ROCOR BISHOPS - A "Personality Profile"

[Nathaniel Kapner]

I.+Metropolitan LAURUS (Skurla) - In the opinion of my ROCOR
contacts, Metropolitan Laurus is "a person without any definite
views." He is unquestionably PRO MP for now. If the ANTI MP movement
now afoot in the ROCOR parishes continues to grow,he could be
persuaded in another direction to vote ANTI MP.

• Metropolitan Laurus was born Vasily Skurla on January 1, 1928 in
  the village of Ladimirovo in Czechoslovakia.

+Metropolitan Laurus is First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox
Church Outside of Russia.

II. +Archbishop ALYPI (Gamanovich --) - In the opinion of my ROCOR
contacts Archbishop Alypi is a very pious and sincere man who indeed
is a man of conviction. He is an accomplished Icon Painter and he
has served the Russian Church Abroad faithfully and sacrificially
over some 50 years. He is elderly now, infirm, and failing in
health. He tends towards the "phlegmatic" in his temperament.

+Archbishop Alypy was born Nikolai Gamanovich -- on December 19,
1926 in the town of Novaya Mayachka in the Kherson Oblast. (Pre-
Revolutionary name of location)

+Archbishop Alypi is ANTI MP (in the opinion of a few of my "in-the-
know" ROCOR contacts), though some would disagree with this opinion.
He is Overseer of the Chicago and Detroit Diocese.

III. Seine Eminenz Erzbischof Mark (Arndt) of Bundesrepublic
Deutchland, Berlin - He is 5'5, weight 125#s. He is a very nervous
individual, with a penchant to be always "in control." He tends
towards the "choleric" in his temperament. He is a pensive man and a
look of fear can be faintly recognized almost imperceptibly in his
eyes.

Archbishop Mark was born Mark Arndt on January 29, 1941 in Saxony
Germany. In May of 1945, this future ROCOR Archbishop found himself
in Soviet East Germany.

Abp Mark Arndt is decidedly PRO MP and Overseer of the
Bundesrepublic Deutchland and Great Britain Diocese.

IV. Archbishop KYRILL (Dmitrieff) - In the opinion of my ROCOR
contacts, Archbishop KYRILL is a wiry and forceful personality who
imposes his will on those who serve him. Up until 1998 he was quite
vocally ANTI MP. After a walk in the dark in Central Park with Abp
Mark of Berlin in 1998, he suddenly became quite vocally PRO
MP. "Was he exposed for something?" "Was he then threatened for that
something?" my opinionated ROCOR contacts ask. Any ideas out there
in Internet Land?

Abp KYRILL was born Boris Mikhailovich Dmitrieff on November 24,
1954 and in 1972 he entered the University of San Francisco, a
Jesuit institution, where he majored in Roman Catholic theology.

Archbishop KYRILL is Overseer of the San Francisco and Western
American Diocese.

V. Bishop MICHAEL (Donskoff) of Boston - In the opinion of my ROCOR
contacts Bishop Michael is a formerly married Hieromonk at Holy
Trinity Monastery whose wife is still living but not a nun. He is a
frequent flyer to 'Holy Russia" where he most unholily concelebrates
with his brother bishops in the MP. He will vote PRO MP in May of
2006 unless a lightening bolt strikes him and knocks some sense into
our avid patronizer of sergianism. (Also the *opinion of my ROCOR
contacts)

Bishop MICHAEL of Boston is decidedly PRO and is Vicar of the
Eastern American and New York Diocese.

VI. +Bishop Gabriel (Chemodakov) of Manhattan - In the opinion of my
ROCOR contacts Bishop Gabriel is a "diplomat." In other words, you
are never sure if he really believes what he tells you. He is a
pleasant man in his early forties. He speaks perfect Russian and
will most likely be Metropolitan Laurus' heir apparent. He tends
toward the "sanguine" in his temperament, that is, as much as a
Russian can be "sanguine." One gets the feeling (in the opinion of
my ROCOR contacts) that Bishop Gabriel simply will not be "pinned
down," even in "pinning-down" interviews. [A new one coming soon!]

+Bishop Gabriel was born in Sydney Australia and after graduating
from Holy Trinity Monastery's Seminary, he spent several years as
the cell attendant for then Bishop Hilarion (Kapral), now Archbishop
of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand.

+Bishop Gabriel of Manhattan is Vicar Bishop of the Eastern American
and New York Diocese and the Secretary of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops.

Oh yeah - his vote on May 6 2006? Anybody's guess.

For Bishop Hierotheus, The First Martyr of the Catacomb Church
(+1927)
ROAC Subdeacon Nathaniel Kapner
The Eleventh Hour
Oct 21/November 3/2005
St Hilarion The Great

[SouthernOrthodox]

Thank you Bro. Nathaniel for that interesting assessment and brief background on our leaders. An interesting point that didn't show up in the Pro's and Anti comments is the fact that 100% of these pious men and 99.98% of ROCOR are 100% pro Orthodox. The question that strikes me is why do you spend so much time studying ROCOR and it's leaders, watching their every movement. It would stand to reason that a careful and thoughtful study of one's self would go much further in moving forward ones cause, what ever that maybe. Our church is in very capable hands. I know this as fact, I could do no better. Not sure you buy that one for yourself. Repentance is the key my friend.

[Nathaniel Kapner]

"Met Laurus & the KGB "
by Konstantine Preobrazhensky.

Konstantine Preobrazhensky is a former KGB Intelligence
Agent now working as a freelance journalist living in Wasihington D.C.

For more on KP: www.metanthonymemorial.org
[The below is an excerpt from www.portal-credo.ru/site]

"The Podvoriye (Metoche) has a precise address -
settlement Veliaminovo, Istra District, some 20 miles
from Moscow’s center along the Novorizhskoye Highway.
It is a very prestigious recreational retreat where no aliens
are admitted. The place is inhabited by high-rank embezzlers
of public funds and rich "New Russians", many having close
ties with the Mafia. Neighboring on the Jordanville Metoche
is a grand mansion of a vodka baron.

"The Metoche is a vast three-level mansion plus a spacious attic and
includes an inner church splendidly decorated by archbishop Alipy
(see photos). Experts estimate its cost at around a million dollars,
especially if we throw in the sums in bribes that are known to be
part and parcel of everyday life in Russia.

"There is a telephone in Podvoriye bur very few know its number.
Hence Nikolay Savinov, a ROCOR priest who picked up the phone, was
all courtesy at first. He explained that the Podvoriye was built in
the year 2000 but so far has been operating as a private house,
illegally. He also readdressed me to vladyka Laurus for a blessing
for a comprehensive interview.

A nice private home that was, whence you are relayed to America
which is here viewed with a more and more hostile attitude as days
go on. Besides, Laurus is not listed among the owners of this
building, the formal owners being a group of four other clerics of
the Church Abroad.

The accrediting of a Podvoriye of a foreign-based Church presupposes
full communion with the Moscow Patriarchate. According to the rules
of the Foreign Relations Department of the MP, only the Rector can
be sent in to serve in the Metoche while the rest of the clergy must
be local.

It should be brought to mind that ROCOR does not as yet enjoy
liturgical communion with MP, yet the Podvoriye had been completed
more than 5 years ago.Has someone been so indiscriminate as to throw
such a big sum of money to the winds?

INTERVIEW WITH METROPOLITAN LAURUS
With but little hope did I dial the number of the Jordanville
Monastery to reach Metropolitan Laurus and was put through
immediately!

On duty at the telephone that night was an US-born monk who did not
speak a word of Russian and fortunately had never before read any of
my articles on the KGB operations in ROCOR. Had there been some one
of the Russian novices or monks openly working for Moscow, I would
not have had one chance to get connected to Laurus I saw it as God’s
providence.

Initially Met Laurus was as hearty as ever.

• "The Podvoriye is not open yet, he commented, when will it be?
  When we settle things."
• "When did the Podvoriye appear in its present form?" – I asked.
• "A few years ago."
• "Will it be opened officially after eucharistic communion has been
  established with MP," I asked.
• "Perhaps a while later, -specified Laurus,-we need men. The
  problem will hopefully be discussed at one of the meetings of the
  Two-Sided Commission."
  However, when I asked to explain to me if the presence of the
  Podvoriye was canonically tenable, Met Laurus showed signs of
  apprehension: "What do you need that for?"." For an article, I
  answered frankly."
  -"This is not to be mentioned!" – snapped back Met Laurus, and the
  interview was over. Last time I got a similar response was at
  Russian Communists’ Headquarters.

The news of the Podvoriye must meanwhile have reached the Russian
Authorities, especially the FSB whose business is to carry on a
close watch on the US organizations operating in Russia. Why then
hide it from the Church people? Can there be any secrets in Church?

Anyway, they would be facing a difficult task trying to explain to
the ROCOR believers why should they have had to begin building a
Representation already in the middle of the 90’s when no sign of a
rapprochement with MP had yet been in sight!

Most certainly the whole business had been negotiated back then
secretly, without knowledge of the parishioners. Hence also the
official discussions which started off in 2003 have not been
anything but a fake, a deception of the working class, as they used
to say during the Soviet era. This portends a scandal...

Archpriest Sergiy Klestov, a New Yorker, narrated a story of how he
rebuked Met Laurus for his participation in the Moleben in company
with Alexis II in May of 2004 on the Butovo firing range premises
near Moscow where thousands had been shot as part of Stalin’s
reprisals in mid 30’s.

-Archpriest Sergiy Klestov Confronts Met Laurus:

"How dared you, Vladyka," - he said, - "serve together with the
Sergianists at the place of death of the New Martyrs, in which a
share of guilt was on the Sergianists themselves? You mixed up them
and the traitors of Christ!
-"I did not put on my vestments," retorted Met Laurus rather
naively."
-"Do you think it does matter to the martyrs, whether you were in
vestments or not?,- continued Fr Sergius, but received no answer
from Met Laurus."

=ntnlnews-newsntnl=

[Anne]

Amen to SouthernOrthodox's comments!!!!

[Nathaniel Kapner]

ROCOR BISHOPS - "A Personality Profile" II

+Metropolitan LAURUS (Skurla): In the opinion of my ROCOR contacts,
Met Laurus is a person who "plays a role." In other words, Met
Laurus has no definite convictions of his own.

Met Laurus' brother was a high ranking Party Leader in Cold War

Czechoslovakia. During the the 1970s, Met Laurus oft visited his
brother in Czechoslovakia. Many conjecture, and it is no more than
that, that Met. Laurus may have had a "connection" in order to
travel so easily through the Iron Curtain.

Met Laurus, according to my ROCOR contacts, spent most of his

Orthodox life as a monastic beginning at the early age of 15 or 16
years old. Met Laurus began his monastic vocation at a Russian
monastery in Ladimimirovo, Czechoslovakia. In 1951, Met Laurus,
along with Met Anastasi, emigrated to the US and entered the
monastery at Jordanville NY. He quickly became an intimate with many
novices who confided in him their private personal circumstances. Later,
Met Laurus became the Dean of the Jordanville Seminary. In the
opinion of my ROCOR contacts, his Deanery Office was perhaps
the stepping-stone to Met Laurus being appointed the First Hierarch
of the ROCOR in the year 2000.

Met Laurus is said to be PRO MP.

--

II. +Archbishop ALYPI (Gamanovich --): In the opinion of my ROCOR
contacts, Archbishop Alypi is a very pious man who does not defend
his convictions with resolve.

In June of 2005, Abp Alypi wrote an Anti MP article in the News

Periodical, "Rus Pravoslavnaya," "Orthodox Russia"/St Job of Pochaev
Press/Jordanville.

In July of 2005, Abp Alypi was allegedly apprised by Fr Alexander

Lebedeff that some in ROCOR felt that Abp Alypi might perhaps wish
to consider an encloistered and sequestered retirement in a ROCOR
monastery.

+Abp ALYPI is Anti MP. Abp ALYPI may vote PRO MP.

--

III. Archbishop Mark of Belin - In the opinion of my ROCOR contacts,
Abp Mark is a very exacting man who pays precise attention to
external details whether in his monastic personna or his Episcopal
role.

According to former ROCOR (L) priest Bejamin Joufkoff of

Paris France, Abp Mark was probably a JEW - both of his
parents being violinists, a typical Jewish profession for Jews
in the early 1900s.

Abp Mark began his Pro MP activities as early as 1993. It is

common knowledge that in 1993 Abp Mark concelebrated with at least
one MP hierarch in Moscow. This is corraborated by former ROCOR(L)
+Priest Benjamin Joufoff who wrote,"In may 1993 during the Sobor at
the Lesna Monastery in Normandie, +Abp Anthony of Los Angelos said
to me: "I do not understand what is occuring with Archbishop Marc, I
do not rekognize him, he is against everything."
{"Biography of Marc of Berlin;"Joukoff)

In 1994 the "cat" was out of the bag with regard to Archbishop

Mark of Berlin. +Prst Benjamin Joukoff writes: "At the Sobor of NOV.
1994, at the Lesna monastery on the last day when "The Message" of
the Sobor was concluded, of which Mark of Berlin was the prime
formualtor, +Archbishop Anthony of Los Angelos found me
standing near by and putting his hand on my arm, nervously
exclaimed: "I shall never sign it - IT IS TREASON!"

To Be Continued.

Subdeacon Nathaniel Kapner
The Eleventh Hour

[Nathaniel Kapner]

ROCOR BISHOPS - "A Personality Profile" III

Subdeacon Nathaniel Kapner

I. Archbishop KYRILL (Dmitrieff) of San Francisco - In the
opinion of my ROCOR contacts, Abp Kyrill might perhaps
be considered as the expression goes, "a man about town."

Abp Kyrill makes a striking impression with his 6'1" aristocratic
bearing. His aristocratic bearing is coupled with "aristocratic
tastes" in both his dress and his culinary preferences, such
as Abp Kyrill's favorite restaurant fare, "sushi."

Up until 1998 Abp Mark was ANTI MP. After his famous "walk
in the park" with Abp Mark of Berlin during the NY Synod Meeting
of 1998, Abp Kyrill suddenly became PRO MP.

In the early 1990's Abp Kyrill was serviced by his "kelar'" ROCOR
Fr Joachim Parr, who flew out to San Francisco from NY to serve
Abp Kyrill as his "cell attendant."
After a year or so, they had a quarrel which left both parties
utterly irreconcilable. (Some have asked, "was this a like a lover's
quarrel?")

In the late 1990's Abp Kyrill went on retreat at Holy Trinity
Monastery in Jordanville. Abp Kyrill's place of retreat was at Fr
Averky Moreno's, (a former franciscan friar) apartment in the
Jordanville "bell tower." Many of us who knew of Fr Averky's
unbefitting conduct & peculiar lifestyle, nonetheless maintained
cordial relations with him until his repose in 2003.

Abp Kyrill was ANTI MP. Abp Kyrill is now PRO MP.

II. Bishop MICHAEL (Donskoff) of Boston - According to my
ROCOR contacts, Bishop Michael is a formerly married hieromonk
whose wife is still living, but not a nun. It was in these
questionable circumstances that priest Michael was consecrated
to the episcopate in 1996. Bp Michael was soon named the
personal assistant of Met Vitaly.

But alas! Bishop Michael soon turned against his intimate,
when in 2001, he filed a "Motion for Psychiatric Examination,"
against the venerable Met Vitaly.

"Scandal" seems to follow PRO MP Bp Michael. Concelebration
after concelebration with his MP fellows "marks"
Bp Michael's Ecclesiasitcal career.
And to add "insult to injury," in January 2005,Bp Michael
joined in public prayers with the well known
"ecumenist" MP Met Vladimir Kotlerov.

Bp Michael's personal prayer partner, Met Vladimir, was recently
awarded by Roman Catholics with their "St Albert's Medallion."

Bp Michael's papist-prayer-partner was praised at this "medalling"
thus: "for your contribution to the cause of christian unity."

And ROCOR Bp Michael of Boston is in communion with this
contributor to roman catholic christian unity? I am emboldened
to say, this species of "christian unity" does not bode well for the
future of The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.

Subdeacon Nathanael Kapner
The Eleventh Hour

[CGW]

His aristocratic bearing is coupled with "aristocratic tastes" in both his dress and his culinary preferences, such as Abp Kyrill's favorite restaurant fare, "sushi."

Let me bring you up to date, O out-of-touch ex-monastic. I have no doubt that in San Francisco, as is the case here, sushi is something that you can buy in most grocery stores, by the deli counter. I don't know that it was ever "aristocratic"-- maybe "trendy" -- but now every young woman on a diet eats it, except for those who are trying to give the impression that they don't have to diet.

In any case, if I were your priest, I would be barring you from communion by now, out of your attempts to sow discord in the church. And again, I'm left to wonder why on earth you are being allowed to post this innuendo.