Bishop Leonid of Urzhum: If a person wants to live according to the will of God, he will recognize it. Leonid, Archbishop of Vladikavkaz and Alan (Gorbachev Leonid Eduardovich)

Three months after your sudden transfer from South America to the North Caucasus?

Indeed, everything happened suddenly. He went to bed as the Bishop of Argentina and South America, and woke up as the Bishop of Vladikavkaz and Alan. A diametric change of continent, services - I worked in the largest administrative-territorial diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, where it took 8 hours to fly from one parish to another. Spent 14 years outside of Russia. If the Hierarchy decided that I need to be here, then there is good reasons exactly at this stage. And, of course, I am very glad to return to my homeland.

Here in Alanya, I am a new person, and everything that I have now plunged into is important to me. It is important to hear from everyone, I communicate a lot with people. I don’t send the driver for lavash, but I go to the store and talk. The people here are amazing, open, respectful, with wonderful traditions.

You have a lot of unresolved issues - long-term construction, collapsing historical monuments... Do you already have an understanding of how these issues will be resolved?

There are issues in the diocese that should have been resolved yesterday. We will complete long-term construction projects and save monuments. Today there are federal programs, grants for conservation historical heritage, which we are already involved in. We managed to get the situation with the Nuzal Chapel off the ground - a unique monument federal significance. This is our heritage - temples, chapels, architectural monuments, even those not related to Christianity. I will seek their salvation. We understand that services cannot be performed in the Nuzal Chapel, and we take the recommendations of specialists appropriately. It is important that we can lose the frescoes of the 12th–14th centuries there, how will we then look our descendants in the eyes?

Much work has already been done in the diocese to introduce bilingual services. We have a Liturgy in the Ossetian language, now we will check it for compliance with the language of dogma, because when translating church texts, perfect knowledge of the language is not enough. We will progressively increase the number of translated chants; there are no contradictions or deviations into nationalism in this. It's a necessity, it's like the air you breathe: you speak native language and on it you turn to God. In my cathedral, when I serve, parishioners come up and address me in Ossetian. Unfortunately, so far I only know a few words and cannot answer people.

If we talk about the main tasks, for myself, first of all, I highlight in a separate topic educational process, I set myself the goal of increasing the spiritual and educational level of ministers, because those people who carry out their priestly and diaconal obedience here need such educational support in the first place. There are advanced training courses even for bishops, because it is impossible to know everything, there are always new milestones that can be achieved.

Your plans for the education of clergy are no longer just plans. Are there appropriate agreements with North Ossetian State University?

Yes, we have found complete understanding with the rector of the university, on the basis of which we will train top-level specialists, not only with a good basic theological education, but also with knowledge of cultural studies, Byzantine studies, ethnology, and history. This is very difficult, such specialists - piece goods. The first of them will receive education only after five years, a full-fledged higher education. It is very important that teachers come to give lectures from the best academies and universities - the brightest theologians, people of art, science, in order to invest the best in those people who will study with us. But, I emphasize right away, our task is not only to raise the most educated ministers of the Church, our task is to ensure that they remain here later, and I think we will have to include some kind of legislative measures that will allow us to insure ourselves.

The republic has been preparing for the celebration of the 1100th anniversary of the Baptism of Alanya in 2017 for many years now as an event significant not only for the Church, but also for the entire country, because out of 100 peoples and nationalities of today’s Russian Federation, only two peoples accepted Orthodoxy from Byzantium at the level of their own states are Russians and Alans. Tell us, what are your plans for this date?

The topic of the Baptism of Alanya can be very interesting for a wide audience, not only for scientists. The first Alans accepted Christianity in the 2nd century, many of them accepted martyrdom. But mass baptism occurred approximately 1,100 years ago. We have set this date; plans that I inherited from my predecessors have been in place for several years now. By the way, certain projects that need to be completed are also tied to this date. This is a long-term construction on the site of a former military hospital, where it is planned to restore the temple that was historically located there, organize a spiritual and educational center, the temple of the martyr John the Warrior should also be completed, there are certain wishes regarding the completion of the construction of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is being carried out by UMMC. All our construction projects are moving, but not at the pace I would like.

What is your opinion on the issue of South Ossetia and the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church there? Has it changed for you after you came to us?

The most important thing for the Church is people. I recently took part in an event where the moderator identified the topic as “the South Ossetia project.” I do not consider it possible to use the word “project” when we talk about the ethnic group, the religious and spiritual component of the people of Alanya. South Ossetia, like North Ossetia, is first and foremost people. People who have experienced a lot and who really miss the Church. One way or another, I regularly communicate with many residents of South Ossetia, the population there is almost one hundred percent Orthodox, and the churches are ancient. And people are very worried about the lack of nourishment, there is a problem there - the population is leaving for sects.

- The dream of Ossetians in both the South and North of Ossetia is the creation of a single Alan diocese...

There is nothing impossible with God. Prayer, first of all, is our actions and efforts. I will say one thing: both the Hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church and, I think, the leadership of the country understand and are aware of the current situation. There is a fairly compiled point of view on how to act, what to do, in what direction to move, so you need to be patient, ask God for help and act in the interests of the people.

Traditionally Russian Orthodox Church bears a serious social and public burden - Sunday schools, rehabilitation centers, protection historical monuments and even tourism. How will such work be carried out?

Separately, I would like to note the work of the children's rehabilitation center at Alansky Epiphany convent. Up to 700 children with psycho-emotional disorders pass through this center every year. One of my priorities is to help the center with funding. It has not stopped working for 10 years since its opening, but this year the nuns were no longer able to cope with its maintenance on their own. I will raise the issue of possible assistance with the leadership of the republic - they also promised to help, I am sure that a joint solution will be found. This is our common cause - real targeted assistance to our children from North and South Ossetia, from poor social strata.

We are again creating a pilgrimage service in the diocese, it is needed here like air! Alanya is not open to people at all, from any angle. We need to open it. I say this as a person who long years spent abroad: in Jerusalem, the Middle East and North Africa, which is the birthplace of monasticism. Humanity has been walking these pilgrimage paths for centuries, but here in Alanya, no less Amazing places, such as Nuzal, Zrug, Lisri.

I consider this task - to open Alanya to the world - a priority for myself. I want one of the world's pilgrimage roads to lead here. In my plans I rely on those amazing historical facts that our historians know. There are already people who are proposing the first pilgrimage routes: this will be mountainous Ossetia, architectural monuments, monuments of ancient Christian Alania.

In Alanya you can venerate a piece of the relics of St. George, transferred to Ossetia from Egypt. There is nothing accidental in this life, because I was there as a representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. And many years later, Saint George again led me to these relics, already in the status of the ruling bishop. Already this fall, the diocese plans to receive a piece of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov from Diveevsky Monastery, this will be a very big event for the entire republic, for the development of pilgrimage.

- You became the rector of the Cathedral of St. George, to which in 2010 Patriarch Theodore II donated a particle of the relics of the patron saint of the temple - St. George the Victorious. Just at this time you served as the representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' under the Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa. Therefore, Orthodox Christians in both the South and North of Ossetia-Alania consider you a person not at all accidental, seeing a special meaning and mission in your appointment. Is it difficult to work with such expectations from your flock?

No. The church is the only thing I have in my life, like all those who have taken certain monastic vows. All we have is service to the Lord God, the Church, our Fatherland and the people. I don't rest - I'm a workaholic by nature. Sometimes I get annoyed that I can't work 24 hours a day. I’m mentally ready, but physically I’m not enough. This is difficult. In fact, I have this style of work - I need to grasp everything at once, get into it, the faster, the easier the process will be, and those people who work with me to achieve some goal will understand where and for what we are moving . Plus, I already have a capable team, it’s small now, we’re getting it. These are people who sincerely want the positive dynamics of the development of Orthodoxy in the republic, in Alanya as a whole. This is joyful and pleasant, because you will actually be able to see the fruits of your labors.

Bishop Leonid(in the world Leonid Eduardovich Gorbachev; October 26, 1968, Stavropol, RSFSR, USSR) - hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Bishop of Vladikavkaz and Alan.

Biography

In 1985 he graduated from high school.

In 1985-1986 - laboratory assistant at the department of aerodynamics and flight dynamics at the military unit 26265. During these same years - sexton of the St. George Church in Krasnodar.

In 1986-1988 - on active duty military service in the Armed Forces of the USSR.

In 1988-1989 - reader-singer of the St. George Church in Krasnodar and subdeacon of Bishop Isidore of Ekaterinodar and Kuban.

In 1989-1992 he studied at the Leningrad Theological Seminary.

On April 8, 1990, he was ordained a deacon. On June 18, 1990, he was tonsured a monk, and on October 8, 1990, he was ordained a hieromonk.

In 1990-1997 - full-time cleric of the Catherine Cathedral in Krasnodar. In 1995-1997 he was the sacristan of this cathedral.

Since 1997 - employee of the Synodal Department for interaction with Armed forces and law enforcement agencies (Moscow).

From March to September 1998, he was on a business trip as part of the Russian separate airborne brigade of the UN peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH), where, as he later recalled, he had to face “unprecedented blatant injustice against the entire Orthodox community.” people."

From October 1998 to September 2002 he studied at the Theological Faculty of the Athens national university named after Kapodistrias, was a supernumerary cleric of the Russian lower Temple of the Great Martyr Panteleimon in Agios Panteleimonas (Athens, Greece).

Since October 2002 - employee of the Secretariat of Inter-Orthodox Relations of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

On July 30, 2003, by decision of the Holy Synod, he was appointed a member of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem.

On December 24, 2004, by decision of the Holy Synod, he was released from his position as a member of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem and appointed rector of the Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alexandria and the Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica in Cairo, Representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' to the Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa.

On September 25-29, 2007, as part of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, he attended the celebrations dedicated to the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ according to the Ethiopian calendar.

In June 2009, attended a meeting of the Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria II and the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev.

On April 11, 2010, at the courtyard of the Moscow Patriarchate in Cairo, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', during his visit to the Patriarchate of Alexandria, elevated him to the rank of archimandrite.

While serving in Egypt, I saw the beginning of the “Arab Spring”: “I also saw prosperous times when there was peace and grace in Egypt, and our compatriots visited the resorts of this country in large numbers - up to 3 million people a year. But January 25, 2011 made its most severe adjustments - from peaceful life not a trace remained. Tahrir Square, crazy, uncontrollable crowds, death of people... I'm not even talking about the fact that temples were destroyed and priests were killed. We did what was possible under those conditions. A crisis headquarters was organized at the Russian Embassy, ​​which included me - first of all, they tried to reduce the level of anxiety and prevent panic. We must pay tribute to our diplomats - they acted clearly in this situation and did not forget about anyone. For our part, we also made every effort: we took parishioners out of disadvantaged areas where there was shooting and the situation was close to chaos, and provided them with temporary housing. But the most important thing, of course, was to support people morally and spiritually.”

Bishopric

On May 29, 2013, at a meeting of the Holy Synod, he was elected Bishop of Argentina and South America.

On June 11, 2013, he was ordained bishop at the Patriarchal residence of the St. Daniel Monastery. The naming ceremony was headed by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'.

Bishop Leonid spoke about his first visit to Armenia, bilateral cooperation, and the difficulties of life for the ministers of the Sputnik Armenia church. Interviewed by Laura Sargsyan.

— Vladyka, tell us about the purpose of your visit to Armenia?

Alan diocesePrediction of victory on Mount Khurhor

— By the decision of the Holy Synod in December 2016, the Patriarchal Deanery of the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Armenia was created, which I headed. This is my first three-day protocol visit to Armenia. The meetings were fruitful: I met our diplomatic missions and their heads in Yerevan and Gyumri, visited some parishes, talked with the clergy, with monastics, and got acquainted with the 102nd military base. A very important and fruitful meeting took place in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin with His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. The trip was a success and we achieved our goals and objectives.

— What stages of bilateral cooperation can you identify?

— First of all, this is inter-church interaction, which will be useful to the Russian-Armenian community. For us, cooperation starts small - it is, first of all, an opportunity to communicate with each other. In the near future, on Easter, we will hold a week of public diplomacy and culture of North Ossetia in Armenia. We will bring choral, dance, orchestral groups, a Russian troupe drama theater named after Vakhtangov. There are prospects for the construction of a cathedral and the consecration of the Holy Cross Church in Yerevan.

— Isn't it difficult for you to lead several parishes at the same time?

— My previous department included a whole continent- from Cuba to Antarctica, which was the largest administrative-territorial unit in the Russian Orthodox Church. I had to fly for 8-9 hours each way, and, with God’s help, I managed. A lot depends on the desire of both the individual and the entire team. The Lord does not give a cross that is too heavy to bear, and if it were too heavy to bear, I think they would not have entrusted me with it.

— Why, after such a long service on another continent, were you transferred to Vladikavkaz?

— We serve God, the Church, our Fatherland, the people. The clergyman is the same warrior, only he is a warrior of Christ. He is ordered to go in some direction, to this or that place of service, he gratefully accepts this blessing and fulfills the obedience that is entrusted to him by the Mother Church. We don’t have the concept of whether I want or not, there is a public understanding of need.

— When did you decide for yourself that you want to devote your life to God?

— I entered the seminary at the age of 20, after serving in the ranks of the Armed Forces. He accepted the diaconate at a fairly early age - at the age of 21, while still a student. Then he served in the Ekaterinodar and Kuban metropolis, and was subsequently transferred to Moscow to the Department for Interaction with the Army and Navy.

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Sputnik / Dzerassa Biazarti The new Bishop of Vladikavkaz and Alan arrived in Ossetia

From there he went on his first business trip in 1998 to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Studied at the University of Athens for five years state university, after which he returned to Moscow again - to the central office of the Department for External Church Relations, which at that time was headed by Metropolitan Kirill - the current His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.

After nine months of working in the central office, I was sent on a business trip as an employee of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem. Afterwards I was immediately transferred to the position of Representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', under the Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa with residence in Cairo, where I stayed for nine years. His Holiness the Patriarch and the Holy Synod decided that I should go as a bishop to serve in South America in 2013.

Press service of the dioceseBishop Leonid: South Ossetia is our brothers and sisters in Christ

In June 2016, I was appointed to the Vladikavkaz department and since then I have been serving there. Since 2016, I have been the Manager of the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Armenia. I firmly believe that every person has his own inscribed hypostasis. We can strive for something, we can want, ask, pray for something, but if a person is destined to fulfill something by God, then he will fulfill it. It is no coincidence that they say “man proposes, but the Lord disposes.”

— In your case, did you assume?

- No, I didn’t imagine it, my youthful dreams were different, but life and God’s providence made their own adjustments.

— What is the most difficult thing in your work?

— There are some difficult questions and problems. I don't like communicating with people who make decisions slowly. Somewhere inside I'm more dynamic person, and I would like everything in life to revolve quickly, actively and actively. When I see some bureaucratic processes, or the reluctance of a particular group to make certain decisions that they are obliged to do as part of their duty, then I get a little disappointed. Life is fleeting, and this life dynamics, bursts positive points must play a decisive role. A person must learn to see life as bright and be grateful to God for breathing.

— First of all, our genetics. In our history, we have experienced a lot and continue to experience it. Certain historical circumstances make us stronger, temper us. This sometimes comes to us with a lot of blood and enormous losses, but the echoes of life that were given for our well-being by older generations do not pass without a trace. A gene that is present in us and allows us to take care of ourselves within the framework of morality. Today is a difficult time, and there are general Christian challenges on all fronts. Many work to disrupt our continuity, our attitude towards values, to replace them, to instill something that is glossy, but we do not need it, since it is alien to us. The task of the Church is to support people, and I hope, with God’s help, we will succeed.

For me there has never been a contradiction between faith and science. The only thing that distinguishes believers from non-believers is that they do not require scrupulous total proof, but take some things directly on faith. As we know, not all scientists manage to prove certain hypotheses at a certain stage with millimeter accuracy, and the 21st century is evidence of this. Many scientists are faced with the fact that they are at a dead end and cannot move forward. Whether the Lord will allow them to move on depends only on Him.

Why do we need to put everything on a scientific basis? Miracles that people cannot explain by logic are explained by the belief that God has nothing impossible. As Ivan Savvich Nikitin wrote: “There is a higher mind, which wonderfully created everything and rules wisely over everything.” There are people who believe and nothing will shake their faith, and there are people who doubt, but for the latter, perhaps the time has not yet come. And there are also those who deny everything, but in order to deny, you must also understand What you are denying.

Personal archive

I constantly follow the news of science, I really love everything new, dynamic, everything that is put into practice by people of a scientific mindset. First of all, I try to be interested in the latest achievements of our dear and deeply beloved Fatherland, which, as you understand, I am deeply concerned about. I hope to see the results of the development of innovations and the contribution of investments made at the state level in science in the near future.

Before the army, I worked as a laboratory assistant in the flight training department at the department of aerodynamics and flight dynamics in a military unit, and even then I dreamed of connecting my life with the military sphere. I really love the sky, airplanes and space flight for me related topic, but how practically I would be ready to fly into space, I don’t know. I know that His Holiness the Patriarch answered a similar question in the affirmative and I have no doubt at all, if not for his rank, that he would have done this.

You will serve, but in a different guise

We had many clergy acquaintances in our family and I, while still a student high school, during the holidays he helped in several churches Krasnodar region. But at that time I didn’t think about going to seminary or studying at the theology department, I was more inclined to become a military man, and didn’t last role This was played by our country's air force, which I love and respect very dearly. But the Lord has his own plans for each person, and no matter how much we would like this or that development of events, it does not always work out the way you want. The Lord, like an affectionate father, little by little, so that you are not frightened or disappointed, leads you to your destiny and then you yourself, with your clear thoughts and a clear understanding of what you need in life, follow the path that God needs. As we understand, a loving Father will not show his child a false or shameful path. He will strive to show him what is necessary, just as the Lord showed me the way.

I once said to one of the priests with whom our family communicated, and whose church I once served at the altar (to this day, thank God, he is alive and well and carries out his priestly ministry): “Father, bless, I want to go to military school". He then smiled very softly and said: "What military school? You will serve, but in a different guise.” I said: “But how can that be, I wanted to go to a military school.” And he replied: “Most likely, this is not yours, prepare your documents for the seminary.”
I was confused then, but when everything worked out, all questions were removed and I realized that there was no point in contradicting and resisting the will of God.

My mother supported me, it was important for her that I personally made the choice myself, because with this decision I then had to spend not just a temporary period of life, but the entire subsequent life, because there was no going back.

Everything depends on each individual, and for some it is Difficult choice, a person cannot decide for years. In my lifetime, there have been several examples of how a person could not make up his mind even for decades, because we have an institution of white and black clergy - monastic and married priests; it is difficult for someone to make a choice between these positions. For me, the choice was, I won’t say it was easy, but in any case, it was quick and confident. I immediately made up my mind, the Lord gave me a solution to this issue and I, while still a student at the Leningrad Theological Seminary, had already been ordained.

My grandmother and mother copied all the prayers by hand

I was brought up in ordinary family- father is a scientist, mother is a teacher in music school. We went to church whenever possible, I won’t say that every Sunday. But already in the 7th and 8th grades I began to sing in the choir in our St. George Church. At that time, I was still shy, hiding behind icons, because at that time at school, and in the country as a whole, there were still problems with these issues. I really enjoyed both the service and the procession. church service, singing, peaceful, addressed to God, prayer. Of course, in childhood and adolescence, all this leaves its mark on a person.

Personal archive

In those days, the only spiritual literature we had was the Bible; the rest was copied by hand or distributed through samizdat. There weren’t even enough prayer books - my grandmother and mother copied all the prayers by hand. My grandmother was a deeply religious person, I spent all my holidays with her in Stavropol, and I was baptized there in St. Andrew’s Cathedral.

I remember that in my student days, then still in Leningrad, we unloaded cars with books, it was a gift from the Swedish Scientific Bible Society and, among other things, there were three volumes of the Bible with commentaries by Professor Alexander Pavlovich Lopukhin. In my opinion, these are one of the best explanations Holy Scripture. This heavy three-volume work was printed on papyrus paper, the first time we have seen such a thing. I still have this amazing publication at home.

Mom feels great here

My pets, a parrot and a cat, travel with me everywhere. First I got an African gray parrot, which was born in a Czech nursery. Then, at the age of three months, I brought him to Greece, from there to Egypt, by the way, at the height of bird flu, but, thank God, they were found good people which helped to avoid problems. Later, we went to Argentina together, and then here. Traveling with animals is very difficult, because now in many countries birds are prohibited from being imported and no one is interested in the fact that this bird is not from the wild, but from an incubator. The parrot has never seen wildlife; all its life it lives in a large enclosure, which we also take with us, and it weighs about 100 kg. I may refuse to transport some of my things, but I carry everything my animals need. Now my mother takes care of the pets, because I am not at home all day.

Personal archive

The first real winter in 19 years. After returning to Russia with my mother

I have to travel a lot, in addition to the main workload at the Alan See, since December 2016, by the decision of the Patriarch and the Holy Synod, I am the Manager of the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Armenia.

Mom feels great here, she has always had only one problem - she doesn’t speak any foreign language. But interesting fact— in Egypt, the Arabs also understood her, so my mother convincingly knows how to convey her point of view and what she needs in this life. Her Vital energy She always helps with this.

When my mother heard about my transfer, and this happened very suddenly for me - at an extraordinary and unscheduled Synod a decision was made on my appointment to the Vladikavkaz department, she took this news very positively. She had only one question, which we still laugh about - when I said that I had been appointed Bishop of Vladikavkaz and Alan, my mother asked: “Is this Russia?” After I smiled and answered in the affirmative, my mother said that she was going to pack her things.

First day in Ossetia. Meeting at the Cathedral of St. George the Victorious

Man is lonely by nature

Over the years, you don’t make friends, good acquaintances, yes, but I’ve always had a lot of them. Unfortunately, I have only a few real friends and there are enough fingers on one hand to count them. I have had these friends since childhood. The most interesting thing is that various stages life, we had diametrically opposed opinions on many issues, but this did not prevent us from maintaining close relationships, being friends and, thanks to this, maintaining friendship.

Press service of the Vladikavkaz and Alan diocese

A person of my rank is by nature lonely, loneliness is our accompanying life doctrine, from which we cannot escape. Parents are short-lived, but you have to trust in God and the people who surround you. And in order to be surrounded by people, you must try to deal with them according to conscience and honor, try to respect them if you cannot love, even though we say that love is the main credo, a commandment from God. God himself is love; the Lord created the world out of love. Love should be between people, respect, tactful perception of each other - this is very important and the older we get, the faster time goes by and the more obvious the common philosophical truths become. But in the meantime, you should not waste your time on those who repeatedly betray you, who try to resolve their issues at the expense of others, who behave inappropriately, in the hope that everything will be hidden. Do everything you can to correct this person, but if the result is zero, it is better to devote this time to those people who really need it more.

Press service of the Vladikavkaz and Alan diocese.

I cannot say that I am a lonely person - from morning to evening I am surrounded by people. But I also can’t say that I’m not alone, that would be dishonest. Loneliness should not be scary, for me it is a natural companion in life, I can devote more time to my work and service.

I agree that criticism of the Church is necessary

I agree with Bishop Tikhon (Shevkunov) that criticism of the Church is necessary, but it is important that it be reasonable criticism. The Church institution is a very complex, living, multifaceted Unit, and I don’t even want to say the word “organization,” because in relation to the Church, it is unworthy. Let's call it a living organism, because many of the processes that take place in the Church are living. The Church can be sick, the Church can rejoice, the Church can grieve, the Church can be transformed and transformed. And She is transformed! For us, believers, this is a saving bridge between heaven and earth, and we walk along it. We walk in different ways - in some places it’s shaky and shaky, because bridges are also different - in some places it’s completely “in ruins” and there you can stumble and fall, but we must do everything so that our church bridge is strong and strong and does not serve only for us during our lifetime, and also for a long time in the future until the Lord himself decides what to do next.

I am not a supporter of sweeping criticism by people who have never been to the Church and do not know its internal structure.

Photo from the website Patriarchia.ru

The Church may and does have its own processes and topics that are best not touched upon, based on ethics and understanding of the complexity and subtlety of the organization’s structure. It is quite fair that there are some shortcomings and we talk about them. This is why the fullness of the Church exists, which is not built only on the relationship between priests and bishops, or priests and parishioners. The laity, who represent all the processes within the church and see some shortcomings, have the right to express criticism, and, naturally, they will listen to it.

The most important thing for us is caring for the flock, the spiritual salvation of a person.

It’s still difficult for me to talk about this, because I served abroad for 19 years and returned to Russia only a year ago.

It would be better if we avoid some performances

Yes, I saw the movie "Leviathan" and I know what happens with the movie "Matilda".

I understand that every person can create, and no one forbids a person to express his aspirations, but last years the phenomenon of “performance art”, at its worst, haunts us relentlessly. And believe me, we'd be better off avoiding some of the performances
when someone goes against their conscience and commits outrages on Red Square, staging incomprehensible performances. After all, you can do this in a civilized manner, but when you go and do some obscene things in front of old people, children and women, and call it “performance,” then the only question left with me is: “Where is this person’s moral window? "A line beyond which he cannot step? And if he has already stepped over, does that mean that there is no bottom? There are no restrictions?"

Press service of the Vladikavkaz and Alan diocese.

Most often, people who do such performances are mature, accomplished people, with higher education. This is not the part of society that didn’t read anything, didn’t think anything and didn’t ask any questions. But something prompted these people to commit illegal acts, to have a tactless attitude towards other people. It turns out that a certain handful of people, eager to attract attention, either to their activities or to themselves, come out and try to convey something, as they say, to the State and to the Church. But by their illegal actions that offend other people, they achieve nothing but censure and condemnation.

Naturally, the Church eventually forgives them. We have an open country where believers, atheists, and people of different faiths can exist, find yourself, but you shouldn’t do PR for your loved ones in the name of the Church, it’s dishonest.

If we talk about the action in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, then we, first of all, must understand that this is not public place, where you can do and say whatever you want. This is a place of solitude for people to communicate with God. After all, when you go into a stranger’s house, you wipe your feet and even take off your shoes, and you won’t sit down until you’re offered it.

The temple is not like that, it is always open, it is open, just like God’s heart is open to us, but why do we need to come and defend some of our interests? They say that they drove the traders out of the temple? But did Christ himself dance or bless someone for this kind of behavior in places of worship? You're so into Holy Scripture You won’t find it either in the testimonies of the evangelists or from the mouths of Christ’s closest disciples.

We have a constitution and legislation, according to which we are not constrained in our expression of will, but we have certain framework rules, and if we take the moral component of our legislation, then it is not written there that murder is a sin, but it is clearly stated that you will suffer responsibility for this.

Under the Soviet Union, which I do not have ardent love for, the Church was infringed on in its rights, and I still saw the institution of commissioners for religious affairs, but then at least they tried to objectively and clearly qualify this or that act.

Press service of the Vladikavkaz and Alan diocese.

Accusing the Church and State today of conservatism and intolerance, and this is very often now heard on various political platforms, people simply do not understand how seriously and quickly Russia has advanced from the communist system to today’s permissiveness. IN modern world It is very difficult to limit a person, but to throw mud at him is very easy.

I believe that the rule should be legislated that one cannot insult other people, and if one has insulted one, one must be held accountable.

The 90s broke us very much, but did not break us, and now I see how the State is trying to do everything to make people’s lives better, but not everything works out, and not everything works out for the Church. But we have to work, we can’t just come and say: “you’re lazy, you’re a bad person, you can’t do anything.” We need to raise our level of professionalism, our social outlook on the world, we need to be more tolerant of each other and raise our nation, fatherland, and the people who inhabit our country.

As for the film "Matilda", it is no coincidence that various law enforcement agencies have a "secret" classification for several years or for life. This is no coincidence and not because someone doesn’t want to talk about something, but simply either it’s not time yet, or it’s not necessary and not useful for people to know this information.

Photo from the website Patriarchia.ru

I don’t know what it means to become a fanatic, but a person must understand for himself that any fanaticism in any manifestation does not bring positivity and a positive perspective.

We must work tirelessly on ourselves, read a lot, and educate ourselves. You should never use one source of information; they should be different. No need to search interesting people, you yourself need to become interesting and useful to society.

We can’t slide into hedonism, what will happen to us then? It is necessary not to expand the range of desires, but to narrow the threshold of needs.

The Church must be conservative

There may be processes in the Church that may need to be eliminated or corrected, but this must be done in a civilized manner, achieved through other levers.

The task of the Church is to raise intellectually developed, spiritually rich people, so that these people form the backbone of our future society. And let it be conservative, and we never said that the Church is not conservative on some issues, it must be conservative, only in this way can we survive in our 21st century.

For 19 years I served in various countries and in various positions. I saw both the Arab “spring” and the tolerant countries of South America, where same-sex marriage has already been partially approved. At the next conference there, they asked me to “smooth out the corners.” I said: “Sorry, you can call me whatever you want, but since you invited me, I will say what I have to say. We do not agree and will never agree, because this is alien to the Church.”

Personal archive

Argentine Navy submarine "Saint John"

Here in the Caucasus, we understand what a family is - the head of the family is the father, the keeper of the hearth is the mother, children from a full union of a man and a woman, everything is as in the Holy Scriptures. Why replace all this? Can we really say here, let’s be tolerant? Let anyone agree, but not us. We see with great regret that some churches follow such a disastrous path, thereby calling into question the very essence of the Old Testament and New Testament teachings about salvation. This is a terrible process, a dead end. It would be better if they consider us conservative, but we know better what we and the people need, we speak boldly about it and do not stray from this rut.

I saw actions to protect churches in Argentina from LGBT people. People were doused with slop, but they held hands tightly, stood around the temple and did not allow this human chain to be broken, so that Catholic church These hate-breathing LGBT representatives were not abused. Don't think that these are poor boys and girls to be whipped.

It is very important for us to protect young people from this. We don’t get into someone’s bedroom, it’s not interesting for us, the person himself will be responsible for his views on this life and for what’s going on in his “closet.”

There is no need to say that the child should be given freedom of choice. One of my friends has been living abroad since the 90s, he has three children, and recently a social commission came to them and said that if he again does not allow children to attend sex education classes, they will raise the issue of removing the children. And he was very scared. And when he told me, from the words of his children, who are 9 and 10 years old, about what they are taught and taught there, my hair stood on end as an adult man. Who can be raised with such an attitude? I'm not talking about the fact that children will grow up and not learn that there are certain views. We need to talk about this, but this is the prerogative of the family. There must be education in the family. And if you start teaching this to 9-10 year old children, then at the age of 16 we will get a person, if not with a broken psyche, then at least with very unambiguous views on this life. The minimum is a cynic, and the maximum is that I’m afraid to even imagine.

Press service of the Vladikavkaz and Alan diocese.

In the archives of SOIGSI named after. V. Abaeva

Someone will see one thing in Woland, and someone will see another

How many generations will read Bulgakov, there will be so many opinions and theories, but the most interesting thing, and this is my conviction, is that we will never know what the author himself wanted to say. We understand what he introduced us to, but everyone has their own truth. Some will see Woland as one thing, and others as another. The same thing with the figure of the Master. The general background against which the master lives, his views, his complicated relationships, and if everyone is collected and arranged against this background, then the result will be the most complex, as doctors would say, diagnosis. The novel is, of course, serious. Honestly, as much as I read, I find something new for myself. 'Cause we're growing up, we're getting older and through the lens life positions and lived experience, we perceive what we read earlier in a different way.

Press service of the Vladikavkaz and Alan diocese.

I never discussed with my comrades whether reading this novel was anyone's first time entering the temple. I believe that for this we need other literature, more understandable, which clearly explains the truth and essence about Christ, the Church and the processes that are taking place.

Unfortunately, we are not given a second chance

I would not speculate on who Bulgakov had in mind when depicting the figure of Pontius Pilate.

No one has canceled the role of man in history. We are all different people, with different education, intelligence, upbringing, attitude to life and it is impossible to put different people for the same position and demand the same treatment from them. Somewhere there will be excesses and shortcomings, and somewhere else everything will be perfect. You cannot make people equal, but you can unite them with one goal, as the Church does, in caring for your salvation. And to draw parallels is to bring confusion and vacillation into society. Not a single subject of the federation can boast of as many busts of Stalin as we have in public and private spaces.

Press service of the Vladikavkaz and Alan diocese.

He wasn't stupid, that's for sure. It's another matter to talk about methods of government. In any case, a person will be responsible before God for all his actions. The Church teaches us that what more to a person given, the more will be asked of him. I say this to many people in power.

This or that position is not beautiful offices and not good, this is the hardest cross, these are sleepless nights when you wake up and cannot get the thought out of your head. Behind each of these people are families and society as a whole.

Such a person is responsible for what he has been entrusted with and when the time comes, he will answer. They won’t ask him how he lived, but they will ask him: what did you do for people in this position?

The ideal earthly dispensation is a utopia

Faith is a deeply intimate concept and it is difficult to say now for another person whether he has faith and how much of a believer he was or not. You can imagine what decisions he had to make. God forbid anyone. And I do not rule out that if everything had turned out differently, perhaps if he had been alive and history had repeated itself, he would not have made some decisions or made them from a diametrically opposite perspective. Unfortunately, we are not given a second chance and history does not tolerate the subjunctive mood. There is only one chance and you must use it 100 percent.

It is tactless to talk about other people and I try not to do this, especially when making judgments. I'm not a historian.

Personal archive.

I know only one thing - the ideal earthly dispensation is a utopia. The people may love one leader or distrust another, but 100 percent, there has never been such a leader in history who never made mistakes.

And Russia is not a dwarf state that you can travel around in one day, it is a huge territory, with spaces and scales that frighten many people abroad. And they do the right thing (laughs).

The Russian Orthodox Church has never abandoned its children

The question of the relationship of the Russian Orthodox Church with the spiritual processes taking place in South Ossetia is truly complex and we all understand the historical background of how it all began. I always say that these wounds take centuries to heal, or never heal. Therefore, I will not give a forecast, but I will say one thing - both to His Holiness the Patriarch, and the Holy Synod, and to me, as the ruling bishop, the position of the people is clear, we are constantly taking care of it, looking for options, consulting and working intensively in this direction. Recently, the President of South Ossetia Anatoly Bibilov met with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. I was present at this meeting. There is a certain level of understanding of how and where we will move next. I want to convey one thing to readers - the Russian Orthodox Church has never abandoned its children, it tried not to do this before, and with God’s help it will not do so in the future.

Press service of the Vladikavkaz and Alan diocese.

Reading the Twelve Gospels on Holy Thursday. Cathedral St. George the Victorious

In my work I am close to perfectionism

Time passes inexorably fast and I try as best I can not only to stop it, but to implement as many tasks as possible and get closer to the goals that we have set for ourselves.

In my work I am close to perfectionism, so for me the slightest roughness is unacceptable. To be honest, I sometimes suffer from this and, probably, my subordinates partially suffer, because the bar that is set is quite high. I myself strive to work on myself all the time and therefore I ask, and sometimes even force, my subordinates to do the same. But I try to be fair.

I read everything, I really love novels and documentary historical works, and I enjoy reading scientific and technical literature. Every day I have to dig through a lot of press, sometimes in a day I can read several dozen publications, and not only in Russian. The lion's share of reading time is spent working with sources of information - this is very important for any leader in order to be not only aware of what is happening, but also to form a balanced approach and an objective point of view on certain issues.

Press service of the Vladikavkaz and Alan diocese

I do not forbid the priests of our diocese to use social networks, moreover, I think this is correct and positive, maybe I would do this, but I physically don’t have enough time. But the priest must understand that his primary task is to convey to his flock the essence of Christ and the Church. If the priest begins to delve into worldly vanity issues, then we gently correct this position.

In Rome, act like a Roman, and eat Ossetian pies in Ossetia

I’m an omnivore and I can’t say that I don’t like something. Maybe just parsley. I don’t like it as a substance (laughs).
In Ossetia we have very tasty cuisine and, first of all, pies, of course. Guests often come to me and everyone eats “tsaharajinta” with great pleasure, and when they leave, I also give them pies with me. I tried to eat Ossetian pies in Moscow - this is not quite the same, of course, “in Rome, act like a Roman, and eat Ossetian pies in Ossetia.”

Ossetia is very little open to the world

Therefore, we need to invite everyone here for a visit. Ossetia is very little open to the world and we are working hard to correct this. Already received registration for the event pilgrimage trips, we try to find any opportunities, we have a productive meeting with William Gagiev, who heads the tourism committee. People are still afraid to come here, they consider the region dangerous, but I always, even on a private level, explain that ours is hospitable, beautiful, with many shrines and ancient temples.

This could be a world-class discovery

We are now actively engaged in the restoration of several objects - the Zrug temple and the Nuzal chapel. When you don’t pay attention to something for decades, then everything collapses and falls, and now the main task is to preserve those grains that remain. As for Nuzal, this is generally a sore subject, we are attracting the best specialists, which are in Russia - from Moscow, St. Petersburg, but there are still enough difficulties.

Everyone knows the wonderful scientist and historian Evgenia Georgievna Pchelina, whose archive we are trying to obtain, but so far without success. We are ringing all the bells, no matter which offices we have contacted, State Duma deputy Zurab Makiev and our representatives in the Federation Council have already gotten involved, but the “owners” of the archive are not making any compromises. The archive is in a semi-deplorable state, it was almost half flooded with water - unique things are lost! But they tell us that there are not enough specialists and it is not possible to disassemble the archive in the next 10-20 years, and if you want it on commercial terms, then you will pay 14 million rubles.

Press service of the Vladikavkaz and Alan diocese.

And there may be unique things, a direct link to who was found in the chapel itself in Nuzala - after all, we understand about whom we're talking about, this could be a world-class discovery! But they don’t give it to us. We say that we have our own specialists - historians, archivists, let them in or give the archive to us, but they don’t want to.

God willing, the president will sign a decree on celebrating the 1100th anniversary of the Baptism of Alanya and maybe, as part of the implementation of this program, we will be able to pave the way to the archive.

Alania made its choice before Kievan Rus

I don’t see any problem in being greeted with three pies and our Ossetian beer. I consider this a good tradition, moreover, if we look into the depths of centuries, we will see that any correct Ossetian feast began with prayer, and monotheism, an understanding of turning to the Lord God, is clearly visible there. There is no need to look for a cat in a dark room when talking about the traditional beliefs of Ossetians and Orthodox faith. You need to calmly and lovingly treat what you have.

There are people interested in the national component of faith who take it as software and are trying to put it on a national footing. This is a very bad trend that can lead to great trouble, because it will bring discord into society, divide the people along religious lines, and then a terrible catastrophe will happen for Alania and the Ossetian people. Therefore, under no circumstances should manipulations on this topic be allowed.

Alanya before Kievan Rus made her choice at the state level, and this choice was clear, logical, necessary then, and the people accepted it. Thanks to this choice, Alanya declared itself very high level. Why abandon the choice of our ancestors and speculate on this? I think this is counterproductive, first of all, for future generations.