Yakutsk Mayor Urges to Return an Island Near Alaska to the Russian Church

Interfax ^ | 3/26/14

[marshmallow]

Moscow, March 26, Interfax - Head of Yakutsk, Aisen Nikolayev speaks for giving back to the Russian Church Spruse Island not far from Alaska.

He sent a corresponding address to Russian President Vladimir Putin, heads of both chambers of the Russian Parliament and to the Foreign Ministry, the Izvestia daily writes on Wednesday.

"I stand for restoring historical justice - returning of Spruse Island to its legal owners that is the Russian Orthodox Church," Nikolayev said.

According to him, the Church has undisputable rights on the island in compliance with the agreement on selling territories of Russian America to the USA.

"I have been keen on this story for a long time: Yakutsk scientists studied the documents and organized several expeditions to the USA. We celebrate the 220th anniversary of the Russian Orthodox mission in Northern America in 2014, I mean the Kodiak Mission. When, if not now, should we take up the question of Russian America?" Nikolayev wonders.

The edition notes that documents proving the right of the Church on the small island not far from Alaska were discovered by the Yakutsk scientific expedition in the archives of bibliographer Mikhail Vinokurov, who emigrated from Russia after revolution. The archive is kept in the library of Juneau town, Alaska.

The documents collected by Vinokurov include a certificate dated by 1868. It was signed by commissioner of the Russian government responsible for the transfer of North-American territories to the USA captain of the 2nd rank Alexey Peshchurov. The certificate says that Spruse Island (New Valaam), where St. Herman of Alaska lived, preached and was buried is conveyed to eternal use of the Russian Church. In October 1867, it was Peshchurov who signed the protocol on transferring Alaska and the Aleutian Island to the United States.

[RobinOfKingston]

More importantly, if he stationed troops there, would Obama do anything?

Is the island big enough to accommodate a bomber runway?

[Prospero]

This is an intra-church quarrel over who holds certain peaceable use and other property rights to tracts of land on a very small island south of Admiralty Island in the Alaskan panhandle.

A cursory glance at any potential lawsuit over the chain of title - as essential a concept in our civilization as any other natural right - doesn't seem to have much future in any American court.

The larger property right holder is probably the Department of Interior through the Tongass National Forest.

Is there a viable Russian Orthodox congregation on Spruce?

[Gadsden1st]

Ouzinkie Airport covers an area of 170 acres (69 ha) at an elevation of 100 feet (30 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 8/26 with a gravel surface measuring 3,300 by 60 feet (1,006 x 18 m).[1]

Looks like plenty of room to extend it.

Right next to Kodiak.

[cizinec]

There was a small schism in ROCOR, but ROCOR is effectively in communion with Moscow.

I honestly don't think the ROC will push anything against the OCA. The EP claims Russia did not have the right to grant autocephaly because they didn't have jurisdiction over the Americas. If they come back and claim it is *not* autocephalous, they are admitting they didn't have the power to grant it.

The OCA is kind of a mess right now, anyway, and the Antiochians are, by far, the fastest growing EO churches in the US. The Antiochians are much closer to the EP than the MP. If the MP pushed, he'd lose what little influence over the US Orthodox he already has.

[cizinec]

The chapel itself belongs to the Orthodox Church in America, which was (controversially) granted autocephaly by Moscow in 1970. IOW, the MP gave up all claims to the land in 1970.

The number who attend service there does not affect the question of ownership.

[Hostage]

“There was a small schism in ROCOR, but ROCOR is effectively in communion with Moscow.”

Yes this is what I understood also, that there was an agreement for ROCOR to fold in under the MP but many remained skeptical and circumspect.

Now with Putin’s antics I am thinking the skeptics inside ROCOR are asserting themselves. ROCOR has an illustrious history of standing up to the Soviet KGB.

I had always suspected the KGB inside of Putin’s character was waiting to get out and now it has surfaced for all to see with the old Soviet style propaganda in full operation, the warnings to eastern bloc nations, arrests of journalists and priests and so on.

I hope ROCOR resurrects their international organization outside Russia because I believe the MP is or will be under Putin’s control, just as it was in the Soviet era.

[onedoug]

Take a long walk on a short pier.

[dforest]

That would be mutually assured destruction. Not particularly a great idea.

Some of this stuff is overblown hype.

[Red White and Blue patriot]

Obama needs to be impeached.

[Red White and Blue patriot]

Better dead than Red.