Style of Theophan the Recluse

On the features of the style of spiritual works of St. Theophan the Recluse Об особенностях стиля духовных произведений святителя Феофана Затворника print version October 17, 2019 10:12 XIII Feofanov readings devoted to the life path of Saint Theophan the Recluse were held in Moscow. The head of the Research Projects and Special Programs of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, Priest Stefan Danilenko , spoke about what work is being done today to study the spiritual heritage of this Christian ascetic, “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate” . - Father Stefan, what is the relevance of Theophan the Recluse's heritage to our time? - The literary works of the holy man bear the imprint of his spiritual experience. Therefore, for a Christian, the spiritual creation of saints will always be relevant. Many of the questions that worried St. Theophanes sound quite modern: free-thinking, the impoverishment of faith, the spread of non-Christian and even occult teachings, the need for spiritual enlightenment of people. Of course, Theophan the Recluse was engaged not only in thoughts about the social disorder of the 19th century. The main volume of his works is devoted to purely Christian topics - morality, Christian anthropology, the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, translations of the Holy Fathers, the edification of the Christian in spiritual life. All this vast literary heritage of St. Theophanes allows us to touch his spiritual path and feel the need for spiritual work, to which he tirelessly called. - What is the peculiarity of the style of his spiritual works? - Saint Theophanes wrote mainly spiritual and moral works. Their content is dedicated to the salvation of man and his transformation for the kingdom of God. After that, works of a polemical, accusatory character and the scientific works of the saint come to mind. It is known that in his literary activity he was guided by the principle of “what will be more useful now”, therefore all his writings in a simple and understandable form convey the truths of Christianity to their readers: they are full of images, analogies and examples from everyday life that are understandable to those who listen and read. Often the saint uses the results of the natural scientific discoveries of his time to illustrate certain laws of spiritual life. Often, he neglects the literality in his translated works in order to simplify a complex text and convey to the reader the very essence of the thought of the translated holy father. In his epistolary writings, we often find brief but concise words. For example, “soap bubbles” - this is how St. Theophanes spoke of the sectarians of his time. - What is the work of the Publishing Council for the study of Theophan the Recluse's heritage? - Every year we hold conferences and readings on his life path. And also we are preparing for the publication “Chronicle of the life and works of St. Theophanes”, which contains documents related to his personality and era. "Chronicle ..." includes archival materials, letters, memoirs. Collected in chronological order, they allow you to very accurately restore the outline of the life of Vyshensky Recluse: from birth to death. Currently, the project is being implemented by the staff of the Publishing Council under the leadership of Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsky . However, at various stages in this work, scientific bishops and clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church, secular scholars, archival and textual groups, the genealogical group, who made a significant contribution to finding materials that make up the volume of the Chronicle, took part in this work. Considerable scientific work that helps in compiling the volumes of the Chronicle ... is being conducted at scientific forums dedicated to St. Theophanes, which take place in the Publishing Council, as well as in the Vyshensky Monastery and on Tambov Land. - What are the plans and next steps for the implementation of the Feofanovsky project? - The bulk of the work on finding materials that make up the text of the volumes of the Chronicle ... has already been done: archives and libraries have been examined, manuscripts and periodicals of the XIX-XX centuries have been reviewed. However, it is impossible to find all references to the saint, so the search and research work continues and brings certain results. For example, recently in the Central State Archive of the Republic of Mordovia the previously unknown correspondence of St. Theophanes with the builder of the Sarov Desert Hieromonk Serafim (Pestov) was discovered, the identities of many previously unknown correspondents of the saint were established. Now prepared for publication the 4th volume of the Chronicle ..., which includes documents related to the arrival of St. Theophanes at the Vyshensky Monastery and the beginning of its shutter. After the publication of the 4th volume, our group will begin to prepare for printing the remaining volumes of the "Chronicle ..." In total, this series involves the publication of 6 volumes. In addition, we are considering the possibility of publishing an additional 7th volume, which will cover the public’s reaction to the life and work of the saint after his righteous death. Theophan the Recluse (Govorov) (1815-1894) - bishop of the Russian Church, theologian, publicist, glorified in the person of saints. Since 1866 he stayed at the Vyshensky monastery. Since 1872 he was in the bolt. Author of works: “Letters on the Christian Life”, “Philosophy of Love”, “Interpretations on the Epistles of St. Apostle Paul "and others. The Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church is implementing the Feofanov project to study the works of the Vyshensky Recluse.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: It is important not to rush into unilateral decisions that can only aggravate the division that has arisen

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: It is important not to rush into unilateral decisions that can only aggravate the division that has arisen Митрополит Волоколамский Иларион: Важно не спешить с односторонними решениями, которые могут лишь усугубить возникшее разделение print version October 10, 2019 14:45 Two main topics are discussed in recent days throughout the Orthodox world. This reunion of the Archdiocese of Western European parishes of Russian tradition with the Moscow Patriarchate is an accomplished historical event, as well as an extraordinary meeting of the hierarchs of the Church of Greece scheduled for October 12, at which it is expected to consider the sensitive topic of the recognition or non-recognition of Ukrainian schismatics. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk told in an interview with RIA Novosti what these two events mean for world Orthodoxy and what consequences they may have. - Vladyka, with what feelings did you come across the news of the reunification of the Archdiocese of the parishes of Russian tradition in Western Europe with the Moscow Patriarchate? - With a feeling of deep relief and gratitude to God. An important page in the history of our Church has been turned. The process of reunification of the Russian diaspora under the omophorion of the Moscow Patriarch is over. The division that began a hundred years ago after the October Revolution was finally overcome. - In your opinion, what was the reason for the abolition of the Archdiocese of the Patriarch of Constantinople? - The logic of the actions of the Patriarch of Constantinople, starting in the spring of 2018, when he announced his intention to "grant autocephaly to Ukraine," defies explanation. But if, in the case of the legitimization of the Ukrainian schism, the Russian Church was harmed, then in the case of the abolition of the Archdiocese, the Patriarchate of Constantinople dealt a blow to itself. According to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, God turns evil to good consequences. The abolition of the Archdiocese was an evil deed, but it became the impetus for her reunion with the Mother Church. In 1931, she broke away from the Russian Church due to political circumstances, and this retreat was positioned by her head Metropolitan Eulogius as temporary. It was on a temporary basis that it was adopted by the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which then twice abolished it - once in 1965, the second time in 2018. - How did the Archbishopric receive the news of reunification with the Moscow Patriarchate? - In the cathedral on Ryu Darya, when this decision was announced, people greeted each other with the Easter cry “Christ is risen!” There were tears in the eyes of many. And in the remaining parishes following Archbishop John, this decision was perceived as joyful and long-awaited. “And how many priests did not follow him?” “You can compare photographs of two meetings that took place almost simultaneously.” One depicts the supporters of Constantinople, assembled by Metropolitan Emmanuel. They are all turned with their backs to the lens, and it’s difficult to calculate the exact number of people in the armchairs: in any case, there are not more than ten of them. And in another photo - the participants in the meeting, which decided to join the Moscow Patriarchate. They stand facing the lens, joy on their faces. There are about fifty clerics. According to the communiqué of the Archdiocese, 51 clergy from the participants in this meeting and another 37 clergy who were absent expressed a desire to join the Moscow Patriarchate. Total 84 clergymen. So we are talking about an absolute majority. - In a few days, the Greek Church will decide on the recognition or non-recognition of the structure created by Constantinople in Ukraine. What is your forecast, what are the fears and hopes? - The Greek Church is autocephalous, and I hope that it will make a responsible decision, corresponding to the spirit and letter of the church canons, without pressure from outside. The Church of Greece knows that the Ukrainian pseudo-church structure, which received a tomos from Constantinople, consists of people who do not have canonical ordinations. Part of its “hierarchs” comes from an impostor - a deacon who posed as either an Orthodox bishop or an Anglican priest and ended up behind bars. The other part comes from a former metropolitan anathematized. Can good water flow from rotten springs? Issuing a tomos of autocephaly to this group was a mistake on the part of Constantinople. But Patriarch Bartholomew was misinformed by the then Ukrainian authorities and his own experts on Ukrainian affairs. He was told that Poroshenko would remain in power and bring the liquidation of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church to an end, while Poroshenko shamefully failed in the election and left the political arena. The patriarch was told that after the granting of the tomos, almost all canonical bishops would join the new structure, but only two out of ninety joined. The patriarch was told that Moscow was holding Kiev in its arms, but it turned out that this was not so either: the Ukrainian Orthodox themselves overwhelmingly did not want a break with the Russian Church. Finally, the Patriarch was told that the tomos would unite all Ukrainian Orthodox. But he could not unite even the schismatics themselves. It is no coincidence that only a few months after the “unification council”, in which two schismatic structures were merged into one, a division reappeared within the split. And now the very founder of the schism, restored in the "rank" by the Patriarch of Constantinople, announced the withdrawal from the "PCU" and the re-establishment of the "Kiev Patriarchate". It is quite natural for a split that it is divided into parts. Once in Greece there was one old-style schism, but how many are there now? I am deeply convinced that time will put everything in its place. Now it’s important not to rush into unilateral decisions that can only aggravate the division that has arisen. Let's better wait for that blessed day when all Local Churches, moved by the Holy Spirit, will be able to come together and decide at the pan-Orthodox level the future of Ukrainian Orthodoxy. There are precedents for healing splits, including in the recent past. It is enough to recall the church cathedral in Sofia, convened to overcome the schism in the Bulgarian Church. It was chaired by Patriarch Bartholomew, with the participation of the heads and representatives of other Local Churches, and its result was the return of schismatics to the fold of the Church. In the case of Ukraine, another scenario was chosen, and therefore the result was just the opposite. There are many hierarchs in the Greek Church who are well aware of the real situation in Ukraine. They know that the vast majority of the Orthodox flock remains united around Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine . These are 12 thousand parishes, more than 200 monasteries and millions of believers. These believers know who the schismatics are, and they will never follow them. They will never exchange the life-giving currents of blessed water for rotten water. - Some Greek hierarchs are already threatening the Russian Church with isolation ... “Those who recognize the split will be in isolation.” We in the Russian Church feel the strong support of the Local Orthodox Churches. Some Churches have openly expressed their disagreement with the legitimization of the Ukrainian schism, while others tacitly disagree with it. I am sure that the vast majority of Local Churches both did not recognize and will not recognize this act in the future. So - sooner or later - you still have to return to this issue at the pan-Orthodox level. - How will the Russian Church behave if the Greek Church nevertheless recognizes the PCU? - And how would the Church of Greece behave if the Russian Church recognized one of the old-school schisms? I think the answer is obvious. When Constantinople granted the tomos of autocephaly to Ukrainian schismatics, we had no choice but to break the Eucharistic communion. Many Greek hierarchs did not understand this, found our reaction too harsh, leaving no room for dialogue. But let those who criticize us put themselves in our place. We are open to dialogue and hope for dialogue. We have repeatedly called for such a dialogue between the Patriarch of Constantinople. And now we are calling for issues of such importance to be resolved at the pan-Orthodox level, and not through unilateral decisions of individual Local Churches. If we cannot now resolve the issue without prejudice to church unity, let's take a break. We will give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to help us figure out what is difficult for us to figure out without His help. At every Divine Liturgy, we offer prayers for the unity of the Orthodox Church. We believe that this unity will be preserved, and the necessary decisions will be prompted over time to the All-Church Council by the Holy Spirit Himself, who will never leave our Church, for it is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, and the gates of hell will not prevail over it (Matthew 16:18) .

Interview with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk to the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency

Interview with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk to the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency Интервью митрополита Волоколамского Илариона Болгарскому телеграфному агентству print version October 11, 2019 16:19 The chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk , who is in Bulgaria with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, gave an interview to the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency . - Your Eminence, welcome to Bulgaria. What is the purpose of your current visit? - I am glad, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, to visit Bulgaria again to once again witness the inviolability of the fraternal bonds that have linked our Orthodox Church Sisters for centuries. One of the goals of this trip is to participate in an international conference held by Velikotyrnovsk State University. - You met with the Patriarch of the Bulgarian Neophyte . What issues are relevant for the Russian and Bulgarian Orthodox Churches now? - Our fraternal Churches have an extensive agenda for bilateral relations. We cooperate in various fields - educational, scientific and theological, pilgrimage and many others. In addition, important issues related to inter-Orthodox relations are on the agenda. Now all the Local Orthodox Churches, first of all, are concerned about the issue of maintaining the unity of world Orthodoxy. We need to think together about how to confront the dangers of separation. - Please tell us about the conference in Veliko Tarnovo. - A forum on the topic “History of the Bulgarian and Russian Orthodox Churches as a subject of academic study in the theological educational institutions of Russia and Bulgaria at the present stage” united church scholars. Within the walls of the General Church Graduate School and Doctoral Studies (OCAD), which I have been leading for more than ten years, in recent years a number of master's and candidate works devoted to the history of relations between the Russian and Bulgarian Orthodox Churches in 1940-1950 have been defended. In 2012, at the Department of External Church Relations and Social Sciences of the OECR, a corresponding scientific direction began to take shape. In 2016-2019, several works on the history of relations between the Russian Orthodox and Bulgarian Orthodox Churches were defended. An associate professor of the department came to Bulgaria with me, who was the supervisor of two candidate dissertations, as well as one of the undergraduates who successfully defended the work on the history of the Bulgarian Church. We paid great attention to the preparation of the work of our Bulgarian applicants. In 2015, in the OCAD, a master's thesis was defended by the Bulgarian clergyman Archimandrite Isaac (Boyadzhiysky), who studied with us since 2011. The work of Isaac's father was devoted to the topic “Patriarchate of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church”. In 2017, the dissertation of the Secretary-General of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Bishop Gerasim of Melnisch “Compounds of Local Orthodox Churches in Moscow” was brilliantly defended; This work aroused considerable interest and received high marks from specialists. Both of our Bulgarian brothers lived the life of our theological school all the years of study, often served me in the temples of the OKAD. I am glad that Bishop Belogorodsky Sylvester , rector of the Kiev Theological Schools , came to the conference, who talked about how Bulgarian students studied at the Kiev Theological Academy before the revolution. Representatives of the faculty of the Orthodox Theological Faculty of Velikotyrnovsky University showed great interest in the forum. - What is the current situation of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine in the context of recent events and Filaret Denisenko’s statement about the rejection of the tomos given by Patriarch Bartholomew ? - An attempt to legalize the Ukrainian schism through the creation of a new structure from schismatics and providing it with a “tomos” in 2018, as well as the collapse of this structure soon after that, has nothing to do with the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and all Ukraine . As you know, the Ukrainian schism arose in the 90s under the influence of political factors and in its development followed the rules of politics, and not the logic of church life. In this regard, it is very similar to the split that occurred around the same time in the Bulgarian Patriarchate. However, in 2018, the Patriarchate of Constantinople, with the support of President Poroshenko, under the slogan “Unification of Ukrainian Orthodoxy” tried to legitimize schismatics. This was done again, for political reasons: by the beginning of the election campaign, Petro Poroshenko was required to quickly and costlessly demonstrate to the voters the high-profile achievements of his presidency. On the eve of the election, the leaders of the so-called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” traveled with Poroshenko and the “Tomos” to the regions of Ukraine, which many perceived as part of the election campaign of the President. However, this campaign ended in complete collapse: Ukrainian voters did not approve of speculation in religion and attempts to use the Church for political purposes. The violence against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church did not lead to anything. Despite the seizures of the churches with the support of the authorities, the beatings of the clergy and believers, mass searches and criminal cases against the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, she did not give up the canonical principles of her life and refused to follow the politicians' lead. Now, after the change of power and political agenda in Ukraine, the Ukrainian split is predictably breaking up. He is not even able to maintain his own unity - not to unite Ukrainian Orthodoxy. And the canonical Church of Ukraine, which experienced real persecution under Poroshenko, still unites more than 12,000 communities and remains the largest religious denomination in Ukraine, recognized by all world Orthodoxy. I think this is largely due to the wise position of her hierarchy, which refused to exchange the internal independence of church life for momentary political bonuses. And believers praised this. More and more people are coming to the annual religious procession in Kiev, held on the occasion of the Baptism of Russia: last July, up to 300 thousand people took part in the prayer procession. Let's hope that the new government of Ukraine will listen to the voice of its people. “Recently, Jehovah's Witnesses called our house early in the morning asking if we believe in God.” How to protect yourself from sects and schisms? - The best defense against sects and schisms is a deep study of Christian doctrine, as well as participation in the Sacraments of the Church. It will be much more difficult to deceive a person who regularly reads the Holy Scripture, who is versed in Orthodox dogmas and familiar with the history of the Church, than a bearer of a secular or near-Christian worldview. Often, it is precisely ignorance by people of their own faith that recruiters of various sects use. All this, of course, emphasizes the high importance of religious education, thanks to which people in a certain sense strengthen their anti-sectarian immunity. Since the revival of spiritual life in Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church has been developing religious and theological education in state and church educational institutions of the country. I can state with satisfaction that in this area we have achieved a lot. At the same time, in Russia the Church does not have access to schools, and we lose a lot because of this. It is at the level of children's consciousness that the basic value paradigms are laid, and it is at this age that it is most easy to vaccinate against sectarian false teachings. - As the head of the Scientific and Educational Theological Association, you congratulated students of theological and secular educational institutions on the beginning of the new school year, wishing them, first of all, to learn how to read the Holy Scriptures. How can the younger generation be taught to read the Bible in secular schools today? - Young people tend to be critical of any attempts to impose an authoritative opinion on them. Therefore, it makes no sense to simply encourage them to study the scriptures or to say that Bible knowledge is essential for everyone. Two things need to be said. First: The Bible provides answers to questions that concern modern people. Second: the Bible itself contains many questions and puzzles, the answer to which is expected from us. Yes, this is exactly so: God not only teaches us and answers our questions, but also awaits our answers; through scripture, He enters into dialogue with the readers of this Eternal Book. The Bible is revealed to man in a new way throughout his life. These topics I touch on in my book about Jesus Christ . It is often pretended to Christians that the Gospels contain mutual contradictions. However, if you compare these “contradictions” over and over again, then completely incredible facets of the sacred text are revealed. While working on the book, I did not hide, but rather sharpened these paradoxes precisely because I knew: each time new discoveries await me and the readers. If we can show young people that the Holy Scripture captures an attentive reader no less than a computer game, thriller or intellectual novel, I’m sure that students who turn to the Bible will find in it something that will turn their minds around. The following should be noted. Many biblical texts are quite difficult to understand, and we need specialists who can, firstly, engage in its deep scientific study, and, secondly, bring knowledge about it to a wide audience. Fortunately, the training opportunities for such specialists are growing. Since 2017, the Bachelor's program “Bible Studies and the History of Ancient Israel” has been successfully operating at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. This year, we opened the Master's program “Christian Sources” at the Church Graduate and Doctoral School named after Saints Cyril and Methodius , whose students received a unique opportunity to study the scriptures and texts of the patristic tradition in the original languages. Biblical departments exist in all leading Orthodox theological universities. I sincerely hope that all these areas of our work will bear fruit, and we will see a generation of people for whom the Bible has become a challenge and a guide. - What other parting words could you give the modern young generation? - Now, when we live in an environment extremely rich in information, many people are in the world of myths and ideas composed by someone else. I would like to urge young people not to live by stereotypes and to check how objective our opinions are. For example, it is customary to perceive the Church either as a repository of dust-covered traditions that are not relevant in our time, or as a “bureau of ritual services”, where you should go only occasionally if necessary - to baptize a newborn, to sing the deceased. A false but familiar stereotype can also be called the idea of ​​churches filled with old people, where the young have nothing to do, or the Church as an authority that prohibits all the joys of life. After all, if you take a closer look, it turns out that the "prohibitions" that scare non-church people are, in fact, simply the "rules of a healthy lifestyle" for the soul, which help not to stain it in the dirt, not to hurt with serious sins, and not overgrown with bark egoism, but to retain the ability to enjoy the peace bestowed by God and relationships with others. As for the age of those who come to the Church, it can be noted that indeed, with life experience, after various difficult situations, and sometimes tragedies associated with the loss of loved ones, a person is more inclined to think that his life is not limited to the usual bustle, that she there should be a deeper meaning than just satisfying needs. However, very often it is young people with their characteristic maximalism that pose questions of eternal life and its highest meaning. And this can be seen, for example, in the churches of the Russian Orthodox Church, where young men and women, as well as young families with children, now make up a significant part of the parishioners who are going to worship and participating in the social service of the parish community. The vocation and purpose of the Church is not just to keep traditions or “satisfy religious needs”, but to change the world and people for the better. Those people who do not touch the Church superficially, but go deep into its being, understand that the Church is able to give them happiness, to fill their life with content. At the same time, the traditions and canons that are preserved in the Church are not crutches that impede the development of life, but the standard, referring to which, you can find out that you are going the right way. I wish young people not to live by other people's stereotypes, but to find for themselves the right landmark on the road of life. And the best reference point is Jesus Christ. And the most important thing that the Church can give to a young man, and indeed to every person, is the living Christ, who is present in His Church. We teach the people of Christ not only through preaching, but above all through the sacrament. I note that in contrast to Bulgaria, where it is customary to partake of the Holy Communion, in Russia believers often receive Communion — every Sunday, and some at every Liturgy. When the incarnated God Himself enters the flesh and blood of man, this is the most complete union with God that is only possible in earthly life. And I wish the Bulgarian youth to experience first hand this amazing state of union with God, which is incomparable with any earthly pleasures or acquisitions.

The new issue of the magazine “Church and Time” was published

The new issue of the magazine “Church and Time” was published Вышел в свет новый номер журнала «Церковь и время» print version July 17, 2019 17:22 On July 17, 2019, the next, second (87) issue of the Church and Time scientific and theological and church-public journal was published. It opens with a publication dedicated to the decade of intronization of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill. The article, which was prepared by the staff of the synodal departments and institutions of the Moscow Patriarchate, describes the main changes and events that have taken place in the field of church administration, the organization of internal church life and the organization of external church relations over the ten-year period that has elapsed since the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, who elected to the Moscow Patriarchal throne the now surviving His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and determined the main directions for the development of the Church in the last guides the years. Statistical information at the beginning of 2019 in comparison with the beginning of 2009 is also presented. In an article by the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations , the chairman of the Synodal Bible and Theological Commission , the rector of the Church Graduate School and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, “Demythologization of the New Testament Science”, there are justifiable criticisms of science in the late 18th century. gospel approaches. Breaking away from church tradition, European New Testament science created its own “dogma,” in which the hypotheses of researchers turn into unshakable dogmas that cannot be criticized. The author encourages the scholarly community to consider the gospel text in its totality, exploring it both in a historical context and from a theological point of view. The article “Dialogism in the homiletic heritage of St. Filaret (Drozdov)”, a postgraduate student of the Department of Philology of the Moscow Theological Academy, deacon Daniel Salishchev, discusses dialogicity as a characteristic stylistic feature of the Moscow preacher’s sermons. The author comes to the conclusion that this technique is not so much rhetorical as theological in the oratory of St. Philaret. Professor S.L. Firsov in his extensive work “The Eye of the Sovereign” makes an attempt to draw social and psychological portraits of the chief prosecutors of the Holy Governing Synod during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I. The author shows that the strengthening of the “departmental principle” in church administration depended not so much on the personality of this or that public prosecutor how much was connected with the general direction of the government policy of the autocrat, who believed that he himself controlled the Church. The article concludes with an article by Bishop Mar Av Av Royel, “The History of the Relationship between the Assyrian Church of the East and the Russian Orthodox Church,” preceded by the Secretary of the Commission for Dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Assyrian Church of the East, DECR employee S.G. Alferova. The work is a panoramic overview of the relationship between the two Churches mainly in the last two centuries.

Kursk Theological Seminary began publishing a new scientific and theological journal “Seminarium”

Kursk Theological Seminary began publishing a new scientific and theological journal “Seminarium” Курская духовная семинария начала издавать новый научно-богословский журнал «Seminarium» print version October 11, 2019 16:51 On October 9, 2019, on the day of memory of the Apostle John the Theologian, the first issue of the new scientific and theological journal Seminarium (Proceedings of the Kursk Theological Seminary) was published, the seminary website reports. “A live acting platform of scientific thought is needed by both teachers and students. The print publication allows you to more closely familiarize yourself with the work of a wide variety of authors, and also provides the opportunity to present the results of your research to the scientific community, ”said Archimandrite Simeon (Tomachinsky), editor-in-chief of the journal, in the preface to the first issue. The journal materials are divided into sections: "Theology and Philosophy", "Apologetics", "History and Culture", "Pedagogy and Psychology" and others. The chronicle of the Kursk seminary for the past academic year is presented at the end of the issue and the ranking of the ten best teachers is given with an explanation of the calculation methodology. The first issue of the journal presents articles on various topics, in particular: on the phenomenon of senility, on the traditions of the Russian Hesychasm, on the modern Orthodox community, on digitalization and spiritual security issues, on the protest movement in pre-revolutionary seminaries, on the organization of pilgrimage trips, on “kenosis and therapeutic practice ”and others. The authors are teachers of the Kursk seminary, vice-rector of the Moscow Theological Academy , teachers of the Pittsburgh, Novosibirsk and Barnaul seminaries. Seminarium has been approved and approved by the Synodal Department for Church, Community, and Media Relations . At first, the magazine will be published annually; subsequently it is planned to switch to a quarterly release.

he meeting of the head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District with the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan

The meeting of the head of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District with the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan Состоялась встреча главы Казахстанского митрополичьего округа с первым заместителем руководителя Администрации Президента Казахстана print version October 11, 2019 17:14 On October 11, 2019, in the residence of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Akorda) in the city of Nur-Sultan, a meeting was held between Metropolitan of Astana and Kazakhstan Alexander and the First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan D.A. Kaletaev. After exchanging greetings, Metropolitan Alexander told D.A. Kaletaev about the life of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan Okrug , celebrating this year an important historical date - the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the celebration in honor of the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan. The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan noted that His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill in connection with this date blessed the bringing of the “Sign” of the miraculous Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God to the Metropolitan District. Vladyka Metropolitan emphasized that archpastors and clergymen of Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, Southeast Asia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and the USA became guests of the festivities, and more than 25 managed to worship the shrine, which was from October 4 to 10, in Alma-Ata thousand believers. The hierarch informed the deputy head of the administration of the head of state about the opening after the full-scale scientific restoration of the Ascension Cathedral of Alma-Ata, which was carried out for more than two years on behalf of the first President of the Republic N.A. Nazarbayev. During the discussion, the activities of Kazakhstan's traditional faiths were discussed in creating an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect in society, strengthening moral principles and countering extremism and terrorism. An exchange of views took place on a wide range of issues concerning the role of traditional religions in the life of Kazakhstan and state-church relations at the republican and regional levels. The meeting was held in a friendly and businesslike atmosphere.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry led the celebrations in Odessa on the day of memory of the Monk Kuksha of Odessa

Блаженнейший митрополит Онуфрий возглавил в Одессе торжества в день памяти преподобного Кукши Одесского print version September 30, 2019 16:04 On September 29, 2019, on the 15th Day of Pentecost, on the Exaltation, the feast day of St. Kuksha of Odessa, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Assumption Monastery in Odessa. Before the start of the service at the gates of the monastery, His Beatitude was met by bishops, clergy, monastery inhabitants and thousands of believers who arrived for the holiday. The Liturgy was served by the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church : Metropolitan of Odessa and Izmail Agafangel , Administrator of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovarsky , Metropolitan Anthony of Khmelnytsky and Starokonstantinovsky , Metropolitan of Krivoy Rog and Nicopolis , Metropolitan Yeropher of Metropolitan Hieromoness Yerophorod of Metropolitan Yeropolith Ananyevsky Alexy , Metropolitan of Sumy and Akhtyr Evlogy , Metropolitan of Kirovograd and Novomirgorod Joasaph , Metr opolit Dzhankoysky and Razdolnensky Alipy , Metropolitan of Lviv and Galitsky Filaret , Metropolitan of Nezhinsky and Pryluksky Clement , Archbishop of Ovidiopolsky Arkady , Archbishop of Yuzhnensky Diodorus , Bishop of Artsyzsky Bishop , Bishop of Bishopric of Belgorod At the small entrance, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry elevated Bishop Victor of Artsyz to the rank of Archbishop and presented liturgical awards to the clergy of the Odessa Diocese . After reading the Holy Gospel, His Beatitude addressed the faithful with a word of preaching. At the end of the Liturgy, clergy, led by the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, made a procession with the relics of St. Kuksha. His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry led the consecration of the new church of the Assumption Monastery in honor of the Blessed Matrona. After the service, Metropolitan Agafangel addressed His Beatitude with words of gratitude for the visit and donated the Ark with a particle of the relics of St. Kuksha of Odessa as a gift to His Beatitude. The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church thanked Metropolitan Agafangel for his congratulations and gift, for many years of archpastoral work, fruitful work and the construction of churches. Talking about the life of the Monk Kuksha, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry explained to the flock what the real unity is: “The saints are not only prayer books for us sinners before God - they are for us an example of how a person should live on earth. There is no division between the righteous, there are no nationalities, there is no division according to skin color, according to other human qualities and merits. There all are one in Christ. Today we talk a lot about unity - we talk about the unity of Ukraine, we talk about the unity of the world, because Ukraine is not the only place where peace and unity are needed - the whole world needs it. People are trying to unite on some human principles, laws, common interests. But unity is right and lasting only when it is based on Christ. When everyone unites around Christ, then no one can destroy this unity, this unity passes with man into eternity. " On the same day His Beatitude Vladyka met with the pupils of a boarding school for children with hearing impairments. The primate blessed the children and presented everyone with gifts.