A Council necessary for Orthodox

Twisted ideas about the faith and deep division characterize the relationship between believers and Russian Orthodox hierarchy. Dr. Dimitry Pospielovsky, one of the greatest Russian Orthodox Church historians and professor at the University of Western Ontario (Canada) offers his tough analysis of the situation. He proposes the following medicine: unity (concilarity) among the clergy and people and the calling of a Council. Below we present a brief summary of his analysis.    

According to Dr. Pospielovsky, the fall of the Soviet regime is not uniting the Russian Orthodox Church, but rather is unraveling her. In 1988 some policies were passed: the meeting of bishops at least every two years; diocesan councils (our version of synods) at least every 5 years; and more real ties between parishes and the curia. Yet none of these measures have been put into action.

The lack of a diocesan council, which would gather faithful, clergy and bishops together, "does not disturb Church summits." Certain meetings occur between bishops, where new candidates are elected, and yet they have hardly any relation to the faithful. All this creates a lack of respect of the faithful toward bishops.

The "lack of the authority in the current Russian Orthodox Church hierarchy," says Pospielovsky, "is seen in the veneration of pseudo-icons spreading throughout the country, where cruel fanatics are represented, like the henchman Ivan the Terrible and Rasputin the drunk. The condemning of such veneration by the Patriarch and bishops has had no effect on the masses. This evidences the lack of trust which today's Russian faithful have for the heads of the Church."

"The satanic icons we have mentioned –they cannot be defined otherwise - are still spread throughout the country by all kinds of fanatics, and a large part of the people prefer believing in them rather than in the hierarchy of their Church."

To cure the twisted ideas which people have about their faith and their lack of trust in the episcopate, Pospielovsky proposes that the Russian Church summon a Council "not for three days, but for much longer". Without this opportunity for renewal and healing the Russian Church risks reducing itself to "museum piece".    

* Ivan IV the Terrible (1530 – 1584): czar and autocrat of all Russia, an astute politician and religious fanatic.

• orthodox
• ecumenicalism
• week
• for
• chrisitian
• unity