Russian Orthodox Church ready to support all orthodox believers at Beijing Olympiad

Written on August 10, 2008 – 10:23 am by admin

In an interview with the Voice of Russia radio station a spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchate Bishop Mark of Yegorevsk said that the Russian Orthodox Church was prepared to support all Orthodox believers at the Beijing Olympic Games. As is known, the Olympiad will be held from August 8 to 24.

At present Beijing’s Olympic Village seems to be a strange site for the country: a synagogue, a Catholic church, a Muslim mosque, an Orthodox church and a Buddhist temple have been erected in close proximity to each other. For China where religion is strictly controlled by the state this looks most unusual. The country’s authorities made an exception to the rule by allowing several dozens of priests of various confessions to support believers among athletes and guests during the Olympiad.

Russian Orthodox Church will be presented by two priests in Beijing. The permission of the Chinese authorities to support athletes during the Games is most important for the Russian Orthodox Church. Bishop Mark of Yegorevsk says that today there are many Orthodox believers among Russia’s athletes who need church support. He is convinced that prayers for success of the Russian team can help it to overcome all difficulties and to win. Here is more from him:

“During previous Olympiad Leonid Tyagachev issued a call to pray for success of the Russian national team. What is noteworthy is that prior to this, in the beginning of the Games, Russians did not win any awards. This is what actually prompted Leonid Tyagachev to ask for prayers. To surprise of many Russian athletes began to win medals in several days after the call.”

True, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church will support not only Russian athletes but also Orthodox believers from other countries attending the Games. The thing is that there are no local Orthodox priests in China in recent years.

The history of Orthodoxy in China can be traced back to the late 17th century: in 1684 Cossacks of the Russian Albazin fortress were taken prisoner by Chinese Army and forwarded to Beijing where led by priest Maxim Leontiev they founded a Russian community and religious mission. In 1954 the mission was dissolved owing to political reasons, its property was handed over to the Chinese People’s Republic. Several years later the Chinese Orthodox Church got autonomy from the Moscow Patriarchate and became independent. From that time on there is rule in China that only a Chinese national can be a priest. Here is more from Bishop Mark:

“Nationals of China cannot get spiritual support from priests of other countries. Yet at present there are no Orthodox bishops and priests in the country. The Russian Orthodox Church currently possesses only one church and a community in Hong Kong. And there is also one priest who visits Beijing and conducts services on the territory of Russian embassy for Russian nationals and nationals of other countries, that is, for all Orthodox believers residing in China.”

In conclusion the spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchate says there is hope that the Olympic Games will show how important for people are spiritual support and an opportunity of attending church services and praying. This can open up a new chapter in the history of Russian Orthodox Church in China.

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China: Orthodox Christians seek recognition

Orthodox Metropolitan Nektarios of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia was enthroned in a ceremony held at a Roman Catholic church. The Greek native will appeal to China to allow Orthodox worship.
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Friday, March 14, 2008 By Francis Wong
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The new Orthodox metropolitan of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia says his priorities include dealing with the Chinese government to bring about the recognition of Orthodox Christians in mainland China.

"There are many Orthodox in the port cities in South China. Greeks are working on the ships and they want a place of worship," Metropolitan Nektarios told Ecumenical News International on 29 February, the day before his enthronement. "The pastoral activities are first for the [Orthodox] Greeks, then for the Chinese. There are only a few Orthodox Chinese there."

At present, the Chinese government recognises only Daoism, Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism as "official" religions, even though other religious group operate in China.

The new metropolitan, or archbishop, also said that promoting Christian unity was a priority. "I want to work together, very closely and with more collaboration, with some other Christian churches here," he said. "We must be together."

To accommodate more participants, Nektarios' enthronement took place in a Roman Catholic chapel next to the Orthodox church in Hong Kong and it was attended by local Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Methodist leaders.

In his interview, the metropolitan said a major challenge now facing Orthodox Christians is to break down the national barriers between them.

"There is a big mistake for Orthodox to claim themselves as Greek Orthodox, or Russian Orthodox. We are the same Orthodox," Nektarios told ENI. "I come here not to change a Chinese to a Greek, or to a Russian, but to let the Chinese know about Christ."

Metropolitan Nektarios was born in 1969 in Greece. He received his training at the theological school of the University of Athens, and he was ordained a priest in 1995.The 40-year-old metropolitan, the youngest prelate of his rank in his church, said he planned to eventually divide his jurisdiction into two. At present, his jurisdiction extends from India eastwards, including all of East Asia except Korea and Japan.

One part would remain based in Hong Kong, to cover Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan and the Philippines. The other one would be headquartered in Singapore to look after India, Indonesia and Pakistan.

Francis Wong writes for Ecumenical News International and appears here with permission.

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Russian patriarchate ready to train Chinese priests

» 11/28/2007
11:59CHINA – RUSSIA

Metropolitan Kirill, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, confirmed Moscow’s willingness to provide theological training to priests from China’s 15,000-strong Orthodox community.

Moscow (AsiaNews/Interfax) – Russian Orthodox theological schools are ready to train Orthodox students from China whose Orthodox Church is independent from Moscow, Metropolitan Kirill, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, said.

At present, there are no Chinese Orthodox priests in the People's Republic of China whilst the number of Orthodox believers in the country is believed to be around 15,000, the metropolitan explained.

The Chinese Orthodox Church was granted autonomy by the Synod of the Russian Church in 1957, but it has not had a primate since the death of bishop Vasily of Beijing in 1962.

The Synod stated in 1997 that Patriarch Aleksij II of Moscow and All Russia would carry out canonical care for the parish of the Orthodox Church in China.

“Russian Church is unambiguously interested in the restoration of an independent Orthodox Church in China, but as the Mother Church it is ready to send Russian priests to China as an interim measure,” he added.

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