Metropolitan of Ufa and Sterlitamak Nikon. Metropolitan Nikon of Ufa and Sterlitamak spoke out against the reformation of Orthodox worship, calling it "Kochetkov's heresy".
Diocese of Russian Orthodox Church: reference-guide / [aut.-stat. Egorov P.V., Rudin L.G.]. – M.: Ufim. diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church: About the preservation of lit. heritage, 2005, pp. 14-17.
Archbishop NIKON of Ufa and Sterlitamak (in the world Nikolai Nikolaevich Vasyukov) was born on October 1, 1950 in the village of Maryevka, Sampursky district, Tambov region. In 1963, the parents of the future Bishop Nikon moved to Krasnoyarsk. Together with his mother, he began to visit the Trinity Church. A ninth-grade student, he went to the kliros and participated in divine services, read the Six Psalms and everything connected with kliros obedience. The future bishop was lucky to have mentors who helped him take his first serious steps in the church. He was spiritually nourished by the rector of the Trinity Church, Archimandrite Nifont, the nun Seraphim (†1975), the schema-nun Innocentia, and the monk Job.
In 1968 he graduated from high school, and in 1974 from the Krasnoyarsk State Medical Institute. After graduating from the institute, he worked as a local general practitioner in a polyclinic in the city of Krasnoyarsk, then for two years he was called up for active military service as a senior doctor of a regiment, then he left for the Leningrad Region, worked as the chief physician of a polyclinic. In Vyborg, the future bishop went to the Vyborg Cathedral. The rector of the cathedral was hegumen Prokl (Khazov), now in the rank of archbishop, head of the Simbirsk diocese. They became friends. And this friendship helped Bishop Nikon's spiritual growth.
During the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Ufa diocese, Archbishop Prokl of Simbirsk and Melekes visited Ufa. Here is what he said then: “I want to express my sincere gratitude that today I have great consolation to be in this beautiful church of the Ufa diocese, for this is the first time I visit this city and I am very grateful to the Lord that those good seeds that were once sown in Nikolai Nikolayevich , then to Father Nikon, gave good results. I am very happy about this and thank the Lord Giver of Life for this, that we, having called him to the service of the Holy Mother of the Church, did not make a mistake then with the now deceased Metropolitan John. I wish you, Vladyka, that you continue to work with due zeal in the field of God, glorify the Heavenly Father, so that, seeing your good deeds, people follow Christ, so that people fill the temple, so that they are reborn spiritually, so that they see the way, which leads to the Kingdom of God, the aspiration of all spiritual humanity.”
From 1977 to 1983 Nikolai Vasyukov worked as the head of a polyclinic in the Leningrad region. Anastasia Andreevna Filimonenkova had a great spiritual influence on Vladyka. This resident of Leningrad then lived a difficult life. For her 83 years, she went through a path of trials and persecution for her faith. She lived with the blessed and holy fools. To accept monasticism was inspired by the Leningrad holy fool Vladimir. In 1983, Nikolai Vasyukov makes the final choice life path. And the ever-remembered Metropolitan John (Snychev), who at that time ruled the Kuibyshev and Syzran diocese, (then the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga) helped him in this, he was ordained a deacon by him. On September 21 of that year, he was promoted to presbyter with the appointment of a place of service in the Neopalimovskaya church in the city of Ulyanovsk. On March 13, 1984, he was tonsured a monk by Archbishop John with the name Nikon, in honor of the Monk Nikon, hegumen of Radonezh.
On September 16, 1985, Hieromonk Nikon was appointed rector of the Neopalimovskaya Church and Dean of the Ulyanovsk Region by His Eminence John. From October 1, 1989 - Secretary of the Ulyanovsk Diocesan Administration. In 1987 he graduated from the Leningrad Theological Seminary, and in 1990 from the Leningrad Theological Academy, where he defended his thesis and is a candidate of theology. Participant Local Councils Russian Orthodox Church 1988 and 1990 Participant Bishops' Councils Russian Orthodox Church in the 1990s. In 1988-1991 and 2004 As part of a pilgrimage group, he visited the Holy Mount Athos. Leading a group of pilgrims from the Ufa diocese, he visited Jerusalem in 1993 and 1996.
June 26, 1990 at the Epiphany Patriarch cathedral Moscow, Archimandrite Nikon (Vasyukov) was appointed Bishop of Ufa and Sterlitamak.
August 26 for Divine Liturgy Archimandrite Nikon was consecrated Bishop of Ufa and Sterlitamak at the Epiphany Patriarchal Cathedral His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II with a host of bishops.
During the 15 years of Vladyka's tenure at the Ufa cathedra, the number of parishes has increased almost sevenfold, in 1990 there were 30, now there are about 200. last years magnificent new churches were built in Oktyabrsky, Meleuz, Salavat, Ishimbay, Asavo-Zubov (Roshchinsky), Priyutov, Kumertau. The Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Ufa has been superbly restored - the best church in the diocese in terms of the splendor of its decoration. At the same time, with the construction of new and restoration of destroyed churches, it was necessary to prepare priests for new parishes. In 1990 there were thirty clergymen in the diocese, now there are more than 200. Most of the priests and deacons of the Ufa diocese were ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Nikon of Ufa and Sterlitamak.
Vladyka believes that the current Russian Orthodox Church needs educated ministers. Several dozen pupils of the Ufa diocese study in Russian seminaries and academies. In Ufa itself, a branch of the Moscow St. Tikhon Theological Institute was opened a few years ago, where, in addition to priests, current and future Sunday school teachers take courses. In the diocese, after 73 years of closure by Bishop Nikon's labors, the newspaper "Ufimskiye Diocesan Vedomosti" has been resumed and regularly goes out of print, a publishing department of the diocese has been created, and work is underway to find and study materials on the new martyrs of the land of Ufa.
Did a lot in the years of worship indecision royal family lord. He sent his flock to conferences, did not interfere with the publication of articles about Emperor Nicholas II and his family in the Ufa Diocesan Gazette.
Archpastoral work in the multinational diocese of Ufa is not at all so simple. In our difficult time, we must constantly remember that there are no interethnic conflicts, that Orthodox priests served as an example in their lives for parishioners and believers of other faiths. The situation in Bashkiria has been stable throughout the years of administration of the diocese by Archbishop Nikon.
This is the letter Vladyka Nikon received on March 12, 1999 from the Moscow Patriarchate. “Your Eminence, Dear Vladyka! Thank you for your many useful activities in the field of Christian-Muslim relations. I inform you that on December 23 last year, a decision was made to establish the Interreligious Council of Russia, which included representatives traditional religions our country - Orthodoxy, Islam, Buddhism. I believe that your experience of interreligious dialogue could serve to the benefit of the development of relations between Orthodox Christians and Muslims within the framework of new forms of cooperation. With fraternal love in the Lord, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.”
In 2000, Vladyka Nikon was awarded the Order of St. Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia by His Holiness. Sergius of Radonezh II class, and in 2001 he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop.
Decree of the President of Russia V.V. Putin, Archbishop Nikon of Ufa and Sterlitamak for his great contribution to the spiritual and moral revival of Russia, the strengthening of interethnic and interfaith relations in the Republic of Bashkortostan was awarded the Order of Friendship in 2000. In the same year, President of the Republic of Belarus M.G. Paximov awarded the Bishop with the highest award - the Certificate of Honor of the Republic of Belarus.
And on October 8, 2005, in the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archbishop Nikon of Ufa and Sterlitamak was awarded by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia with the Order of the Holy Right-Believing Prince Daniel of Moscow II Art. on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of his birth.
“As you know, religious organizations have recently been equated with non-profit organizations, quite ridiculously in terms of reporting. We understand the keen interest of the state in the activities of various public and so-called "human rights" organizations, as it recently turned out, are actively funded by foreign intelligence services and are engaged in openly provocative and anti-Russian activities. But we do not understand at all why this interest was transferred to the activities of traditional religious organizations, for example, the Russian Orthodox Church.
These absurd reporting requirements do not at all take into account the specifics of the ministry of the Russian Orthodox Church, in many parishes of which divine services are performed daily and repeatedly with a large gathering of people; operate Sunday schools, libraries and catechism courses, Orthodox brotherhoods and sisterhoods; readings and conferences are held; charitable canteens work daily; clothes, food are accepted, and everything is immediately distributed to needy people. That is, a huge socially important work is being carried out, the full scope of which is completely impossible to reflect in the report. To introduce the position of a person who would be specially engaged in maintaining such records, who would go and count the believers without exception during the divine service, who would sit at the entrance to the temple and take into account how many believers came to pray in front of the icons and light a candle during the day - for us it is completely unacceptable. Yes, and it looks, at least, strange!
The interest of the registration authorities in the financial activities of religious organizations is also incomprehensible, because this falls within the competence of the tax inspectorate, but not the Federal Registration Service.
And, finally, this reporting, in our opinion, is an unprecedented state interference in the activities of religious organizations since Soviet times. We consider it unacceptable that in a democratic state the Church should be accountable for every penny, for every candle and icon, for every step taken by her flock and clergy.
In this regard, the Ufa diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and the parishes that are part of it officially refuse to submit a report in the specified form. Moreover, as it became known to us from media reports, the Government of the Russian Federation has recently prepared a simplified reporting form for religious organizations.”
Sincerely, Nikon Archbishop of Ufa and Sterlitamak, Administrator of the Ufa Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church
An order has been published on the official website of the Ufa diocese Metropolitan of Ufa and Sterlitamak Nikon (Vasyukov) for the Ufa Metropolis. It says in particular:
ORDER FOR THE UFA METROPOLY OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
To the Dean Fathers, Rectors (abbots) of the monasteries and churches of the Metropolis
... It is blessed to pay special attention to the distortion of divine services, or the introduction by the clergy of changes that are not contained in the generally accepted ROC (MP) rites of Divine services (the so-called "Kochetkovskaya heresy"). Report this to the ruling bishop in a timely manner. (Such a clergyman is subject to the Diocesan Court. If the Court confirms the indicated ecclesiastical offense, the guilty person is subject to a ban on priestly service. If the guilty person does not reform, one must have a judgment on depriving him of the priesthood.)
Head of the Ufa Metropolis,
metropolitanUfimsky and SterlitamakskyNIKON.
From the Editor: Our Lord Jesus Christ, rebuking the Jews, rebuked them in simple terms: "But when I speak the truth, you do not believe Me"(John 8:45). The same simple conclusion follows from this: how important it is to speak the truth, how important it is not to cover it up with vague phrases! And how little such a simple truth we hear in our time. Saint Nicholas of Serbia was not afraid to openly call papism a heresy, the late Archbishop Vasily (Krivoshein) was not afraid to speak in scientific circles about a Roman Catholic split from Universal Church, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II at the diocesan meeting of the clergy of Moscow in 1993 for the first time called the modernist movement within the Russian Orthodox Church, destroying liturgical traditions, neo-renovationism. And now the living Metropolitan of Ufa and Sterlitamak Nikon also stood firm in the truth - he directly and unambiguously designated a group of followers of the neo-renovationist priest Georgy Kochetkov "Kochetkovskaya heresy" and defended Orthodox worship from attempts to reform it.
Where is his tolerance? - exclaim liberal tongues. How dare he forget about political correctness! - the voices of renovationist ignoramuses will echo them. Convocation is needed to determine heresy Ecumenical Council! - modernist theologians will squeal. But the wise Bishop Nikon will only chuckle at all these attacks. He knows what he has to keep church canons And he keeps them! Honor and praise to him! God grant that our other hierarchs may be imbued with the same Orthodox consciousness.
I am not going to criticize the Archbishop of Ufa and Sterlitamak Nikon. But you can understand why he says this and not otherwise, right?
The starting point is the message that Vladyka Nikon "stands up" for the Muslim holidays. The question is, could he not stand up for Muslim holidays?
It's no secret what Orthodox holidays our diocese does not intervene like that. To live with wolves - howl like a wolf. I remember that on November 11, 2009, on Bashinform, we could read the following passage: “In his speech, Ildus Ilishev focused on strengthening the unity of the multinational Russian people ... In Bashkortostan, 73 percent of the population professes Islam.”
In order to avoid friction with the authorities and Muslims, he seeks not to advertise
A little arithmetic. We subtract 73 out of a hundred - it turns out 27. And in the republic there are at least 42% of the Slavs (Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Poles). All of them are Christians. Mostly Orthodox are Chuvashs, Mordovians, and Kryashchens. Pagans and Orthodox - Mari. If we take into account migrants, then Muslims Tajiks-Uzbeks-Azerbaijanis are successfully balanced by Christians-Armenians-Georgians-Ossetians and Buddhists Vietnamese. Do not squeeze Christians, Buddhists, Jews and atheists of Bashkiria into the Procrustean bed of 27%! Now fairy tales about the mass transition of Russians to Islam will begin. Even more Tatars and Bashkirs go to Orthodoxy. And not only in Orthodoxy. Baptists, Hare Krishnas, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Anastasievists are also leaving. Ilishev lied, in a word.
If this lie had been voiced in another region, then surely the head of the local Orthodox would have made a corresponding speech, as, for example, in Moscow, the Orthodox periodically rebuke the deceived leaders. But our master remained silent. Why? The Protestants will tell you this best. Protestants are by no means sympathetic to the Orthodox, therefore, in this case they have no reason to embellish reality in favor of the Orthodox. And here is what one of the Protestants writes:
Representatives of Orthodoxy officially recognize Bashkiria as a predominantly Muslim republic and, of course, cannot talk about the presence of a national mission in the diocese. Archbishop Nikon, in order to avoid friction with the authorities and Muslims, tries not to advertise the facts of conversion to Orthodoxy in the diocese. At the same time, the transitions of the Bashkirs and, especially, the Tatars to Orthodoxy are not exceptional phenomena. The Orthodox do not openly preach among Muslims, but conversions from Islam to Orthodoxy do occur. First of all, it should be noted the transition of women, who, according to Islamic laws, can communicate with the mullah only through their husband. This can be called a hidden passage. ... However, there are conversions to Christianity and men. The diocese even deals with such small national groups of Bashkiria as the Mari, Mordovians and Chuvashs. There are entire parishes where representatives of these peoples make up the majority.
Is it any wonder that the Diocese is silent when Bashkiria is called a "Muslim republic"? Is it any wonder how hastily the Diocese began to intercede for Muslim holidays?
May become an undesirable legal precedent
The very first time - even BEFORE the Second Russian Council. On September 26, 2011, Archimandrite Ignatius (Klimov), head of the department for interaction between the church and society of the Ufa diocese, voiced the position of Bishop Nikon:
Cancellation of weekends on Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Adha in the Ufa diocese is considered unfair decision in relation to believers, Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Adha are one of the main holidays in Islam, and their abolition in the Republic of Bashkortostan, where a significant number of the population adheres to this religion, violates, in our opinion, these rights. This could set an undesirable legal precedent and reverberate in other regions.
Why was it necessary? To dampen the wave of discontent. At the same time, Father Ignatius contrived and did not call Muslims the majority of the population, using a more streamlined “significant part”. Should such a statement be made? Obviously needed. If, at the same time, the diocese had just as quickly reacted to anti-Orthodox attacks and outright lies...
This news did not cause any particular excitement at first. After the Council was held, Vladyka Nikon voiced his position again.
October 4, 2011 in Ufa was held a seminar "Interethnic and interfaith harmony - the basis for the development of all subjects Russian Federation". The seminar was attended by the head of the Center for the Geography of Religions R.A. Silantiev, Chairman of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia Mufti Talgat Tadzhuddin, Head of the Caucasian Studies Sector of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies Ya.A. Amelina, referent of the Archbishop of Ufa and Sterlitamak Nikon, Archimandrite Ignatius (Klimov), and others.
Head of the Regional Relations Service of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society M.V. Parshin presented the report “The experience of the Russian Orthodox Church in the field of harmonization of interethnic and interreligious relations”. As part of a trip to Ufa, M.V. Parshin held a number of meetings with representatives and employees of the diocesan administration of the Ufa diocese, and also on October 5 met with the chairman of the Council for State-Confessional Relations under the President of Bashkiria, V.P. Pyatkov. During the conversation, in which Archimandrite Ignatius (Klimov) also took part, issues of interreligious dialogue in the region and the interaction of religious organizations with the government of the republic were discussed - we read on the website of the Moscow Patriarchate.
What did Parshin and Pyatkov talk about? Why is almost nothing known about this meeting? The fact that the Moscow guest, a rather significant figure, was in Ufa at this seminar was not mentioned at all, although there were reports about the seminar. At the seminar, Vladyka Nikon again voiced his indignation. This time the news was widely disseminated on the Internet. They did not particularly comment on this news. From political correctness, obviously.
But what is interesting is that there is not a word about this on the website of the Diocese. Neither the statement of 26 September, nor the statement of 4 October. Not about what was said on October 4 and about the need to introduce school curriculum foundations of religious culture and secular ethics. Archimandrite Ignatiy Klimov, head of the department for interaction between the church and society of the Ufa diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, expressed regret that Bashkiria does not take part in the experiment on teaching the basics of religion at school, although parishioners of Orthodox churches ask for this subject. It seems that the site editors are too afraid to say something that they will later regret. Where does this fear come from?
All our offers, appeals are ignored
Even about the Second Russian Council - almost nothing, a retelling of a three-minute video. About problems - not a word. But as the main achievement, a certain “unique mini-site” is mentioned. The site may indeed be the most unique, but is it really the most important thing? Really, on the website of the Ufa diocese there was no place for a normal story about the Russian Cathedral. At least about what Vladyka Nikon said at the cathedral? However, what do we want from our Lord? So that he, figuratively speaking, ran ahead of the locomotive? Suppose the Lord gathers his spirit, says something sharp, direct, about a sore point - will his flock support him? The most revealing photo from this Russian cathedral. Vladyka sits at the Cathedral between two leaders in turbans with a sad look. As if he is not at the Russian Cathedral. Symbolic image.
At one time, I wondered why our Diocese is so restrained, whether the essence is not timidly behaving when clarifying questions about the return of the buildings of former churches to believers, the restoration of historical and architectural monuments, the renaming of streets, the installation of new monuments, Orthodox cemeteries. After the Council, I understood - because the Russians are passive. More courage cannot be demanded from the Church than from the population as a whole. After all, in all honesty, Vladyka Nikon spoke at the cathedral much bolder and tougher than most of the speakers at this council.
We would never have known about the words of Vladyka Nikon, if not for a couple of sites and users of the LJ magazine. It was they who spread the speech of Archbishop Nikon.
"Vladyka Nikon: The key to solving the problems of interethnic relations lies in the sphere of spiritual and cultural enlightenment of people" - this was the name of the information on one of the Ufa sites. According to this resource, Vladyka, among other things, said:
AT curriculum there is no word for ethics. What kind of knowledge is not given to our children, but not about culture. So where do they come from, moral values? And so a good deed was conceived in our country - the subject was developed - “Fundamentals religious cultures and secular ethics. In 19 regions of the Russian Federation, teaching has been conducted at the experimental level for several years now. We don't have it. Starting next year, the subject will be introduced in all schools as a compulsory subject, preparations are being made for this. In our republic, there is just a wall of silence around this. All our offers, appeals are ignored. Why? …I appeal to representatives of the Ministry of Education with a proposal to start a reasonable dialogue, to develop a clear position on this sore issue. I also call on the press workers to the broadest discussion of the problem, the suppression of which becomes further simply unreasonable. There is a public expectation. There is a public problem. It needs to be solved. ..
But I want to draw your attention to the fact that without a material base, it is difficult to achieve serious results. There is now a wide discussion of the Law of the Russian Federation on the return of the confiscated property to the Church and other traditional denominations. There are sound arguments, but one has to hear outright absurdities as well.
It is with regret that we have to state the fact that in the Republic of Bashkortostan there is not a single Orthodox kindergarten, Orthodox high school or gymnasium. Although various national kindergartens and secondary educational institutions have been created: Bashkir, Tatar, Jewish, Turkish, etc. Children's Orthodox educational institutions no, despite the constant petitions of the Ufa diocese to the leading authorities of the Republic of Belarus. Until now, the diocese, like other traditional denominations, does not have an Agreement on joint activities with the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, while in many regions of Russia such agreements have already been concluded more than 5 years ago. The key to solving the problems of interethnic relations lies in the sphere of spiritual and cultural enlightenment of people, and the better people know the religious and cultural traditions of their people, the more respect they will treat representatives of other peoples and religions.
Justice must be established in society, corruption must be defeated, respect for the conciliar society must be shown. There is no need to indulge in despondency, on the contrary, it is necessary to glorify our people, the people - the creator, the worker. May the spirit of Orthodoxy, Faith, Loyalty to traditions, Duty, Honor come to everyone
The Cathedral of the Russians of Bashkortostan is called upon to solve important pressing issues of society, including the Russian population of the Republic of Bashkortostan!
Here you have education, and the return-restoration of churches, and pride in the Russian people, and the recognition that the Russian population has pressing issues.
In Ufa, there is no place to receive the Patriarch
If you delve into the memory, you can remember something else. For example, what Vladyka said shortly before the cathedral. In August, the organizing committee for the preparations for the Second Council of Russians, in order to give the event a status, invited Vladyka to Bashkiria. So that the Patriarch at the Council will listen to our speeches and honor the Aksakov holiday with his presence.
Archbishop Nikon of Ufa and Sterlitamak showed firmness and stated that he considered it inappropriate to invite Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to Ufa. Archbishop Nikon motivated his position by the fact that there is simply nowhere to invite the patriarch. And he has nothing to show either.
- The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin has been restored in Ufa since 1993, - said the head of the Ufa diocese. - During this time, it would be possible to build 20 mosques and temples on each corner. Surely, the patriarch will have a question why the cathedral has not yet been restored.
In addition to problems with the main Orthodox church Bashkortostan, according to Archbishop Nikon, in Ufa there is not even a normal building of the diocesan administration. The leadership of the diocese huddles in a dilapidated house, where it is simply a shame to invite the highest Orthodox clergy.
Archbishop Nikon sees the solution to the problem in the transfer to the diocesan administration of the building in which it was located in the pre-revolutionary period. Now there is a hospital for veterans. In the old building, the conditions for patients are not the same. The diocesan administration, according to Vladyka Nikon, would be quite satisfied with the working conditions that now exist in the building where the hospital is located. And the patriarch could be invited there.
The deceased Alexy II has not visited our republic in 18 years of his patriarchal service, - Bishop Nikon said. - The arrival of Patriarch Kirill still remains a big question, but not at all because he cannot or does not want to. We just have nothing to show him. Today we have neither a cathedral nor a normal administration building. Nonsense: today we occupy a small building, which was rebuilt from a former private house back in the Soviet years. After all, you will not invite the patriarch to the barn. While in Ufa there are many buildings that historically belonged to Orthodox religious institutions before the October Revolution. It would be logical to transfer them to the church, especially in the context of the decree of the President of Russia on the restitution of church property. Although there is no clear mechanism for its implementation yet. I raised these and other problems with the leadership of the republic for 20 years, but all these 20 years the authorities did not want to hear me. I think this situation is a shame for our republic.
The fact is that in December 2010, a rumor was circulating in Ufa that Patriarch Kirill was planning to visit Bashkiria. But why the rumor? Such a trip would be logical, because the history of the patriarch's family is connected with Bashkiria: at the beginning of the 20th century, his grandfather Vasily Gundyaev served as a priest in one of the remote parishes of the Ufa diocese - in the village of Usa-Stepanovka of the present Annunciation District, where the St. George Monastery is located, popularly known as "Holy Bushes". As you can see, nothing has changed since January. Yes, it hasn't changed in 20 years.
Opposition local authorities
In the matter of returning the churches, the Diocese is nevertheless taking some steps. In September, the Bashkirian Arbitration Court began considering a number of cases involving the former property of the Orthodox Church lost after the Bolshevik Revolution. So, Archbishop Nikon, head of the Ufa diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, addressed the authorities of the Duvansky district with a statement about the transfer of the building of the Holy Trinity Church in the village of Tastuba and the land plot under it to the possession of the parish.
The Ufa resource tells about the arbitration decision:
The head of the district, Vladimir Solin, brought the issue to the session of the Voznesensky Village Council, but the deputies recalled that in the building former temple there is a village library and a house of culture. The authorities also asked to provide documents confirming the right of the religious organization to the building and land, and demanded to justify the need to transfer real estate to the ownership of the parish and use it for religious purposes.
The diocese referred to the fact that the building of the Trinity Church was built at the end of 1810 and was requisitioned by the Bolsheviks, which is recorded in the central state historical archive RB. According to representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, the former church is not used for its intended purpose, since discos are periodically held in it.
In addition, due to the lack of budget funding, the building, which is a monument of history and architecture, is constantly being destroyed. The diocese stated that the refusal to give the building to open a parish in it is contrary to the law "On the transfer of state or municipal property for religious purposes to religious organizations," however, the arbitration also did not find grounds for transferring the building former church in Tastuba diocese and refused the clergy.
But the Orthodox Church won another property dispute over the Nikolo-Bondarevsky church in the village of Vasilievka in the Sterlibashevsky district. Earlier, the arbitration granted the demands of the local parish and recognized its ownership of the church building built in the 19th century, although in this case the ROC did not encounter opposition from local authorities.
About Tastuba "Ufimsky Krai" still find out. The Arbitration Court of Bashkiria is not yet the ultimate truth. I foresee what a howl just from the mere mention of Tastuba can now rise. What vicious comments with the most ridiculous accusations will fall. But we will talk about Tastuba later.
Now we have come to the point why the steps of the Diocese sometimes seem to us so indecisive. On the one hand, the embittered attacks of anonymous people, expressed in verbal, and not only verbal, aggression, on the other hand, the rather cool position of the authorities. Or do you think that the attitude towards the Russian Orthodox Church in Bashkiria can be better than towards the Russian population of Bashkiria? After all, you can’t say that the attitude towards Russians is bad - but still not the same as towards the title ones. You cannot say that a bad attitude towards Orthodoxy is not the same as towards the religion of the titular ethnic group. Minarets in Bashkiria are not being destroyed, but bell towers are being destroyed at the behest of the authorities. And so - peace and quiet, and international agreement.
The fact that President Khamitov stood up so vigorously for the rights of the Muslim population is remarkable. But can the Orthodox population be sure that the president will stand up for their rights just as vigorously?
We started with weekend holidays. Will our Vladyka be able to say that for the sake of justice, the Orthodox of Bashkiria also need a day off? On Ninth Friday, for example?
Can we say it? Organized to say, and to the right authorities. Or will we continue to consider ourselves “second-rate”?
Date of Birth: October 1, 1950 Country: Russia Biography:In 1963, the parents of the future bishop moved to Krasnoyarsk. In 1968 he graduated from high school in Krasnoyarsk; in 1974 - Krasnoyarsk State Medical Institute. After graduating from the institute, he worked as a local general practitioner in a polyclinic in Krasnoyarsk.
In 1975-1977 He served in the Soviet army as a senior doctor of the regiment.
In 1977-1983. worked as the chief physician of a polyclinic in the city of Svetogorsk, Vyborgsky district, Leningrad region. Major in the reserve of the medical service and colonel of the Cossack troops.
On June 26, 1983, he was ordained a deacon by Archbishop John (Snychev) at the Intercession Cathedral in the city of Kuibyshev (Samara). On September 21, 1983, he was ordained a presbyter in the same cathedral. Served in the church in honor of the icon Mother of God « Burning bush» Ulyanovsk
On March 16, 1984, Bishop John in the Intercession Cathedral in Kuibyshev was tonsured a monk with the name Nikon in honor of St. Nikon of Radonezh.
On September 16, 1985, he was appointed rector of the Neopalimovskaya church and dean of the Ulyanovsk region.
Education:1974 - Krasnoyarsk State Medical Institute.
1987 - Leningrad Theological Seminary.
1990 - Leningrad Theological Academy.
Place of work: Bashkortostan Metropolis (Head of the Metropolis)On the eve of the main holiday for all of us - bright resurrection Christ, I am compelled to turn to you with words of sorrow. It is with pain that I write this message, for the forces that are trying to tear apart the Body of Christ — the Church — are always pain.
In recent years, our long-suffering Church, already attacked by sectarians and theomachists from the outside, has undergone a new test. There were people who are trying to excite the disease from the inside. The seductive teaching of the priest Georgy Kochetkov, condemned more than once by the highest hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, has, unfortunately, found adherents in our Metropolis. And what is doubly sad is that among those who have been offended there is also the priesthood. Playing on a misunderstanding of the tasks of the Church, little theological education, unauthorized shepherds lure people with beautiful-looking fairy tales, substitute rituals, allow innovations in worship, and have already reached the point that they consider the Sacraments of the Church optional for themselves!
In other regions of Russia, structures independent of the Church, the so-called "small brotherhoods," are already being created. By the grace of God, things have not come to this with us, but the visiting "preachers" are strenuously sowing tares, leaving no hope of achieving their goal. The Lord Jesus Christ, warning His disciples against false teachers, says: "they come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside they are ravenous wolves"(Matthew 7:15, 16). And we? Is it right to allow wolves into our house, into our Church?
I want to say to seducers - come to your senses! I would like to believe that for many of you this is still just a delusion. But even the best intentions to do something good for the Church outside the Church Itself cannot bring good fruit. It's just pride. In the history of the Church, all such attempts ended in schism.
- You call yourself Orthodox, but excommunicate your children from the sacraments - baptism, communion. What Orthodoxy are you talking about?
- You are talking about equality before God, but you yourself introduce the concept of a “second-class Christian” (not fully publicized).
– You say that you are ready to subscribe to the Creed, but doesn’t your opinion contradict the Creed (“I believe in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church”) that in the Church only a separate group of Christians has the fullness of truth?
—You refer to the Holy Fathers, but which of the Holy Fathers claimed the exclusive right to the Truth?
- You call yourself members of the Church, but by creating the so-called "small brotherhoods", you are creating parallel structures that are actually independent of the Church. Can there be a worse sin than schism, which is the tearing of the Church—the Body of Christ—to pieces?
You are talking about persecution. But you yourself have been excommunicated from baptism, from communion, from parish. You have placed yourself outside the sacraments. You are driving yourself out of the Church.
So I'm telling you, think again. Is your memory really so weak that the horror of the renovationism of the 20th century is forgotten?
Now, according to the Gospel, the Church convicts you. While convicting as sinning brothers. But the Savior said: “... and if he does not listen to the Church, then let him be to you as a pagan and a publican”(Matthew 18:17). The patience of the Church is not infinite.
I call on all those who have been tempted to repent and return to the bosom of the Church. The faithful children of the Church must be vigilant and not let themselves be tempted.
Nikon
Metropolitan of Ufa
and Sterlitamak
Ufa Diocesan Gazette, April-May 2013
