Although there is no mention of it in the media, the Moscow Synod’s removal of Metropolitan Nestor of Chersonese and Western Europe (based in Paris) deserves attention.
Although no reason is given in the official communication from November 8, the diaspora and dissidents point to his tolerance of priests expelled from Russia for their aversion to war as the reason.
In particular, they cite his “Nicodemic” support for the initiative “Peace for All,” launched in the aftermath of the first expulsions, the organization meets their immediate needs and provides a network for the exchange of information. It was also active in Russia until censorship defined it as a foreign and hostile organization.
Metropolitan Nestor removed
Metropolitan Nestor was born in Moscow in 1974. He studied computer science and archiving while working at the Ministry of Foreign Trade. He entered the seminary in 1995. He became a monk in 1999 and studied at the St. Sergius Institute in Paris from 2000 to 2004. He was appointed rector of the Orthodox cathedral in the French capital and was ordained bishop in 2010. In 2022, he assumed the office of patriarchal exarch.
He is temporarily replaced by Metropolitan Mark of Ryazan and Mikhailovsky. Born in 1964, he joined the patriarchate’s foreign relations department after his ordination, became an archbishop, and presided over the financial administration. He has been the Metropolitan of Kasimov since 2019 and heads the small Budapest-Hungary diocese.
Nestor’s replacement indicates that Kirill cannot tolerate uncertainty regarding support for the war, even in foreign countries. Western countries consider this support to be integral to the Russian secret services. This closeness and harmony dates back to the Soviet era. While at that time it was a matter of state control over the church, today there is strong collaboration between the two entities.
This can be seen in the strong connection between the hierarchy and the army. Throughout Russian history, the armed forces and the Church have always been a single, unified entity. That is why the Church and the armed forces have so much in common. Both are examples of heroism. Both are examples of concern for those who have suffered as a result of military actions. Therefore, the role of the armed forces and the importance of the Church in preserving internal unity and protecting the borders of our homeland are vital” (Cyril, October 19).
This is evident in the patriarch’s conviction of definitive redemption from the era of marginalization. “It’s all in the past! There is no more oppression or persecution. I want to repeat it: Orthodox people are in power. It seems that we have entered a very favorable historical period, and this is absolutely true” (October 26).
It is a matter of defending an entire civilization. Even in the rediscovery of social action and promotion, service to the war effort takes precedence once again. Speaking at the conference of all church representatives engaged in social service, he reminds those present that they “share the pain of the wounded and those burned by the war currently raging on Russian soil.” Priests, doctors, nurses, and volunteers carry out their service with courage and selflessness in the most difficult conditions, where fear, pain, suffering, and despair abound” (November 9).
He subsequently mentions service in hospitals, the fight against abortion and addiction, and the defense of the family. However, when he mentions orphans, he does not mention the 35,000 children and young people deported from Ukraine.
The West is rotten and ecumenism is over
It is in the hands of evil, immorality, and apostasy, which make ecumenism impossible. “I am not optimistic about the prospects for the ecumenical movement’s further development. It seems to me that there is something beyond our will and ability to influence the historical process—what we call the will of God.” A radical change that would allow us to discover common spiritual roots and trust one another is most likely possible only through God’s intervention in the historical process. Today, the moral dimension reveals not only differences, but also cultural, religious, and spiritual abysses” (response to participants at the 11th Faith and Word Festival, October 16).
Conversely, even the most radical member of the synod, Metropolitan Hilarion, praised the example of American Protestant and Trump supporter Charlie Kirk for his political agreement on “traditional values.”
Who killed Alexander Men?
The shadow of secret services on ecclesial life is longstanding. The brother of Alexander Men, who was brutally murdered by an unknown assailant in 1990 while on his way to the train station, attributes the crime to the KGB.
In an interview with Vetchnij Zov in early October, he said that all the police activity after the murder “suggested that Alexander’s death was the work of the KGB.” Men’s strong evangelizing drive drew from the Christocentric strand of Orthodoxy, contrasting with the traditionalists’ resistant forces. After his murder, “this movement within Orthodoxy lost its recognized leader and slowed down its development.”
