Westminster Abbey Has No Grace


from the account of the late Archimandrite Ambrose Pogodin (†2004)

Vladyka John had the habit of visiting heterodox churches where some grace of Orthodoxy might still be present, namely in the form of holy relics of saints that were glorified before the division of the Churches. Vlayka John expressed the wish to visit Westminster Abbey. Westminster Abbey may once have been a very holy place. It was miraculously saved as a parish church from the general destruction under Henry VIII, and now those sacred objects that one might have expected in an ancient church are no longer there. We went simply to have a look at it as one of the tourist attractions of London. Vladyka went with us. After a certain time, the shortest possible, he left. "Here," he said, "there is no grace." Indeed, there are found the relics of many great persons of England, the great political builders of the country, writers, scholars, but no saints.

http://www.pravmir.com/six-encounters-with-st-john-of-shanghai-and-san-francisco

Archpriest Georgy (Primakov) On Grace Issue

Google translation of an article in Vernost No. 40
http://www.metanthonymemorial.org/VernostNo40.htm


Ignoring SERIOUS RELIGIOUS ISSUES

Archpriest Georgy PRIMAKOV, Dean RPTSZ Canada

Since none of our blessed memory первоиерархов and hierarchy did not say that the Church has no grace, we are persuaded that this means that in the MP it is. This is a very strange approach to a very important issue. A more logical and more persuasive, it would be to specify when and where it was said or written that there is total bliss. If our hierarchs believed that grace is complete, then why do they have categorically refused to eucharistic communion with the Church of grace? Most of all - there was neither mentioned nor written that there is total bliss. Moreover, you can find a personal expression of our hierarchy, which indicate the opposite.

Our church does not have a prayer with churches that have moved to a new style, but I do not remember that our hierarchs ever called them bezblagodatnymi. Let's think: we may be blessed memory hierarchy первоиерархи and lodged us an example of great humility believing that they were not worthy to decide about grace in the Church? In the same spirit expressed Metropolitan Cyprian, starostilnoy the Greek Church, when asked his opinion about the grace of novostilnoy the Greek Church. He said: who am I to decide this case, it will be decided in the future for true ecumenical council of the Orthodox churches, but just in case, we avoid any prayerful communion with them ». I invite all those who are trying to convince us about the grace in the Church, take the example of humility and our первоиерархов to ask yourself: Do I deserve to decide what it is and I have convincing evidence, that I may so hard to convince my colleagues in this?

Our hierarchs sebo perhaps ask the question: can I get Grace placemen Soviet atheist, non-believers in God's grace, even if they were correct hirotoniyu?

Unfortunately we kept in the dark about the negotiations regarding prayer with Moskovko Patriarchy. We duhovanstvo our church does not have the slightest notion that was resolved during the negotiations. We know however, that the Commission RPTSZ accepted the position of MP, that the activity of Metropolitan Sergius were deed ministry. " This is very unfortunate. because even a dozen years ago by members of the UIS Commission, this activity was considered to be betrayal of the Church of Christ! This type of negotiation, where the truth is murder in order to appease opponents who played more as a political rather than religious.

If the slavish service to the Soviet government and submissive compliance with the decrees of the secret service to be considered a heroic deed, then his refusal to serve Новомучеников and Исповедников our Russian Church Abroad now considers a mistake? Then, for their fame? And when the Church announced the Metropolitan Sergius saints, the Church and we will remember him along with the New Russian?

In May 2005, Patriarch Alexei II has congratulated the President of Vietnam Socialist Republic with 30-year anniversary of victory over the American army, trying to protect South Vietnam from komunistov seeking to enslave him, and he wanted God's help the Vietnamese Government. It looks as if this greeting one another Communist leader?

And in September, the patriarch of a Muslim leader Alex awarded the Order of St. Azebaydzhana. Sergius Radonezhskago first degree.

Congratulations red and rewarding Muslim leader - is not preventing us from the Lord? Which reminds us how:

«Dear children, be careful, you do not have a notion of who you want to have it!»

One of the members of our clergy, who now was in favor of prayerful communion with the Church, in 1994 wrote:

«Why talk to the MP is currently dangerous? This can cause a deep division among our clergy and flock, (That is currently happening). Prot. Lev Lebedev considers that the damage in the episcopate MP too deep and there is no sincerity in it. Priest Timothy Alferov, even being in the MP, warned us that the dialogue with the Church hierarchy is not possible. I. Lapkin warns that the final death for the Russian Church will be when the Church will go to all the requirements of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, otrekutsya from the Declaration of Metropolitan Sergius, kanoniziruyut the new, come from the World Council of Churches, of ecumenism. And all this without internal transformation, all this good will be done as a political move, and then RPTSZ no reason not to come to the negotiating table. And then a majority vote to suppress the truth. "It is not clear whether he was right I. Lapkin? Not happen there today that he foresaw a dozen years ago?

The aforementioned cleric RPTSZ now become a supporter of Union in 1998 in a letter the newspaper «Rus Orthodox», under the title «Be on the side of persecuted and suffering» wrote:

«His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, the last recognized by the Russian Orthodox Patriarch of people, gave the Bolsheviks anathema. In addition, he zaklyal all who join in communion with them: «I charge all of you loyal chad Orthodox Church of Christ, not to join with those monsters of the human race in which a communication». If His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon zaklyal all come into contact with the godless power, and the Metropolitan Sergius, in its Declaration made it so does not extend it a paternoster for MP to this day? There was and whether anfematstvovanie Patriarch Tikhon real meaning and effect? And his paternoster? What these anafematstvovanie and paternoster were removed? This is a serious spiritual issues, and ignore them Russian Orthodox Christian can not ».

Today in our church just happens that this cleric has called unacceptable disregard for serious spiritual questions.

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