Suzdal Diocesan Bulletin
#32
October 23, 2005
appeal of clergy and parishioners of St. Olga’s Church in Zheleznovodsk in defense of Metropolitan valentine and the persecuted church of russia
To:
Mr. A.V. Babushkin, Committee for Citizens Rights, g. Moscow, proyezd Shokalskogo d.61, cor.1
Mr. S.E. Sorokin, Anti-violence Movement, g. Moscow, proyezd Kirova d.2, kv.3
Mr. S.D. Kovalev, Human Rights Institute, g. Moscow, Potapovsky per. d.6, kv.40
Mr. L.A. Ponomarev, Human Rights Movement, g. Moscow, Maly Karetny per.7
Mr. V.M. Novitsky, International Organization for Human Rights, g. Moscow, Slavyanskaya Ploshchad, 4 str.1 com.215
APPEAL
The clergy and faithful of the holy Equal-of-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga Church in the city of Zheleznovodsk are shaken to the core by the October 13, 2005, attack and beating of Metropolitan Valentine, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church, who was returning that day from a visit to Zheleznovodsk, region of Stavropol. Metropolitan Valentine had come here to support the faithful in our difficult hour of need, since the local authorities are trying to deprive us of our church and of any place at all to meet and hold religious services. Recently, we lost our church building in a court case that was brought against us by the diocesan leadership of the Stavropol diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (MP). They did this with the help and encouragement of the Zheleznovodsk city administration, which was afforded them in a blatant and direct manner, in violation of every norm of international law, the Constitution of the Russian Federation, federal law #125-FZ, “On the Freedom of Conscience and of Religious Associations.” They were also assisted by the district attorneys of the city of Zheleznovodsk, who covered up the criminal activities of the city administration.
We are also outraged by the fact that the mass media mentioned nothing about this crime, as if it were an everyday event, of no significance, although it was the very head himself of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church who was the victim, whereas when it comes to the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, whenever any little thing happens involving even regular priests, then the television and newspaper reporters immediately jump on the news. We see this as being discrimination and a direct violation of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which guarantees equality of religions before the government. It is most likely that the goal of these criminals had nothing to do with simple robbery, but everything to do with inflicting harm upon the elderly and ailing Metropolitan.
We ask for your support in this most difficult hour, and we ask you to impress upon the government that, other than the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, there are other expressions of the Orthodox religion, which have just as much right to exist, such as the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church, which presently occupies a prominent position, and which serves as proof positive that the government and the powers that be do not always provide the support that the law accords.
Dean of the North Caucasian deanery, Archpriest George Novakovsky, Clergy and Parishioners of the Church of the Holy Equal-of-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga in the city of Zhelznovodsk (Telephone: 8-(87932) 4-30-70).
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
To the esteemed staff of the Suzdal Diocesan Bulletin!
We, the parishioners of the Orthodox church of the Holy Equal-of-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga, which is in a well-situated location in the city of Zhelznovodsk, were most distressed to learn from the pages of your publication about the robbery of the Synodal headquarters building in Suzdal, residence of Metropolitan Valentine, First Hierarch of the ROAC, perpetrated by unknown criminals on the eve of the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, during which the Metropolitan was viciously beaten. Similar acts of lawlessness and barbarism are being committed against the background of a general persecution of the ROAC by the local authorities of the city of Zheleznvodsk directed, in our opinion, by order of the Moscow Patriarchate. The major Moscow television stations have been completely silent concerning these unprecedented events, which, of course, is very strange. For what reason is this moral destruction of Orthodox Christians being carried out in Russia today? We suggest that the Moscow Patriarchate is attempting to trample everyone and everything underfoot, with complete disregard for the souls of Christians, although on TV and in their sermons they give a completely different impression. Who needs this irritation, and why is it being hidden from all of the Orthodox Christians of Russia?
Let us speak specifically about the persecution against the priests of our church. The church, where we offer up our prayers to our God, belongs to the Suzdal/Vladimir diocese of the ROAC. This church was built by residents of our city under the guidance of our priests--the head of the family, together with his sons--without the slightest bit of help from the local diocese and the Moscow Patriarchate. In 1993, the head of the executive committee, Kulakovsky transferred the land upon which the church is located for the permanent use of the church of the Holy Equal-of-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga (we have the documents). In 2003, after all of just ten years, the head of the Zheleznovodsk city administration, a Mr. Zubtsov, issued a decree taking the land back. A campaign of moral and material persecution against our priests then began in the courts (it became necessary to hire lawyers at great expense, when there was no money for such things, and for parishioners to fork over their pennies from their pitiful pensions). Instead of serving the services in peace, they must now, in our estimation, be thinking about how to defend themselves and their parishioners from the onslaughts from the higher-ups of all levels of the Stavropol region, and also from officials of the city of Zheleznovodsk, and prove to them things that are already obvious to everyone. Also, in our opinion, one of the reasons for the literal and figurative destruction of our priests, has to do with the enviable location of the church (the church is on a hill where it is visible from all parts of the city, whereas formerly, there was only a small building which had been converted for services). At the time that the court cases were being heard, when, according to the law it is forbidden to do anything at all as far as permanent changes to the legal status of the property are concerned, the officials, after just fifteen years, reached their own decision and decided to rent it out, as if they had built it themselves. This is all incredible, but true. Bishop Theophan of Stavropol and Vladikavkaz quite openly stated on TV that one way or another, he was going to have our building.
Isn’t it a shame that the Russian Churches are embroiled in such a terrible fight over properties and over our souls? Don’t all of their priests in all of their churches call upon people to live according to God’s commandments, i.e. to have mercy, love and forgiveness? And yet, how much hatred, disrespect and derision is stirred up against us? Whom can we believe in this life if government officials speak outright lies and “strangle” the average person with high prices and low pensions, and the priests behave no better: some of them break man’s laws, on every level, and others break God’s laws.
The parishioners want very much to go to the services conducted by our priests, which are performed with such love for their flock, in spite of terrible persecutions, and not to the services done by priests sent from outside.
We pray constantly that our church remain in the ROAC, and that our priests continue to be able to serve in them. We pray constantly for help for our church, for our priests, and for the innumerable parishioners belonging to this church. The cry resounding from our hearts is: help us, such things should not happen to anybody!
With deep respect,
Parishioners Nicholas and Valentina Potapov
October 22, 2005