From servants of His Holiness and clerics of the Russian Orthodox Church.
"The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith. Certain persons by swerving from these have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions." (1 Tm 1.5-7)Your Holiness.
In these times that are critical for our Fatherland we consider it necessary to inform you as the chief primate of the Russian Orthodox church about our statement in the mass media prior to the presidential elections. This was evoked by the frequently published declaration in support of the community party by several Orthodox priests in the name of the Russian Orthodox church together with G. Ziuganov. Considering this declaration, which was published in numerous leaflets and the newspaper Sovetskaia Rossiia, to be an expression of a blasphemous attitude toward the Orthodox church and a violation of the memory of the church's recent sufferings, we concluded that it was our pastoral and civic duty to appeal to the fallen priests and flock which they deluded with a exhortation for right thinking. In the appeal, a copy of with we append to this letter, we do mot support any political party but we express our displeasure with the mistakes of the falled priests and we proclaim our Christian position with respect to the ideology of theomachism. We pray for the welfare of the Orthodox church and we ask Your Holiness' blessing.
Archpriest Nikolai Sitnikov, Priest Georgii Chistiakov, Archpriest Ioann Sviridov, Priest Alexander Arseniev, and Monastic priest Nikon Belavinets.
Open appeal of Orthodox clergymen and laypeople:
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but within are ravenous wolves. You shall know them by their fruits." (Mt 7.15-16).In the example of the joint appeal signed by G. Ziuganov (from the communists) and a group of clergymen (in the name of the Russian Orthodox church), which is being actively distributed at the present by the forces of the "communo-patriots" among believing Orthodox Christians, we see how what our Lord forewarned about in the gospel is being fulfilled. Under the guise of concern about the moral and spiritual purity of the Orthodox Christians of longsuffering Rus, the enemies of the faith present themselves in the role of saviors of the Fatherland and of the morality of Russians. The priests A. Shargunov, V. Gurin, I. Vostriakov, Ya. Gnyp, S. Krasovitskii, A. Kuziaev, V. Pereslegin, V. Sakharov, S. Shumilov, and L. Tsarevskii, and Hegumen Andrei Krekhov, in the name of Orthodoxy, appeal for support in the coming elections for the executioners of the Russian people and the church, the communists. This kind of thing already has happened in the history of our government when the so-called renovationists declared themselves in open support of the antireligious state power.
In that difficult time, despite the most cruel persecution of believers, widespread closing and destructions of churches, and the burning and profanation of shrines, the Lord preserved His church. The blasphemies of the organization of renovationists, who intended then to exchange the truth for a lie, were the sham actions of atheists who had no real connection with Orthodoxy. But today's priests, who are servants of the longsuffering Orthodox church, are committing a far more horrible sacrilege and a great sin, when they, without compulsion and taking advantage of their authority, in the name of the Lord betray their flock into the hands of the enemies of Christ, and when in the sheep's clothing of a concern for right and morality the beast of apostasy is again forcing its way into power.
From the appeal of Ziuganov and the "communo-patriotic" priests one can conclude that the communists intend to achieve "spiritual and moral regeneration," "adoption of a law concerning human rights," and the "ending of the corruption of the nation." These are the very same people who destroyed millions of believers, ruined the country, mutilated the nation, shed blood, and covered Russia with shame. Who acted as parasites upon our people while they ascribed to themselves and to their party victory in the Great Patriotic war which was won at horrendous price. Who have already openly declared their intention to blow up the cathedral of Christ the Savior which they destroyed and which has been restored at our nation's expense.
We see that the world today is in a state of intense conflict and has been plunged into the abyss of crime and corrption. We recognize that we live amidst sinful deception and temptation. We realize that in our days the future fate of our children and grandchildren and the well-being and fortune of the Motherland are being decided. But we are sure that Russia can be saved from moral and spiritual destruction by the word of God, the prayers of the Holy Apostolic Orthodox church and our joint efforts, but in no way by a false and atheistic state power. Submitting to a deliberate lie and deciding today to support the communists in the elections supposedly for the sake of Russia's salvation, we would commit violence against the sufferings of our once deceived nation and we would violate the memory of millions of martyrs for our traditions, our Motherland, and Orthodox faith. We pray that our wayward brothers will come to their senses and repent, for the Lord's punishment for blasphemy of His church is terrible: "Many will say to Me in that day: Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name? And then I shall declare to them: 'I never knew you; depart from me, you doers of iniquity." (Mt 7.22-23)