Is the Russian Theological Seminary in France not Orthodox? An open letter from student Andrei Serebrich and comments on this conflict. Parisian Seminary, or Orthodox MGimo Admission to Seminary

Interview with the rector of the Paris Theological Seminary, Hieromonk Alexander (Sinyakov).

- Father Alexander, the Paris Theological Seminary, which you are heading, occupies a special place among all theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church. What, in your opinion, is its uniqueness?

- Our seminary was founded in 2007, but opened its doors only two years ago. The initiator of the creation of a Russian seminary in Paris was Metropolitan Kirill, the current His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The idea was as follows: simultaneously combine training in secular educational institutions, universities in Paris (Paris, as you know, is rich in secular educational institutions in which religious sciences are studied: patristics, biblical studies, Church history, etc.) and at the same time training in the theological school of Moscow Patriarchate, organized according to the criteria of the Study Committee, according to the rules of the Holy Synod, which provides canonical spiritual education to students striving for church service. Based on this, our seminary was created, and in this respect it remains unique, because only two seminaries of the Moscow Patriarchate exist outside the canonical borders of the Russian Orthodox Church: one in Jordanville (in the United States of America) and our seminary in Paris. But the seminary in Jordanville is now just functioning according to the Russian pre-revolutionary model, as an autonomous educational institution in which students study inside, within the walls of the monastery. Our seminary is not an autonomous educational institution, but a collegium that exists at secular and ecclesiastical universities ("university seminary"). Now we have started only the third academic year, i.e. we are a very young educational institution. There are currently 22 students studying at our seminary. Every year we host an average of 7 people. Sometimes a little more. Students are mainly from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, there are students from Russian immigration in Western Europe, and there are students from Western countries who have converted to Orthodoxy. Now we have three such students: one is from Colombia (already a deacon), the second is from Ghana, who has just been ordained a priest (Patriarchate of Alexandria) and will soon leave the walls of the seminary to devote himself to church ministry, and the third is from Haiti. who is now awaiting his student visa.

- If you will allow me, a few words about the seminary building itself. As far as we know, is this a former Catholic monastery?

- This is a building of the 17th-18th centuries, which was really a Catholic monastery. It is symbolic that the community of this monastery was created for an educational (teaching) mission. The sisters moved to other monasteries, including Paris. Now the Russian seminary has settled down in this room. Only on August 1 of this year, the Russian Orthodox Church became the owner of the building and the entire adjacent territory. Now this territory belongs to the Korsun Diocese, which represents the Moscow Patriarchate in France. It is a large building with 25 student rooms and five rooms for teachers and priests who come to the seminary. Now our building is almost completely filled, because we try to create such conditions for students so that everyone has their own room. This is necessary for their scientific work. We now have 22 students, which means that we have only 3-4 free rooms left.

- What is the daily routine of the students of the Paris Theological Seminary? How is the spiritual life of students structured?

- We try to give students wide freedom to organize the daily routine, because students study in different educational institutions. Some students study in the preparatory course, others are already in the bachelor's degree. Some study at the Faculty of Philosophy at the Sorbonne University of Paris, some at the Faculty of Theology at the Catholic University of Paris or at the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute. There are students who are studying for a master's degree, mainly at the Sorbonne, or those who have started writing a doctoral dissertation. Therefore, each student has his own schedule, but there are main points of the program that are mandatory for everyone. In particular, a feature of our theological school is that the seminarist's working day begins with the service of the Divine Liturgy every day, with the exception of Great Lent, when the charter does not provide for the daily celebration of the liturgy (on such days we celebrate Matins). It does not take long - about an hour and a half, although we serve it entirely. All students participate in the liturgy whenever possible. The school day of the seminary ends with the evening seminary, which is served every day at 7 pm. In addition, our meals are common. Of course, not everyone gets to lunch, since many universities are located in Paris, and then students dine in university canteens, where they have the opportunity to communicate with secular students and do a little Christian mission. And in the evening, usually everyone is present at dinner. Naturally, on Saturday-Sunday we perform the prescribed services of the liturgical cycle. From time to time, some of our students travel to help parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church or parishes of other jurisdictions of the Orthodox Church in France, thereby gaining experience in shepherding and organizing a parish.

- Are there such positions in the Paris Seminary as vice-rector for educational work, inspector, assistant inspector on duty? A few words about the educational process itself.

- We have an inspector, Father Sergiy Borsky, a graduate of the Smolensk Theological Seminary and the Roman Pontifical Biblical University. In a Western context, Father Sergius and I try to develop in our students not so much fear of discipline and punishment from the inspection, but rather responsibility for the fact that they - future Orthodox priests - represent the Russian Orthodox Church, Russian culture, Russia in a foreign, cultural context. in general, or their country, and that by them, by their behavior, by the way they study and communicate with people at the University, they will judge the Russian Orthodox Church in general. It is this sense of responsibility that we try to develop in our students. We see the mission of our seminary in helping students, firstly, to get acquainted with a different culture, with a different university methodology, to meet Christians of other Churches, with representatives of other religions, and secondly, to gain a foothold in their own spiritual culture, in their roots, in your Orthodox faith, to prepare yourself for the Christian Orthodox mission, in order to talk about Orthodoxy in a language understandable to Westerners.

- What is the faculty of the seminary?

- Our students listen to about two-thirds of the lectures at the universities of Paris, and a third of the lectures at the seminary. In the seminary itself, we have 14 teachers of theological and canonical sciences, and about 10 teachers of French, English, mostly native speakers of these languages. Among the teachers we have representatives of the Russian immigration, the clergy of the Korsun diocese who have university experience or who are engaged in teaching or research activities, because in the West, as you know, very often Orthodox priests have secular work, in particular, some of them are teachers or they work in the scientific structures of the French state. In addition, since last year, the dean of the St. Sergius Theological Institute has been teaching here. The secretary of the Academic Council of the seminary is the priest Sergius Model, secretary of the Brussels-Belgian diocese. Canon law is taught here by Hieromonk Ambrose (Makar), the former vice-rector of the Kiev Theological Academy, and now the rector of an Orthodox church in Milan. In addition, we complement the weekly lectures and monthly seminars with Saturday lectures. Every Saturday we invite experts from different countries, from different backgrounds, confessional and university, to share their research. And these Saturday lectures are required for all seminarians.

- Do the students of the seminary visit the common Christian shrines of France?

- Yes, this is one of the important elements of the stay of seminarians in France and their training, the formation of spiritual consciousness. We travel very often, we take part in pilgrimage trips. The choir of our seminary sings very often during pilgrimages to the shrines of France. For example, on the day of commemoration of the holy martyrs Sophia and her daughters Vera, Nadezhda and Lyubov, the choir of our seminarians sang at the Orthodox liturgy in the city of Esho, where a small particle of the relics of the martyrs is kept. This is one example of such trips. Naturally, the seminarians and I make a pilgrimage several times a year to the Savior's crown of thorns in Notre Dame Cathedral. Since this academic year, we have concluded an agreement with the leadership of the cathedral, according to which a student of our seminary will necessarily take part in all the removal of the crown of thorns and coordinate the Orthodox part of the pilgrimage, since many Orthodox priests come, including from neighboring countries (Germany, Belgium, Italy, Russia, etc.). We try to travel to other places and do it regularly.

- A few words about the historical significance of the visit of the ever-memorable Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II to France.

- The visit of Patriarch Alexy II to France marked the beginning of a completely new era for the life of the Korsun diocese. From that moment on, it became much more noticeable, both in the inter-Orthodox and inter-Christian context of France. The visit of the ever-memorable His Holiness Vladyka gave a tremendous impetus to the development of our diocese. It was then that the project of building a new Orthodox cathedral in Paris was conceived, and it was then that the idea of ​​creating a seminary in Paris was first discussed. Thus, all the current most important projects of the Korsun diocese were given impetus by the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy, moreover, it aroused great interest of French Christians in relation to the Russian Orthodox Church, because a huge number of people gathered for a prayer service before the Savior's crown of thorns in the Cathedral of Notre Dame. - about 5 thousand. The cathedral was completely filled. People also stood on the porch. Imagine what a filled Notre Dame Cathedral means. This speaks volumes. Among them were Orthodox Christians of various jurisdictions: the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Romanian, and Constantinople, etc. These were representatives of other Christian Churches who came to greet the Patriarch of Moscow. There were even people far from Christianity, but who were interested in the historicity of this visit. It was really amazing to see the Patriarch of Moscow entering the main, central gates of Notre Dame Cathedral, which rarely open. Last year, another historical event took place - for the first time since the time of Emperor Nicholas II, President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev visited Notre Dame Cathedral to worship the crown of thorns of the Savior. It is interesting that the abbot of the cathedral on this occasion even looked through the rite according to which they received Emperor Nicholas, adapted it.

- At what stage is the construction of a Russian cultural and educational center in Paris at the moment?

- This is a major historical project. The Russian Federation has acquired a wonderful plot in the center of Paris, right on the banks of the Seine. It is now home to the French Meteorological Service, which is due to move by the end of this year. In December 2011, the meteorological service will move to a new building. This building is being vacated. Part of it will be destroyed for the construction of a temple, which will be the cathedral of the Korsun diocese, the main temple of the Russian Orthodox Church in Western Europe. Part of the building will be converted into a diocesan administration, a spiritual and cultural center, an auditorium, including for our seminary, for parish premises. It is planned during the next 2012 to obtain a building permit and agree on all projects. Tentatively, it is planned to carry out construction work in 2013-14, so that by 2014-15 the cathedral and the adjacent complex can already be used.

- In the media, the debate about the Islamization of Western Europe continues. Let us recall, for example, the rather controversial anti-utopian novel by Elena Chudinova "Notre Dame Mosque". Is it really?

- It seems to me that it is necessary to relativize somewhat the statement about the Islamization of Europe, which is taking place in different proportions in the countries of Europe. In France, for example, Muslims are present in large numbers, but in proportion they are hardly more than, for example, Muslims in the Russian Federation. The peculiarity of France, in relation to other countries, lies in the fact that it is a country with a known imperial (colonial) past. Therefore, the Muslims who are currently present in France are not so much emigrants who came to work in France, but rather immigrants from the former French colonies. These are people who were born French. The situation is more or less similar to the one that exists in the Russian Federation, where the majority of Muslims are not just emigrants, but people born in Russia. The experience of integrating Muslims into French society at the moment seems to me more significant than in neighboring European countries. Now the French government has taken seriously the issue of Islamic presence in society and the relationship between this religion and the French tradition of secularism. The French state helps build mosques, but at the same time prohibits prayer on the street. Paradoxically, at the Catholic University of Paris, on the initiative of the French state, a department was opened to improve the qualifications of future or current imams. France does not like to accept imams from abroad and seeks to allow only those who have been trained at the faculty of the Catholic University to preach on its territory.

- The millionth mass, the two millionth Hajj ... Let us recall, for example, the World Youth Day of the Roman Catholic Church, which took place in August in Spain, which brought together 1.5 million young people. What is it that unites so many young people of the same religion at one time in one place and what we lack?

- I also often asked this question. Even in a secularized country like France, where the attitude towards Christianity is rather ambiguous, the Catholic Church manages to gather a large number of young people. I remember when Pope John Paul II died, at that time I was teaching the history of Russian civilization and the Russian Orthodox Church at the University of the Sorbonne, on the day of his funeral a huge screen was installed in front of the porch of Notre Dame Cathedral, and everyone who could not reasons to go to Rome, could see the funeral ceremony. It is significant that out of forty of my students, in whom I was sure that they were non-practicing Catholics, very few came to the lecture, all the rest were on the porch of the cathedral and watched the funeral ceremony. Love for such large, massive religious events is very strong among Catholic youth in the West, but this, unfortunately, negatively affects the weekly church practice. In the future, this may spread to young people of the Orthodox Church. That is, young Orthodox Christians will attend church services less regularly, preferring to participate in major religious events. This is a new challenge for shepherding in Western Europe, and we have to consider such influences, recalling the importance for a Christian of active and regular participation in the Lord's Meal.

Several years ago, a theological seminary was opened on the outskirts of Paris. Hieromonk Alexander (Sinyakov) was appointed its rector. Today he tells Tatiana's Day about the youngest theological school of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Hieromonk Alexander (Sinyakov), rector of the Russian Theological Seminary in Paris. The beginning of the new academic year, October 2011

Father Alexander, how did it happen that you became the rector of the Russian Theological Seminary in Paris? Tell us a little about yourself.

Everything was very simple for me: I always strove to lead a monastic life, and after graduating from school, the next day after receiving my certificate, I left for the Ipatievsky Kostroma Monastery. I lived here for a year, until Vladyka Alexander, then Archbishop of Kostroma, now Metropolitan of Kazakhstan, blessed me to go to France to study. I studied at the Sorbonne, where I defended my master's and doctoral dissertations, and at the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute, where I defended my master's. When the idea of ​​creating a seminary in France came up, Archbishop Innokenty of Korsun (now Archbishop of Vilnius and Lithuania) suggested that I head the theological school. Then came the decision of the Holy Synod.

For me, the rector's office is a huge experience that gives a lot. Of course, we have already gone through a huge number of trials, difficulties, faced an indescribable number of difficulties. But thanks to the grace of God, all this has passed, but there is, of course, a lot ahead - the seminary is very young and should get stronger.

The Russian Theological Seminary was founded four years ago by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on the initiative of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, then still Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad. Actually, she opened her doors two years ago. We recently started our third academic year at seminary.

Where is the seminary in Paris geographically located?

Geographically, the seminary is located in the suburbs. There is a metro line there - 25 minutes from the center, which is a huge time for the French. But on the other hand, this is customary for Russians who are familiar with the enormous Moscow distances.

The seminary is located in a former Catholic monastery, which was formerly occupied by sister-assistants. At first we rented premises, and on August 1 of this year the Russian Church became the owner of the monastery and the adjacent territory. We now have a fairly large building with 25 student rooms, five rooms for priests and teachers who come to the seminary, plus almost four hectares of park. This year we began to build a wooden Russian church, which will become the embodiment of real Russian architecture.

Seminary building

While the seminary temple is in the adapted room?

Yes, the seminary has a house church in an adapted room, which we are now completely redesigning. From the inside, he paints with frescoes. The next step will be the installation of the iconostasis, which will come to us from the workshop of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. I would very much like this temple to be an ideal temple of the Russian Orthodox tradition, so that it could, among other things, be shown to guests who come to us.

The seminary church was consecrated even during the time of the assistant sisters in the name of the Monk Genevieve of Paris, a saint of the 6th century, who is very revered in the Russian emigration. Saint Genevieve is revered by both Orthodox and Catholics. We decided to consecrate the throne of our church in honor of the Monk Martin the Confessor, who fought against the Monothelite heresy - since he died in Korsun, we consider him one of the patrons of the Korsun diocese.

Are there many students in the seminary?

This year we have 22 people studying - every year we take on average about seven people, sometimes a little more. Most of our students are from Russia, but there are also young people from Ukraine, Moldova, Russian emigration in Western Europe. Three of our pupils are representatives of a heterodox culture who converted to Orthodoxy: a Colombian (he was ordained a deacon last year), a citizen of Ghana (ordained a priest of the Alexandrian Patriarchate a few weeks ago), and a Haitian from the Russian Mission of the Church Abroad in Haiti, who is still still waiting for a French visa.

The language of communication in the seminary is French. Two-thirds of our services are performed there.

Seminar Park

Who teaches at seminary?

In terms of training, our seminary is special. The fact is that the main course of study - about 2/3 of all classes - our seminarians take place in one of the Parisian universities: either at the Sorbonne, or at the St. Sergius Theological Institute, or at the Catholic University of Paris. Only a third of the classes take place inside the seminary itself - this includes what future pastors need to know according to the standards of the Study Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church. Our teachers are clerics of the Korsun and neighboring dioceses, lay people - representatives of the Russian emigration, university teachers. Catholics come to us to teach Latin. I teach Greek and Dogmatic Theology.

Yes, a unique system ... What are its advantages?

The purpose of this system is to combine secular and spiritual education. In recent years, the Russian Orthodox Church has sent many students to study in European secular educational institutions, sometimes leaving them without proper spiritual nourishment. And the Russian Theological Seminary for the first time combines training in secular educational institutions, while remaining within the framework of the spiritual education of the Russian Orthodox Church. It turns out that the student receives two education - university and church. This allows him, on the one hand, to get acquainted with the university environment, with its challenges - this is very important for a believer, because there he encounters non-believers, people of a different culture, of other religions. And at the same time, he strengthens his spiritual roots, tests his faith for strength. On the other hand, seminary helps to withstand the culture shock that a student experiences when he finds himself in a different environment, but at the same time he does not remain within his confession - as a future pastor, he contacts and studies people with whom he will have to communicate in the parish in the future. Our system is similar to the method of forging a sword: from hot to cold and vice versa.

In one of the lessons

Do students have additional obediences within the walls of the seminary?

Oh sure. Firstly, our day begins with the Divine Liturgy - everyone is present at it, unless there are some very good reasons for absence. And the day ends with an evening service, which is also attended by all the students. Moreover, you don't have to force anyone - the guys themselves are always willing to come. Many of them sing, someone serves at the altar, those in the priesthood serve in turns.

In addition, there are obediences for organizing the inner seminary life, for example, in the refectory. We often try to send our students to parishes in France. Our choir sometimes accompanies pilgrims to common Christian shrines, sometimes helps in parishes during patronal feasts or on some other solemn occasions.

Is there a magazine or newspaper at the Paris Seminary?

Yes. For about four years now, the revived "Bulletin of the Russian Orthodox Church" has been published in France - it comes out in French every three months. We also publish a small student magazine in French and Russian in electronic version.

You live among people with a different mentality, very different from the Russian one. What is their attitude towards the seminary, towards your pupils, towards you?

In general, I must say from my own experience - and I have been living in Europe for 12 years now - that the French treat us with great interest, respect for Russian culture, and in particular, Russian Orthodoxy. We feel the great love of the French society for the Orthodox Church. When the project for our seminary appeared, the French reacted very positively to it. There was criticism, but it was from the Russian side. The French supported us as best they could - both Catholics and Orthodox. The believers were happy that they would have a theological school in their country where priests would study for them - after all, there is now a huge shortage of Orthodox pastors in Western Europe.

Seminar obedience

How does your small seminary community exist? I think that relations in your team are built somewhat differently than in large theological schools?

Yes, of course there is a huge difference. We have tried to make sure that there is a personal relationship between the leadership of the seminary and each student. We have every student in sight, and after several years of study he becomes completely transparent for the bishop, for the leadership of the seminary, which is very important given the peculiarities of priestly ministry in the West. It is necessary that the person who will lead an Orthodox parish abroad has one hundred percent trust on the part of the hierarchy.

The fact that the seminary is small changes the attitude between the students themselves. We try to educate students not in an atmosphere of fear of punishment and in observance of discipline, but in an atmosphere of responsibility for what they themselves are. We explain that any wrong step on their part will affect the reputation of the Russian Orthodox Church as a whole and the image of the countries they represent. They judge the Church by them, they judge their countries - this is the peculiarity of being in a foreign, foreign cultural environment.

People of different cultures gathered within the walls of the seminary: how do they get along with each other? I think a Ukrainian and a Russian can understand each other, but what about a Colombian or a Haitian? Indeed, even the perception of the world among representatives of different peoples is different.

Yes, that is right. In this sense, we had difficulties. The guys formed their own interethnic groups. We struggle very much with this, in order to show the universality of Orthodoxy, to show that faith in Christ transforms a person to such an extent that he, while continuing to be the bearer of a specific national culture, understands that faith in Christ is stronger. And that in Christ there is no Hellene, no Jew, no male or female.

We try to create such conditions so that each culture manifests itself fully, and shows that it has value, but does not limit the freedom and self-expression of people of another culture. We usually celebrate all holidays together - what Africans celebrate, what the French celebrate, and what Russians celebrate, what Moldovans and Ukrainians celebrate. We try to show each other to each other. And each culture shows the best, that which is closest to Christ and the Gospel.

And for the Haitians, for example, what?

Simplicity in a relationship. Lack of any tension in relations with management. People from small countries, where it is more and more accessible, where people of a higher position easily communicate with people lower on the social ladder, just like that. And this feature is very important in the context of seminary education, because we try to convey to our students the idea that there are no more or less important people among us. All are one and all are valuable before God. Everyone has their own talent, which is worth the talent of the other person.

All our students come from countries with a difficult history, with a difficult economic and political situation. We learn new things about each other, share our pain. And this helps us all to realize the magnitude of the gift that the Lord gave us by placing everyone together under one roof.

Accidentally got on the Catholic TV channel "K.T.O." and with some bewilderment saw the program, where the main roles were played by the rector of the Patriarchal seminary in Paris, Hieromonk Alexander Sinyakov. Only later did they realize that this was connected with the notorious "Week of Prayers for the Unity of Christians", which was very popular 30 years ago and to which the media, at least in France, paid great attention, but which today is passing relatively unnoticed, that's why we are just talking about it and did not think.

Why did you watch it "with bewilderment"? It would be quite understandable to find Alexander Sinyakov's interview on Catholic television, or his conversation with some interlocutor on a church or spiritual topic. There would be nothing surprising or reprehensible in this. But here Alexander Sinyakov was with a group of seminarians-choristers in a Catholic church, which would also not have been surprising or reprehensible if he had served there for the Orthodox flock. But then oh served ndash; one can say this without exaggeration, although, it is true, not in vestments - not in front of Orthodox, but in front of Catholic nuns. And he served not alone, but alternately with a Catholic priest. We remember how in "glorious" times this "Week" was held. The main participants, as a rule, were Catholics and Protestants, but it was highly appreciated, and it was even necessary to have at least one Orthodox at such a meeting, who appeared in a cassock especially for this occasion, even if he usually always wore civilian clothes. They put this Orthodox hostage in a place of honor, gave him a booklet with a kind of ecumenical rite, at a certain time he got up, walked to the microphone and read some passage of Holy Scripture, often from the Old Testament, and at the end of the event, everyone got up, raised their hands in the air and read the Lord's Prayer together. More or less that then this "Week" was celebrated. But what we were given to see here looked quite different.

The prayer began with an introductory chant sung by a mixed choir. It turned out that the male voices overflowing with the voices of Catholic nuns belonged to Russian seminarians, and the man standing in the altar in a black robe, who could only be called a cassock at a stretch, turned out to be an Orthodox priest, rector of the Paris Seminary, Hieromonk Alexander Sinyakov. We cannot remember the whole sequence, but the "service" was conducted first by a Catholic, then by an Orthodox. The singing of the Beatitudes was sounded, then hierom. Alexander read an excerpt from Genesis on the Tower of Babel. After which he preached for a long time and, I must admit, cleverly, often referring to St. Maximus the Confessor, but sometimes offering innovative conclusions, such as that St. Maxim is the strongest link between the West and the East, directing, as it were, the thought of the audience to the fact that he is almost the forerunner of ecumenism. It seemed to us that the memory of this wondrous saint, who once said to his tormentors "I am not thinking about the unity and separation of the Romans and Greeks, but about not deviating from the right faith" , Korea is associated with his fearless confession of faith and unconditional protection of the purity and uniqueness of church teaching, for which they even cut off his tongue and subjected him to various terrible tortures. After the sermon, for some reason, the singing of the Cherubim song was heard, then the Catholic proclaimed in the Orthodox manner a kind of ecumenical litany, to each petition of which all those present answered “ Kyrie Eleison". Then the choir of seminarians sang more the Trisagion and Our Father. Alexander Sinyakov proclaimed: "Let us pray to the Lord," read the final prayer and the ecumenical prayer ended with the Mary's chant, sung by the same Orthodox seminarians ...

It is somehow very strange and unnatural to mention the name of St. Maximus the Confessor within the framework of such a prayer patchwork is not it? How strange it is to see this on the part of an Orthodox rector and seminarians, future Orthodox pastors ...

This extraordinary prayer, which is completely outside the scope of what is permissible in the Church, nevertheless, is not some unexpected exception in the practice of this seminary and its young rector. The scandal that broke out only three months after the opening of this seminary in Paris immediately comes to mind. In an open letter widely circulated on the Internet in January 2010, one of the students, Andrei Serebrich, bluntly and without embellishment stated the reasons for his departure from the seminary, as he considered "continuing his studies at the seminary undesirable and therefore unacceptable." The seminarist's arguments are all the more convincing because, as he himself writes in the conclusion of the letter, he has no personal claims to the leadership of the seminary.

One can imagine that more than one young Russian seminarian was internally jealous of those lucky ones who managed to undergo strict selection and be sent to Paris, which gives even more convincingness and faith in the plausibility of this seminarian's testimony. empty word. I remember the inspired letter of the great N.M. Karamzin, who wrote on April 2, 1790: "I am in Paris!" This thought produces in my soul some kind of special, fast, inexplicable, pleasant movement ... "I'm in Paris!" - I say to myself and run from street to street, from Tuileries to the Champs-Elysees fields, suddenly I stop, I look at everything with excellent curiosity: at houses, at carriages, at people. What I knew from the descriptions, I see now with my own eyes - I am having fun and rejoicing at the living picture of the greatest, most glorious city in the world, wonderful, unique in the variety of its manifestations. " : “When we went to study at the seminary, we thought that this seminary would be the light of Orthodoxy for the Western European Catholic and Protestant world, a place for the preaching of Orthodox values ​​for the secular European society.” But disappointment came very quickly: "Unfortunately, the seminary at the moment is not a place for Orthodox witness, either in doctrinal, disciplinary or everyday matters."

What exactly pushed the Orthodox soul away from this seminary? Exactly what its rector continues to create with impunity right up to these days: not only fraternization with Catholics, but as he himself writes - the imposition of clearly non-Orthodox teachings and views on students. Judging by the assertions of the seminarian, for the rector there is no specific Orthodox teaching on the procession of the Holy Spirit, and the Symbol of Faith can be pronounced filioqu or not. After attending a lecture at the Catholic University of Paris, the rector agreed that the Introduction to the Temple of St. The Mother of God is still one of the Twelve Feasts! - has no historical basis and is only symbolic. Seminarians are obliged to take a blessing and kiss their hand when meeting with Catholic bishops, they are forbidden to testify to Catholics about Orthodoxy, on Christmas Day, January 7, they had to attend a lecture at the University of Paris so as not to offend the “Catholic brothers”.

The scandal caused by the letter went far beyond the walls of the seminary and angered many patriarchal parishioners of France, who demanded clarification from the hierarchy about what was happening in the seminary, but all these protests had no result. Should I be surprised? Of course not, for Sinyakov is not doing anything reprehensible from the point of view of his patriarchal authorities. Maybe only not careful, but his behavior has the full support of all levels of the hierarchy, right up to the patriarch.

And these regularly repeated "negligence" only instill confidence in the reproaches put forward by Andrei Serebrich. Isn't Sinyakov himself jokingly defining himself in the Catholic press as "half-Dominican, half-Orthodox." But is this a joke? Much earlier, in the leading French Catholic newspaper La Croix, in 1999, he himself says that, as a novice (!) In a Dominican monastery in Toulouse: “Ultimately, I receive communion together with Catholics, preserving my Orthodox beliefs” ... Today, having matured a little, he no longer speaks openly about taking communion with Catholics, but in an interview with the newspaper Le courrier de Russie on January 16, 2013 he continues in the same spirit that his desire is to create a mixed Orthodox-Catholic seminary and pins hopes that the split between East and West will soon end, since this division causes him great suffering, since he cannot share his priesthood with his friends Catholic priests.

Behind the screen - I must admit it is very transparent - the official words of the MP leadership about the withdrawal from the ecumenical movement, which some overly naive fools fell for, there are facts, indisputable facts. These are the words of the second person of the Patriarchate, Hilarion Alfeev, who openly recognizes the fullness of grace among Catholics: “We (with Catholics) actually have mutual recognition of the Sacraments. We do not have communion in the Sacraments, but we recognize the Sacraments ... If a Catholic priest converts to Orthodoxy, we accept him as a priest, we do not ordain him anew. And this means that de facto we recognize the "sacraments" of the Catholic "church". " “With us,” this must be understood by Gundyaev, Alfeev, Sinyakov and other patriarchates who have completely gone off the church rails, but not by the Orthodox Church and the Orthodox.

What's going on in the MP is just scary. This is more dangerous than Sergianism itself, it is a complete perversion of the Orthodox faith.

Therefore, what is happening in the Paris Seminary can be considered, as it were, a laboratory of what the entire MP is, with Gundyaev at its head. Is it possible to reproach Sinyakov for the fact that his seminarians should kiss the hand of Catholic bishops and take their blessing, when everyone can see on a video clip on the Internet how Gundyaev kisses the Pope's hand ... to his patriarch: “Spiritually I am very close to him. He made me what I am today, thanks to him I run this seminary. I love him very much, for me this is my father, he gave birth to me "...

No wonder, someone was very true to say that this seminary is a kind of "Orthodox MGIMO". Young seminarians are educated not only in a non-Orthodox spirit, but also in a non-Russian spirit. In fact, it is very far in mito the view of Alexander Sinyakov from F.M. Dostoevsky, for whom to be Russian is to be Orthodox. For Sinyakov, one cannot in any way associate Russian identity with Orthodoxy, because there are many Russian identities, not only Orthodox, but Muslim, godless, and such diversity can be wealth (!) - the rector says without any hesitation ...

In conclusion about the tragic picture of the MP, tragic first of all for the believers who are in it, and especially for those who five years ago joined it and madly continues to present this spiritual crime as the realization of God's will, let us quote the words of the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, Metropolitan Agafangela: “The recognition of the Latin heresy in the MP, unfortunately, is, as they say now, of a systemic nature. That is, this heresy is confessed by the entire ruling clan of Patriarch Kirill in the MP, and they took this "confession" from their teacher Nikodim (Rotov). Until the time it was quite latent, but now it has come out openly. This is, indeed, the real end of the MP, without any hope of healing. /.../ With such a person (Alfeyev), no doubt, it is no longer possible to pray together, since recognizing the fullness of grace among Catholics, he automatically recognizes all their heresies as an Orthodox doctrine. That is, Hilarion (Alfeyev) is the most natural heretic. He who prayed with a heretic, according to the rules of St. Fathers, is excommunicated from the Church. This applies both to those who co-serve with the heretic Hilarion and those who pray in the church during his blasphemous "worship". " Let us add on our own - as well as the former foreign bishops co-serving him with Hilarion (Corporal) at the head, as was the case in London, as we wrote about in the previous article.

Protodeacon German Ivanov-Thirteenth

Original, read thanks

The Orthodox Theological Seminary in France is the only higher educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Western Europe, established by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate on April 15, 2008.

The idea of ​​creating a seminary belongs to Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, now the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. He expressed it for the first time during his last visit to France in November 2007 on the occasion of the presentation of the French translation of the Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In addition, the project to create a Russian Orthodox seminary in France is one of the main results of Patriarch Alexy II's visit to Paris in October 2007.

The Paris Seminary is at the disposal not only of the Korsun diocese of the ROC MP, but also of the other dioceses of the Moscow Patriarchate in Europe (Brussels-Belgian, Geneva and German ROCOR MP, Sourozh in Great Britain, Dutch-Dutch, Austrian) and Russian parishes in Italy. The ruling bishops of these dioceses are members of the Seminary Supervisory Council, which is headed by Archbishop Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and Rector of the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctorate Studies of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Seminary objectives:

1. Training of highly educated clergy for the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, who speak foreign languages, who are familiar with both Russian Orthodox and Western culture.

2. Teaching the Orthodox laity participating in the life of the Church to prepare them for the church mission and teaching the catechism;

3. Teaching secular and ecclesiastical non-Orthodox students interested in the Orthodoxy of the Russian tradition;

4. Intellectual and spiritual testimony of Russian Orthodoxy through divine services, various scientific, publishing and cultural projects.

Since September 1, 2009, the seminary has been located in the house of Saint Genevieve in Epinay-sous-Senart (French Epinay-sous-Senart), 21 kilometers southeast of Paris. The building, rented from the Catholic Diocese, previously belonged to the Convent of the Assistant Sisters (French Societe des Auxiliatrices des ames du Purgatoire).

So far, the lease agreement with Catholics has been concluded for one year with the possibility of extension and with the prospect of buying the building into ownership. The rent is 250 thousand euros per year, including all utilities and electricity. The money to pay for the running costs of the seminary comes from private donations.

At the seminary, a chapel was opened in honor of St. Martin the Confessor and the Monk Genovefa of Paris.

Seminary training

The Seminary provides three forms of study: full-time with living in a seminary for future clergy, a three-year external study for those wishing to get acquainted with the Russian spiritual tradition and the theological and liturgical heritage of the Orthodox Church, and free attendance of courses. Students of the first two forms of education receive special diplomas.

Persons of the Orthodox faith of any nationality are accepted for full-time studies at the seminary. The course of study in French and Russian lasts five years (three years of bachelor's and two years of master's). Students with a theological education are admitted to the fourth year (first year of master's degree). Classes are held both in the seminary itself and in higher educational institutions in Paris (including the Sorbonne). Upon successful completion of their studies and the defense of their dissertation, seminary graduates receive two diplomas: a master's degree in philosophy from the Sorbonne University in Paris and a church theological diploma from the seminary.

The seminary is bilingual. For those who do not speak French (or do not know enough), intensive courses are organized from the very first days of training.

The Seminary assumes all expenses for students who are guided by dioceses or other theological schools. Each seminarist is provided with a separate room (with a washbasin) and three meals a day plus an annual travel card (for travel to classes in Paris). In addition, the building has a library, a computer room and wireless Internet.

In addition to students guided by dioceses and theological schools, the seminary accepts those who are willing to pay for their studies on their own. Given the level of prices and wages in the Paris region, the amount paid is low - 350 euros per month. For this money, free housing (subject to availability), food, study materials and unlimited Internet access are provided. Tuition fee for external studies - 250 euros per year.

Schematically, training in seminary is as follows:

Preparatory Course:
- Intensive study of French, Greek and Latin, as well as introductory theological subjects in the seminary;
- a course in history and social studies, developed by the French government for clergy (at the Faculty of Sociology, University of Paris).

Undergraduate (3 years):
- Theology, the history of the Russian Church and Russian philosophy, the history of the Local Orthodox Churches, liturgy, modern and ancient languages ​​in the seminary;
- a complete course in philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Sorbonne;
- biblical studies and general Christian history at the theological faculty of the University of Paris.

Master's degree (two years):
- Theological and religious subjects in the seminary;
- Patristics and history of Christian teaching at the Sorbonne Faculty of Religious Sciences.

The teaching and learning corporation of the seminary is formed from the best specialists in their field, living both in the CIS countries and in the West. Lectures are given by teachers from France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Russia and Ukraine. Among the lecturers are Archpriest Nikolai Makar from Milan, an expert in canon law; Archpriest Sergiy Ovsyannikov from Amsterdam, specializing in biblical studies; Priest Sergius Model from Brussels, known for his publications on the history and current situation of the Orthodox Churches in Europe.

Administration

Archbishop Innokenty (Vasiliev) of Korsun - Chancellor, Chairman of the Administrative Council;

Hieromonk Alexander (Sinyakov) - rector, chairman of the pedagogical council;

Archpriest Anthony Ilyin - Vice-Rector for Public Relations;

Hegumen Nestor (Sirotenko) - chairman of the disciplinary council.

Rector Hieromonk Alexander (Sinyakov) was born in 1981 in the Levokom region of the Stavropol Territory (Russia). Graduated from Toulouse University, St. Sergius Theological Institute and Paris Sorbonne University (all three in France). Fluent in French, English, German and Greek. In September 2003 he was ordained a hierodeacon, in November 2004 - a hieromonk by Bishop Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Vienna and Austria. He served in Paris, being the secretary of the Korsun diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate for public relations, press and religious organizations. From 2002 to 2005 he taught Russian civilization, Church history and Old Slavic philology at the Sorbonne. By the decision of the Holy Synod in April 2008, he was appointed rector of the theological seminary in Paris. In January 2010, among the students of the seminary and the Parisian Orthodox community, accusations arose against Fr. Alexander, who maintains liturgical communion with the Roman Catholic Church and instills Catholic views in his educational institution, which are unacceptable in the Orthodox tradition. Currently, these accusations are actively discussed in Orthodox blogs.

Based on materials from "Wikipedia", the site of the Russian Theological Seminary in France, "Pravoslavie.Ru", "Portal-Credo.Ru"

In the plot:

06 July 2010, 12:36 The last meeting of the Academic Council of this academic year was held at the Russian Theological Seminary in France
05 July 2010, 13:38 MEDIA MONITORING: "I take communion with Catholics, while maintaining my Orthodox beliefs." Dmitry Sinyakov, the current rector of the Paris Seminary, admitted that, as a novice, he participated in a joint liturgy with Catholics
June 28, 2010, 18:56 From now on it will be possible to enter the Paris Seminary of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate only with the personal consent of Patriarch Kirill
March 03, 2010 12:36 pm

I, Serebrich Andrey Alexandrovich, a student of the Russian Theological Seminary in France, cannot continue my studies at the Russian Theological Seminary in France for the following reasons:

After studying for almost three months at the seminary from 8.10.09-22.12.09, I saw that the leadership of the seminary, on the one hand, is imposing on students clearly non-Orthodox teachings and views and on the other hand - deception in relation to the students of the seminary.

I cannot share the dogmatic views of the leadership of the seminary, which are taught as undeniable, and do not tolerate objections:

1. The rector of the seminary, Hieromonk Alexander (Sinyakov), at one of the lessons of dogmatic theology that he leads, stated that the Catholic Church in its teaching on the filioque relies on the treatise of St. Basil the Great "On the Holy Spirit"(although this does not follow when parsing the text), and to the question of the seminarians, what is the Orthodox position on this issue, the rector replied that the Orthodox have no position, and generally speaking it makes no difference how to read the Creed - with or without filioque.

But in reality, the Orthodox have a position on this issue, it was expressed, for example, by St. Gregory Palamas, when he said to Catholics: "We will not accept you into communion as long as you say that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son," she was also expressed at the Council of Constantinople in 1583, when it was decided that "he who does not confess with heart and mouth that ... the Holy Spirit hypostatically proceeds only from the Father ... let it be anathema", it is also expressed by the Epistle of the Eastern Patriarchs on the Orthodox Faith of 1848, saying that" the one, holy, catholic and Apostolic Church, following the holy Fathers of the East and West, both anciently and nowadays again proclaims in a council that this new opinion that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son is sheer heresy, and his followers, whoever they are, are heretics ... the societies that make up them are heretical societies, and any spiritual liturgical communion with them of the Orthodox children of the catholic Church is lawless. "

2. Another time, at a regular lesson in dogma, the issue of the historical authenticity of the Feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos was discussed. This question arose after we attended another lecture at the Paris Catholic University, where we, seminarians, also undergo training. The father rector, following the teacher of this university Yves-Marie Blanchard, argued that the fact of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos unhistorical, this holiday has no historical justification and is only symbolic, which is contrary to the Orthodox tradition. At the same time, the father rector presented this data not as a version, but as a true state of affairs, as evidenced by the mp3 recordings of his lectures.

I also cannot accept the rules of conduct for students in seminary. While recognizing that building relationships with representatives of the Catholic Church, it is necessary to be guided by the corresponding chapter of the Fundamentals of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church, nevertheless, some actions of the leadership of the seminary caused considerable embarrassment:

1. Orders of necessity take blessings from Catholic bishops and kiss their hands, while Canon 32 of the Council of Laodicea says that "it is not fitting to receive blessings from heretics." This can also include the fact that at one of the receptions in our seminary the meal was blessed by a Catholic bishop invited by the rector.

2. Before class together with the Catholics, the prayer "Heavenly King" is offered, while Canon 33 of the Laodicean Council says that “it is not proper to pray with a heretic or a renegade”, it is also accepted at the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2008 that when communicating with heterodox “our Church does not accept attempts to“ confuse faiths ”, joint prayer actions that artificially unite confessional or religious traditions "(" On questions of the internal life and external activities of the Russian Orthodox Church ", 36).

3. Given that the life of seminarians passes in constant contact and dialogue with Catholics (they are among the teachers, some lectures for seminarians are held at a Catholic university), it is forbidden to testify to Catholics about Orthodoxy, under the pretext that they supposedly "everything is in order with the creed."

However, the holy fathers teach that the Catholics are far from all right with their creed: “We rejected the Latins from ourselves for no other reason than the fact that they are heretics” (St. Mark of Ephesus), the Latinism broke away from the Church and “fell. .. into the abyss of heresies and delusions ... and lies in them without any hope of rebellion "(St. Paisiy (Velichkovsky))" from the time of the separation of this church from the Eastern and its fall into the pernicious darkness of heresies "(St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) ), "The Roman Church has long ago deviated into heresy and innovation" (Venerable Ambrose of Optina).

And the prohibition to preach to Catholics is clearly in conflict with the decision of the same Council of Bishops in 2008, which determined that "the participation of the Russian Orthodox Church in inter-Christian and inter-religious dialogue is for the sake of witnessing the truth of Holy Orthodoxy"(" On questions of the internal life and external activities of the Russian Orthodox Church ", 35).

4. The remarks of the rector against us visiting the Orthodox places of Paris, especially the Church of the Three Saints in Paris, are perplexing.

5. It was also embarrassing that the order sounded before the holidays about the need for seminarians on January 7, on Orthodox Christmas, to go to classes at the University of Paris in the usual way, since, as if, if we did not go to classes, then "Catholic brothers" will not understand this and will be offended at us... As far as I know, according to the Orthodox tradition, this is considered disrespectful to the church holiday, and it is unlikely that any other seminary of our Church studied and worked on Christmas!

6. One of our students was kicked out of seminary simply for dissent. Georgy Arutyunov, that is the name of the student, was admitted to the seminary like other students, studied with everyone, was active in the classroom, asked questions, and always defended the Orthodox position, did not insult anyone personally. However, he was kicked out simply because his views did not coincide with the position of the rector. There was no meeting of the disciplinary council of the seminary, which would consider his case, no formal accusation, no possibility of acquittal - they simply said that he was no longer a student and that was all. Other students, unofficially, orally, were forbidden to even communicate with him. It turns out that everyone who will have their own point of view on this or that issue, different from the position of the rector's father and will openly defend it - will be expelled.

When we went to study at the seminary, we thought that this seminary would be the light of Orthodoxy for the Western European Catholic and Protestant world, a place for the preaching of Orthodox values ​​for the secular European society. Unfortunately, the seminary at the moment is not a place of Orthodox witness, neither in doctrinal, disciplinary, nor in everyday life matters.

In view of all of the above, I consider the continuation of my studies at the seminary undesirable and therefore unacceptable. I have no personal complaints about the leadership of the seminary.

January 8, 2010
Serebrich A.A.

The non-Orthodox views of the rector of the Russian Theological Seminary of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Paris, Hieromonk Alexander (Sinyakov) "logically follow from the idea approved by Vladyka Ilarion (Alfeev) that the Local Church in European countries is the Roman Church ", said the famous French Orthodox theologian, cleric of the Serbian Patriarchate Jean-Claude Larcher. As the correspondent of Portal-Credo.Ru reports, this statement is contained in Larcher's review of the collection Eucharistic ecclesiology, "published on the Orthodoxie website.

In his review, Jean-Claude Larcher, in particular, criticizes the theological position of Metropolitan John of Pergamon (Zizioulas), who in fact recognizes the primacy of the Roman bishop in the Universal Church.

In the opinion of the French theologian, the scandal associated with the statements and actions of the rector of the seminary of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate testifies to "the same doubtfulness" of ecclesiology Moscow Patriarchate, which is also inherent in the ecclesiology of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which actively practices prayer communication with the Roman Catholic Church. Jean-Claude Larcher calls the views of Hieromonk Alexander and Archbishop Hilarion "Uniate", refraining, however, from the direct statement that the current head of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate adheres to the same views..