Comments on: Church Under Soviet Totalitarianism: Suppression, Resistance and Compliance

By: C

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:45:21 +0000

“Speaking out against a government that is massively exterminating believers, would only lead to greater persecution.” Then bear your cross, unswervingly, speak out against a dishonorable “Bishop” for making himself a puppeteering puppet.

By: Nicolaj

Nicolaj — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 21:49:49 +0000

In reply to Reader John Malov.

Dear Brother John,
not as much your words were a disturbance, it is the opinion that it was somehow necessary to find something in common with the Soviet satans in order to “relieve” the burden of whom??
Jesus gave us his Word that the gates of hell will not overcome His Church. Millions orthodox Faithfull entered the hell of the gulags in the firm Faith that this is True, and did not made any compromise. They went all the way and are Saints in front of our Lord! And just imagine, there were more Martyrs raised in these days as in the first three centuries of our Church!
And our Lord gave us his Word that the Wrath is his Attribute, He who created all, out of nothing. A sparkle of Faith would have helped Sergius more then selling his Soul, because it was a ill trade. The Lord does not asks us to make ill trades whith the ascendents of demons, He only wants us to embrace our Faith and live our life according to it. It is nowhere written that our Church is in need of a compromise. A compromise is no attribute of the Church, nor of the Gospel, nor by the Church Fathers, it is an attribute of Satan and his kin.
Glory to God for all things, Holy Martyrs pray for us! Amin

By: Reader John Malov

Reader John Malov — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 10:41:52 +0000

In reply to Alexandra Picton. Thank you!

By: Alexandra Picton

Alexandra Picton — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 10:26:40 +0000

Such a good article explaining overall what happened to the Church during those long hard years of Soviet rule, I had no idea of the details and the laws introduced. That more than 55 million identified as believers in 1937 shows their courage and the power of belief in God and His Church. The survival of the Church is a modern miracle.

By: Reader John Malov

Reader John Malov — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 08:13:29 +0000

In reply to Archim. Theophylac.

Dear Father Theophylact,
Thank you for commenting. To some extent, I agree with most of the things you said.
And you are completely right that it is for our Lord to judge everyone at the Last Judgement.

Ultimately, now we have to deal with what we have now. Let us hope that the Church in Russia and Abroad will truly unite in true Orthodoxy, and that all will be cleansed of all compromise and the tainting of modernism, ecumenism, and all the enemies of the Church.

Amen to this

By: Reader John Malov

Reader John Malov — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 08:01:44 +0000

In reply to Nicolaj.

Dear brother Nicolaj! By no means I have intended to offend you, New Martyrs or anyone else. I ask for forgiveness if I did so. I did nothing but express my personal opinion. While I agree that Soviet rule was a satanic disaster, as well as the concessions were a controversial and painful step to take, I still think that those concessions were the most rational thing to do in given situation. I believe that the Russian Church was in no position to oppose Soviet government, as it could have completely leave the Church with no clergy at all (remember there were only 4 ruling bishops by the time of 1941). In this case, participation in the Holy Sacraments would have been completely impossible.

I would like to share a personal story. In the village where my grandparents lived (Hrodna voblasc, Belarus) Church life was almost non-existent. People would be persecuted for attending sunday services, just like everywhere else. But there were things that were allowed, like visting the church on big feasts like Christmas, Theophany and especially Easter. And literally all villagers from this village and neighbouring villages that didn’t have a church flocked to the church in our village on Easter (other feasts didn’t bring as many faithful). Baptism was ‘allowed’. While local authorities actually condemned it, there were no persecutions for taking part in Baptism and everyone in the village received baptism. Even my grandad (baptised 1933), who was a member of the communist party, openly baptised both my mum and my uncle. I just wanted to share some details about church from that period, but my story I mentioned above is about a completely different matter.

My grandad was an active member of communist party. He was a honest working man, not a local politician in any sense, but he was really dedicated to ideas of socialism. I doubt he has ever taken the Holy Communion or any other sacrament except the Holy Baptism. Around 2015-2017, when I already made a decision to serve to the Church, he was not really happy with my decision. Once he said to me: “I don’t know what the Church teaches. But remember the truth: there was a man, Jesus Christ. That man was God”.

Once again, I’m sorry that my words became a disturbance to you.

By: Reader John Malov

Reader John Malov — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 06:19:06 +0000

In reply to Mary Diacos Sharpley. Thank you!

By: Archim. Theophylac

Archim. Theophylac — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 20:09:47 +0000

Compromise with Satan has never brought “relief” to Christians. Even the MP clergy admitted this in talks with ROCOR. No one’s life was relieved. Only Christ can save the Church. Big mistake to make compromise with the devil. The soviet authorities used this as an excuse to persecute even more severely the non-commemorators, saying that they were being disobedient to their church authorities. The only ones left relatively untouched were the most loyal and outspoken of supporters of the communists. Terribly disappointing the praises heaped upon Stalin by Metr. Sergei and others at his death. They went beyond what even the authorities demanded or expected of them.
If there were sectarians among the “True Orthodox,” so have there been ecumenists and even those supporing socialism among the “canonical” Orthodox. It worked both ways. I think one can just say there was a complete breakdown in Church order and consciousness in Russia, as people struggled on how to react to the Soviet Regime. Ultimately, at the Last Judgment all will have to answer for the steps they took and are still taking today.
There is evidence that when the authorities intended to release Metr. Peter from confinement, the true head of the Church, Metr. Sergei protested, as he said that everything was set up, and he didn’t want Metr. Peter interfering with the new order.

Ultimately, now we have to deal with what we have now. Let us hope that the Church in Russia and Abroad will truly unite in true Orthodoxy, and that all will be cleansed of all compromise and the tainting of modernism, ecumenism, and all the enemies of the Church.

Archimandrite Theophylact
Holy Trinity Monastery
Jordanville, NY

By: Nicolaj

Nicolaj — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 19:21:44 +0000

How dare you say that the concessions were there to relieve the lives of orthodox believers, while it was not possible to get baptized, married etc in this relieved church life without being suspected of almost anything by the state? Being orthodox and confess your faith, was oppossed to any soviet doctrine, and resulted in losing your life, slowly over years in a gulag or a bit faster, when getting shot, and anything inbetween. All the time MILLIONS of orthodox faithfull where annihilated in gulags. Where is the relieve? And as this was already obvious under Soviet conditions, the more it is understandable now, where the whole truth is revealed! Father Seraphim Rose of blessed memory wrote his Russia’s Catacomb Saints with Mr. Andreyev, while the oppression and murder on orthodox faithfull by the soviet satans was still ongoing.
It is like spitting in the face of the millions of martyrs to say that the sergianist communist-embracing church policy was there to preserve the orthodox faith! The orthodox Faith was bought with the blood of those countless martyrs, who suffered inhuman pains to buy with their precious blood a new dawn of Orthodoxy in the east. All Holy New Martyrs pray for us in these days of great need in our church!

By: Mary Diacos Sharpley

Mary Diacos Sharpley — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 18:23:01 +0000

Thank you, John Malov. I only knew bits and pieces of what was going on in the USSR, until I read The Gulag Archipelago and other writings. Your article was beautifully written and very informative.

Mary Diacos Sharpley, a deacon’s wife