This morning, Patriarch Alexiy of the Russian Orthodox Church died at the age of 79.
He was the man credited with restoring much moral authority to the Russian Orthodox Church after the years of Communism. He became patriarch in 1990, shortly before the fall of the Soviet Union. I can remember that he faced serious questions about himself, with some people vehemently arguing that he should step down on the grounds that he must have cooperated with the KGB in order to have become the patriarch while communism was still alive.
However, being Cuban, and having served as a missionary in South America, I had the opportunity to meet at least one bishop (Anglican) who had grown up on the Communist island and then been allowed to leave to be a missionary in Uruguay. And, no, he had not “given in” to the Communists and he had a lively faith with a desire for the gospel (and the Church) to grow. What I did find out was that he did not hook the faith with a particular system of government, like tends to happen here in the USA. Mind you, he was clearly not a Communist, but his outlook on politics and social issues was much more “European” and to the “left” than is common in this country among conservative Christians. But, he clearly was morally and theologically conservative.
Patriarch Alexiy was raised in a similar atmosphere and, I suspect, that like the Cuban bishop I mentioned, that he had also maintained his integrity. In passing, I remember similar questions about Pope John Paul II and he, too, turned out to be quite a strong and independent personality. In fact, Patriarch Alexiy’s behavior after the fall of the Soviet Union proved that he was indeed a Christian. During a time when evangelical groups were rushing in to “save” the Orthodox from themselves, he was able to call people back to the faith of their forefathers. Today, 70% of Russians claim to be Orthodox, which is quite impressive, given the abysmal numbers under Communism. Many are still figuring out what that means, and many are “illiterate” as regards their faith, but, after many decades of Communism, it is a start.
Even more important, he was able to heal a long-standing rift among the Russian Orthodox. Not surprisingly, after the Bolshevyks took over Russia there was a split in Russian Orthodoxy. Those outside Mother Russia had doubts about the independence of the Russian patriarch or, like those in the USA, did not wish to be seen as “controlled” by a Church under Communism. And, so, with varying degrees of permission, they set up independent (and temporary) Churches. For instance, one of them is the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Under Patriarch Alexiy, and after over 70 years, the two Churches reunited. I believe that there were also other reunions.
Was he perfect? No, but those who concentrate on the imperfections miss the grand movements of his life and the many things he accomplished.
Many years, Patriarch Alexiy!
[Ed. Note: One of the readers pointed out that I should have said, “Memory eternal, Patriarch Alexiy.” She is correct, I think I must have had a brain slip-up when I typed in the wrong words. Thanks for noticing!]
Fr. bless!
I think you meant to write "Memory Eternal" at the bottom of this post???
I did, thank you very much for noticing. I have made the correction, as you can see if you look at the bottom of the post. May our Lord give you a blessed 2009.