Patriarch Laurus???

[Justin Kissel]

Nik,

The title of that article should be: "Russian Orthodox Church Continues Spreading Misleading Propaganda"

[Julianna]

I think you've come up for a new meaning for MP!

[Justin Kissel]

Oops, just to clarify my one post, I hadn't seen that physicsgirl had posted before me. My thumbs up was to the article in general (which was better than what I think things could be), not the idea that a secular leader would pick the Patriarch

[尼古拉前执事]

26 September 2003 14:13

Priest warns Russian Orthodox Church Abroad against coming under Kremlin control

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                                       [Presenter] A historic event in the life of [Russian] Orthodox Church has taken place. The Russian president met in the USA the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, Metropolitan Lavr, and invited him to visit Russia on behalf of  the Patriarch of Moscow [and All Russia], Aleksiy II, and on his own behalf.  The proposals to begin a dialogue, to establish relations and probably even to re-unite were coming from the Russian  Orthodox Church to the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad more than one since 1945, but they were always rejected. The last  peace initiative was put forward by Aleksiy II in 1991. However, this is the first time the secular authority has made such a proposal.    The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad was founded in 1920 in exile and immediately became a fervent opponent of the Soviet state and of the official Moscow church, whom it accused of cooperation with the Bolsheviks and the KGB.  The two churches are divided by both canonical and property disputes. The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad has been deprived of almost any property in Russia. At the same time many Orthodox parishes abroad are unavailable for the Russian Orthodox Church.  The recent meeting took place in a very friendly atmosphere. Metropolitan Lavr and Putin kissed each other. Lavr accepted the invitation to visit Russia and gave Putin the icon of St. Martyr Elizabeth as a present.  Experts say that the unity between both Orthodox churches and the state authority has become possible after a group of intransigent opponents of rapprochement with the Moscow-based church seceded from the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad  in 2001.  

[Archpriest Mikhail Ardov, speaking to camera] It means a belated victory of the KGB over the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. Since the 1920s the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad has been a major enemy of the Soviet state. Finally it was lured to deviate from the right course. In the 1990s it began taking steps towards the merger with the Russian Orthodox Church. Eventually, it will become the same kind of a puppet church controlled by Russia's rulers. Maybe, they will preserve their autonomy for some period of time, but this is an insignificant detail. They will be bargaining for property and posts, but the issue will be resolved. It has already been resolved in principle.

http://www.gateway2russia.com/art.php?a ... randparent

[尼古拉前执事]

http://www.portal-credo.ru and http://www.newsru.ru report it was President Putin who said that it was a greatest virtue of the Church to serve Her Motherland (Rodina).

Two other Russian web-news sites http://www.interfax.ru/r/B/0/2.html?id_issue=5660239 and http://www.pravoslavie.ru/cgi-bin/news. ... 0925123334 say it was Metropolitan Laurus (Lavr) who said that.

[Gregory2]

I'm also confused -- Does Putin have a say in who becomes Patriarch? I would think it would be up to the Holy Synod -- not to Mr. Putin.

[Mor Ephrem]

I put the original article cited into one of those online translators, and granted it doesn't give a great translation, I still saw NOTHING in there about Putin appointing anyone or having a say in who becomes Patriarch. So I have to wonder where that idea came from...