A while ago, someone told me the communists were so hard up for members in Russia, that they were putting pictures of scantily clad women on their web site. So I visited there and, sure enough ... Now it appears that they have also resorted to exploiting religion. Nothing new about that, but they've updated their research and marketing technology for doing so.

Moscow
Russian communists: Down with atheism, Long live religion

http://www.iamik.ru
October 30, 2003

In the press center of "Arguments and Facts" a press conference was called by CPRF chairman Gennadiy Zyuganov on the theme, "Communists and Orthodoxy." The underlying goal of the press conference was the presentation of Gennadiy Zyuganov's new book, "Svyatay Rus i Koshcheyevo tsarstvo" ("Holy Russia and Koshchey's Kingdom"), along with a commentary by the CPRF leader on several political events.

Before the press conference began, all the journalists were given a copy of G. Zyuganov's new book, a booklet with the electoral platform of the CPRF and a press release, in which the results of a socialist survey was published, which was conducted by the Center for Research into the Political Culture of Russia. The main question for which the sociologists sought an answer: whose electorate was the most churchy? This led further to three diagrams, in which the answers were tabulated to the following questions: "Your religion? If you're Orthodox, then how long since last confession and communion? If you're Orthodox, then do you observe the Lent fast?"

It was most interesting that the participants of this survey were all adherents of the CPRF, "One Russia" and citizens who were still undecided about their political choice. The journalists were not surprised by the results of the survey. The Center for Research into the Political Culture of Russia came to the conclusion that in the Orthodox electorate, "One Russia" was almost 2.5 times less churchly than the communists. The survey concluded that "The phenomenon of the most extensive churchliness of the CPRF voters obviously requires a very careful analysis."

After the survey results were declared, G. Zyuganov commented that "Russia is a multi-national country. It has representatives of all the world religions, and we have always found and will find a common language with representatives of any religion. This is necessary for the strengthening of the government." The leader of the Communist Party commented further on his position with regards to the written appeal of Boris Berezovskiy to the leaders of various political parties. As is known, in his appeal Berezovskiy expressed anxiety for the future of the country and proposed that the left (CPRF etc.) and the right (SPS, "Yabloko" etc.) parties consolidate a declaration about refusing to participate in the parliamentary elections, which are supposed to take place December 7, 2003, and appealed to his voters not to go to the elections or even to vote against everybody. To this appeal, G. Zyuganov replied in the following manner, "I can say that our country is falling apart, branches of power are completely corrupt, the mass media are not independent, dirt and lies are everywhere. I see only two ways out of this situation." His first conclusion was that all the people need to rise up and tell the RF government, "Get out! So how are you in the government not able to manage even basic responsibilities?"

The second choice is to elect those in the election who are in a position to correct the situation in Russia. By law, after the elections are over and the votes are counted, the election committee has to have a record and a copy, therefore the people, after the close of the electoral district, needed to block their department until the time when members of the voting commission give the people a copy of the records. Perhaps then criminality and machinations will not reign. "I can say that we can do this, we are against the devastation of the country, and the people's block needs friendly support," underscored G. Zyuganov.

The CPRF leader commented further on the situation about the hearsay which the mass media was printing about the RF Communist Party being connected with the Chechen terrorists and combatants. "The senior terrorists are sitting in the Kremlin - this was Yeltsin. He began the war in Chechnia, he issued the orders to shoot and wage war. The CPRF was always against waging this war and against it unanimously, and also submitted the proposal not to start the war, but raise the standard of living for the people in the Chechen Republic," explained Zyuganov.

To the request of journalists to comment on the Yukos situation and, in particular, the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovskiy, G. Zyuganov replied as follows, "There's nothing new for us or for me here. Like only Khodorkovskiy decided to get involved in politics, V.V. saw in it competition at the elections. That's all."

Russian Orthodox Church news

Agency communication of the OVTsS MP
http://www.russian-orthodox-church.org.ru
October 28, 2003

The man being presented as "Father Johann Gorbunov from OVTsS MP", has been a downgraded cleric of the Yekaterinburg diocese for the last ten years

As reported in an OVTsS MP agency press release (Department of External Church Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchy) a person recently took part in Communist Party of the Russian Federation events who was introduced as "Father Johann Gorbunov, staff of the Department of External Church Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchy." His various statements, which could be interpreted as electoral agitation, passed information to the mass media, in particular, the ORT "Vremya" program and the "Blagovest-Info" agency. During this he was referred to as an employee of the Department. Passing himself off as an employee of the synodal apparatus, he thus presented his own position as the position of church leaders.

In connection to that this agency communication of the Department for External Church Affairs announces that such an employee does not now nor ever has existed, and that no one has given this person authority to step forward on public issues in the name of the religious leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In conclusion to this it should be mentioned that, as the clergyman Zleksiy Yakovlev of the managing chancellory of the Yekaterinburg diocese reported, the clergyman Johann Gorbunov was regarded as a cleric of this diocese until 14 June 1993, when he was transferred to the staff of Melkhisedek diocese. There is no official information about his status in that diocese.

Moscow
Zyuganov wrote a book about Orthodoxy and globalization

Polit.Ru
November 1, 2003

CPRF (Communist Party Russian Federation) leader Gennadiy Zyuganov conducted a presentation about his new book "Holy Russia and the Koshchey Kingdom." (Koshchey: Russian folklore, a skinny old rich man who possesses the secret of long life. Picture of Koshchey at /media/031101.htm#031107c as played by Russian actor George Millyad.)

The 260-page work, of which 5,000 copies have been printed, according to the author, is devoted to the problem of the threat of "world globalization and the role of the Church in forming the Russian political system."

The first part of the book, "Faith and truth," is devoted to the problem of spiritual revival in Russia and, as the CPRF leader asserts, overcoming the "consequences of a democratic pogrom of the Russian political system." The second part, "New Babylon against the third Rome," describes the process of modern globalization.

"Enemies of Orthodoxy" are what Zyuganov, in the preface of his book, calls "liberalism and THE anti-Russian, anti-Slavic tendencies being taught in Russian schools." The CPRF leader made in the book a demand for the retirement of the government. Zyuganov calls himself a believing person, reported RIA "Novosti."

picture from vvp.ru
Moscow Patriarchy: "Father Johann" from the CPRF has no connection to us

Grani.Ru
October 30, 2003

The Department of External Church Affairs (OVTsS) of the Moscow Patriarchy does not have any connection to the person who recently took part in measures by the CPRF in representing himself as "Father Johann Gorbunov, OVTsS staff." This was reported to Interfax by the assistant chairman of the department, Protopriest Vsevolod Challin.

The agency spokesman mention that this person, specifically, appeared at a presentation of Communist Party Leader Gennadiy Zyuganov's book, "Holy Russia and the Koshchey Kingdom," and also on the "Vremya" program on ORT.

"His statements could be regarded as election agitation by many people. Passing himself off as an employee of the synodal apparatus, he thus present his own position as the position of church leaders," noted the representative of the Church.

In connection to this service communication of the Department for External Church Affairs announced on Tuesday that "such an employee does not now nor ever has existed," and that "no one has given this person authority to step forward on public issues in the name of the religious leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church."

In conclusion the Church spokesman expressed the hope that "all the media that were involved in the error would air an explanation saying that this person represented only himself."

Open letter from Protopriest Vasiliy Ermakov to CC CPRF chairman G.A. Zyuganov

http://www.religare.ru/article7297.htm
November 11, 2003

"With deep respect I leave to your judgment this book, dedicated to the problems of reviving Russia, the issues of coordination of Church and State, politics and the Orthodox hierarchy in the face of the new challenge and threat of the 21st century ... with sincere hope for understanding and cooperation. G. Zyuganov"

Esteemed Gennadiy Andreyevich!

I received your book, which is dedicated to the problems of reviving our Holy Russia. The complexity of the subject theme is obvious, but it it is almost entirely revealed in an article by the Sovereign Metropolitan Gedeon, his memory is everlasting. I agree with his opinion, but on my part I would like to add to it an interpretation from a personal view of the "Koshchey Kingdom", which I consider to be an unsuccessful construction by your like-minded communist society and in which I had occasion to live for 65 years of my life. And the suffering I went through in the past, about which I am writing you, occurred primarily in the "Koshchey Kingdom", which used to be a threat to us.

I do not see how Holy Russia in the person of a Russian warrior could, with one blow, kill the communist "Koshchey" (Koshchey: Russian folklore, a skinny old rich man who possesses the secret of long life. It's used here referring to Lenin, whose born name was Ulyanov.) I am 76 years old, and my service record of suffering, which I experienced in the communist "Koshchey Kingdom" is like this. I am the son of a participant of the civil war, and in 1929 his father was dekulakized (relieved) of "winnowing-seeding machines." But he believed the words of the leader of the "Koshchey realm," the little leader who spoke with a burr, who was robbing the rich of their purses, and the poor of their livelihood. "Land for peasants, Factories for workers" and other empty words were the fraud of the communists. And in real life starvation was the first five-year plan of the Soviet regime, while churches, converted by the communists into warehouses, were full of grain, people died by the thousands. There was the shooting of thousands of hostages by the Prodotyardi and Chonovtsi, robbery and desecration of the churches and monasteries, bloody suppression of the Kronstadt and Tambovsky rebellions, "wearing down the backbone" of collectivization for Russian peasants, and the starvation arranged by the communists in the 1930s, which took the lives of seven million people. In the end the most terrible crimes of the communists, which began to occur by order of the leading "communist Koshchey" of Ulyanov, was the annihilation of the Orthodox Church, its clergy and laymen, its saints, and most of all its relics. The execution of this crime was suspended in 1943, when almost all the Orthodox Christians who were capable of resisting had been swallowed up by the prisons and concentration camps and were shot.

On the eve of the war with fascist Germany the communists sent from the Russia they were persecuting a special train of rations and strategic raw materials for the fascist "Koshchey," Hitler. Up until the war it was you that conducted military instruction for Guderian and many other German military commanders. Remember the parade in Brest in 1939 of Soviet and Fascist forces, less than two years after which the "Koshchey" leader Stalin cowardly opened his mouth finally on 3 July 1941, after the blood of Russian soldiers had already flowed in streams, and complained about Germany's treacherous attacks.

I saw the war in all its brutality. I spent from October 9, 1941 to the end as a prisoner of the occupation forces. Being in the camp and reporting to underage prisoners of the German concentration camps, I tried on myself the order of the head of "Koshchey - General Secretary" - not a gram of bread, not a liter of fuel for the enemy. We were left by the communists to a certain death as prisoners of the occupation. What they weren't able to carry off in the retreat was burned. They burned bags of flour, sugar and bread. Salt was soaked in gasoline. They drove out the livestock to the east, and the Germans killed the livestock in the open. They burned haystacks on the fields, but didn't give it to the people, to families whose men had fallen at the front. And there wouldn't have been a Leningrad blockade if the Oblast Committee Secretary had returned the provisions to the people during the approach of the Germans instead of storing them in the Badayevski warehouses. This was outright murder of Russians, committed during the occupation by the will of the communists.

The war was over and trains of prisoners were sent west to east from German to Soviet camps for a new torment for those abandoned by the communists - by the commanders who had been taken prisoner. Yes and then the prisoners had to answer to their own people and were subjected to repressive measures. I myself underwent 4 interrogations by the NKVD for what happened in the camps. And the fate of former clergy who had been taken prisoner was to go to prisons and camps; this was for maintaining a belief in God and in the Russian people, who had been called upon to remain faithful to the Moscow Patriarchy. You tried to vindicate Stalin before the Russian people, recalling his meeting in September 1943 with the bishop. This was not done out of love for the Orthodox faith, but out of fear of the obvious propaganda of freedom of faith practiced under the Germans, when the Russians were not afraid to go into churches and reveal this freely, when they collected icons, looked for clergy, and assembled young people into church choirs. If the communists at that time believed in God and were trying to revive the Orthodox faith in the Russian people, then prayers of thanks to God for victory over the enemy would have been triumphantly spoken on Red Square together with the Patriarch. But instead you expressed your thanks to the "Koshchey Mausoleum" instead of to God.

The post-war era passed under the motto of "set the faith," when the Church attempted to kill the tax burden which had been imposed by the Oblast Soviet representatives for religious affairs solely to close the churches. That's an example of faith eradication measures by Krushchev and a number of other party apparatchiks of the Soviet era.

I look on you, Gennadiy Andreyevich, as my fellow countryman. I was also born at Orlovshchin in the city of Bolkhov. I am taking your statements into account, but I do not see in you a Russian Orthodox man. You sit under a blood red flag with a portrait of a tyrant, a tyrant also on the lapel of your jacket. The display of pictures of tyrants goes with deceived, dazed Russians. Your friends, Ampilov, Varennikov, Makashev and Limonov, craved Russian blood, they go from lying to deceiving the people and forget that we have lived in this system of "Koshchey" tyranny for 80 years. We don't need any more of this sort of happiness where we live under communism and give up the lives of a hundred million Russians for tyranny.

Your photographs with the Patriarch, the bishops and the clergy are just another fraud for those people who have little in common with God. Even if I were to see you in church praying, carrying icons and making the sign of the cross, as long as you remain a communist I wouldn't trust you. Therefore, Gennadiy Andreyevich, help the Russian Orthodox people without the ideas of communism, but with faith in God, for the blow of a Russian warrior to destroy the communist "Koshchey's dark kingdom."

With the hope of Christ's repentance for you for the sins of the communists before the Church,

[signed]
Protopriest Vasiliy Ermakov,
Prior of the Church of St. Serafim Sarovsky
in the city of Saint Petersburg

November 9, 2003

P.S. As the editors of "Tserkovnogo vestnika" are well aware, a number of other clergy have sent G.A. Zyuganov letters with harsh criticism of his book "Svyataya Rus i koshcheevo tsarstvo," ("Holy Russia an the Koshchey Kingdom"), but those letters have a personal character and are not destined for publication. To find out more details about protopriest Vasiliy Ermakov, senior priest of Saint Petersburg Metropol, there is a Russian page.

Moscow
Imposter in the ranks of the CPRF (Communist Party Russian Federation)

http://www.vvp.ru
November 13, 2003

At a noisy CPRF presentation with communist leader Gennadiy Zyuganov constantly showed a person in clerical garb, introduced as "Father Johann Gorbunov, staff of the Department of External Church Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchy" (OVTsS). His conduct was so conspicuous, that he created the impression that there was support for the communists from the side of the church, for which assistant chairman of the OVTsS Fr. Vsevolod Challin had to make a special announcement that there is not now nor has there ever been such an employee in the department.

The "One Russia" party cooperated in the most direct manner with the Russian Orthodox Church. In all regions close contact between "One Russia" and church employees were established. Among the One-Russians are a considerable number of people who sincerely believe in God. The Consultative Council of Public Education of "One Russia" took a most active part in the organization of the 6th and 7th Congresses of the World Russian Peoples Council, the leader of which was the Patriarch of Moscow and All the Russias Aleksiy II. At the 6th Council Congress, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared.

"One Russia" Consultative Council of Public Education
published 13 November 2003

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