LISTING OF NEW MARTYRS TO BE REVISED

  THE MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE and the former ROCOR plan to start composing a common list of the New Martyrs of Russia in July 2007,  according to an Interfax report from Moscow issued on 21/6/07.  “‘The ROCOR has canonized many new martyrs without clear evidence that they were really martyred for their faith, such as interrogation or execution protocols. That could result in some mistakes,’ the St Petersburg Central State Archive official Mikhail Shkarovsky told the participants of the conference on Christianity, Culture and Moral Values in Moscow.  According to him, the number of Soviet citizens martyred for their faith is still uncertain.  We know, for instance, that out of 300,000 Orthodox clergymen 200,000 were murdered.  At the moment, the MP has canonized near 1,500 new martyrs.  However, the canonization process involves some problems, Shkarovsky said.  In particular, only few new saints martyred during the first two years of the Bolshevik rule have been canonized due to lack of documents.  Members of the so-called ‘right-wing opposition’ or ‘Sergianist movement’ also have problems with canonization since the church people remain divided over the issue.”

THE USA ADMINISTRATION is backing the so-called “Ahtisaari Plan” for Kosovo.  This plan, named for its devisor, Martti Ahtisaari, a former President of Finland, proposes that the province of Kosovo should gain independence “under international supervision” and thus be separated from Serbia.  Aleksandar Pavic, who covers the Balkans for WorldNetDaily.com, rightly points out that “Since the U.S.-led bombing of Yugoslavia in spring of 1999 and the subsequent deployment of 50,000 NATO troops in Kosovo, 151 Christian Orthodox churches and/or monasteries in the Kosovo province (its full name is ‘Kosovo and Metohia,’ with ‘Metohia’ coming from the Greek word ‘metoh,’ [sic] meaning ‘church holding’) have been burned down by Albanian terrorists or mobs, scores of Christian cemeteries have been desecrated, their monuments broken and even bodies dug up, and some 250,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians have been driven from their homes.  Many of Kosovo’s remaining Christians live in concentration camp-style ghettos, without any freedom of movement outside strictly confined areas.  All attempts to initiate large-scale refugee return have been obstructed by both the U.N. civil administration as well as the NATO military presence, which has stood by as the anti-Christian terror in the province has continued almost unabated.”  He also states that the US policy in this instance runs contrary to US President George W. Bush’s avowed Global War on Terror, because “this spot, variously described as ‘Europe’s black hole,’ ‘the main European transit point for drugs, white slavery and illegal immigration’ and ‘Afghanistan in Europe,’ is now being promoted to full statehood by the very U.S. administration whose “Global War on Terror” has quite literally turned that very same world upside-down over the past several years.”  According to Pavic’s report, “the only global power standing in the way of independent Kosovo is Russia, which is blocking U.S.-led efforts to push Kosovo independence through the U.N. Security Council.”

“BISHOP DIOMID of Chukotka Diocese of Moscow Patriarchate, 12 priests of this Diocese, and also some monks and nuns have issued a second letter to Patriarch Alexy II, asking him to condemn ecumenism,” Vertograd reported on 14/6/07.  It continues: “Another hierarch of MP, Bishop Hippolitus of Husta at the Ukraine supports Bishop Diomid.  Besides a big number of simple priests and faithful support them all over Russia.  The new letter is actually an ultimatum, and it left no way back to Bishop Diomid and his flock.”  The protestors cited not only perceived disorders in the Patriarchal Church but that those in society were not being addressed, the spread of corruption, lax sexual morals, allowing abortions, “Pride” marches for homosexuals, the spread of alcoholism and drug abuse, etc.  They claim that the Church is doing little to combat these perceived ills.  Unfortunately, along with some legitimate points, the Chukotka protesters appear to be obsessed with some rather cranky issues, and to be in the thrall of a rather unpleasant militant nationalist spirit.  However, it is claimed that their views command a great deal of support among the rank and file members of the Church, which has led Vertograd to predict a possible schism.  Itar-tass says that: “Officials at Moscow Patriarchate describe the letter as an instance of shallow politicking and claim that standing behind it are lobbyists of some kind who would like to seed mutiny in the Church.” 

  “THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE” (ADL), has called Orthodox Churches to change liturgical texts, excluding perceived “anti-Semitic passages.”  ADL refers to the statement of an “independent group of Orthodox priests” which suggests dropping “the out-of-date attitude” to Jews, Judaism and Israel.  On the ADL site it is stated that this document has allegedly been signed by priests of the Greek, Ukrainian, Russian and Georgian Churches, as well as the Constantinopolitan Patriarchate.  Abraham Foxman, a National (USA) Director of ADL, has declared: “We call the Heads of the Orthodox Churches to begin the process of the removal of anti-Semitic passages from their Liturgy.  This should have  been done already long time ago.  The incalculable number of Jews have suffered for centuries, and in some countries where Orthodoxy is spread, they are continuing to suffer from anti-Semitism.”  It is true, and deplorably so, that numbers of Orthodox Christians exhibit what we should more properly call anti-Jewish sentiments.  But then numbers of Orthodox Christians are also adulterers, cheats, thieves, gossippers and they commit a whole host of sins.  A close scrutiny of the Orthodox liturgical texts which refer to the Jews testify only to historical facts or compassionately call upon the Jewish people to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their long-awaited Messiah, and so are expressions of love rather than hatred.