The need for reform in Orthodoxy
Part I of a Series
By Paul Peter Jesep
". . . from the spiritual corruption
into which they are submerging themselves ever deeper, I,
as I stand on the edge of the grave, cannot be silent."
Tolstoy
Orthodoxy's reawakening falters in the former Soviet Union. It has implications for the faithful throughout the world. Hubris, pursuit of power for the sake of it, and the inability to apply timeless Christian principles to the modern world is the culprit. Russia is especially grappling with the evolution of Orthodoxy in the post Communist era.
Over a century ago, Leo Tolstoy warned the church to reform. In Tsarist Russia, Orthodoxy endorsed a corrupt political system of repression, intolerance, and exploitation. Accumulating wealth, ignoring social justice,
reenforcing religious superstition, and failing to apply the faith to a changing society created a spiritual and intellectual decay.
Tolstoy considered the Orthodox Church unholy. The Moscow Patriarchate resented, or perhaps feared, Tolstoy's intellect. He stated the obvious: Orthodoxy had lost its moral compass. His intellectual honesty earned him excommunication. Not long thereafter Communists made Orthodox leaders, with few notable exceptions, political-servants of the Soviet regime.
Today, Patriarch Alexy II's actions remind Orthodox Christians throughout the world of an era that is painful. In 1997, he pressured the post-Soviet Russian government to pass a law that discourages other religions from proselytizing in the nation. He fears for Orthodoxy's safety.
According to Lawrence Uzzell, director of the Keston Institute in Oxford, England, which monitors religious freedom in Russia, If you were to compare 2002 with 1995, there is no question there are more of these cases" of harassing religious minorities. Quoted in the Washington Post, Uzzell added, "By fits and starts, Russia has suffered a slow loss of religious freedom."
Is Orthodoxy so fragile as to be threatened by Mormons, Catholics, Baptists, and Jehovah's Witnesses? Alexy II is even concerned that the Salvation Army feeds thousands of starving Russians. The Salvation Army has taken the word of God and put it into action.
If these groups threaten Orthodoxy then there must be a reason. Are they better able to fill a spiritual void? Orthodoxy must show spiritual strength to answer this question honestly and then to take action.
The Russian patriarch criticized Pope John Paul II's visit to Ukraine. Why? Perhaps Orthodoxy has nothing to fear but itself. Ukrainian Orthodox leaders like Patriarch Filaret of Kiev greeted the Pontiff. Alexy II's theocratic-foreign policy hampers the mutual respect needed between a sovereign Ukrainian nation and Russia. These nations must develop a sincere respect for one another.
The recent decision by the Vatican to create four Catholic dioceses in Russia should be seen as an opportunity to strengthen Orthodoxy. It is an opportunity to show a faith that is comfortable with itself and believes in its future. Instead, the Moscow Patriarchate has over reacted.
In addition, the Pope has a responsibility to provide for the spiritual well-being of those who seek it. To suggest otherwise is religious vanity. God does not love the Orthodox more than the Catholic. The Vatican has a duty to 1.3 million Catholics in Russia. Should the Vatican be outraged that there are Orthodox churches in Catholic Ireland? Of course not.
Alexy II also wants to reassert the church's pre-Revolutionary status. He is misguided. Russia can not develop as a democracy if it creeps back toward a theocracy. The patriarch forgets the lessons when the church and Communists
conspired. The church looked the other way as self-serving Communists profited at the expense of the greater good. Communists bought the loyalty of Orthodox church officials. Orthodoxy and government must always be separate. If it isn't then government will corrupt the faith. Russia's inability to keep the spiritual from the secular played a major role in fostering the Communist Revolution.
The actions of the Moscow Patriarchate have implications for other branches of Orthodoxy. Reform is not a word often mentioned within the faith. But it seems needed. The church should keep some distance from politics, avoid discriminating against other religious groups, determine the reasons for the growing popularity of non-Orthodox denominations, and implement methods to make the church more inclusive for a population that feels at times alienated by Orthodox spiritual leaders.
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Paul Peter Jesep is a lawyer. Recently, he was accepted to study theology at several divinity schools. He is the Personal Advisor to His Beatitude Metropolitan Stephan and His Eminence Archbishop Michael of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in the United States.
