In society

Elder in the post -Soviet society

October 29, 2009 Alexey Makarkin

The personality of the confessor of the Holy Bogolubsky monastery Archimandrite Peter (Kucher) attracted public attention in connection with the scandal associated with the shoot of one of the pupils who lived in this monastery. The sympathies of various public groups have been polarized. For some, Father Peter is the holy elder, who is persecuted by supporters of the introduction of juvenile justice in Russia, who are striving in his person to discredit the church. For others - almost half sweat, which created a system of bullying of children. At the same time, critics of Father Peter are also conditionally divided into two parts. Some, church or near-church figures, loyal to the current patriarch, consider Peter Father with an exception against the general background, while others-extra-church liberals-believe that the practice of the Holy Bogolyubsky monastery is a rule.

There have been cases of flights from monasteries before, but now this story has coincided with two processes. On the one hand, with the desire of the team of the new Patriarch, to restore order in the church environment, eliminating the ultra -conservative opposition, opposing the adoption by believers of the TIN, new passports, participation in censuses and criticizing the priesthood for the conformist position. In the extremely radical version, the conflict manifested itself last year, when the Chukotka bishop Diomid, which was now deprived of now, opposed the current Patriarch (then Metropolitan). However, even after the victory over the bouncer banter, he had many sympathizers.

On the other hand, the Holy Bogolyubsky Monastery turned out to be a convenient object of criticism for supporters of juvenile justice, advocating the expansion of minors in accordance with modern European principles. It was in the ultra -conservative church environment that the most active opposition to Russia ratification by the European Convention on Children's Rights was formed. When ratification by the federal meeting still took place, pressure began on the president so that he did not sign the relevant law. When Dmitry Medvedev signed it, the ultra -conservatives were regarded as the defeat of Patriarch Kirill (although he, as far as can be judged, did not apply special lobbying efforts in this direction - not an example of his active activity to introduce “spiritual culture” lessons in high school). In any case, the demonstration of the negative aspects of the life of the monastery shelter makes less convincing the arguments of church supporters of the unconditional “veneration of the elders” and the negators of the legislative regulation of children's rights.

Thus, there was a unique situational coalition directed against the Orthodox ultra -conservatives. Moreover, Father Peter did a lot in order to create such an opportunity - and not only the order established in his monastery. Opponents are happy to quote his statements about contacts with saints, then with evil spirits. Indeed, for people, the secular memories of Peter's father about meetings with the Mother of God and John the Baptist, as well as with demons trying to captivate him in the forest, look strange. But if you think about it, then the mystical experience of communicating with the forces of good and evil had many Christian ascetics. We will not delve far into history-in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery tells the legend about how the icon of the Virgin, now located in the Sretensky church of this monastery, entered the cell, entered the cell in the cell. Another thing is that the stories of Peter's father are extremely “mundane”: the demon, for example, comes to him in the image of a Chekist, who is obviously at that time in the absence. But the details of this experience are only characterized by the Bogolyubsky archimandrite as an old man of post -Soviet era, whose mysticism is devoid of any sophistication.

Eldity in the history of the Russian Church traditionally plays a large role. In the minds of believers, it often opposes the church hierarchy, far from the problems of a common person, often bureaucratic. The elder is perceived as the keeper of the values ​​of spiritual, wise and simple at the same time, who also possesses considerable everyday experience and is ready to share it with believers. The purpose of the life of some elders was the salvation of the souls of people who turned to them for the spiritual advice - such is the fate of St. Serafima Sarovsky, St. Ambrose of Optinsky, in the last century - the already mentioned Archimandrite John (peasant), Archimandrite Tavrion (Batozsky), who was a mentor of Fr. Peter, and many others, glorified in the face of saints or not.

The purpose of the life of other elders is the salvation of the world from the devilish obsession, in this world present in abundance. These “obscurantists” include everywhere to look for conspiracies of dark forces, they lead people, but at the same time are burdened with numerous prejudices inherent in the contemporary society.

The tragic example of such an old man is the abbot Arseny (Alekseev), who was in 1905 by one of the founders of the Black -Hundred “Union of the Russian People”. During his long life, he exposed the venerable theologians and archpriests, who was fond of the work of the Protestant theologian Farrara, then mobilized the truly Russian people to combat Jewish liberalism, or betrayed the anathema of the Athos monks who did not agree with the ideas of the “Imayaslavls”, a mystical direction in Russian Orthodoxy. At the same time, there is no doubt about the sincerity of Fr. Arseny, who, because of his views, first lost his position of the synodal missionary, then referred to the monastery, was banned in the ministry and, finally, was buried without the funeral service as a heretic.

Archimandrite Peter, with all serious differences from his predecessor, an old man from the same row. For him, the struggle for the reconstruction of the world on a truly Orthodox basis - at first within the framework of a single monastery, and then on a larger scale, how much strength is enough, the purpose of senile service. Hence the strict orders established in the monastery, which only nuns and novices perceive for granted (after all, as they believe, this is exactly what salvation is achieved), while others begin to deny, entering into conflict with the highest spiritual authority, which is for this community about. Peter. The problem is that if an adult comes to the monastery of his own choice, for which he is responsible, then adolescents cannot yet make such a choice and resist people who sincerely seek to “save” them, even against will. Note that this is why it is necessary to control professionals in the field of working with children - guardianship authorities should know what is happening with adolescents behind the monastery walls.

Credo Archimandrite Peter is a mixture of traditional Orthodox piety and modern prejudices. Perhaps this is partially related to the features of his biography: Peter Kucher fought, then worked, was an ordinary Soviet person with a relatively prosperous fate, came to faith in adulthood, accepted monasticism and spiritual dignity, not receiving spiritual education. He was an associate of Archimandrite Taurion, but did not adopt from him tolerance, which distinguished this wise and a lot of surviving the old man. He served in the Voronezh diocese, where he came into conflict with the then diocesan bishop - a strong business executive, far from mystical searches. He left with the monks devoted to him in a small marginal “Suzdal schism”, then returned to the Moscow Patriarchate, provided that he was given the full disposal of the Holy Bogolubsky monastery in the Vladimir diocese. However, he conflict with the Vladimir Archbishop - a spiritual man and jealous of monasticism.

O. Peter knows how to speak with people in their language - his sermons are simple and intelligible even to the most unenlightened person who accidentally ended up in a monastery. Like many Soviet people, he is a spontaneous statesman, for him the world is “black and white”, as, indeed, for his flock. On the one hand, faithful state people, builders of the Russian State - from Nicholas II to Stalin. On the other hand, the destroyers who encroached on this power - Lenin, Gorbachev, Yeltsin. The modern world is dangerous, in it at every step is evil. It is worth taking a passport with an eagle, abandoning the Soviet with a sickle and a hammer - and you will not notice how you find yourself on the side of the devil. Indeed, in the new passports there is a record on which a personal number is placed, which will be laid in electronic cars. And the main machine - the computer "Beast" - is already located in the distant city of Brussels, which has become the center of the kingdom of Antichrist.

At the same time, it is clear that in no Brussels about. Peter has never been. And why should it be when pious people will come to the monastery and tell everything - however, they also did not go along the abroad, but they were definitely familiar and they saw everything with their own eyes. One professor (Soviet specialist, in the economy of labor) wrote in Soviet Russia that Pope accepted circumcision and is Mason - and Fr. Peter trustingly reproduces this information in his sermon, since it is fully consistent with his attitude. In the world about. Petra Hitler and Mussolini follow the instructions of the Basel Zionist Center, and if a pregnant woman stares a handsome Jew, then a child can be born like a Jew, even if his father was a pure Ukrainian.

The world about. Peter and his flock - tight to stuffiness and conspirological to mania. This is due not only to the strong personality of the confessor, but also with the features of post -Soviet life, when it became impossible for many people to lead the former, normal in their ideas, life. There was no habitual work (the plant or scientific institute was closed or re -profiled), the children are busy only themselves, the store has many goods, and there is no money to buy them. On television show aggressive advertising and Western films with shooting and other violence. There is a strong desire to return to the old, predictable world, where everything is “simple and familiar”, and since this is impossible, to find another, somewhat similar, for example, in the monastery. Where you do not need to make difficult decisions - the wise old man thinks for you. Other people “bring” the sects - for the same reasons. It was such people, under the leadership of the old man, arranged the Holy Bogolyubsky Monastery, which was in a deplorable state before their arrival. And now they are ready to consider the enemy of everyone who encroaches on their world, whether it be a secular liberal or an enlightened priest.

Author - First Vice President of the Center for Political Technology