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Patriarchate totals up clerical murders
MURDER OF HEGUMEN AVENIR SOLVEDPatriarchia.ru, 24 August 2007
In Furmanov of Ivanovo province a man was arrested who confessed to the murder of the rector of the Ascension parish of the city, Hegumen Avenir Smolin, 29, the press service of the regional Department of Internal Affairs, Vladislav Radostin, told Interfax.
He recalled that the body of the priest with marks of violent deathÑnumerous stab woundsÑwas discovered in the church manse in Furmanov last Wednesday at 11:00 by parishioners of the church in which Fr Avenir served as rector.
According to Radostin, on Thursday evening, criminal investigators establishing the identity of two persons who could have been involved in committing the murder.
"Police received information that the crime was committed by a pair of previously convicted men and a search for them was immediately begun. According to information collected by police, one of the figures was supposed to come on 23 August to the home of a relative in one of the villages of Furmanov district. But he was not able to reach the village, which already was covered by police forces, and agents of the Department of Criminal Investigation arrested the figure on the road from Ivanovo to Furmanov, removing him from the intercity bus upon departure from the provincial center. The man did not put up any resistance to the chief of the Department of Criminal Investigation, Alexander Zhivotenko, who arrested him," Radostin said.
He emphasized that the "resident of Furmanov confessed to the murder of the priest." In the process of working with him, the director of the press service noted, the information that there were two criminals was confirmed.
"They came to Fr Avenir's home in order to get money, but their information about the enormous wealth of the priest turned out to be false. In the end the thieves took from the house only a few hundred rubles, a mobile telephone, and one inexpensive gold ornament. Thus, the original version of police officers about the murder in the course of a robbery was confirmed," Radostin said.
During preliminary investigation it was revealed that the victim was acquainted with one of the attackers and knew him well by sight.
"The investigation will establish whether the thieves planned to kill the priest or not. However the circumstances of the case give evidence that probably Fr Avenir was doomed to death. During the robbery the hegumen apparently recognized him and indicated that he knew the man who had come in order to rob him," Radostin said. "It is interesting that the arrestee had previously been convicted for a very similar knife-attack crime. In his time he was sentenced to eight years imprisonment for robbery, but he was paroled in 2006 and released. Of the eight years of his sentence he served just less than four and was released for good behavior."
According to information of the press service of the Department of Internal Affairs, the suspected murderer from Furmanov became acquainted with his accomplice in the robbery of the priest's home at his places of imprisonment. (tr. by PDS, posted 24 August 2007)
SOLEMN LIST CONTINUES TO GROW
Patriarchia.ru, 24 August 2007
According to data from the Moscow patriarchate, since 1990 several dozens murders of Orthodox priests have been committed.
Archpriest Alexander Men was killed in the morning of 9 September 1990 on the path to the "Semkhoz" railroad station. An unknown person struck him on the head with a heavy object (probably an axe). The priest made it to his house, beside which he died from loss of blood.
Hegumen Lazar Solnyshko, the secretary of Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna Yuvenaly, was killed 26 December 1990 in Moscow. The circumstances of the murder were mysterious, although law enforcement agencies managed to arrest a former employee of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow patroarchate, Mikhail Potemkin (who later became a bishop in one of the branches of the Russian True Orthodox church under the name of Manuil). Then he spent almost two years in a Butyrka investigation cell. The investigation did not end with a trial.
Hegumen Serafim Shlykov, rector of the Moscow church of the Birth of the Holy Theotokos in Putinki, was killed in the night of 1-2 February 1991.
Three residents of the Optina Pustyn--monastic priest Vasily Rosliakov, monk Trofim Tatarnikov, and monk Ferapont PushkarevÑwere killed 18 April 1993, on the day of Christ's Resurrection, in Optina Pustyn. The criminal, Nikolai Averin, turned out to be a devil worshipper who told the investigators that he received an "order from the devil."
Priest Petr Boiarsky was killed 17 November 1993 in Ukraine.
Monastic priest Nestor Savchuk, rector of the church of the Nativity of the Theotokos of the village of Zharka, Yuriev district, Vladimir province, was brutally murdered in the night 30-31 December 1993 in a cell of the manse. Fr Nestor was found lying face down in a pool of blood, in the form of a crucifix with no signs of life. His body was completely drained of blood. After the murder a huge sum of money was missing from the priest's briefcase, which had been donated to him that day by businessmen of the construction company working on the church. The investigator from the prosecutor's office, A.A. Generalov, conducted an investigation for a month, and the Yuriev district court sentenced a local bigot, A. Talamonov, to four years imprisonment. The court decided that the murderer was not entirely competent.
Priest Anatoly Chistousov was killed 14 February 1996 in a captivity in Chechnia. Before his ordination he was an officer of the armed forces. The day after his clerical ordination, 21 March 1994, Fr Anatoly was sent to Chechnia where he served in the Michael the Archangel church of the city of Grozny. From 15 March 1995 he was rector of that church and dean of the churches of Chechnia. Until he was kidnapped he did not cease ministering to his flock and he regularly conducted divine services, despite the location of the church near the former palace of Dudaev, which was at the epicenter of military actions. On New Year's Eve of 1995 he was forcibly taken by bandits to the Grozny railroad station, where he was ordered to appeal to Russian defense forces to surrender. In response, Fr Anatoly blessed the military work of the soldiers. He was abducted on 29 January 1996 by a group under the command of Akhmed Zakaev. He was held in a camp of the "department of Sharia security" in the village of Staryi Achkoi, where he was subjected to torture. He was shot by soldiers.
Archimandrite Petr Posadnev was killed at three a.m. on 20 August 1997 in a building located in the yard of the Foros church in Crimea. He received 21 knife wounds about the face, shoulders, and chest and both elbows were broken. The nature of the wounds suggested that the priest was brutally tortured before his death in an attempt to get some kind of information. According to one account, the criminals wanted to learn where the key to the safe was in which there might be not only money but also a package with compromising information about some highly placed citizens.
Priest Manuil Burnatsev, rector of the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Vladikavkas, was killed in the evening of 12 September 1997 in an outbuilding of the church.
Archpriest Alexander Zharkov was killed 14 September 1997 in St. Petersburg. Not long before his death he transferred from the Russian Orthodox church of the Moscow patriarchate to ROCOR.
Priest Georgy Ziablitsev, a worker in the sector for relations with the Roman Catholic church of the Department for External Church Relations, died 23 September 1997. He was killed upon his return from a trip abroad in an apartment that was rented for him, after several hours of brutal torture.
Old-Believer monastic priest Dimitry Rasstegaev was brutally murdered in January 1998 in Yaroslavl province. The cause of his death was his apartment in Yaroslavl which the young priest wanted to sell upon his departure for a new parish in Belaia Krinitsa. A band of apartment thieves, based in Yaroslavl province, using the name of "Partner" realty firm, killed the priest, dismembered his body, and threw it into the basement of the hut in which a drunken feast was begun. The bandits were caught only after three years.
Deacon Oleg Spiridonov, a clergyman of the Astrakhan church of ROCOR consecrated to the Sovereign icon of the Mother of God, was killed 14 May 1998 in his apartment in the center of Astrakhan. According to eyewitnesses, the deacon may have been killed by three people unknown to him who came to his apartment that day and then set fire to his apartment. The body of Fr Oleg was discovered on the floor of the partially burned room. It was reported that on his body and neck were marks of beatings, but the local police refused to conduct a detailed investigation of the murder and did not formally acknowledge the violent nature of the death.
Archpriest Mikhail Satsiuk, rector of St. Nicholas church, was found dead on 12 October 1998 in an automobile on the outskirts of Brest. The investigation came to the conclusion that a murder had been committed in connection with robbery.
Archpriest Petr Sukhonosov, rector of the Pokrov church in Sleptsovskaia (Ingushetiia), was abducted 28 March 1999 by four bandits who attacked the church in which he served more than 40 years. He died in captivity.
Archpriest Boris Ponomarev, rector of the church of Elijah the Prophet in Ilinsk settlement (Mozhaisk district of Moscow province), was killed 16 July 1999. The crime was solved rather quickly. The 84-year-old archpriest, a veteran of the Great Patriotic war, was killed by three recidivists who attended the church in which Fr Boris served and who sometimes were guests in his home. The criminals saw several ancient icons in the priest's home and decided to rob him. In the night they broke into Fr Boris' home, tied up his wife and a relative, and murder the archpriest himself. Fr Boris had been the rector of that church since 1955. For his many year's of ministry he was awarded all the awards for a priest, including a mitre, the order of St. Equal-of-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, 2nd degree, and the right to serve the divine liturgy with the royal doors opened up to the "Our Father."
Monastic priest Grigory Yakovlev, rector of the church in the village of Tura, Krasnoyarsk territory, was brutally murdered 21 March 2000 in the church of the Holy Trinity. The criminal carried the severed head of the priest into the altar area and placed it on the altar. On the same day the murderer, 26-year-old Ruslan Liubetsky, was arrested. He said that he actually had been given an order by "god Krishna."
Hieromonk Simeon Anosov, rector of the church of Andrew the First-called in Barnaul (Altai territory), was killed 23 August 2000. The murderer was a former driver for the hieromonk, Konstantin Shilenkov, who have been convicted many times previously. Under the influence of drugs, Shilenkov went to Fr Simeon's home and began demanding money to pay for drugs. After a categorical refusal, the criminal struck Fr Simeon several times with a kitchen knife, killing him on the spot. Departing, Shilenkov removed a gold chain with a pectoral cross from the victim and stole money from the apartment.
Hieromonk Alexander Kulakov was killed 8 January 2001 in the village of Sabaevo (Mordovia). The murderer, Aleksei Maksimov, hid in the John the Divine monastery near Saransk, under the name "Aleksei Svetov." During his service in the army he killed a fellow soldier and then, hiding from the tribunal, committed several other serious crimes. Hieromonk Alexander became acquainted with him in the monastery and, wishing to help him, suggested that he become an acolyte in the church in the village of Sabaevo. Maksimov willingly agreed, and after some time sliced his benefactor with an axe. In the course of the investigation he was not able to state the motives for the murder, saying that he simply did not like the priest. In September 2001 the Penza military tribunal found the criminal incompetent.
Priest Igor Rozin, rector of the church of the Holy Great Martyr George the Conqueror in the city of Tyrnyauz (Kabardino-Balkariia), was killed 13 May 2001 after conducting the divine liturgy on the day of the Holy Prelate Ignaty Brianchaninov, bishop of the Caucasus. The 23-year-old Ibragim Khapaev struck Fr Igor three blows with a knife. Later the court found Khapaev incompetent.
Hegumen Iona Efimov, rector of the church of the Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God in the village of Tiurniasevo, Nurlatsky district (Tatarstan), was killed 12 October 2002. The body of the 85-year-old priest was found in the garden of his home. The criminal struck the priest on the temple with a heavy object. The blow was fatal. Robbery was the reason for the murder.
Monastic priest Nil Savlenkov, abbot of the Vodlozersky Elijah Pustyn in Karelia, was killed in August 2003. His body was found, with signs of violence, three months later on a neighboring island. After the murder, two novices disappeared from the monastery. One of them was arrested in Mordovia and taken to Petrozavodsk and convicted of murder in January 2005.
Hieromonk Isaiah Yakovlev, a resident of the Holy Dormition Kazan monastery in the village of Kuznetsovo, Ivanovo province, was killed 2 November 2003 near the village of Raif (Tatarstan). Fr Isaiah went to the Raif monastery in order to draw up an agreement about a pilgrimage. But he arrived at the monastery late in the evening. In order not to awaken the monks, the hieromonk decided to spend the night in his car in a parking lot. At this time, a previously convicted 19-year-old local resident, Dmitry Novikov, who was drunk, arrived at the parking lot and demanded that the priest drive him to a nearby city of Zelenodolsk. Fr Isaiah, claiming that he was tired, refused and then Novikov killed him with a knife in his heart. In February 2004 a court sentenced Novikov to 12 years in a strict regime prison colony.
Hieromonk Alexander Tyrtyshny was killed 25 December 2003 in the village of Kolosovok (Omsk province). The previously convicted 23-year-old local resident Dmitry Litvinov arrived at Fr Alexander's house late in the evening and asked to make his confession, but not in a church but rather in his home. The hieromonk agreed. When Fr Alexander entered the house the murderer attacked him with a knife and killed him with several blows. Litvinov found only 2,000 rubles on the priest and stole the cross which was lying in a suitcase and the priest's pectoral cross, and he tried to rip out some gold crowns. Then he set fire to a Gospel and went over to plunder the church, but he was frightened when it seemed to him that someone was inside. On 7 June 2004 Litvinov was sentenced to 16 years in a strict regime prison colony.
Archimandrite German Khapugin, abbot of the Ascension Davidov Pustyn in the village of Novyi Byt, Chekhov district, Moscow province, was killed 26 July 2005 in his cell. The victim's hands had been bound; in addition, it was discovered that he had blows to the skull. Things in the cells were strewn about and a safe located there was opened.
Priest Andrei Nikolaev, rector of the church of the Holy Trinity in the village of Priamukhino, Kuvshinov district, Tver province, died in the night 1-2 December 2006 in a fire in his own home in the village of Dalekushi of the same district. Along with the priest perished his wife, Kseniia, and their three children. There is information that the home was doused in gas and set on fire. Several months before his death, the priest requested of the police help and protection. He said that every night he had to defend the church with firearms against local alcoholics who tried to rob the church in order to get money for drink.
Priest Oleg Stupichkin, rector of the restored church of Saints Apostles Peter and Paul in the village of Neivo-Shaitanskii, Alapaevsk district, Sverdlov province, was killed on Christmas Eve in the evening of 6 January 2007. A previously convicted resident of the village, Roman Sukhachev, born 1973, and Sergei Davliatchin, born 1974, approached Fr Oleg at the completion of the all-night vigil, and asked for some time for a discussion. Left alone in the church with the priest, they killed Fr Oleg, striking him in the head with a metal pipe. Then the murderers stole more than 20 icons from the church and tried to set a fire in order to cover the traces of their crime. Both suspects were arrested the same night. They were charged with murder and robbery. Fr Oleg turned forty in 2006. He left a widow and four children.
Hegumen Avenir (secular name Aleksei Yurevich Smolin, born 1978), rector of the parish of the Ascension of the Lord in the city of Furmanov, Ivanovo province, was killed in the night 21-22 August 2007 in his own home. The investigation suggests that the crime was committed in connection with a robbery, since personal property and a small sum of money supposedly were missing from the house. However, other versions of the murder have been devised. (tr. by PDS, posted 24 August 2007)
Russia Religion News Current News Items
Muslim leaders oppose teaching Orthodoxy
COUNCIL OF MUFTIS THINK IDEA OF TEACHING "FOUNDATIONS OF ORTHODOX CULTURE" IN SCHOOLS DESTRUCTIVEInterfax, 23 August 2007
The Council of Muftis of Russia has again spoken out against teaching the basics of Orthodoxy in the schools of the country and called for "considered and comprehensible resolutions" of this question.
"Unfortunately, from time to time ideas that are destructive and dangerous for peace and harmony in society are imposed onto the public consciousness. The question of the teaching of 'Foundations of Orthodox culture' in the schools, which has been discussed over the course of several years, should not become such a destructive idea," this organization says in a statement published Thursday on its web site.
In the words of the authors of the document, the discussion that was renewed after the letter of "the most prominent representatives of academic science in Russia concerning the danger of clericalization of society" again demonstrated the necessity of making a "considered and comprehensible decision about the teaching of basic religious ideas in the secular schools."
In this regard the document notes that the Council of Muftis views with satisfaction the information that the Ministry of Education and Science of RF has worked out a conception for a draft of a federal law "On introducing amendments into the Russian federation law 'On education,'" "which provides, in particular, for the working out of a state standard for the general education of the new generation.
"For the working out of this standard, that includes the spiritual and moral instruction and development of school children, representatives of all traditional confessions in Russia have been invited," the declaration says.
The Council of Muftis noted that the draft law proposes a rejection of the division of state educational standards into three competencies: federal, regional (national-regional), and the educational institution.
"At the same time, in consideration of regional peculiarities and the characteristics of an educational institution, it remains possible in the variable portion of curricula for there to be teaching of the foundations of one or another religious culture in the schools, while observing the principle of voluntariness and opportunity for choice. It is important that this principle be observed unconditionally," the declaration says.
In conclusion the Council of Muftis called for "ceasing insinuations against Muslim organizations that are defending their own legal interests in our multiconfessional society and ceasing unnecessary confrontations of anybody" and it called for "all traditional confessions of Russia to work together constructively for the good of our society and the Russian state." (tr. by PDS, posted 23 August 2007)
Correction to earlier report
ARCHPRIEST CHAPLIN DOES NOT THINK IDEA OF RESTORATION OF MONARCHY ILLUSIONBlagovest-info, 22 August 2007
In an article titled "Democracy as 'Direct result of sin' must be opposed by 'conciliar ideal of unity of church, nation, and state,' " which reported a lecture by Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin at a recent international conference, an imprecision was committed. The article said that Fr Vsevolod "rejected 'the illusion of the reestablishment of the monarchy,' warning of the danger of such projects behind which may be concealed only the ambitions of a number of politicians. No, Fr Vsevolod had in mind not monarchy but realistic indicators 'of a transition from competition to community' in the contemporary social and political life of Russia."
In his lecture Fr Vsevolod said literally the following: "We will not engage in illusions of a relatively sudden and miraculous restoration of monarchy. Rather in contemporary Russia there exists a danger of using monarchist slogans for ordinary political plans behind which may be concealed petty and by no means constructive ambitions of ordinary reformers who wish to remake the political landscape as quickly as possible." From these words, and also from other recent material it obviously follows that the priest does not at all consider an "illusion" the very idea of the restoration of monarchy in Russia, as followed from an incorrect transcription of the quote, but he is sure that the grounds for the restoration of the monarchy should be prepared "by a real spiritual regeneration of the nation."
The editors of Blagovest-info and correspondent Yuliia Zaitseva apologize to Fr Vsevolod for the inaccuracy. (tr. by PDS, posted 22 August 2007)
Russia Religion News Current News Items
Controversial conservative agenda for Russia
SOBOR HEARINGS DISCUSS "RUSSIAN DOCTRINE"SOVA, 22 August 2007
On 20 August, at the Sobor Hearings of the World Russian People's Sobor the so-called Russian Doctrine was discussed. It is a wide-ranging program for national development on which work began in 2005 by leaders of the "Russian Enterprise" foundation, Oleg Kostin and Sergei Pisarev, as well as associates of the magazine of the same name, Andrei Kobiakov, Vladimir Kucherenko (Maksim Kalashnikov), and Vitaly Averianov.
The hearings' participants as a whole gave a positive assessment to the Russian Doctrine. The concluding protocol stated: "it was recognized that the chief initiatives of the World Russian People's Sobor in recent years and the strategy of the Russian Doctrine agree with each other to a great extent. The doctrine, created upon the initiative of the "Russian Enterprise" foundation, represents an important contribution to the philosophical and political self-determination of Russia. The authors of the doctrine present a vision of the future of the country which may be defined in extremely concise form as "dynamic conservatism."
The hearings' participants testified that the Russian Doctrine contains the idea, which the Sobor has expressed many times, that traditional moral and spiritual values should be the basis for the social, political, and economic development of the country. In the time since the moment of creation of the Russian Doctrine, many of the ideas contained in it have been things demanded by government institutions and leaders, political parties, and public associations of Russia.
We note that the leader of "Great Russia," State Duma Deputy Andrei Saveliev, proclaimed the Russian Doctrine to be a programmatic document of his party. Characterizing this document, G. Kozhevnikova and A. Verkhovsky, in their June report regarding the phenomena of radical nationalism and resistance to them on the part of society and the government, emphasized that the Russian Doctrine "contains discriminatory provisions with regard to representatives of non-Russian nationalities and non-Orthodox believers. . . ." (tr. by PDS, posted 22 August 2007)
RUSSIAN SOBOR DISCUSSES RUSSIAN DOCTRINE
KM.ru, 21 August 2007
Yesterday in the St. Daniel's monastery, the residence of Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow and all-Rus, within the framework of the World Russian People's Sobor, a discussion of the Russian Doctrine was held. This "plan for the modernization of Russia on the basis of spiritual and moral values and conservative ideology," we recall, was presented by a group of writers to the court of public opinion back at the end of 2005.
The hearings in St. Daniel's monastery were conducted under the aegis of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate, headed by Metropolitan Kirill.
One of the developers of the Russian Doctrine, cofounder of the Center of Dynamic Conservatism, Andrei Kobiakov, told KM.RU how this discussion went: "At the hearings an evaluation of this labor was expressed, and Metropolitan Kirill, as well as all speakers, rated it highly. Of course, a variety of opinions was expressed, but this did not alter the clearly positive assessment of the work. So that for us, the authors, this was a pleasant experience. Perhaps we would even wish to hear more criticisms addressed to us."
However there has been plenty of such criticism outside the walls of St. Daniel's monastery. For example, Andrei Kobiakov commented harshly about the opinion expressed by Andrei Makarkin, the head of the Center for Political Analysis, on the pages of the Vremia novostei newspaper. Makarkin stated the thought that the Russian Doctrine cannot be considered an expression of the opinion of the whole Russian Orthodox church and that "in RPTs there exists a multitude of various centers of influence, both under the present patriarch and under his predecessors. The plans connected with the Russian People's Sobor (including the ideology of the Russian Doctrine) are specifically connected with the name of Metropolitan Kirill."
"When we developed the doctrine," Kobiakov explains in response, "we were not acquainted with Master Kirill, but we had a review which was prepared at the request of Patriarch Alexis and worked out in the Ecclesiastical Academy under the leadership of Bishop Evgeny with six varied opinions. There are also critical words there, but all assessments come down to this, that the Russian Doctrine does not contradict the spirit and teaching of the Orthodox church. This is the official opinion of the patriarchate and the Ecclesiastical Academy. So that if one perceives in Makarkin's statement a certain element of provocation and a desire to drive a wedge into the midst of the church, then it is necessary to put an end right away to this provocation in the most sharp and stern way."
"The document itself is not a church document," Kobiakov repeats. "It is a secular document, but its foundation, naturally, is laid upon the acceptance of basic Orthodox values." In fact, the group of writers, he explains, "included about 9 percent lay persons, some of whom were more churched and some less. There even were atheists."
"We are now intending and have even received the suggestion, although still unofficially, to make plans and feel out the grounds for conducting hearings and debates in the arena of both chambers of the Federal Assembly," one of the authors of the Russian Doctrine continues.
Andrei Kobiakov does not know whether the Russian Doctrine will acquire an official character, but the Federation Council and the State Duma, in his opinion, would serve as a discussion club in which the authors of the plan would be able to deal with their ideas. "We would hope that the document will continue to be expandable." (tr. by PDS, posted 22 August 2007)
Russian original posted on Interfax-religiia site, 22 August 2007
The Russian Doctrine web site, with the full text of the "Russian Doctrine" is accessed here.
Russia Religion News Current News Items
Moscow goes for alternative to teaching Orthodoxy in schools
MOSCOW SCHOOLS TO TEACH "FOUNDATIONS OF WORLD REIGIONS"Vremia novostei, 20 August 2007
Beginning 1 September, a subject under the title "Foundations of world religions" will appear in the tenth and eleventh grades of several Moscow schools. The leadership of the capital's Department of Education emphasizes that the study of this discipline will, in the first place, be voluntary and, in the second place, have little in common with the subject of "Foundations of Orthodox culture," over which so many lances have been broken.
"Training of teachers is already being conducted at the Moscow Institute of Open Education," the press secretary of the department, Alexander Gavrilov, told Vremia novostei."
A textbook also has been prepared, a 400-page resource edited by the director of the Institute of World History of RAN, Academician Alexander Chubarian. "As they told me at the Ministry of Education and Science, for now this subject will be taught as an elective, on a trial basis. This course is not contained in the rubric of the curriculum and the textbook does not have the recommendation of the ministry. For now it is called an educational resource," Academician Chubarian explained.
During the academic year the developers of the textbook will conduct monitoring. "We will learn what pedagogues think about this and in the future the subject will be included in the curriculum," the academician explained. The director of the group of developers of the textbook predicts that religious studies may become a part of the curriculum in the next academic year, beginning September 2008. "Although, of course, the timing does not depend on me but on the ministry," Chubarian added.
"Inclusion of the subject in the curriculum at the regional level will be carried out gradually and carefully," the press secretary of the Department of Education of the government of Moscow, Alexander Gavrilov, stressed.
Previously the director of this department, Olga Larionova, reported that "Foundationas of world religions" can be taught only with the consent of the school council and pupils' parents.
"Foundations of world religions" will be a strictly secular discipline. According to Alexander Chubarian, the resource that was developed under his editorship describes to an equal degree the foundations of six confessions, Orthodoxy, Catholicism, protestantism, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. However, as the academician noted, even the authors of the "Foundations of Orthodox culture" course emphasize, this subject is culturological and not theological or even in the realm of religious studies.
"It seems to me that it is time to acknowledge that one can consider that teaching about any religion separately in the schools has been removed from the agenda," Alexander Adamsky shared his opinion. About two weeks ago the Ministry of Education and Science, in the person of the director of the Department of State Policy in Education, Isaak Kalina, and the Russian Orthodox church, in the person of the chancellor of the Moscow patriarchate, Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk Kliment, signed a provisional agreement relative to the teaching of "Foundations of Orthodox culture." The document, which was distributed to the provinces, establishes the voluntary nature of the study of a religious studies course.
In the opinion of the director of the Moscow Center of education No. 1811, a master teacher of Russia, Alexander Ryvkin, the main weight of responsibility in the introduction of "Foundations of world religions" lies upon the directors of schools. It is they who have to convince the department of education, the teaching cadre, and the parents of pupils whether there is any sense in the particular school's including itself in the experiment. "I am not suffering anything because of this innovation, since we have qualified teachers who will not permit something to be done if they are not methodologically prepared for it," Ryvkin emphasized.
In 2006 the "Foundations of Orthodox culture" subject was introduced as a part of the regional curricula of schools in Belgorod, Briansk, Kaluga, and Smolensk provinces. Beginning 1 September 2007, OPK will be taught in Tver province. In these regions the teaching of the foundations of Orthodox was introduced into the required school curriculum. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 August 2007)
Russian original posted on Sedmitsa.ru site, 20 August 2007
Official patriarchal website reports judicial
success and failure for Pentecostals
CRIMINAL CASE OPENED FOR PUBLICATION OF ARTICLE CRITICIZING PENTECOSTALSPatriarchia.ru, 21 August 2007
The prosecutor of the Altai republic initiated a criminal case because of the appearance of an article about the activity of a religious society in one of the local newspapers, Interfax reports.
The case was opened with regard to part 1 of article 282 of the Criminal Code of RF (actions directed toward incitement of hatred and enmity, and offense to the dignity of a group of persons on the basis of relationship to religion committed by use of news media), the republic's prosecutor reports.
"The criminal case was opened after the conduct of an investigation on the basis of a statement by the ruling bishop of the Russian Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith, P.N. Okara, in whose opinion the article "Religious expansion or religious extremism," published in the "Chuiskie zori" newspaper of 24 May 2007, by an author using a pseudonym "V. Kaliagin", gave a negative report of the activity of Pentecostals, which could lead to enflaming of interreligious or interethnic hostility," the report stated.
According to information of the prosecutor's office, the article arrived at the newspaper's editorial office by electronic post. The identity of the author has not been established. The newspaper is distributed on the territory of Kosh-Agach region of the republic.
According to the conclusion of a linguistic investigation, the author of this article really intended to arouse hatred and enmity toward the group of believers professing "neopentecostalism." (tr. by PDS, posted 21 August 2007)
CHUVASH SUPREME COURT LIQUIDATES PENTECOSTAL "BIBLE CENTER"
Patriarchia.ru, 21 August 2007
The Supreme Court of Chuvashia issued a decision liquidating the religious organization "Bible Center of Chuvash Republic Christians of Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals)." The press service of the prosecutor's office of Chuvashia told IA Regnum that the "Bible Center" created the Mid-Volga Bible College and Sunday School which are not registered as legal entities and which conducted educational activity without a license.
The college had developed an educational curriculum in which students from various regions of Russia were trained as evangelists, ministers, pastors, preachers, teacher of children's Sunday schools, choir directors, Bible translators, and youth directors. At the conclusion of their studies in the college students were given credential and diplomas.
In addition, the education was conducted in connection with numerous violations of sanitary, epidemiological, and hygiene requirements. In particular, there were no facilities that are required for educational institutions (dining room or buffet, medical clinic, etc.). Instead of a comfortable working place at desks or tables the students were accommodated on individual benches. One of the three buildings of twelve square meters was used simultaneously as a classroom and bedroom; a second building of twelve square meters, of which the living area was only six square meters, held four double-bunk beds. There was no medical service for the students.
On the basis of this information the prosecutor's office of Novocheboksary opened a case regarding administrative lawbreaking, as a result of which the "Bible Center" and its directors were fined by the court. The Supreme Court of Chuvashia issued the decision to liquidate the Bible Center and to remove it from the United State Registry of Legal Entities. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 August 2007)
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