Western Rite Developments

Well, it all seems to be happening!

After decades of existing as a handful of scattered monastic communities and hermitages, it seems as though the Western Rite within the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad is well on its way to being much more firmly established.

First, we got the informal decision of the Synod of Bishops that all Western Rite communities in ROCOR would be given stavropegial status - itself a great blessing, for it freed bishops from having to look after communities whose rite and culture they did not understand and communities with unsympathetic bishops striving to survive against all odds, generally making things easier for everybody concerned and removing some of the barriers that the previous unhelpful situation placed before those who might otherwise explore Orthodoxy as a spiritual home. After all, who wants to join an isolated mission whose ecclesiastical status is volatile and whose stability is precarious at best?

Then a number of parishes and missions started to apear: some of them newly founded, some of them developed from study societies, and some of them received from independent jurisdictions. The most signficant of these were perhaps the reception of the former HOCACA at the end of last year, and the encouraging news of the discussions with the Orthodox Church of France. This is all very encouraging, although it does raise some questions about the haste of things and the stability and formation both in the Faith and the priestly life of those being received.

Now, within the past fortnight, we have received news that the Council of Bishops has established a Western Rite Vicariate, giving much greater structure and stability to the Western Rite effort, and quite possibly addressing the matter raised in the previous paragraph, as now people are actually being received into something that is integrated and should now begin to operate as a unit. The recent meetings and proposed conferences, I am sure, will add to the stability, structure, and growth into a functional family.

Now, to top it all off, if anything makes a bold statement that the Western Rites of the Orthodox Church are as full and legitimate an expression of the Holy Orthodox Faith as any other, it is not that their forms of services are blessed for use, or that they come directly under the jurisdiction of the First-Hierarch himself, or even that those who belong to those rites are increasing in number, but rather the remarkable fact that ordinations are now being done at a western Pontifical High Mass, by an Orthodox bishop in western vestments, and using the Roman ordinal. I am almost sure that this combination is a first in modern Orthodox history and it speaks volumes, opening the way for people to trust the Church in its western expression with the salvation of their souls. May we soon begin to see Orthodox Saints whose lives have been formed in the Western Rite - the true test of its Orthodoxy.

I am truly delighted by this as an Orthodox Christian with western roots, who loves the western hymns, liturgies, and Saints, and I hope that this will also prove to have great missionary potential across the world but particularly in these isles where many of those Saints once sang those hymns and prayed those liturgies.

I thoroughly look forward to further developments and the video footage that we have been promised of this weekend's ordination. Please pray for Dom Joseph of Christ the Saviour Monastery as he is to be ordained to the diaconate.

I leave you with a photo-video collage from 2007, which brings back memories.

Milan Synod - yet again

Is it true?

I have heard on the grapevine that the Holy Synod of Milan, as of yesterday, is part of the Moldovan Orthodox Church under the omophor of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, its bishops have been received as bishops, and it is now in full communion with the rest of the Orthodox Church.

However, I have so far been unable to find anything in any of the usual places online to confirm this. Does anybody have further news?

Many thanks.

Milan Synod - Part the Second

Last year, I posted this, wondering what had become of the excitement surrounding the supposedly imminent restoration of communion between the Holy Synod of Milan and the Russian Orthodox Church (Milan was once in communion with ROCOR, whence it acquired its hierarchy). I had welcomed the rumours, which I had heard from two independent and reliable sources, so could only conclude that whatever discussions had taken place had come to nothing. There was no public news about this, to my knowledge. I did, however, wonder at how this could ever have gone ahead with such public and vociferous opposition to the Russian Church from certain quarters within the Milan Synod. Other individuals aside, it is no secret that Archbishop John of New York is no fan of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Over the past few days, things have taken an interesting turn. Archbishop John has been elevated to the rank of Metropolitan and appointed leader of a new metropolis of North and South America, and the British Isles, formerly the American dioceses of the Milan Synod, along with its deanery of two priests in the British Isles. Remaining in communion with Milan, this new metropolis has been granted autonomous status.

At the same time, the Milan Synod issued a statement, reproduced on the news blog of Bishop Abbondio of Como, to the effect that it is not engaged in fraternal relations with any Russian breakaway group but only the Moscow Patriarchate. To my knowledge, this is the first public acknowledgement of any movement of Milan in the direction of Moscow, and I wonder whether it may be a sign of things to come.

Could it be that the release of Archbishop, now Metropolitan, John into his own autonomous synod was simply Milan's way of "trimming the fat", unburdening itself and thus allowing itself to move more freely to pursue what it had seemingly tried to pursue a little over a year ago? It seems curious that, a mere few days after all of this transpired, this document of the new metropolis was posted for public consumption.

Let's see where this goes. I, for one, shall continue to pray for communion with Milan under its head, Metropolitan Evloghios. I have long sympathised with this particular Old Calendar synod, if not for its stability then certainly for its resistance to some of the ecclesiological heresies that seem to be plaguing much of the Church today, and hoped for its restoration to the Orthodox Church. I do believe that it will be a healthful presence within the Moscow Patriarchate should this result in communion. It only seems unfortunate that any such good news will not apply to the former Milan clergy here in Britain, at least for now.

May God bless their efforts.

What The Filioque?

Seriously, what is going on in Russia? Why are Orthodox Christians, fresh out of the Russian Federation, reluctant to ask for blessings for travel, memorial services for their departed loved ones, or any of a number of other prayers offered by the Church, simply because they do not have money? What sort of situation have they become accustomed to that leads them to think that they will be refused if they cannot afford it, or that they would be expected to pay a fee for such things in the first place, or that would cause them to greet with such surprise the glad tidings that there is no charge? I can understand some people making some sort of donation to the church as a token of gratitude but that should come from their heart, no? This seems a different matter.

Has anybody else encountered this? Does it make anybody else feel as unwell as it does me? Have I painted a bullseye on myself by daring to mention it? Something smells foul to me.

Matushka Mary Bond

Received today from Father Deacon Andrew Bond of the Church of the Mother of God, "Joy of all Who Sorrow":

Of your charity
pray for the soul of
Mary
Bond (née Galitzine)
who reposed in the Lord
at All Hallows Hospital
15 November 2010

May our merciful God grant her a place of refreshment, light and peace.
May her memory be eternal.

New Western Rite Communities

His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of New York is in the process of receiving ten new parishes and eighteen new clergy into the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, blessed to belong to the Western Rite.

They have existed for some years under the name of the Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church of America (HOCACA), an independent group yet studying and seeking to live the Orthodox Faith under the headship of Mr Anthony Bondi, who has served as the group's archbishop. He and his assistant bishop will be received, ordained, and elevated to the rank of archimandrite. The ordinations of all of the clergy are hoped to be completed over the next few weeks, by the invocation of the Holy Spirit and at the hands of Metropolitan Hilarion of New York and Bishop Jerome of Manhattan. As is generally the case with these unions, the joy of union is the focus rather than the separation of the past and it seems that, as it right and proper, there will be no pressure for these new clergy and faithful to relinquish their previous understanding of their situation.

This group has been no stranger to the world of mainstream Orthodoxy and has had close relations for some time with a number of people in the Church Abroad and other Orthodox jurisdictions. I, for one, am glad to see these come to fruition as full sacramental unity and communion in the Holy Orthodox Faith. I welcome them, and hope that their witness may encourage more people teetering on the edge of Orthodoxy to find a home in the bosom of the Church through any of the rites blessed for use.

Here is the statement from the future Archimandrite Anthony, posted to the Occidentalis forum on the 10th of November, 2010:

Dear Brothers in Christ,

It is with great pleasure that I announce to you that the Archdiocese of New York of The Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church of America, the Former Exarchate of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria has petitioned The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia to be received into its fold.

It was our intention to do this quietly, without fanfare, until all the clergy were received and ordained. The post made here unfortunately preempted that.

This is the culmination of a long journey, many prayers, and great patience. It will also require the humility of our bishops, priests and deacons to bow their heads for ordination in the Russian Church which we do with great joy for the sake of the unity of the Church. We have accepted the use of the Julian Calendar as we were already on it for the Paschalion and most of us have been greatly disturbed by the commercialization of Christmas. We will also be able to keep our Liturgy which is based on the Dom Augustine Liturgy. We will also be able to continue our practice of gathering each year in the Fall for a Conference/Retreat and now open it up to other Western Rite Clergy. The 2011 Conference will be held at St Mary's Villa, Sloatsburg NY, Tuesday October 25th to Friday October 28th.

So that we are clear, the parishes being received were non-canonical Orthodox, not Anglican. Most of us come from the Roman Church though some of us have spent time in the Anglican Church, Episcopal, Continuing, or Charismatic Episcopal. We all became Western Rite Orthodox.

Archbishop Anthony and Bishop Michael will resign the episcopacy and be ordained and elevated to be Archimandrites and His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion has asked former Archbishop Anthony to be Vicar/Dean of his group of Western Rite parishes. The historic significance of this is that the Orthodox Western Rite will have almost ten new parishes and, when all are received about 18 more clergy. We will have an informal group called The Fraternity of St Gregory.

Those clergy who have already been received into the Russian Church have experienced the warm welcome and generous kindness of Metropolitan Hilarion and Vladyka Jerome who have been paragons of patience in doing all of the required ordinations for us. The Russian clergy surrounding them have been most welcoming to their new Orthodox brothers who will be using the Western Rite.

Some have commented on the humility that it has taken for me and Bishop Michael to give up the episcopacy. Anyone who knows our history also knows that we did what we had to do to keep our group together and to offer a place for those who wanted to be Orthodox Western Rite as we awaited the time God would appoint for our entrance into the Russian Church. Conversations were being held with Moscow through Fr Daniil Sosoyev (RIP) who through his martyric death has accomplish what he could not finish in this life.

We wish to thank Father James of Christminster who urged us for years constantly to hope and pray, Fr Ambrose (NZ) who continued to fast and pray for us all and who encouraged us, Fr Michael for his encouragement, Fr David (FL) and Fr Ambrose (GOA) for their prayers. We wish also to acknowledge the ongoing novena to St John of Shanghai and San Francisco for the past 9 years and the maternal graces secured for us by the Holy Mother of God.

Finally, we remember the words of the old Western prayer: "O Lord Jesus Christ, who for the accomplishment of Thy greatest works, has chosen the weak vessel of the world that no flesh may glory in Thy sight...." may we who have been called to the work of bringing the West to Orthodoxy have the strength and grace to perform it by your prayers.

Archbishop Anthony
New York

Consecration of St Nicholas' Church, Oxford - Part 2

A photo-collage has now been posted to Youtube with some photographs not included in the set previously linked. I hope you enjoy it as much as I just have.

Consecration of St Nicholas' Church, Oxford

I had the great pleasure on Saturday of taking part in the Consecration of the new church of St Nicholas in Oxford. It was a splendid and joyous occasion. I had never been to a consecration of a church before although, having the interests that I have, I had explored the service in the Trebnik. It was wonderful. I had arrived, hoping to simply blend into the congregation but I was recognised by the servers and fetched. I had been instructed to take vestments with me "just in case" but had left them packed in my bag which I had deposited in the cloakroom. So out they came and I bumbled my way through it but it was a joy to be able to take part. I was pleased to be included and touched by the special effort that our brothers and sisters in Sourozh always make to make those of us from the Church Abroad feel welcome.

It was also the first time that Archbishop Elisey had consecrated a church. He has become so much a part of the fabric of the vibrant Orthodox life here in the UK that it is easy to forget that it is only quite recently that he was consecrated and sent to a struggling diocese, which was recovering from recent difficulties. It is amazing what he has achieved so far and this consecration will hopefully be the first of many which will give some sense of hope, permanence, and stability to the Orthodox churches in Great Britain and Ireland which are under his care.

Read more...

Missions Now!

The missions belonging to the Western Rite within the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad have launched a society to raise funds for their growth and work. I am sure that any assistance that you are able to give would be gratefully received and will go towards the spreading of the holy and saving Faith, for the salvation of God's people.

The website for information and donations is here and the Facebook page is here.

Under Metropolitan Hilarion, the Western Rite has received a degree of support and encouragement unknown in the Church Abroad since the time of St John of Shanghai and San Francisco. It is truly uplifting to see his missionary vision once again restored to the Russian Orthodox Church, which was at the forefront of Western Rite missionary plans before, and even for some time after the revolution and difficult times that this brought.

May God bless their endeavours and bring all who seek Him into his holy Church.

Abbot Augustine Reposes

I have just returned home from the Liturgy and switched the computer on to find an e-mail from Dom James of Christminster, sharing the news that Abbot Augustine of the Benedictine Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Royal has reposed in the Lord. Dom Augustine led the monastery into the bosom of the Church in the early 1960s and they were received into the Russian Church Abroad in 1975. He was a great father to the Western Rite monastics in the Church Abroad and no doubt a source of inspiration elsewhere, and it was to him that St John of San Francisco uttered the now famous words:

Never, never, never let anyone tell you that, in order to be Orthodox, you must also be eastern. The West was Orthodox for a thousand years and her venerable Liturgy is far older than any of her heresies.

In a blessed falling asleep, grant rest, O Lord, to the soul of thy servant the Abbot Augustine, and make his memory to be eternal.

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost 2010

We at Christminster received news this morning of the repose last night of Dom Augustine Whitfield, Abbot of Mount Royal. It was he who not merely brought the western-rite monastic community of Mount Royal into the Russian Church, but also - over many years, and in the face of many difficulties, and often alone - sustained and maintained that mission and vision, handing it on eventually to Christminster and to Holyrood Hermitage in Florida, under its Abbot Dom David Pierce. Abbot David has been a most faithful and dear son to Dom Augustine for many years and cared for him at the end with the Church's holy Mysteries and prayers. He and we at Christminster are the happy inheritors of Dom Augustine's long and lonely struggle.

Thus it is with mixed feelings of sadness and joy that we greet his repose: sad because we have lost a long-time friend and mentor, and joy that he can now receive the thanks he so much deserved for his often thankless task. May God greet his homecoming son as we pray he might greet each of us: Well done, thou good and faithful servant! Because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things. Enter into the joy of thy Lord."

According to his wishes he will be buried privately in a local Orthodox cemetery. There will be a solemn memorial Requiem scheduled for him in early August - possibly at Christminster - to enable all those who would honour his life and work to gather and pray for his eternal repose and heavenly reward.

May his sins lie lightly upon him and may he come to see, face to face, that one Face we all long to see and to adore and praise for all eternity. May this unsung hero of western-rite Orthodoxy and monasticism truly enter into the joy of his Lord. A Mass of Requiem will be offered for him tomorrow at Christminster. Further details will follow.

Dom James M. Deschene
Abbot of Christminster
Hamilton, Ontario

Sourozh Diocesan Conference

I had the great pleasure over the weekend of taking part in the 35th annual conference of the Diocese of Sourozh, being the local diocese of the patriarchal Russian Orthodox Church in Great Britain & Ireland. The fellowship was worth it alone but the content of the conference was of great spiritual and practical benefit. My thoughts about the weekend are in need of some more refinement before I say very much here but, for now, I would like to say just how exceptionally well organised it was and how happy my brothers and sisters and I from three different parishes of the Church Abroad felt at being as warmly welcomed as we were - we were truly one family.

Perhaps I shall say a little more later. In the meanwhile, some photographs of the weekend may be seen here.

Election Shambles - UPDATED

Is anybody as cross about this as I am?

For those not in the know, today was polling day for the UK General Election. The organisation of the voting has been absolutely shambolic. The polling stations were set to close at 10p.m. Since then, we have had the following reports:

• At a number of polling stations, a sufficient number of polling booths had not been made available to cater for the number of voters in the constituency, resulting in long queues of people who, when the doors were shut at 10 o' clock, were denied their legal right to vote.
• At other polling stations, an insufficient number of ballots was held, so that voters turned up and were unable to vote.
• In one constituency (so far), the electoral list had not been updated to reflect people who had moved to the area. They had registered to vote, been sent their polling cards directing them where to go to cast their vote, only to arrive at the polling station and be turned away because they did not appear on the list.

One contributory factor was that the results of an interesting but actually completely unnecessary preliminary exit poll were published shortly after 10 o' clock, which could have potentially influenced voters. The result of this is that some returning officers felt that they could not permit potential voters in after that time. One explicitly said in his apology that this is one course of action that could not be taken. He has been undone by the fact that this is precisely what was done at other polling stations in order to enable people to vote. As Lord Mandelson said, if influence by the result of the exit poll was indeed a concern, there is no good reason why the queueing masses could not have been taken into the station and the doors shut. (Update: 07/05/2010: It was later clarified by the Electoral Commission that the regulations themselves require a 10 o' clock closure).

There are a number of problems that arise from this. One is that results in certain constituencies may possibly be open to legal challenge because some people were not allowed to vote or because some people were allowed to vote after the publication of the exit poll results.

I have been watching the BBC coverage of the election and as those turned away have been interviewed, I have found myself sharing their indignation. It is absolutely disgusting that, in a democracy, people could be denied the right to vote for no good reason. I just don't understand and I really am quite cross.

I look forward to seeing how this works out in days to come.

Milan Synod

Last year there was talk of reconciliation discussions between the Church of Russia and the Holy Synod of Milan. I heard about this from two sources, independently of each other. At one time I was told it looked likely that this would all be resolved by the end of last year and that Milan would be similar to ROCOR - an autonomous/semi-autonomous part of the Russian Orthodox Church.

I was very much looking forward to that. I have considerable respect for the Milan Synod and am acquainted with their "local" priest (these terms are relative, after all), with whom I was quietly hoping my parish could establish good relations.

So what happened?

Missed a Trick

It occurs to me only this evening, on election day, that, had we thought of it, my parish could have made enquiries about having our church used as a polling station. I don't know whether groups can volunteer their buildings or whether they must be approached but it would have been a good way of getting local people in through the door to see what it's like while they went to cast their vote. Who knows whose curiosity may have been piqued?

How disappointing!

Bishop Daniel of Erie Reposes - UPDATED

His Grace Bishop Daniel of Erie reposed in the Lord yesterday, the 13th (26th) of April, 2010, being the feast of the Holy Hieromartyr Artemon of Syria.

Bishop Daniel had been in poor health for some time and our prayers had been particularly asked for him in recent days. A short biography and photo gallery may be found on the website of the Eastern American Diocese. According to the ROCOR Synod website, the funeral is to take place on mid-Pentecost, which is Wednesday of this week. Although details have not yet been finalised, I would be very surprised if the funeral were held anywhere other than the Church of the Nativity, which to all intents and purposes served as Bishop Daniel's cathedral.

Bishop Daniel was ROCOR's extra-territorial bishop for those who belong to the Old Rite, which has been discussed in some small detail on this blog in the past. This was part of the efforts on the part of the Church Abroad to reach out to those who had been so badly treated in the past in order to bring them back into the Church's fold. However, wounds run deep and many of these communities have developed in interesting ways during these centuries of separation, making reconciliation difficult in many cases. As such, only one parish has so far returned within the Church Abroad, (although I gather that others have returned in the Russian Patriarchal Church). ROCOR reaffirmed its support of the Old Rite in the consecration of Bishop John of Caracas in 2008, which was performed according to the Old Rite. However, whether a new bishop will be consecrated to care for our brothers and sisters of the Old Rite remains to be seen.

Bishop Daniel was also sympathetic to the Western Rite, seeing it as simply another equivalent to the Old Rite.

Whatever happens, I am sure that the people of the Church of the Nativity have lost a loving pastor, and I pray that they find some consolation.

In a blessed falling asleep, grant rest, O Lord, to the soul of thy servant the Bishop Daniel, and make his memory to be eternal.

Update: 30/04/2010
Photographs of Bishop Daniel's funeral.
And a video:

Global Warming Poll result

I thought that Earth Day (yesterday) might be a good time to publish the results of the poll that I added to this blog after my post about Earth Hour a little under a month ago. However, I forgot, so here they are now.

The question was: How do you feel about climate change?

28 votes were cast in total. Here is the breakdown by answer:

It is largely due to the actions of the human race and we need to take action now in order to prevent catastrophe.
5 votes (17.86%)

Its results will be catastrophic within a few decades but it has nothing to do with the actions of mankind and we can't do anything about it.
3 votes (10.71%)

It is a perfectly normal part of the life of the planet. I don't understand what all the fuss is about.
2 votes (7.14%)

It is a perfectly normal part of the life of the planet that is being taken advantage of so that the wealthy can turn a greater profit, while all of the hype is having detrimental effects on the poorest people of the world.
10 votes (35.71%)

I don't really understand. I am confused by the conflicting information.
3 votes (10.71%)

I have always accepted the status quo that it's a man-made problem that needs to be fixed. Now I'm not so sure and think I'll explore it some more.
4 votes (14.29%)

I'm really not interested.
1 vote (3.57%)

To be entirely honest, at the time of the original post, (which can be read here), I had thought that the responses would be overwhelmingly negative and that I would be told how irresponsible I am for even suggesting such a thing. Now the poll results seem to indicate that perhaps a greater proportion of people than I initially thought are skeptical of the hype, and that some have as their concern the effect that it has on the world's poor. Others, like me, had never had cause to challenge the received wisdom but have been open-minded and are willing to explore it some more. This is very encouraging.

We need to have a care for the planet but we also need to balance that with a care for people. When the former reaches the point where unnecessary measures are taken, and when these measures have the detrimental effect of leading to starvation and death of those whom we could otherwise help, something has gone very wrong indeed.

"Earth Hour" or "The Emperor's New Clothes"

(Scroll past the story for the point.)

Many years ago there was an Emperor so exceedingly fond of new clothes that he spent all his money on being well dressed. He cared nothing about reviewing his soldiers, going to the theatre, or going for a ride in his carriage, except to show off his new clothes. He had a coat for every hour of the day, and instead of saying, as one might, about any other ruler, 'The King's in council,' here they always said. 'The Emperor's in his dressing room.'

In the great city where he lived, life was always gay. Every day many strangers came to town, and among them one day came two swindlers. They let it be known they were weavers, and they said they could weave the most magnificent fabrics imaginable. Not only were their colours and patterns uncommonly fine, but clothes made of this cloth had a wonderful way of becoming invisible to anyone who was unfit for his office, or who was unusually stupid.

'Those would be just the clothes for me,' thought the Emperor. 'If I wore them I would be able to discover which men in my empire are unfit for their posts. And I could tell the wise men from the fools. Yes, I certainly must get some of the stuff woven for me right away.'

He paid the two swindlers a large sum of money to start work at once. They set up two looms and pretended to weave, though there was nothing on the looms. All the finest silk and the purest gold thread which they demanded went into their travelling bags, while they worked the empty looms far into the night.

'I'd like to know how those weavers are getting on with the cloth,' the Emperor thought, but he felt slightly uncomfortable when he remembered that those who were unfit for their position would not be able to see the fabric. It couldn't have been that he doubted himself, yet he thought he'd rather send someone else to see how things were going. The whole town knew about the cloth's peculiar power, and all were impatient to find out how stupid their neighbours were. 'I'll send my honest old minister to the weavers,' the Emperor decided. 'He'll be the best one to tell me how the material looks, for he's a sensible man and no one does his duty better.'

So the honest old minister went to the room where the two swindlers sat working away at their empty looms. 'Heaven help me,' he thought as his eyes flew wide open, 'I can't see anything at all'. But he did not say so. Both the swindlers begged him to be so kind as to come near to approve the excellent pattern, the beautiful colours. They pointed to the empty looms, and the poor old minister stared as hard as he dared. He couldn't see anything, because there was nothing to see. 'Heaven have mercy,' he thought. 'Can it be that I'm a fool? I'd have never guessed it, and not a soul must know. Am I unfit to be the minister? It would never do to let on that I can't see the cloth.' 'Don't hesitate to tell us what you think of it,' said one of the weavers. 'Oh, it's beautiful - it's enchanting.' The old minister peered through his spectacles. 'Such a pattern, what colours! I'll be sure to tell the Emperor how delighted I am with it.' 'We're pleased to hear that,' the swindlers said. They proceeded to name all the colours and to explain the intricate pattern. The old minister paid the closest attention, so that he could tell it all to the Emperor.

And so he did.

The swindlers at once asked for more money, more silk and gold thread, to get on with the weaving. But it all went into their pockets. Not a thread went into the looms, though they worked at their weaving as hard as ever. The Emperor presently sent another trustworthy official to see how the work progressed and how soon it would be ready. The same thing happened to him that had happened to the minister. He looked and he looked, but as there was nothing to see in the looms he couldn't see anything. 'Isn't it a beautiful piece of goods?' the swindlers asked him, as they displayed and described their imaginary pattern. 'I know I'm not stupid,' the man thought, 'so it must be that I'm unworthy of my good office. That's strange. I mustn't let anyone find it out, though.' So he praised the material he did not see. He declared he was delighted with the beautiful colours and the exquisite pattern. To the Emperor he said, 'It held me spellbound.'

All the town was talking of this splendid cloth, and the Emperor wanted to see it for himself while it was still in the looms. Attended by a band of chosen men, among whom were his two old trusted officials - the ones who had been to the weavers - he set out to see the two swindlers. He found them weaving with might and main, but without a thread in their looms. 'Magnificent,' said the two officials already duped. 'Just look, Your Majesty, what colours! What a design!' They pointed to the empty looms, each supposing that the others could see the stuff. 'What's this?' thought the Emperor. 'I can't see anything. This is terrible! 'Am I a fool? Am I unfit to be the Emperor? What a thing to happen to me of all people!' 'Oh! It's very pretty,' he said. 'It has my highest approval.' And he nodded approbation at the empty loom. Nothing could make him say that he couldn't see anything. His whole retinue stared and stared. One saw no more than another, but they all joined the Emperor in exclaiming, 'Oh! It's very pretty,' and they advised him to wear clothes made of this wonderful cloth especially for the great procession he was soon to lead. 'Magnificent! Excellent! Unsurpassed!' were bandied from mouth to mouth, and everyone did his best to seem well pleased. The Emperor gave each of the swindlers a cross to wear in his buttonhole, and the title of 'Sir Weaver.'

Before the procession the swindlers sat up all night and burned more than six candles, to show how busy they were finishing the Emperor's new clothes. They pretended to take the cloth off the loom. They made cuts in the air with huge scissors. And at last they said, 'Now the Emperor's new clothes are ready for him.' Then the Emperor himself came with his noblest noblemen, and the swindlers each raised an arm as if they were holding something. They said, 'These are the trousers, here's the coat, and this is the mantle,' naming each garment. 'All of them are as light as a spider web. One would almost think he had nothing on, but that's what makes them so fine.' 'Exactly,' all the noblemen agreed, though they could see nothing, for there was nothing to see. 'If Your Imperial Majesty will condescend to take your clothes off,' said the swindlers, 'we will help you on with your new ones here in front of the long mirror.' The Emperor undressed, and the swindlers pretended to put his new clothes on him, one garment after another. They took him around the waist and seemed to be fastening something - that was his train'-'as the Emperor turned round and round before the looking glass. 'How well Your Majesty's new clothes look. Aren't they becoming!' He heard on all sides, 'That pattern, so perfect! Those colours, so suitable! It is a magnificent outfit.'

Then the minister of public processions announced: 'Your Majesty's canopy is waiting outside.' 'Well, I'm supposed to be ready,' the Emperor said, and turned again for one last look in the mirror. 'It is a remarkable fit, isn't it?' He seemed to regard his costume with the greatest interest. The noblemen who were to carry his train stooped low and reached for the floor as if they were picking up his mantle. Then they pretended to lift and hold it high. They didn't dare admit they had nothing to hold.

So off went the Emperor in procession under his splendid canopy. Everyone in the streets and the windows said, 'Oh, how fine are the Emperor's new clothes! Don't they fit him to perfection? And see his long train!' Nobody would confess that he couldn't see anything, for that would prove him either unfit for his position, or a fool. No costume the Emperor had worn before was ever such a complete success.

'But he hasn't got anything on,' a little child said.

'Did you ever hear such innocent prattle?' said its father. And one person whispered to another what the child had said, 'He hasn't got anything on. A child says he hasn't anything on.'

'But he hasn't got anything on!' the whole town cried out at last.

The Emperor shivered, for he suspected they were right. But he thought, 'This procession has got to go on.' So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the train that wasn't there at all.

I loved this story as a child because the thought of the embarrassment of the naked emperor made me laugh. I also had the Roald Dahl version in Rhyme Stew, which merely served to add to the hilarity. I haven't thought about this since childhood, and only now do I understand the allegorical nature of the story, of a lie propagated by those who would benefit from it, and which in many ways is blindingly obvious, although nobody is willing to say so for fear of ostracism or being labelled as stupid, so the charade continues.

I hope regular readers will forgive this quite uncharacteristic post. I try not to be too controversial on matters not directly related to faith but I make the exception here because I truly feel that it is right and proper for me, as a Christian, to call people to question the rightness of what is happening in the world as a result of the scaremongering surrounding the state of the planet.

There has been much hype in recent weeks about Earth Hour, which is an international event scheduled for tomorrow. It seems that we are all supposed to switch our lights and other electrics off for an hour in the evening in order to do our little bit to save the planet. Even if I were to accept the "problem" of global warming, I'm afraid that I would still struggle to see just how much of an impact a few bulbs being switched off for one hour out of one day each year would have. Still, in some strange way I suppose it gives people something to feel superior about, in the same way that some people berate others for doing something so heinous as to eat a tuna sandwich or a nice piece of cod, (yes, somebody did this to me, without first bothering to find out that I ensure that my fish comes from sustainable fisheries. 'I want my grandchildren to know what tuna tastes like', I was told). I don't know what it is about us human beings that makes us so enjoy a good game of moral one-upmanship, and beam with delight when we find some more ammunition to make ourselves feel self-satisfied at the expense of others, but I digress.

I occasionally read the weblog of Priest John Whiteford of the ROCOR Eastern American Diocese. Some of you will probably know him from his excellent website, which is a treasury of liturgical resources. I use it to compile our services week by week. Anyway, in December, a post appeared on this blog, containing a collection of Youtube videos showing Lord Christopher Monckton - a not uncontroversial character - expressing what to me sounded at first like quite ridiculous ideas about global warming, which were completely contradictory to the received wisdom. However, I was impressed by his clarity and animation so I stopped and listened to what he had to say, and watched all of the videos.

His general point was that the hype surrounding global warming is a scam. However, he was able to give some more specific examples. Among them:

• It is indeed true that the polar ice caps decreased by 27% in 2007. However, they had increased by 24% by 2009.
• There has been no global warming for approximately 15 years.
• There has been slight global cooling for the past 9 years.
• Some of the data in support of global warming are fabrications.

However, what caught my attention was this:

• Because of all the ado about global warming, there has been a sudden increase in demand for biofuels and the redirection of the use of grain, which has led to a drastic increase in food prices. To those of us in wealthier countries, this may be an inconvenience, but to those in the world's poorest countries who cannot afford the higher food prices, it literally is the difference between life and death.

Now I should admit here that, until having seen these videos, I just accepted the "common knowledge" that global warming was a fact and didn't really pay much attention to the goings-on in the world. It was the stories of food riots, largely unreported in the western media, and people starving to death that made me take notice. It really touched my heart and I was ashamed of my previous indifference.

As for the other points, well we know about the fabrication of data because this hit the news headlines when it first came to light. On the other points, Lord Monckton says that we should not believe him but should go and check the facts for ourselves. So I did.

Satellite images have been taken of the polar sea ice cover since 1979. I compared the images for dates in 2007 to the same dates in 2009 and, surely enough, the ice cover had been restored in that time. Not only that but I compared various dates over the past 30 years and, lo and behold, such increasing and decreasing of the area and thickness of the sea ice cover appears to be perfectly normal. That's just what happens. The fuss about the depletion of the polar ice cover a couple of years ago seems to have been much ado about nothing.

At the time, I was also able to find independent websites with data and reports supporting everything that he said. I am sure I could do the same again if I were to go searching again. It all left me a little confused. Here are some of the videos. I urge you to watch them.









If it were just Lord Monckton saying this, some would perhaps dismiss the whole business as an eccentric gentleman making a bit of noise but some more googling revealed that he is not the only one who is expressing these concerns.

Here, for instance, is one Mr Peter Taylor, sometime Environmental Advisor to the United Nations:



And Dr Patrick Dixon:



I don't really know where all of this leaves us. I am no climatologist. I have no qualifications in this field. I only know that what I have been able to find has brought me to the point where I am somewhat skeptical of the generally accepted wisdom surrounding climate change. As things have reached the point where people are dying in their thousands simply because they cannot afford to eat, I do not believe that we fortunate ones in more affluent countries can casually lend our support to things such as "Earth Hour" in order to make ourselves feel good, without first taking a serious look at the facts behind the claims of global warming.

For my part, I can offer no definite conclusions but something does not seem quite right and I cannot help but wonder whether it may truly be just the sort of situation to which the story of The Emperor's New Clothes was written to call our attention. In a climate where those who do not bend over backwards to do their bit to save the planet are treated with disdain, dare we stand up and say that things may not be as they seem?

'But he hasn't got anything on!'

Cathedral of St Nicholas, Nice

Some weeks ago, I became aware of the dispute over ownership of this cathedral. It had been leased by Tsar St Nicholas II to the Archbishop of St Petersburg for 99 years. In that time, it came to be used by the Rue Daru jurisdiction under the Patriarchate of Constantinople, (of which the Basilite group became part after leaving the Diocese of Sourozh). The lease expired in 2007 yet its current occupants are now claiming rightful ownership.

What had managed to bypass me until today was the news from three weeks ago that a French court ruled that the Russian state, as the successor to the Tsar as the governing entity of Russia, is the rightful owner of the cathedral and all properties attached to it. An appeal was launched immediately.

It may be remembered that the Dormition Cathedral in Ennismore Gardens, London, was at the heart of a not dissimilar legal battle only recently, again due to members of this same jurisdiction which, as Fr Andrew shares, has long been problematic.

Jurisdictional claims over Estonia, receiving Bishop Basil and his clergy without canonical release in the United Kingdom, poaching suspended Antiochian clergy in North America*, and now attempting to misappropriate property in France - when will the power-grabbing of the Constantinople Patriarchate cease? It does nobody any good. It does our Orthodox witness no good, and it wounds the bonds of filial love that should exist among brothers and sisters in Christ. Please, let it end.

I think that our First Hierarchs need to approach this matter with humility and try to reach some resolution. Anybody who saw the excerpt from 60 Minutes would not fail to be moved with sympathy for Patriarch Bartholomew and gain some understanding of the situation in which the Constantinople Patriarchate struggles to exist, but grabbing power, territory, and property elsewhere cannot be the solution, surely.

That He may deliver His people from enemies both visible and invisible, and confirm in us oneness of mind, brotherly love, and piety, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy!

*This came in the wake of the Patriarchate of Antioch declaring its support for the Constantinople Patriarchate in its uncanonical acceptance of clergy from the Russian Church, only for Constantinople to then do the same thing to Antioch. I confess that I felt a sense of sinful satisfaction when this happened, of which I am not proud.

Haiti, I'm Sorry (UPDATED)

Recent events have reminded me of this David Rudder song, popular when I was a child in St Kitts. We would often see news footage of boats leaving Haiti crammed with people, with yet more hanging off every proturberance. Often the boats would capsize or sink, and we would see footage of bodies being recovered from the water. Yet time and time again, people would risk this out of sheer desperation, eager to escape the extreme poverty and suffering of Haiti. Meanwhile, the rest of the Caribbean and the world simply looked on - and now this. How much more can these people endure?

I shall let the song speak for itself. To date there has been no word from the Orthodox missions. Please pray for the people of Haiti, and give if you can.

Update 15/01/10: Contact established with priest in Haiti.
Update 16/01/10: His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion makes an appeal.
Update 26/01/10: Reader Vladimir, from the Port-au-Prince parish of the Nativity, has died in the earthquake. Please pray for him, his widow, and his children.

Toussaint was a mighty man,
and to make matters worse he was black -
black, and that in the days when black men knew
their place was in the back.
But this rebel - he walked through Napoleon,
who thought it wasn't very nice,
and so today my brothers in Haiti -
they still pay the price.

Haiti, I'm sorry:
we misunderstood you;
one day we'll turn our heads
and look inside you.
Haiti, I'm sorry. Haiti, I'm sorry.
One day we'll turn our heads:
restore your glory.

Many hands reach out to St George's,
and are still reaching out.
To those frightened,
foolish men of Pretoria
we still scream and shout.
We came together in song
to steady the Horn of Africa
but the papaloa come and the babyloa go
and still, we don't seem to care.

Haiti, I'm sorry:
we misunderstood you;
but one day we'll turn our heads
and look inside you.
Haiti, I'm sorry. Haiti, I'm sorry.
One day we'll turn our heads:
restore your glory.

When there is anguish in Port-au-Prince,
it's still Africa crying.
We are outing fires in far-away places
when our neighbours are just burning.
They say the Middle Passage is gone,
so how come overcrowded boats still haunt our lives?
I refuse to believe that we good people
would forever turn our hearts
and our eyes away.

Haiti, I'm sorry:
we misunderstood you;
one day we'll turn our heads
and look inside you.
Haiti, I'm sorry. Haiti, I'm sorry.
One day we'll turn our heads:
restore your glory.

Haiti, I'm sorry.

For so long, we looked away; turned our eyes around. I'm sorry.

- David Rudder

Abbot Augustine (Whitfield) Gravely Ill

Dom Augustine, Abbot of the Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Royal since 1962, is gravely ill in hospital.

He is in his nineties and is ailing. Please pray.