Posted on 07/19/2007 7:11:04 AM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
Russian Orthodoxy has long been divided, with rivalries over prayers, personalities and even which fingers to use when blessing oneself. The largest rift of the modern era occurred in the aftermath of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Bishops who fled, horrified by squads that shot priests and jailed believers, formed the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, which eventually chose New York as its base. ...
The dissidents -- including World War II refugees, U.S.-born converts and some Russian monarchist descendants -- say they will continue the Church Abroad as they believe it should be run. A particular sore point with them is the Russian church's links to the KGB.
Archivists who have plumbed Soviet-era records say KGB informers infiltrated churches for decades, reporting on clergy and parishioners, at home and abroad. Indrek Jurjo, chief of the publications division of the State Archives of Estonia, says that one of those agents was Patriarch Alexy II, the current leader of the Moscow church. Mr. Jurjo says that biographical details of an agent named Drozdov, found in a 1958 KGB annual report, match the cleric's Estonian background, year of birth, education and career path. Oleg Kalugin, a former KGB general now living in Maryland, says Patriarch Alexy told him at a 1991 dinner party that "I had to collaborate. That is the price of survival."
Some dissident priests fear for American security, saying Mr. Putin will use the union to send over government agents disguised in cassocks. The Rev. Victor Dobroff of New York City, who broke with the church, says that "in a very short time," Russia's current FSB security agency will have hundreds of "new spy nests all over the world, absolutely untouchable, working under the cover of the church."
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
ping
No real news here. Yes, the KGB did managed to infiltrate some of their operatives into the Russian Orthodox Church prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, just as the Polish state police managed to turn some Roman Catholic priests into informants and in much the same way as the homosexuals have infiltrated the ranks of the clergy in many American Churches (and attempted to infiltrate the leadership of the American Boy Scouts).
Thse nutcases who are so against the Act of Canonical Communion (which was signed in May) are conspiracy theorists and schismatics who are breaking every Canon of the Church. They are power hungry and cannot see just how UN-Orthodox they are. The things they say about our dear and (in my opinion) saintly Metropolitan Laurus are disgusting. Shame on them. May God have mercy on their souls...
Ugh - “their” should be “there”. Got a little excited after reading this clap-trap.
I am more impressed with your ping then with the story... :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.