VERTOGRAD
Orthodox Journal
Newsletter No. 3, Saturday, December 11, 2004. 2:55 P.M.
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Metropolitan Valentin of Suzdal Makes Archpastoral Visit to Bulgaria
- Moscow Patriarchate Continues Attempts to Take ROAC Church of St Olga in Zheleznovodsk
- Passing of Bishop Panaretos of the "Matthewite" Synod of the TOC of Greece
- Statement of Bishop Agafangel (ROCOR(L)) on the Pre-Election Campaign in the Ukraine
TRUE ORTHODOX NEWS
METROPOLITAN VALENTIN OF SUZDAL MAKES ARCHPASTORAL VISIT TO BULGARIA
(Vertograd: Sofia)
The First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church, Metropolitan Valentin of Suzdal and Vladimir, arrived in Bulgaria on November 24. The hierarch was met in the Sofia airport by two Bulgarian ROAC clerics: Archpriest Stephan Vasiliev and Priest Radoslav Ivanov.
On the next day, November 23, Metropolitan Valentin visited Razgrad, about 350 km from Sofia, where he was met with the traditional bread and salt ceremony from the parishioners of Archpriest Stephan's community. Metropolitan Valentin gave thanks for the opportunity to meet with them and expressed satisfaction with the encounter.
On November 26, Metropolitan Valentin honored the memory of the slain Russian soldiers who fought for Bulgaria's independence from Turkish rule from 1878-79. The Metropolitan laid a wreath to the monument to Russian soldiers and served a brief prayer for the peace of their souls. The next morning, Metropolitan Valentin served Matins and a requiem Liturgy in the house-church of Fr. Stephan, named in the honor of St Stephen the protomartyr, after which he visited the great city of Tyrnovo, the ancient capital of the Bulgarian kingdom.
In Tyrnovo, the Metropolitan visited the rebuilt chapel of St. George the Great Martyr, where the owner and commissioner of the restoration, Stoyan Nedev, expressed his wish to enter into the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church's jurisdiction, requesting the Metropolitan to arrive in spring in Bulgaria for the consecration of St George Church. A medicinal spring is located next to the chapel, which mysteriously appeared after a lightning strike. In the evening, Metropolitan Valentine concelebrated with the ROAC priests for the Saturday All-night vigil in the house-church of Fr Radoslav, accompanied by the well ordered singing of the choir under the direction of the wife of Fr Radoslav, Matushka Maria. On Sunday, November 29, Metropolitan Valentine completed the Divine Liturgy in the same temple, after which he departed from Bulgaria and returned to Russia.
MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE CONTINUES ATTEMPTS TO TAKE ROAC CHURCH OF ST OLGA IN ZHELEZNOVODSK
(Vertograd: Zheleznovodsk, Stavropol Region)
The situation concerning the majestic Saint Olga Church in Zheleznovodsk, belonging to the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church, continues to remain tense. The Moscow Patriarchate's Bishop of Stavropol, Theofan (Ashurkov) here has been determined, for over a year, to take the temple of the Free Russian community using all the means at his disposal.
After conducting a slander campaign against ROAC, Bp Theofan personally appealed first to the local legislature and then to the court system. However, in July of this year, the court decided against Bp Theophan and in favor of the community. Nevertheless, Bp Theofan was determined not to let this temple remain in the hands of the true Church. Recently, attorneys of the Stavropol diocese of the MP of have filed an appeal of the court's decision and the case may be reopened. For his part, Bishop Theofan, relying on what is now almost a tradition in the MP, bestowed the St Daniel of Moscow award upon Mayor Zubtsov of Zheleznovodsk.
According to rector of the St Olga Church, Prot. Novel Novakovsky, "in this year on December 26 it will have been 12 years, that the community of St Olga Church in Zheleznovodsk passed under the omophor of the Most Reverend Metropolitan Valentine of Suzdal and Vladimir. December 30-- that's 12 years ago that our legal identity was obtained. We learned in these years that the MP is neither bound by the decisions of the Ecumenical Councils and Holy Fathers, nor the laws of the Russian Federation! If the court resolves the matter in favor of the ROAC, and all of the statutes of limitations for writs of appeal expire, it's still possible to make an exception for the Moscow Patriarchate."
The temple was built by members of the community and is a replica of the ROAC's St Constantine Proto-cathderal in Suzdal.
PASSING OF BISHOP PANARETOS OF THE "MATTHEWITE" SYNOD OF THE TOC OF GREECE
(Vertograd: Athens)
On November 22/December 5, 2004 Metropolitan Panaretos of Larissa and Tirnava for the Matthewite Synod of the True Orthodox Church of Greece, reposed in the Lord at the age of 85.
Metropolitan Panaretos (in the world Panagiotis Vagianos) was born in the settlement Of Agiasos on the island of Lesbos in 1919. He was ordained deacon and then priest in 1959 bishop by Bishop Andrew of Patras (who later became the Archbishop of Athens). He served parishes of the TOC of Greece in Greece and in Australia. Since 1980, he was the director of St. Sofia's temple in Trikali.
He was elevated to the dignity of the Metropolitan Larissa and Tirnava by Archbishop Andrew of Athens, who was assisted by Metropolitan Nicholas of Pireus (now the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece), Kirykos of Mesogeia and Tarasios of Vederria on July 9, 1995.
The funeral and and burial of Metropolitan Panaretos took place on December 6 in Larissa in the Church of the Forerunner, located at the home of the well-known Matthewite theologian and pundit Eleferios Gudzidis.
Metropolitan Panaretos supported Metropolitan Kirykos of Mesogeia, who insisted that the retirement of Archbishop Andrew of Athens and the subsequent election of Metropolitan Nicholas to the throne of Athens were uncanonical. For the last several years he was the major ally to Metropolitan Kirykos in the opposition party of the Matthewite Synod.
DOCUMENTS
STATEMENT OF BISHOP AGAFANGEL (ROCOR(L)) ON THE PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN THE UKRAINE
Dear brothers and sisters!
Unfortunately, during the present pre-election agitation, as in all previous ones, the Orthodox Church was actively involved in the person of some of its hierarchs. According to Ukrainian law about freedom of conscience and religious organizations: "religious organizations do not assume participation in the activity of political parties and they do not give political parties financial aid, they do not present candidacies into the organs of state administration, do not carry out agitation or finance political machines of candidates into these organs. " (st. 5) In its time, an analogous approach was reflected in the decision of the Local Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of 1918, which directly forbade participation in political life on the part of the Church, leaving this to the judgment of the individual's conscience as the citizen of the state.
What has happened in the Ukraine now tramples upon civil as well as ecclesiastical rights. That is, temples are converted into storage areas for political propaganda and that, Bishops of the Church in the stadiums and in the media calling to vote for one of the candidates, does not and cannot have any justification. It is outside the domain of the Church to cater to the political interests of one or another group of people in political power. We this call word "Sergiansm" and that which this word identifies, continues to this day to divide the Russian Church Abroad and the Moscow
Patriarchate.
As a Bishop of the Orthodox Church, I ask forgiveness from all who have been confused the active political activity of some of Her representatives and as well I declare, that this activity has no relation to the true Orthodox Church.
As well, I declare that no one's conscience should be concerned with the political support calls of individuals, whatever post they may occupy in the Church hierarchy. Believing people, the citizens of the Ukraine, must arrive at their voting district the vote FREELY, according to the individual's conscience and reason without any political pressure placed on them by any organization, including the Orthodox Church.
The Right Reverend Agafangel,
Bishop of Tavr and Odessa
Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
[Translated from the Russian by Vertograd]
(C) Vertograd, 2004. http://www.vertograd.blogspot.com/
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