"Russkaya Linia" interviewed +Bishop Gabriel of Manhattan on
November 1, 2005.
By special arrangement the main points of discussion have been
translated into English for the purpose of the many who are troubled
about the pending ROCOR/MP union, that they may know how a key
Hierarch of ROCOR is handling this very distressing affair.
Remarks are by the ROCOR's Eugene L. Magerovsky Ph.D. I have his
quite impressive biography cut and pasted below.
AN INTERVIEW WITH +BISHOP GABRIEL
By "Russian Line"/ "Russkaya Linia."
11.1. 2005
RUSSIAN LINE: "There is much talk about the imminent union between
the Russian Church Outside Of Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate. Is
there now a slow down in this movement to achieve unity because of
dissension within ROCOR's rank and file?"
+BISHOP GABRIEL: Look - four years have already passed after
the "dissenters" [ROCOR/V) left us, separating themselves from
us, and then justifying their decision with the statement that
allegedly we, 'The Emigre' Church,' are merging with "Chekitskaya"
Tserkov'"(Secret Police Church) in Moscow. So what? Where is that
announced-long-time-ago, "merging union?"
RUSSIAN LINE: "Are the talks progressing then?"
+BISHOP GABRIEL: "There is a completely natural dialogue taking
place and a process of cordial relations established and continuing
on that basis. And this process does have a goal - long awaited by
the fathers of the Emigre' Church,namely, to achieve Church unity.
"However, while participating in this process, our Emigre'Church,
before and now, remains loyal to 'Holy Orthodoxy,'always in pursuit
of the Truth, and in no way abandoning its foundations.
"And if we don’t achieve a mutual understanding in this matter and
our principal positions would be compromised, in such a case, the
union would be difficult."
RUSSIAN LINE: "Because of the present dissension occurring within
the ROCOR, do you agree with the opinion that ROCOR will be faced
with a serious "raskol?" (split) ["Raskol" is a uniquely Russian
Ecclesiastical term meaning "a separation of heretics from true
believers"]
+BISHOP GABRIEL: "As for the potential "raskol" and mood of our
priests, then, as I said many times, our Clergy is really separated
into three parts."
RUSSIAN LINE: "Three parts?"
+BISHOP GABRIEL: "Yes.The smallest part is ready to unite any
minute."
[rocor's e.l.m.]: "I agree with that."
+BISHOP GABRIEL: "The second group, still a small one, does not
accept any possibility for us to be together, that, most likely,
they would never make an internal decision regarding such a union,
but at the same time with much shall we say, "pain of heart,"
they will be ready to follow canonical discipline."
[rocor's e.l.m.]: "Really, no such group exits because all of us
believe that sooner or later if there are proper changes in the MP,
we will join them. However, at present, that is highly questionable.
For many throughout the ROCOR parishes, both clergy and
parishioners, are very uneasy about it."
+BISHOP GABRIEL: "And the third group, the largest, treats this
merger with caution, with doubts, yet not at all denying such a
possibility exists for the future."
[rocor's e.l.m.]: "There is indeed this "third" group. In this group
are people who variously believe that the two should be joined
together but only after the Moscow Patriarchate atones for many of
it's past and even present positions and actions.
"With regard to this third group, , there is for example a newly
formed ROCOR group called the *"Metropolitan Anthony Memorial
Society." This Society of which I am an active member, believes
that such a merger should eventually come. But it will have to be
after the Moscow Church corrects its' uncanonical status."
+BISHOP GABRIEL: "There are certain historical reasons for this
third group to be treating a union with caution, it could not be
otherwise. And when here, they read some "congratulations" sent to
the Vietnamese President "on the annual anniversary of the communist
victory," or expressions about the Emigre' Church, that our
existence was a purely political phenomena, and such a statement
was said recently by one very well known representative of the
Moscow Patriarchy and so on - - everything leads to the conclusion:
Not many things have changed "over there."
[rocor's e.l.m.]: "The MP has to stop its political forays into
fields that do not concern the Church. Indeed the Bishop is quite
right - "not many things have changed 'over there.'"
+BISHOP GABRIEL: "And if we were to imagine that tomorrow we would
have some sort of merger that would include the naming of the
Patriarch of Moscow at the services, that would bring forth a great
doubt..it would be troubling on the part of the flock, yes, of
course it would, which is not ready for such a radical change."
[rocor's e.l.m.]: "I agree with this but the reason is not because
Alexy's name is in the services per say, but it is the name of an
alleged KGB agent whose code name is "Drasdov," 'Birdman.'"
+BISHOP GABRIEL: "And it is necessary of course, to consider that we
could lose some congregations and a number of priests and laity. I
do not even want to think about how much loss it could possibly be –
and what percentage of losses would be acceptable. None! No, none
would be acceptable.
"A possible split occuring on the way to Church Unity is a sign
that the way has not yet been walked, and that way was wrongly
chosen."
[rocor's e.l.m.]: "Yes..and therefore...do not join them!"
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
ROCOR Professor Eugene L. Magerovsky, cum laude graduate of the City
College of New York (1956), 1957 alumnus of the Russian Institute
(M.A., Columbia, 1956) and Ph.D. (Columbia, 1975), was born in
Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1934, and came to the United States in
- He is now Vice-President of the Association of Russian-
American Scholars, Inc., co-edits its Transactions, an annual
scholarly publication now marking its thirty-seventh year, devoted
to Russian topics. Formerly of New York and Fordham Universities, he
had taught Russian history and political science at the Graduate
School of Georgetown University where he was co-director of the
Russian Area Studies Program.
Professor Eugene L. Magerovsky had been Associate Director of the
Institute of Soviet Studies at Middlebury College. He is currently
also Vice-President of the Russian Expert Commission Abroad, an
inquiry into the fate of the remains of the members of the Russian
Imperial House murdered by the Communists on July 17th, 1918, in
Ekaterinburg, Russia, and the matter of restoration of the
indigenous legal order in Russia. Formerly U.S. Army colonel in
strategic intelligence, he has occupied a number of command,
operational and administrative positions and has taught at the U.S.
National Defense University, National U.S. War College and U.S. Army
Institute of Advanced Russian and East European Studies.
Professor Eugene L. Magerovsky now resides in Kinnelon, New Jersey
with his family and attends the ROCOR Church of Novo Diveevo in
Spring Vally New York.
*"Metropolitan Anthony Memorial Society."
http://www.metanthonymemorial.org/
For the Holy New Martyrs of Russia
ROAC Subdeacon Nathaniel Kapner
The Eleventh Hour
October 21/November 3/2005
Synaxis Of The Bodiless Powers