The death of Patriarch Alexy II, of Moscow and All Russia, marked the end of an era that began with the awakening of the Church in the early twentieth century. The time has not come yet to evaluate the 18 year rule of the 15th Russian patriarch. One thing is clear though: a new era started and new people will lead the church. It remains now to be seen whether business as usual will prevail or if the new generation will implement reforms that were conceived in the Russian Church 100 years ago but were frozen by the Bolshevik coup. Every new beginning starts with repentance. The late Archbishop Christodoulos of Greece called for repentance in the summer of 2006, at the meeting of the heads of Orthodox Churches in Moscow. His call, unfortunately, was not heard or even pronounced. Let us hope that it will become the evangelical grain, which fallen on fertile soil will bring fruits in due time.
During the 19th century Russian thinkers and theologians were developing the theme of catholicity (clergy-laity participation in all aspects of Church life). They considered the main difference between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism to be the fact that key issues of Church life are solved through the catholicity process. Last January, the Russian Orthodox Church Council pushed aside the legacy of those theologians. Having met for only half a day, the Council resolved only one issue, the election of the 16th primate. Even among the episcopate canonical differences emerged, but the presidium would not consider allowing any discussion. Moreover, as it may sound paradoxical, the Council chose the path of abolishing catholicity. From now on will it will convene only when necessary and that will be determined by the Bishop’s Synod. So reads the new ROC (Russian Orthodox Church) constitutional bylaws, approved during the last Council. In essence, this means that now in the Russian Orthodox Church, all theological and other issues will be resolved only by the episcopate, without the participation of lower clergy and laity. A bishop in Russia has long ceased to be a teacher, turning into a manager. Thus, the Council wiped out the last distinction of Russian Orthodoxy from Roman Catholicism.
Addressing the problems of Russian Orthodoxy was once again postponed indefinitely. And they have been accumulating during the last century. Despite the revival of churches and monasteries, the catechesis and evangelization of Russians after the 70-year-old institutional struggle against God (Communist regimes) remains number one priority. No missionary or social work was revived. In the last 18 years, Russia has been developing following the capitalist model of the mid-19th century. This brought a wide abyss between rich and poor. Today in Russia there are several million of orphans and about four million homeless. Every day 80 people die of drugs. Alcoholism has become a national disaster. Given that the Bolshevik repression and Second World War scythed the nation’s genetic pool, one can assume that today Russia is fading away. These problems of fundamental importance were not noticed by the Russian Church and were not discussed at the clergy and laity congress of last January.
That shows that the shepherds of the Russian Church do not see or do not want to see these problems. Unfortunately, the Russian Church has not used the freedom she gained after the collapse of the totalitarian regime in order to fulfill her mission which was given by the Divine Founder – to proclaim the resurrected Christ comforting and feeding the poor, the orphans and those who have strayed in life. One of the reasons for this omission of duty is her intimate union with the governmental structures that in today's Russia, according to what its rulers have confessed, are riddled with corruption and passion for greed. This infectious disease struck the Russian episcopate and the priests. They forgot the warning of Paul the Apostle: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
Spiritually weak parishioners when faced with this irresistible pursuit of the episcopate and the clergy for luxurious life, often lose their faith. Moreover, young people who come to join the ministry of the Church are as well infected with this disease.
The world financial crisis is particularly felt in Russia. On the one hand there is a gradual sobering understanding that life consists not only in the pursuit of material goods. On the other hand the country has not yet established legal mechanisms that could help those who lost their jobs and hope. Unfortunately, the Church continues to remain aloof from the pressing problems. She forgot about caring for the suffering. It is important that the Russian Church eventually becomes able to leave the ghetto in which it was pushed by the Bolsheviks.
The last meetings of Patriarch Alexy II and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in June and October 2008 gave rise to the hope that the ROC will restore fraternal ties with other Orthodox Churches and through their experience will be able to emerge from a protracted crisis. During those meetings it was decided to resume preparations for a Pan-Orthodox Synod after a 15-year pause. In my opinion, the most important legacy the departed 15th patriarch has left us is the fraternal openness, the willingness to engage in dialogue and renunciation of search for enemies. He commanded us to keep communication open and through catholicity to solve many common problems, being able to transcend the resentments and grievances. Today more than ever, it is important to learn and develop his covenants. It is noteworthy that in 2009 for the first time in Russia, a book by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (An introduction to the Sacrament) on the problems of modern Orthodoxy was published. It is a pity that this work was released by a secular publishing house and it is not sold in the Russian churches.
Sergei Bychkov is a journalist, a professor of History and the leading Russian Church historian.
