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The Second Ecclesio-Historical Conference "The History
of the Russian Orthodox Church of the 20th c. (1930-1948)"
On Saturday, 16 November, the Second ecclesio-historical conference
"The History of the Russian Orthodox Church of the 20th
c. (1930-1948)" came to a conclusion. Below is a list
of speakers and lectures, along with a summation of the Conference.
Protopriest George Mitrofanov (St. Petersburg) (see
photo): "The Russian Orthodox Church in the Initial
Stages of the Anti-Bolshevik Movement (1917-1945)."
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Mikhail Nazarov (Moscow) (see photo): "The
Council in Karlovtsy in 1921 and the All-Diaspora Council
of 1938."
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Protopriest Alexander Lebedev (Los Angeles, CA):
"The Paths of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of
Russia in America (1921-1948)."
Viktor Kosik (Moscow): "The Russian Orthodox
Church in Yugoslavia (1920-1950)."
Protopriest Victor Potapov (Washington, DC): "The
Russian Orthodox Church in the Holy Land (1921-1948)."
Priest Dionisii Pozdnyaev (Moscow): "The Russian
Orthodox Church in the Far East in the 1930's."
Protopriest Boris Danilenko (Moscow): "Various
Positions of Russian Clergymen in Bulgaria in Regard to the
Jurisdictional Question (1930-40)."
Alexander Gavrilin (Riga): "The Latvian Orthodox
Church in the 1930s."
Nun Vassa (Munich) (see photo): "The Ecclesiastical
Principle of Ekonomia and Positions of the Russian Orthodox
Church Outside of Russia under Metropolitan Anastassy."
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Hieromonk Evfimii (Moscow0: "On the Pochaev
Succession in the Russian Diaspora."
Sergei Firsov (St. Petersburg): "The Atheist
Press at the End of the 1930's."
Anatolii Kashevarov (St. Petersburg): "The
Press and Publications of the Moscow Patriarchate of the 1930-40's."
Lydia Golovkova (Moscow): "Moscow Executions
of the1930's (the Butov Firing Range and Kommunarka.)"
Alexander Kornilov (Nizhny-Novgorod): "Podvizhniki
of the Persecuted Church: Kievan Protopriest Adrian Rimarenko."
Alexander Zhuravsky (Moscow-Kazan): "The Relationship
of the Moscow Patriarchate to the Heterodox and the Ecumenical
Movement (1930-1948)."
Reader Andrei Psarev (Jordanville, NY): "The Attitude
of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia towards Heterodox
and the Ecumenical Movement (1920-1948)."
Olga Vasilieva (Moscow): "The USSR: a New State
Policy Towards the Russian Orthodox Church (1941-1948)."
Mikhail Shkarovsky (St. Petersburg): "German
Policy Towards the Russian Orthodox Church (1941-1945)."
Protopriest Nikolai Artemoff (Munich): "Several
Facts on the Belarussian and Ukrainian Autonomous Churches
(1941-1946)."
Protopriest Valentin Asmus (Moscow): "Archbishops
Anthony (Khrapovitsky) and Sergius (Stragorodsky) in the Diary
of Archbishop Arsenii (Stadnitsky)."
Maria Sotskova (Moscow): "The Russian Church
and Patriotism During World War II."
Olga Kosik (Moscow): "The 'Anti-Soviet Church
Underground' Investigation (1943-1946)."
Stanislav Petrov (Novosibirsk): "Communities
of True Orthodox in the Legal Prosecutions of the Impostors
(1930-1950)."
Priest George Orekhanov (Moscow): "The Viewpoint
of Several Hierarchs Abroad on the Church Situation in Russia
1920-1940."
Protopriest Peter Perekrestov (San Francisco, CA):
"The Attitude Towards the Russian Church in the 20th
century of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco the Miracle-worker."
Conclusion
A conference was held on 13-16 November 2002, in the Synodal
Library of the Moscow Patriarchate (Andreev Monastery, Moscow),
devoted to questions of the history of the Russian Orthodox
Church in the 20th century. One year ago, a similar conference
was held in Sentendra (Hungary). With the blessing of their
hierarchs, clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow
Patriarchate) and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
participated, as well as representatives of the historical
academia. The Conference heard 25 lectures and reports from
scholars from Russian (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Nizhny-Novgorod,
Novosibirsk), Latvia, Germany, the USA (Washington, DC, San
Francisco and Los Angeles, CA, and Jordanville, NY).
The Conference concentrated on the following topics:
- The
history of the Russian Orthodox diaspora, especially in
the Far East, the Holy Land, the Baltics, North America
and the Balkans.
- Problems
of jurisdictional divisions of the Russian Orthodox Church
in the Homeland and abroad.
- Problems
of the survival of the Orthodox Church in totalitarian states.
- The
Orthodox Church during World War II.
- The
attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church towards the ecumenical
movement.
- The
repressions of the atheist state and the struggles [podvigi]
of the New Martyrs and Witnesses of Russia.
Upon
studying these topics, the participants noted that a number
of persistent prejudices hinder the discover of ecclesio-historical
truths. Contradictions were exposed, caused by differing perceptions
of church-historical terminology.
The lecturers drew from historical resources previously unused
in historical research.
In an atmosphere of relative freedom of expressing its position,
the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, in the examined
period, formulated a theological evaluation of the anti-Christian
essence of communist ideology.
The discussion of political policies of the leaders of the
Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside
of Russia during World War II revealed several divergences
in the opinions of the conferees. At the same time, agreement
was expressed that the representatives of the Russian Orthodox
Church, in their activities under the yoke of godless totalitarian
states was forced to compromise with the state. Still, under
these trying conditions, the Church was able to preserve the
purity of its teaching of the faith and canonical structure.
An important aspect of the research was recognized as being
the study of the biographies and struggles of the hierarchs
of the Russian Church, their important, though differently
evaluated, experience in preserving Church life under godless
authorities.
It was noted that the attempt of the Nazi leadership to divide
the Church into separate and even inimical church formations
was met with internal church opposition.
The children of the Russian Church in the Homeland and in
the Diaspora understood their service to Russia differently
at various times. Still, it is clear that first of all they
relied on Divine Providence and believed in the inner strength
of the Russian people.
The Conference reviewed examples of the exploitation of the
Church by the state in its propogandistic goals under conditions
of acute opposition of political systems.
The importance of the comprehensive study of the witness of
the Church under godless conditions was noted, especially
of the struggle of the New Martyrs and Witnesses. This goal
becomes more attainable in accordance with the growing accessibility
of research material and other archival documents.
The achievements of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of
Russia were emphasized in its preservation of the traditions
of Russian ecclesiastical piety and of Orthodox holy items
and sites.
The continuation of these conferences was seen as desirable
in the aim of better understanding between the two parts of
the Russian Orthodox Church.
3/16 November 2002
Moscow
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