Pro-MP clergy blame CIA for trying to stop union of ROCOR-MP

Ekaterina · Post by **Ekaterina** » Thu 9 November 2006 9:44 am

The Interfax article asserts that Fr. Andrew reported: "some members of the Council believed that 'the CIA had funded Internet and other propaganda against the two parts of the Russian Church entering
into communion with one another'."

If you check the article by Fr Andrew that sentence above is not to be
found!

[url]http://www.russiano%20rthodoxchurch.%20ws/synod/%20eng2006/11enphil%20lipsivsobor.%20html[/url]

Instead he wrote: "It has been rumored that the CIA had funded Internet and other propaganda against the two parts of the Russian Church entering into communion with one another. It may, or may not, be true."

Spin and disinofrmation......Gee, I guess Interfax is having a bad day!

Katya

尼古拉前执事 · Thu 9 November 2006 10:51 am

To be fair, and I say this as one who does not trust the media blindly, adter reading that he said, "It has been rumored that ... ", Interax may have asked him who was rumor mongering, and he may have replies with the statement that "some members of the Council believed that ... ", which does not seem extraordinary to me. However, if you have contact with him, please do ask him if this is true. I would not want to cast aspersions on either him nor InterFax unless they are founded in absolutely confirmed fact.

尼古拉前执事 · Thu 9 November 2006 11:53 am

Ekaterina, here is what ROCOR priest John Whiteford is saying about it at the public Orthodox-ROCOR group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/orthodox- ... ssage/6210

The article title does not assert another other than that this is what was stated by a ROCOR priest: "Interfax: CIA financed propaganda against unification of the two parts of the Russian Church - ROCOR priest"

That the CIA might have an interest here is not so outlandish. The CIA use to help fund ROCOR during the cold war. Also, the interference by US officials in this process is not a matter of speculation, but a matter of public record.

I don't know if the CIA is funding the opposition or not, but I am sure that the CIA is monitoring what is happening, and probably has a position on the matter... and that position is probably not supportive of reconciliation.

Unfortunately, the Bush administration (which I generally support) has chosen to continue to view Russia through a cold war lens... and then has wondered why Russia has not been as supportive as they would like when we have needed them.

Ekaterina · Post by **Ekaterina** » Thu 9 November 2006 2:24 pm

Fr. Nikolai:

I appreciate your trying to prove me wrong about Interfax, but you will not convince me. For myself I am satisfied with what I have discovered and do not need any further "proof" or "verification". As I had stated previously, this is hardly the only time that Interfax has been wrong or off the mark.

As a simple Orthodox person, I have the hope that an Orthodox clergyman, whether it is Fr Andrew, yourself or even Fr Siluan, will act in a honest, true and Christlike manner to anyone(and I mean anyone) who approaches you. If an Orthodox clergyman proves to be less than Christ-like, then I, for one, place no stock in his words and will avoid him at all costs. Fr Andrew has not been such a person, rather the verasity of his attackers lead me to suspect that his attackers are not all that reliable. But then this is my opinion only.

If you require him to prove to you that he is not everything you believe, then by all means ask him yourself.

Katya