Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA
On December 19, President Putin held his annual end-of-the -year question-and-answer session. This year it was a combination of a press conference and an “open line” where the Russian public could telephone and ask questions. The session lasted for more than four hours. The official transcript of the entire session is found at http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/75909. During the session, there was a question relating to the religious situation in Ukraine. The question was asked by Alexandra Suvorova, one of the moderators of the session. The question and answer are as follows:
- Suvorova: There was also a question about the ROC.
- Putin: You know, what is happening with the ROC is a unique thing. After all, this is a gross, flagrant violation of human rights, the rights of believers. The church is being torn apart before the eyes of the entire world. It is like a firing squad. And everyone in the entire world prefers not to notice it.
I think that those who do this, this will come back to haunt them. You said they are tearing things apart. Yes, that is what is happening. Do you understand what the matter is? These people are not even atheists. Atheists are also people who believe in something. They believe that there is no God, but this is their faith, their convictions.
But these are not atheists. These are people without any faith at all, the godless. They — ethnic Jews, but who has seen them in a synagogue? [А это не атеисты. Это люди вообще без всякой веры, безбожники. Они – этнические евреи, но кто их видел в синагоге?] In my opinion, no one has seen them in a synagogue. They are not Orthodox [православные] , either, because they do not go to churches. They are certainly not followers of Islam, because they are unlikely to appear in a mosque either.
These are people without a clan, without a tribe. [Это люди без роду, без племени.] They don’t care about anything that is dear to us and the overwhelming majority of the Ukrainian people. They will run away someday and will go to the beach instead of to church. But that’s their choice.
I think that someday they will remember this, and people in Ukraine, and the overwhelming majority of Ukrainian residents are still related to Orthodoxy [православию], will give them an assessment.
One can watch a video of Putin’s answer to this question at https://tass.ru/obschestvo/22717609 .
Putin’s remark that the people tearing apart the ROC in Ukraine are “ethnic Jews” who do not practice the Jewish faith is very surprising. In connection with my newsletter, I have closely followed the religious news in Ukraine for several years, and I have never heard anyone claim that “ethnic Jews” are the group that is responsible for “religious persecution” in Ukraine. It is reported that Zelensky is a non-practicing ethnic Jew. However, if Putin believes that Zelensky is the cause of the persecution, why does Putin not simply refer to Zelensky by name as opposed to a category of people. Putin’s reference to “They” and “Jews” shows that he is not referring to just one person, but a group.
Not surprisingly, Putin’s remark has resulted in criticism from Jews outside of Russia. Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, the president of the Conference of European Rabbis, has stated that this “is just one example of his regime’s explicit and virulent antisemitism.” https://www.timesofisrael.com/putin-revives-antisemitic-trope-says-jews-are-tearing-apart-russian-orthodox-church/ According to Rabbi Goldschmidt, “We cannot emphasize enough the dangerous effect of such statements in a semi-totalitarian society.” To the best of my knowledge, the Moscow Patriarchate has not criticized or distanced itself from President Putin’s remark about “ethnic Jews.”
It is also interesting to note that the question and answer only refer to the “ROC” (Russian Orthodox Church) in Ukraine, and there is no mention or acknowledgement of the “Ukrainian Orthodox Church.” Also the answer implies that the “tearing apart” of the ROC in Ukraine has its source within Ukraine. Putin does not seek to place blame for the “tearing apart” on practicing Orthodox, such as those in the OCU or in the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate met on December 27. The minutes may be read at http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/6184791.html. There are several items of interest. Journal entry 141 relates to the work of the Commission for the Study of the Situation in the Budapest-Hungarian Diocese and relates to Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev). The decision of the Holy Synod on this matter is as follows:
- To ask the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, in accordance with the right granted to him by the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church (“exercising his canonical authority, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’ gives fraternal advice to the bishops <…> regarding their personal life”, Charter IV.7.h), to draw the attention of Metropolitan Hilarion to the discrepancy between the nature of his relations with his immediate circle and his way of life with the image of a monk and a clergyman.
- To relieve His Grace Metropolitan Hilarion from the management of the Budapest-Hungarian Diocese and to retire him.
- The temporary management of the Budapest-Hungarian Diocese shall be entrusted to His Grace Metropolitan Mark of Ryazan and Mikhailovsky.
- The place of service of His Grace Metropolitan Hilarion shall be designated as the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Karlovy Vary.
- To complete the work of the Commission for the Study of the Situation in the Budapest-Hungarian Diocese and to ask His Holiness the Patriarch, in the event that the Moscow Patriarchate receives new information about the circumstances of the case, to resume the work of the Commission or otherwise determine the procedure for studying this information.
Metropolitan Hilarion has informed RIA-Novosti: “I accept the decision of His Holiness the Patriarch and the Holy Synod with humility and gratitude.” https://ria.ru/20241227/ilarion-1991746478.html Although Metropolitan Hilarion is “retired,” it appears that he remains a priest and a metropolitan. His new place of service will be in Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic), a resort town located west of Prague and near the German border. Paragraph 5 allows the Patriarch to reconsider the decision in the event new evidence arises.
In Journal entry 163, the Synod decided to “relieve Hieromonk Aleksandr Siniakov of his post as rector of the Educational Center of St. Genevieve of Paris, expressing gratitude to him for his efforts.” According to the Center’s website, the “Spiritual and Educational Center named after St. Genevieve of Paris (Russian Orthodox Seminary in France), located in the city of Epinay-sous-Senart in the suburbs of Paris, was founded in 2009 and is a unique private educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, providing an opportunity for future clergy to receive additional higher education at one of the universities of Paris.” https://ru.seminaria.fr/%D0%9E%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8-%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D0%B2-%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B8_a41.html The Center has done a wonderful job in promoting good relations with the Catholic Church. Cardinal Kurt Koch visited the Center in March 2018 and praised it as “not only an exceptional place of formation but also a real bridge between the Christians of the East and West.” https://www.seminaria.fr/Reportage-sur-la-visite-au-Seminaire-du-cardinal-Kurt-Koch_a1142.html Much that the Center has accomplished has been due to Father Aleksandr, who has been the rector since the very beginning in 2008.
One hopes that the Center will continue to promote good Orthodox – Catholic relations under the new leadership. On social media, Father Aleksandr is very pleased that a former student of the Center will now be the new rector. He states: “This precious vineyard of the Lord will now be served by others who will know how to make it bear even more fruit.”
On December 24, the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) held its last session of the year. Rather than following the usual practice of providing minutes of the meeting, the UOC simply announced, “The Primate and hierarchs of the UOC worked on resolving issues of church life and summed up the results for 2024.” https://uoc-news.church/2024/12/24/vidbulos-pidsumkove-zasidannya-svyashhennogo-sinodu-ukrajinskoji-pravoslavnoji-cerkvi/ It appears that Metropolitan Agafangel of Odesa, who has been a permanent member of the Synod since 1992, did not attend this Synod meeting. Instead, he presided at a Liturgy at the Dormition Monastery in Odesa. https://uoc-news.church/2024/12/25/v-odeskij-jeparxiji-vshanuvali-den-pamyati-prepodobnogo-kukshi-odeskogo-2/ As you recall, Metropolitan Agafangel was the first signer of the statement protesting the retirement of Metropolitan Hilarion of Donetsk by the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate. One wonders whether the absence of Metropolitan Agafangel from the December 24 session was voluntary or involuntary on his part.
In a response to an information request by Interfax-Ukraine, DESS has given the numbers of UOC communities that have been officially registered as OCU communities in various years. Registration is the final legal step for a community to change its subordination. The numbers are as follows: 2018 – 2; 2019 – 319; 2020 – 30; 2021 – 25; 2022 – 496; 2023 – 471; 2024 (as of Dec. 23) – 218. https://raskolam.net/en/82906-u-derzhetnopolityky-rozpovily-pro-te-skilky-parafij-upcz-perereyestruvaly-v-pczu-u-2024-roczi/
For all of you, I pray that Our Lord will bring you many blessings in 2025!
Peter Anderson, Seattle USA