Posted on 05/21/2007 4:42:27 AM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
BUTOVO, Russia – The Russian Orthodox Church consecrated a temple on Saturday at a site of mass Stalinist executions in a symbolic act of unity after an 80-year rift between the mother church and a rival faction.
Patriarch Alexiy II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, and Metropolitan Laurus, the New York-based leader of the Orthodox Church Abroad, attended the emotional liturgy at the Temple Of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.
At a secluded military testing site south of Moscow, still surrounded by a fence and barbed wire, tens of thousands of people including many prominent clergymen were mown down by firing squads in the Soviet era repressions of the 1930-50s.
Alexiy II and Laurus, who signed a church reunification act this week, laid the groundwork three years ago for the temple in this quiet village.
'We are united by the prayers of the martyrs and confessors. Tens of thousands were killed for their faith and truth,' Alexiy II said.
Russian exiles who supported Tsar Nicholas II and opposed the communists set up the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia after losing the 1920s civil war. They set up a headquarters in Serbia but later moved to New York.
'We beseech in our prayers, 'May the blessing of the saint spirit shed on this sacred place' ... and we implore, 'May this temple stand for eternity, and may all tempests and troubles bypass it',' Alexiy II said.
'RUSSIA'S GOLGOTHA'
Alexiy II calls Butovo 'Russia's Golgotha', drawing an analogy with the hill where Jesus Christ carried the cross for his crucifixion.
The nearby ravines hold the bodies of more than 200 Orthodox priests and believers canonised in recent years, making the former shooting range Russia's biggest shrine.
Some 21,000 people, including about 1,000 Orthodox priests, were executed in Butovo in just one brief period of communist repressions between August 1937 and October 1938, according to historians citing files of the Soviet-era KGB secret police.
It is unclear how many people were killed in total before executions stopped in 1953.
Witnesses said 'enemies of the people' were brought to the shooting range in food vans marked as 'Meat'. Shootings went on non-stop day and night in the later stages.
'Today's event is the final act of our church unification,' said Anatoly, father superior of a Moscow church.
Father John Townsend, serving a parish in the U.S. state of Georgia, said: 'It's just such a beautiful moment to come here and honour these martyrs, and to do it at the same time and at the same church.'
How come the Russians don't respect and admire the Chekists who "liberated" them from the czars?
I guess only Russians who resisted Bolshevism are "martyrs," while Estonians who did so are "fascists."
It was the evil Bolsheviks who murdered thouands upon thousands of innocent people (the New Maryrs) in Butovo (and other places). The new church in Butovo was just consecrated by the reunified Church - the point of this new church is to honor and venerate those thousands of people who were killed.
The consecration of this glorious new church has nothing to do with Estonia or present day politics of the region no matter how some are trying to spin it.
We (the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia) have been working to see this happen for a long time. After 86 years the Church is together again - and it is fitting and just that the New Martyrs of Russia be honored in this way. (ground was broken for this church a number of years ago btw...)
The Estonians didn’t need to be liberated in 1940 either.
We’ll never the know the true extent to which the Commies went to eliminate their own people in the former USSR. And sad enough, the same people are still in power in Russia.
Nothing! The CHURCH has nothing to do with anything that happened to the Estonians. The Church was a victim of the Bolsheviks which is what is so important about this new church. I don't see your point in posting an article about a wonderful and beautiful event and trying to turn it into something it is not.
Read post 4. Your patriarch condemns the Estonians. The truth is that the “fatherland” Soviets fought for was an EVIL EMPIRE that martyrs died fighting against!
Bless you.
My Russian is terribly rusty from disuse, so I had to run to my dictionary. Also, I read your profile post.
This article is missing some serious background.What exactly are you celebrating? I take it that you mean that the Russian Orthodox church was split, with expatriate Russians belonging to a seperate confession and in the Soviet Union the actual Christians in the church were coopted, and it has taken til now for the church to reunite?
For this period of time the interests of survival were the same for the both common people and the Bolshevicks. The fight against the Nazi was done under Red Star and Banner.
Estonians felt quite comfortable during Nazi occupation, (except for the local Jews). This is kind of the French case.
This is the key to understand the roots for the recent confrontation.
Since your church objects to the removal of Soviet symbols, then they should practice what they preach and hang the Hammer and Sickle over the altar!
The unified Russian Orthodox Church preaches Christ like the Christ's Church should. By saying that you're missing the point. Which army would you suggest a Russian, or a Ukrainian or a Belorussian to join in 1941-1944? The Soviet or the Nazi one?
Christ’s.
TJ: Christ’s.
FW: In such case what measures could such persons have taken to join Christ's army at that time? Do you believe that one of the belligerents was at Christ's side or have another thing to propose? What could it be?
I guess only Russians who resisted Bolshevism are “martyrs,” while Estonians who did so are “fascists.”==
Estonians HELPED Bolshevism while Russians resisted it. It was in 1920th. In that time Estonians were allies of Lenin goverment.
Later in 1940 when Bolshevick goverment of Stalin chose to bring them into Soviet Union they started to resist. Too late. They joined Hitler SS to resist Bolshevism during WW2. SO they again went against the majority of Russians who decided that Hitler brings the elimination of Russians. So Estonians and Russians happened on the opposite sides during 2 key monets of history: 1920th and 1940th.
Now Estonia are strict nationalistic state which discriminates thier Russian minority. So new Russia goes against it.
If looting Russian rioters in Estonia don’t want to learn the local language and be Estonian citizens, then they should go back to Russia where they belong! Those who worship at the Godless altar of bolshevism and lionize Red Army rapist marauders are not welcome in Estonia!
At least 1/3 of the looters in Tallinn were ethnic Estonians. The other 2/3 were probably not among the demonstrators against relocating. As for the ethic Russian population in Estonia, most of them speak Estonian and have Estonian citizenship. But unwise Estonian policy (and unwise Russian one) lead to what we all have seen in Tallinn.
Sort of exxcept that the expat Russian diaspora did not belong to a seperate confession but rather maintained the true confession and preserved it. ROCOR began because contact with Patriarch Tikhon was impossible and Metropolitan Antony had promised to keep the Church going during the terrible times following the Revolution. Those who had fled/escaped Russia (and were saved by the Serbs - as they were practically the only people who allowed them entry at the time) preserved the Russian Ortthodox Church and her Traditions always praying for the time that a reunion with the Mother Church would happen. ROCOR was always meant to be temporary...and now we have reunited but due to the times and the reality of life (and for practicality) ROCOR will remain autonomous, maintaining all the traditions and business aspects separately from Moscow.
We are celebrating because the Church is once again together which has always been the goal.
The consecration of the church in Butovo was done together by the clery of ROCOR and the MP (Metropolitan Laurus - who happens to be a close friend of my family - and Patriarch Alexy II, along with the combined clergy). This new church is dedicated to the New Martyrs of Russia - those who were persecuted and murdered under Stalin. (Butovo field had been a firing range and thousands of Orthodox faithful were murdered there for no other reason than their Faith. These are True Martyrs! ) The consecration of this church is a part of the healing and reunification. For a long time the Russian state would not admit to the evils that were comitted under the communists and with the canonization of the New Martyrs (and the Tsar and his family) these evils were acknowledged. This led to the possibility of the talks which finally led to the Act of Canonical Communion which was signed last Thursday (5/17), on Ascension.
???? That’s insane!!! How DARE you? God forgive you and save you.
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