Alexey Mikhailovich Ridiger was a patrilineal descendant of aBaltic German noble family. His father, Mikhail Aleksandrovich Ridiger (1900–1960), was a descendant of Captain Heinrich Nikolaus (Nils) Rüdinger, commander of a Swedish fortification inDaugavgrīva,Swedish Livonia who was knighted byCharles XI of Sweden in 1695.Swedish Estonia and Swedish Livonia became part of theRussian Empire in the aftermath of theGreat Northern War, in the beginning of the 18th century. Friedrich Wilhelm von Rüdiger (1780–1840), adopted Orthodox Christianity during the reign ofCatherine the Great.[2]From the marriage with a Polish woman, Sophie Dorothea Jerzębska,[3] was born the future Patriarch's great-grandfather, Yegor (Georgi) von Rüdiger (1811–1848).[4]
After theOctober Revolution of 1917, Alexey Ridiger's father Mikhail became a refugee and the family settled in Estonia, first inHaapsalu where a shelter was provided by priest Ralph von zur Mühlen.[5] Later Mikhail moved to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, where he met and married in 1928 to Yelena Iosifovna Pisareva (1902–1955),[4] who was born and later died there.[1]Alexey Ridiger's father graduated from the theological seminary in Tallinn in 1940 and was ordained a deacon and later a priest and served as therector of the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Tallinn. Later, he was a member and the chairman of the Diocesan Council in Estonia.[citation needed]
Alexey Ridiger (born Aleksei Rüdiger) was born and spent his childhood in theRepublic of Estonia that had become a Russian Orthodox spiritual center and a home to many Russian émigrés after the RussianOctober Revolution in 1917.[6] He was baptised into theEstonian Apostolic Orthodox Church.[7]From his early childhood Alexey Ridiger served in the Orthodox Church under the guidance of his spiritual father, Archpriest Ioann Bogoyavlensky. He attended Tallinn's Russian Gymnasium.
During theoccupation of Estonia by Nazi Germany (1941–1944) Alexey with his father Mikhail, who had become an Orthodox priest on 20 December 1942, visited the Sovietprisoners of war in German prison camps in Estonia. Such activity was tolerated by the German occupational authorities because it was seen as effective anti-Soviet propaganda. After Soviet forces returned to Estonia in the autumn of 1944, unlike most of the people with Baltic German roots, the Ridiger (Rüdiger) family chose to stay in Estonia instead of evacuating to the West.[8]
During the warJoseph Stalin had revived the Russian Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union.[9] Having been closed during the war time, after the Soviet annexation of Estonia theAlexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn was reopened in 1945. Alexey Ridiger, who had become a Soviet citizen[10] served as an altar boy in the cathedral from May to October 1946. He was made a psalm-reader in St. Simeon's Church later that year; in 1947, he officiated in the same office in the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Tallinn.[1]
He entered the Leningrad Theological Seminary in 1947, and graduated in 1949. He then entered theLeningrad Theological Academy, and graduated in 1953.[11][12]
On 15 April 1950, he was ordained a deacon by MetropolitanGregory (Chukov) of Leningrad, and on 17 April 1950, he was ordained a priest and appointed rector of theTheophany church in city ofJõhvi, Estonia, in the Tallinn Diocese. On 15 July 1957, Fr. Alexy was appointedRector of the Cathedral of theDormition in Tallinn andDean of theTartu district. He was elevated to the rank ofArchpriest on 17 August 1958, and on 30 March 1959 he was appointed Dean of the unitedTartu-Viljandi deanery of the Tallinn diocese. On 3 March 1961 he wastonsured amonk in the Trinity Cathedral ofthe Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.[11]
On 14 August 1961, he was chosen to be theOrthodox Church Bishop of Tallinn and Estonia, succeeding his father-in-law,John (Alekseev), who was promoted to Archbishop of Gorky and Arzamas. On 23 June 1964, he was elevated to the rank ofarchbishop. On 22 December 1964, he was appointedChancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate and, ex officio, a permanent member of the Holy Synod. On 25 February 1968, when he just turned 39 years old, he was elevated tometropolitan.[12]
In 1986 he was released from the post of the Chancellor, which he had held since 1961 and which allowed him to be based in the Moscow Patriarchy's headquarters, and transferred to Leningrad; the decision was effectively made by the Council for Religious Affairs and was later presented by Alexy as punishment for his letter in December 1985 toMikhail Gorbachev with proposals of reforms to church-state relations. Shortly after Alexy's death, the then Chairman of the Council Kharchev strongly denied that and said the decision was aimed at "defusing the tense emotional atmosphere within Patriarch Pimen's inner circle".[13] In an earlier interview Kharchev suggested the removal had been requested by Patriarch Pimen "for a year".[14]
Alexy was one of the presidents of theConference of European Churches from 1964. In March 1987 he was elected President of the CEC Presidium and Advisory Committee, in which post he remained until November 1990.[15][16] Criticized forEcumenism by some within the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexy responded by saying that such were opinions expressed not by representatives of the church but expressed as private views of free citizens.[17]
There have been reports, beginning in the 1990s, that Patriarch Alexy II had been aKGB agent. These reports originate withGleb Yakunin, a member of the committee created for the investigation of theSoviet coup attempt of 1991 and chaired byLev Ponomaryov, who thereby gained the access to secretKGB archives.[18] In March 1992 he published materials alleging cooperation between the Moscow Patriarchate and the KGB. He published code names of several KGB agents who held high-rank positions in the Russian Orthodox Church including Patriarch Alexius II. The Russian churchdefrocked Yakunin in 1993.[19] The allegation was repeated byYevgenia Albats in 1994.[20]Western media reported on these allegations in 1999[21] and again in 2007/8.[22][23][24][25]The Patriarch was also named as a "KGB collaborator" in a 2015 interview with defected former KGB general and suspecteddouble agentOleg Kalugin.[26]
It is alleged that the Estonian branch of the KGB recruited Alexy as an agent on 28 February 1958, just days after his 29th birthday, assigning him the codename "Drozdov" (he had completed his dissertation on MetropolitanFilaret Drozdov). The report detailing his recruitment makes clear that the KGB contacted Alexy, then still a simple priest, because they expected him to succeed John (Alekseev) as Bishop of the Russian Orthodox diocese of Tallinn and Estonia (and he was in fact appointed to this post less than three years later).[27][28] Among his KGB assignments was one in 1983, when he was sent to thePskov-Caves Monastery to "pacify" rebellious monks.[29]
The reports further allege thatAlexander Grigoryev, a KGB officer in Leningrad under cover as Orthodox priest Fr Alexander was his case officer for a while.[30] According toOleg Gordievsky, Alexy II worked for the KGB for forty years, and his case officer wasNikolai Patrushev.[citation needed]In February 1988, exactly 30 years after his recruitment, the KGB chairman awarded him the Certificate of Honour.[20]
Patriarch Alexy II acknowledged that compromises were made with the Soviet government by bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate, himself included, and publicly repented of these compromises:
"Defending one thing, it was necessary to give somewhere else. Were there any other organizations, or any other people among those who had to carry responsibility not only for themselves but for thousands of other fates, who in those years in the Soviet Union were not compelled to act likewise? Before those people, however, to whom the compromises, silence, forced passivity or expressions of loyalty permitted by the leaders of the church in those years caused pain, before these people, and not only before God, I ask forgiveness, understanding and prayers."[31]
At the same time, the Patriarch has called the reports making him out to be "KGB agent" mere exaggerations of such necessary compromises he had to make with the Soviet authorities.[32] Similarly, the official spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchy, Father Vsevolod Chaplin, in 2000 claimed that reports of Patriarch Alexy II being an "associate of the special services" are "absolutely unsubstantiated".[33]
Albats (1994) citesKonstantin Kharchev, former chairman of the SovietCouncil for Religious Affairs, as saying: "Not a single candidate for the office of bishop or any other high-ranking office, much less a member of Holy Synod, went through without confirmation by the Central Committee of theCPSU and theKGB".[20]
In summary, a degree of "collaboration" with the Soviet authorities was necessary for all bishops. Whether such collaboration represents a necessary "compromise" or suffices to qualify the bishops as "KGB agents" appears to be a matter of interpretation. According to Davis (1995), "If the bishops wished to defend their people and survive in office, they had to collaborate to some degree with the KGB, with the commissioners of the Council for Religious Affairs, and with other party and governmental authorities."[34]When asked by the Russian press about claims that he was a "compliant" bishop, "Aleksi defended his record, noting that while he was bishop of Tallinn in 1961, he resisted the communist authorities' efforts to make the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the city a planetarium (which, in truth, they did do elsewhere in the Baltic states) and to convert thePühtitsa Dormition nunnery to a rest home for miners."[35] Official records do show that during Patriarch Alexy's tenure as bishop, the Tallinn diocese had a lower number of forced Church closings than was typical in the rest of the USSR.[36] In the judgement of Ware (1997), "Opinions differ over the past collaboration or otherwise between the Communist authorities, but on the whole he is thought to have shown firmness and independence in his dealings as a diocesan bishop with the Soviet State."[37]
Alexy II speaking to Orthodox believers in Pereslavl (1997)
After the death of PatriarchPimen in 1990, Alexy was chosen to become the new Patriarch of The Russian Orthodox Church. He was chosen onLocal Council on the basis of his administrative experience, and was considered "intelligent, energetic, hardworking, systematic, perceptive, and businesslike."[38] He also "had a reputation as a conciliator, a person who could find common ground with various groups in the episcopate."[39] Archbishop Chrysostom (Martishkin) remarked "With his peaceful and tolerant disposition Patriarch Aleksi will be able to unite us all."[40]
Patriarch Alexy II was "the first patriarch in Soviet history to be chosen without government pressure; candidates were nominated from the floor, and the election was conducted by secret ballot."[12]
Upon taking on the role of Patriarch, Patriarch Alexy II became a vocal advocate of the rights of the church, calling for the Soviet government to allow religious education in the state schools and for a "freedom of conscience" law.[12]
During the attempted coup in August 1991, he denounced the arrest of Mikhail Gorbachev, and anathematized the plotters.[12] He publicly questioned the junta's legitimacy, called for restraint by the military, and demanded that Gorbachev be allowed to address the people.[41] He issued a second appeal against violence and fratricide, which was amplified over loudspeakers to the troops outside the Russian "White House" half an hour before they attacked.[39] Ultimately, the coup failed, which eventually resulted in the breakup of the Soviet Union.[42]
During Alexy II's first official visit to Germany in 1995, the Patriarch publicly apologized for the "Communist tyranny that had been imposed upon the German nation by the USSR". The apology resulted in accusations byRussian Communists and the RussianNational Bolshevik Party of insulting the Russian nation and treason.[43]
In 2000, after much debate, the All-Russian Council glorified Tsar Nicholas II and his family (seeRomanov sainthood), as well as many other New Martyrs.[46] More names continue to be added to list of New Martyrs, after the Synodal Canonization Commission completes its investigation of each case.[47]
Alexy II had complicated relations withPope John Paul II and the Roman Catholic Church. He had a dispute with Rome over the property rights of theByzantine RiteEastern Catholic Churches inUkraine, which had emerged from Soviet control after the Gorbachev's liberalisation of Russia.[48] He nevertheless had good relations withLatin Catholics inFrance and was friends with CardinalRoger Etchegaray, who invited him to the country shortly before his death.[49]
Patriarch Alexy II (right) with MetropolitanLaurus (Škurla), Hierarch of the ROCOR (left) at thePeredelkino residence.
Patriarch Alexy II repeatedly affirmed the traditional stand of the Orthodox Church and opposed the display of homosexuality in Russia, and in particular, opposed gay parades in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Church, according to the Patriarch, "has invariably supported the institution of the family and condemns untraditional relations, seeing them as a vicious deviation from God-given human nature". He also said, "I am convinced that gays' desire to organize a parade in Moscow will not help strengthen the family as the foundation of a strong state".[50] He also said that homosexuality is an illness, and a distortion of the human personality likekleptomania.[51][52]Patriarch Alexy II has also issued statements condemninganti-Semitism.[12]In February 2007 a controversy erupted whenDiomid, Bishop ofChukotka, condemned the ROC's hierarchy and personally Patriarch Alexy II forecumenism, supporting democracy and misguided loyalty to the Russian secular authorities.[53] Bishop Diomid also took the position thattaxpayer IDs,cell phones, passports,vaccination andglobalisation were tools of the antichrist,[citation needed] and that the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church have "departed from the purity of the Orthodoxal dogma"[54] in its support of the Russian government and of democracy, as well as its ecumenism with other confessions. After a decision of the All-Russian Council, and Bishop Diomid's refusal to appear, he wasdefrocked in July 2008.[55]
In 2007, Patriarch Alexy II oversaw the reunification of the Moscow Patriarchate with theRussian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). TheAct of Canonical Communion was signed on 17 May 2007. The ROCOR had been established in the early 1920s by Russian bishops forced into exile after the Russian Civil War, and was highly critical of the Moscow Patriarchate's loyalty to the Bolshevik regime after Stalin's revival of the church in 1943 in an attempt to intensify the patriotic war effort.Shortly before the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion, there were some reports in Russian media claiming that Patriarch Alexy II was in critical condition or even dead.[56]This was soon revealed as a hoax,[57] apparently designed to disrupt the reunification of the two branches.[58]
On 11 April 1950, he married Vera Alekseeva, daughter of Georgi Alekseev, who would serve as bishop John of Tallinn from 1955 to 1961.[59][60][61][62]
The wedding took place on the Tuesday ofBright Week when marriages are normally prohibited according to Church tradition; however,permission was granted by Metropolitan Gregory of Leningrad, at the request of Bishop Roman of Tallinn and the fathers of both the bride and groom (both of whom were priests, and who concelebrated the marriage together).Moskovskiye Novosti has alleged that according to a denunciation written by a priest-inspector Pariysky to the Leningrad Council of Religious Affairs, the marriage had been expedited in order for Ridiger to become adeacon and avoid being drafted into theSoviet Military (marriage is impossible after ordination in Orthodoxy). Up until 1950, seminarians were given a deferment from the draft, but in 1950 this was changed, and only clergy were exempt. For reasons which have remained private, they divorced less than a year later.[60][62]
The Patriarch's private residence was located in the village of Lukino (nearPeredelkino), now a western suburb of Moscow; it includes a 17th-century church, a museum, and a spacious three-storey house built in the late 1990s. According to the Patriarch's May 2005 interview on the residence's compound, nuns drawn from thePühtitsa Convent take care of all the household chores.[63]
There was also a working residence in central Moscow—a 19th-century town mansion, which had been turned over to the Patriarchate by Stalin's order in September 1943. Both residences acted as living quarters and Patriarch's office at the same time. He commuted in an armored car and was under the protection of federal agents (FSO) since January 2000.[64]
The formal residence (infrequently used for some official functions) is located in the MoscowDanilov Monastery – a two-storey Soviet building erected in the 1980s.
Alexy II died at his home at hisPeredelkino residence on 5 December 2008, reportedly of heart failure.[citation needed]He died 80 days short of his 80th birthday (23 February 1929 – 5 December 2008), being just one single day older at death than his predecessor,Pimen (Izvekov), who had died 81 days short of his 80th birthday (23 July 1910 – 3 May 1990).
pOn 7 December 2008,Russian presidentMedvedev issued adecree which "enjoined" that on the day of the Patriarch's burial Russia'scultural establishments andbroadcasters should cancel entertaining programs and assistance be furnished to the Patriarchate on the part of the federal and city governments for organization of the burial.[65] However, the order did not amount to a formal nationalmourning.[66]
During the service in the Christ the Saviour Cathedral, which was broadcast live by Russia'sstate TV channels, afterKathisma XVII had been chanted and Metropolitan Kirill set about doing theincensing round the coffin, he appeared to teeter and, being propped up by two bishops,[69] was ushered into the sanctuary and was absent for about an hour.Reuters reported: "Kirill was helped away by aides at one point and a Kremlin official said he had apparently fainted. The metropolitan later rejoined the funeral."[70][71] The ROC official spokesmanVsevolod Chaplin lashed out at the news media that had reported the incident "incorrectly" insisting that Kirill had not fainted, but merely had "felt unwell".[72]
Prime Minister Putin at the coffin of Patriarch Alexy.
The following is a selection of quotes from notable obituaries:
Russian Prime-ministerVladimir Putin: "Patriarch Alexy II had been a prominent figure in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as a greatstatesman <...> he made a very considerable contribution to relations between various faiths. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he had friendly relations with representatives of all traditional faiths in Russia". Putin also acknowledged that Alexy II "did a great deal to help establish a new governance system in Russia".[73]
Toomas Hendrik Ilves,President of Estonia: "I will always remember Alexius II as an especially wise man who was respected by people from the religious and secular worlds alike."[74]
TheBBC published an anonymous obituary entitled "Double life of Russia's patriarch": "Patriarch Alexy II had an extraordinary career, in which he switched from suppressing the Russian Orthodox Church to being its champion. A favourite of theKGB, he was promoted rapidly through the Church hierarchy, doing theKremlin's bidding at a time whendissident priests werethrown into jail. As the Church's effective foreign minister, he helpedcover up the repression ofRussian Christians, defending theSoviet system to the outside world. He rose quickly through the ranks, being elected head of the Russian Orthodox Church at a crucial time, in 1990, with theSoviet Union onthe path to collapse. Surprisingly, perhaps, he seized the moment, and went on to oversee the revival and flowering of the Church."[75]
Rabbi Arthur Schneier, a leader in the American Jewish community, was asked by church officials to attend the Patriarch's funeral. In a statement, he stated that Alexy II "served as the ethical pulse of the religious community in the former Soviet Union under a regime that neither welcomed nor tolerated people of faith and the leaders of organized religion."[76]
Patriarch Alexy II was an honorary member of the Theological Academies in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Crete, Greece. He was made Doctor of Theologyhonoris causa at theDebrecen Reformed Theological University inDebrecen, Hungary. He also was honored by St. Vladimir's Seminary and St. Tikhon's Seminary an at theAlaska Pacific University,Anchorage in the USA. He was given the title of honorary professor by theOmsk State University and theMoscow State University. He was given an honorary Doctorate of Philology bySaint Petersburg State University. He was given an honorary Doctorate of Theology by the Theological Faculty of theUniversity of Belgrade. He was given an honorary Doctorate of Theology by the Tbilisi Theological Academy inGeorgia. He received a Golden Medal from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the Kosice University in Kosice,Slovakia, and was an honorary member of the International Charity and Health Foundation.[81]
Awards of the Russian Orthodox Church and other local churches
Medal of 1,500th anniversary of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem (1965)
Gold medal, 1st class the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (Greece, 25 September 1980)
Gold Medal of the I degree Archdiocese of St. Catherine of Katerini (Greece, 4 May 1982)
Medal "15 years of Kemerovo and Novokuznetsk dioceses" (Diocese of Kemerovo and Novokuznetsk, 22 March 2008)
State awards of the Russian Federation
Order of St. Andrew (19 February 1999) – for outstanding contribution to the spiritual and moral rebirth of Russia, to preserve peace and harmony in society
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 1st class (23 February 2004) – for outstanding contribution to strengthening peace and harmony between peoples, the restoration of historical and cultural heritage of Russia; 2nd class (11 September 1997) – for outstanding contribution to the achievement of unity and harmony in society and long-term peacekeeping efforts
Order of Friendship of Peoples (22 February 1994) – for his great personal contribution to the spiritual revival of Russia and active peacemaking
Order of Friendship of Peoples (Belarus, 26 March 2004) – for the fruitful work of rapprochement and mutual enrichment of national cultures, and his great personal contribution to the spiritual and intellectual potential of the fraternal peoples of Belarus and Russia
Order of Francisc Skorina (Belarus, 23 September 1998) – for outstanding achievements in developing and strengthening friendly relations between nations
Medal of Francysk Skaryna (Belarus, 22 July 1995) – for outstanding contribution to the Orthodox Church in the spiritual revival of the Belarusian people
Order of the Republic (PMR, 8 February 1999) – for his invaluable contribution in promoting the true Orthodox faith of our fathers, a huge, sustained attention, and displaying to the children of the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church of our State, and in connection with the 70th anniversary of the birth
Community Awards
Diploma of the Soviet Peace Fund (23 August 1969)
Medal and certificate of the Soviet Peace Foundation (13 December 1971)
Commemorative medal inscribed board of the Soviet Peace Fund (1969)
Medal of the World Peace Council (1976) – in connection with the 25th anniversary of the peace movement
Medal of the Soviet Peace Committee (1974) – in connection with the 25th anniversary of the Committee
Diploma of the Soviet Peace Committee (November 1979)
Certificate of Merit and a commemorative medal of the Soviet Peace Fund (November 1979)
Commemorative medal of the World Peace Council (1981) – in connection with the 30th anniversary of the peace movement
Honour Board of the Soviet Peace Foundation (15 December 1982) – for active participation in the fund
Charter of the Soviet-Indian friendship
KGB Certificate of Honour (February 1988)
Honorary citizenship of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novgorod, Sergiev Posad, the Republic of Kalmykia, of the Republic of Mordovia, of the Leningrad Region, the Republic of Karelia (2006), Dimitrov (2003), Murom (Vladimir Region, 2006), Kemerovo Region (2005) and Podolsk, Moscow Region (2001)
Honorary degrees
Honorary Doctor of the Baku Slavic University, [163]
Honorary Doctor of Petrozavodsk State University (2000) [164]
Planck's Order of St. Pervozvannogo
Order "For merits before Fatherland" I degree
Order "For merits before Fatherland" II degrees
Order of Red Banner of Labor Order of Friendship Order of Friendship of Peoples
Medal Anatoly Koni
Medal for contributions to the development of agriculture
Band to White Lotus (Kalmykia). Png
Order of "Glory" (Azerbaijan)
Order of Friendship of Peoples (Belarus)
Order Skarina
Order of Merit (Belarus)
Medal of Francis Skorina rib.png
Order of the Republic (PMR)
Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross Mary's Land
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Three Stars
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas
Dostyk Order of 1st degree
Most of the National Order of the Cedar tape
Order of the Republic (Moldova)
Tape "15 years of the Diocese of Kemerovo and Novokuznetsk". Png
Russian Federation State Prize
Order "Glory and Honor"
The Order of St. Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, I degree
Order of St. Prince Vladimir Equal-I degree (ROC)
Order of St. Prince Vladimir Equal-II degree (ROC)
Order of the Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow, I degree
The Order of St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, a degree
The Order of Saint Blessed Prince Dimitry Donskoy great I degree
^Corley, Felix (6 December 2008)."Patriarch Alexy II".The Independent. London. Archived fromthe original on 9 December 2008. Retrieved14 December 2008.
^abcYevgenia Albats and Catherine A. Fitzpatrick.The State Within a State: The KGB and Its Hold on Russia — Past, Present, and Future. 1994.ISBN0-374-52738-5, page 46.
^"Григорьев".neva.versia.ru. Retrieved26 September 2018.
^From an interview of Patriarch Alexy II, given to "Izvestia" No 137, 10 June 1991, entitled "Patriarch Alexy II: – I Take upon Myself Responsibility for All that Happened", English translation from Nathaniel Davis, A Long Walk to Church: A Contemporary History of Russian Orthodoxy, (Oxford: Westview Press, 1995), p 89. See alsoHistory of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, by St. John (Maximovich) of Shanghai and San Francisco, 31 December 2007
^Konstantin Preobrazhenskiy –Putin's Espionage ChurchArchived 9 December 2008 at theWayback Machine "Patriarch Alexey II told Kalugin the following: 'Why are you exaggerating what happened? Yes, we collaborated with the KGB, even I did. But it was a struggle for peace, for disarmament! There’s nothing wrong with that!'"
^"Official spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchy Father Vsevolod Chaplin labeled such reports as "absolutely unsubstantiated" in a Wednesday interview with Interfax. "There is no data indicating that Patriarch Alexy II was an associate of the special services, and no classified documents bear his signature," he said. "I do not think that direct dialogue between the current patriarch and KGB took place," Father Vsevolod continued. However, "all bishops communicated with representatives of the council for religious matters in the Soviet government, which was inevitable, since any issue, even the most insignificant one, had to be resolved through this body. It is quite another matter that the council forwarded all its materials to the KGB," he said."Moscow Patriarchate Rejects Times Report of Alexy II's Collaboration with KGB, Sept 20, 2000 (Interfax)Archived 20 August 2016 at theWayback Machine "Chaplin, the church spokesman, said in March, "Nobody has ever seen a single real document that would confirm the patriarch used his contacts with Soviet authorities to make harm to the church or to any people in the church."Russia's Well-Connected Patriarch, Washington Post Foreign Service, 23 May 2002Archived 7 March 2017 at theWayback Machine; "Father Chaplin said: 'In recent times many anonymous photocopies of all sorts of pieces of paper have been circulated. In none of them is there the slightest evidence that the individuals we are talking about knew that these documents were being drawn up, or gave their consent. So I don't think any reasonably authoritative clerical or secular commission could see these papers as proof of anything.'", Russian Patriarch 'was KGB spy', The Guardian (London), 12 February 1999
^Nathaniel Davis, A Long Walk to Church: A Contemporary History of Russian Orthodoxy, (Oxford: Westview Press, 1995), p. 96 Davis quotes one bishop as saying: "Yes, we – I, at least, and I say this first about myself – I worked together with the KGB. I cooperated, I made signed statements, I had regular meetings, I made reports. I was given a pseudonym – a code name as they say there... I knowingly cooperated with them – but in such a way that I undeviatingly tried to maintain the position of my Church, and, yes, also to act as a patriot, insofar as I understood, in collaboration with these organs. I was never a stool pigeon, nor an informer."
^Nathaniel Davis, A Long Walk to Church: A Contemporary History of Russian Orthodoxy, (Oxford: Westview Press, 1995), p. 89f
^Nathaniel Davis, A Long Walk to Church: A Contemporary History of Russian Orthodoxy, (Oxford: Westview Press, 1995), fn. 115, p. 272
^Timothy Ware, The Orthodox Church, New Edition, (London: Penguin Books, 1997), p. 164
^Nathaniel Davis, A Long Walk to Church: A Contemporary History of Russian Orthodoxy, 2nd Edition.(Oxford: Westview Press, 2003), p 85.
^abNathaniel Davis, A Long Walk to Church: A Contemporary History of Russian Orthodoxy, 2nd Edition.(Oxford: Westview Press, 2003), p 86.
^Zhurnal Moskovskoi Patriarkhii, No. 10 (October), 1990, p.16, quoted in Nathaniel Davis, A Long Walk to Church: A Contemporary History of Russian Orthodoxy, 2nd Edition.(Oxford: Westview Press, 2003), p 284.
^Nathaniel Davis, A Long Walk to Church: A Contemporary History of Russian Orthodoxy, 2nd Edition.(Oxford: Westview Press, 2003), p 96.
^Nathaniel Davis, A Long Walk to Church: A Contemporary History of Russian Orthodoxy, 2nd Edition.(Oxford: Westview Press, 2003), p 97.
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