The Shepherd, April 2007
NEWS SECTION, 2
ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS IN INDONESIA ATTACKED
THE METROPOLITANATE of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia (OEP) has issued the following statement (19/3/07), concerning situations in Indonesia. “The Orthodox Christians in Indonesia have joined the list of those attacked by Muslim extremists. Fr Methodios Sri Gunarjo, his family and other Orthodox were terrorized and threatened this past weekend. Although there are no reports of physical harm at this point, the verbal, psychological and other forms of abuse continue. At one point, a knife was put to the throat of Fr Methodios, as his attackers demanded that he close the churches in the Boyolali area of Central Java. It should be noted that there is a thriving ministry in this area. A large group of Muslim protesters has gathered in the Church area and continues making demands upon Fr Methodios and the Church community. The attackers are not from Boyolali, as local Christians and Muslims have joined in showing their support for Father Methodios, who is noted for the love and compassion he has shown all people in the area. Fr Methodios and his family have been forced to leave their home, as their lives have now been threatened. The attackers have also promised to purge the area of Christians. Metropolitan Nikitas has not been able to contact Fr Methodios directly, although he is in constant communication with other clergy in Indonesia. He has requested that people pray for peace and an end to the violence and attacks upon the Church community.”
DID HE OR DIDN’T HE?
MOSNEWS (1/3/07) reported that “the Bishop of the remote Russian region of Chukotka has addressed the believers with a statement in which he accused the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church of ‘moving from the purity of Orthodox faith’ - in particular, of making pacts with state authorities, and Ecumenical movement.” “The letter of Diomede, the Bishop of Anadyr and Chukotha, was published by the Novye Izvestia.… In the letter, the bishop wrote that Moscow Patriarchy was making pacts with the state, often anti-God authorities which damages the God-given freedom. He also wrote about the Church officials’ ‘silent approval of state policies that lead to the country’s breakup, demographical crisis and other negative consequences.’ The bishop went on to criticize the Russian Orthodox Church’s participation in the Ecumenical Movement.… The newspaper also wrote that Bishop Diomede’s letter was passed to Russian Patriarch Alexy II, but the church leader has not read it as he was busy on the first week of the Orthodox Great Lent.” Four days later Interfax reported that Metropolitan Kyrill had denied that Bishop Diomede had written this complaint. “The Church leadership,” he said, “is exploring the circumstances of the accusatory letter allegedly ascribed to Bishop Diomid.” Metropolitan Kyrill told Vesti-24 TV that “Bishop (Diomid) said he had never written the letter and a text composed to preface a book was used. We are still unaware to which extent the two texts are identical. We’re working now to know it.”
ROCA PARISHES PROTEST RAPPROCHEMENT
NEWS daily reaches us through the media and through personal communications of growing disquiet within ROCA parishes about the imminent rapprochement between the Church Abroad and the Moscow Patriarchate. One of the clearest examples of this is the fact that the “clergy, parishioners and friends of the Protection of the Mother of God parish in Rochester, NY” have issued a statement saying that they “are all united in our strong feelings of opposition to the union between the Russian Church Abroad and the Moscow Patriarchate. We pray for union in God’s truth, but this union threatens to leave critically important issues unresolved.” Their excellent statement which runs to two pages and sets forth objections very like our own, ends: “We are motivated by nothing more than trying to preserve what is true.” At least four priests in Australia, including Archpriest John Stukacz who is known to many in England because he used to be the priest at the Convent in Willesden, have left ROCA. Archpriest Stefan Sabelnik, rector of the Church of the Holy Dormition, Trenton, NJ, and his parish have separated from the Church Abroad and joined the Synod headed by Archbishop Tikhon. Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna issued a statement on 28th March that the Russian Community of the Holy Trinity in Oxnard, California, also unable to accept the impending rapprochement of ROCA with the MP, has placed itself under his omophorion, with the blessing of the President of the Synod in Resistance, Metropolitan Cyprian of Fili and Oropos. Their Oxnard church is built in Russian style, and beautifully frescoed in the traditional way, as the photographs e-mailed to us bear witness. Apparently the majority of the parishioners are Russian, but have elected to place themselves under a “Greek” episcopate to preserve the purity of their Faith. 
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