firm bulwark and pillar of the Church of Christ.
During my visit to Dormition Skete on the Sunday of Pentecost, and after talking to your eminence in private, I had entrusted my monetary pledge to the good hands of Archbishop Gregory. I had instructed Archbishop Gregory to transfer this money to you before you left for Suzdal. Later, and because of the problems arising form the mistakes of Fr. Vladimir, I asked Archbishop Gregory to write the check back to me, since I was seriously considering of sending the money to Fr. Vladimir in New Jersey, in order to demonstrate to him that he is not the only one financially supporting you, and that he ought not take advantage of his financial donations to you and his special relationship to you by seeking more power and authority in the Church of North America, beyond his appropriate position as a married venerable Archpriest, who is unfortunately becoming senile. However, I am very sad to say, the subsequent events surrounding your trip to Boston, resulted in the breaking of several Sacred Canons. I witnessed these developments with great anxiety and I was greatly fearing that they would drag the Church, which our beloved Archbishop Gregory had worked so assiduously and tirelessly to build, into a chaotic and lawless direction. Therefore, and with great sorrow, I have decided to withhold the funds temporarily, until such a time that the canonical infractions are rectified in a God-pleasing manner, and the authority and highly respected opinion of our Archbishop Gregory is given serious consideration by your eminence and the Holy Synod as an equal brother Archbishop in the Faith, for the advancement of the Gospel of Christ and the salvation of many souls, both in Russia and in America.
I do not seek in the least to impose my own will. God forbid. I seek with great thirst and contrition the salvation of my soul and the service of the Church, the True Israel of God. Our God has already expressed His righteous Will for us His people and servants, in the Sacred Canons of the Church. We do not have to speculate on what His will for us is. He has spoken through the Apostles, Fathers, and Confessors of His Church. Our duty is to do God's will and please Him by honoring the Sacred Canons and adhering to them firmly and strictly. These are very evil times, and I believe that our Savior will be coming back soon. Lawlessness and the disrespect of the Sacred Canons has precipitated the great apostasy of the majority of the Orthodox Church in the accursed 20th century. May it not be so for the remnant of the Church, our little flock, beloved of our Lord, that He has entrusted into your capable hands and your loving care.
I ask for your forgiveness if I have offended your eminence.
I beg you to keep me and my family in your holy prayers.
With love in Christ our Lord, God, and Savior,
Reader Jerjis T. Alajaji
June 4/17, 2004
Sts. Martha and Mary, sisters of St. Lazarus, the friend of Christ.
St. Metrophanes, first Patriarch of Constantinople.
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-----Original Message-----
From: stylite@highstream.net [mailto:stylite@highstream.net]
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2004 11:10
To: Alajaji, Jerjis
Subject: response to your email to Metropolitan Valentine
My beloved in the Lord, Jerjis,
As I get ready to leave the state of Colorado, I would like to thank you for taking an active part in my medical treatment. I very much appreciated your valuable advice, and tried to put it into practice.
Our last two meetings have left an indelible impression on me, and as a token of my appreciation, I will, as I had already promised, continue to pray for you, your son, and your family. Thank you for all of your good intentions which, although not realized, are evidently in accordance with the will of God. Your reproach concerning my alleged violations of the canons I consider to be unfounded. Usually, when a man is accused of something, his violations are concretely pointed out to him. I do not know to what extent a lay person is allowed to sit in judgment of a Metropolitan. This is something that God alone knows, Who will render to each.
May God bless and keep you. Forgive me for everything. Perhaps I offended you in something, or said something in some way other than that which you wanted to hear.
Your co-worker in salvation, wishing you well, and fervently praying for you,
Metropolitan Valentine
