The religious scholar Roman Silantyev commented on the position of the Orthodox in Tatarstan. Religious scholar Roman Silantiev commented on the situation of the Orthodox in Tatarstan The Russian Orthodox Church of the Kazan Metropolis

Initially, it included the lands of the Kazan Khanate, the surrounding areas conquered in 1552, and the Vyatka land. In 1556, after the capture of Astrakhan, the lands of the Middle and Lower Volga regions became part of the diocese, in the second half of the 16th - early 17th centuries. - annexed territories of the Urals and Siberia.

In 1602, the Astrakhan eparchy was separated from the diocese, in 1620 the Tobolsk eparchy, and in 1657 the Vyatka eparchy. In the first half of the XVIII century. the diocese mainly included the territories of the Kazan and Ufa provinces created by Peter I. By the mid 1790s. the diocese included the Kazan and Simbirsk provinces; parishes on the territory of the latter were later separated into the Simbirsk diocese.

In the early 1920s the borders of the diocese were brought into line with the new administrative-territorial division of the Volga region. The Kazan diocese included Tatar, Chuvash (until 1946), Mari ASSR (until 1993).

By the decision of the Holy Synod of June 6, 2012 (), dioceses were also separated from the diocese. The Kazan diocese is included in the Tatarstan metropolis.

Diocese today
(as of July 2016)

Deaneries and deans

• I Kazan (within the boundaries of the Vakhitovsky and Privolzhsky districts of the city of Kazan) - Archpriest Alexy Chubakov, rector of the Church of the Yaroslavl Wonderworkers in Kazan
• II Kazan (within the borders of the Kirov and Moscow districts of the city of Kazan) - hegumen Pimen (Iventiev)
• III Kazanskoye (within the boundaries of Aviastroitelny and Novo-Savinovsky districts of the city of Kazan) - hegumen Ignatius (Grigoriev)
• IV Kazanskoe (within the borders of the Sovetsky district of the city of Kazan) - Archpriest Vladimir Ponomarev
• Buinskoye - Archpriest John Tkachuk, Rector of the Trinity Church in Buinsk
• Verkhne-Uslonskoye - Priest Vladimir Chibirev, rector of the Nikolo-Ilyinsky Church of the r.p. Upper Uslon
• Vysokogorskoye - Priest Vitaly Ulyanov, rector of the church in honor of the Holy Trinity with. Usady
• Yelabuga - Archpriest Sergiy Lepikhin, Rector of the Pokrovsky Cathedral in Yelabuga
• Zakamskoe — Archpriest Andrey Dubrovin, Rector of the Holy Ascension Bishops' Metochion in Naberezhnye Chelny
• Zelenodolsk - Archpriest Svyatoslav Mirganiev, rector of the Peter and Paul Church in Zelenodolsk, pos. Gary
• Kaibitskoye - Priest Nikolai Ermolaev, rector of the Trinity Church with. Turminsky
• Kukmorskoye - Archpriest Sergiy Eliseev, rector of the Church of Peter and Paul r.p. Kukmor
• Laishevskoye - Priest Fyodor Saparov, rector of the Church of the Kazan Saints with. column
• Mamadyshskoe - Archpriest Dimitry Morozov, Rector of the Church of St. Xenia the Roman in Mamadysh
• Pestrechinskoye - Priest Pavel Kirillov, rector of the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with. Panovka
• Rybno-Slobodskoye - Priest Alexander Maslov, rector of the Church of the Epiphany with. Anatysh
• Tetyushskoye - Archpriest Valentin Kostrin, Rector of the Trinity Church in Tetyushi
  

P.S. The lord is essentially right,
but the key to the hearts of completely non-church studios
selected incorrectly.

October 29th, 2016

“Hegumen Siluan, the former abbot of the Dormition Monastery in Sviyazhsk, will leave the Kazan diocese. Today he officially handed over the affairs to the new abbot. This is how the conflict between the authoritative priest and Metropolitan Feofan ended. Hieromonk Ambrose. The news caused a serious resonance not only among the Orthodox, but also among non-religious people. It got to the point that supporters of the disgraced clergyman were going to go to a rally as a sign of disagreement with the Metropolitan’s style of government, but then it became known that they decided to cancel the action ...

- What conclusions did you make after all this history? You saw that a lot of people support you, but at the same time you understand that you are left alone with the system...

– I don’t want to say that I was left alone with the system, I knew perfectly well what I was getting into when I became a priest. What I basically disagree with is the fact that the abbots of temples and monasteries can be so easily swapped. It is very difficult. First of all, it is difficult for parishioners. Perhaps someday the time will really come, and the brethren will choose the abbots. At least, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill is moving towards this, reforms of monasticism are being prepared now.

What about conclusions? Well, it turns out there are more people who need me than I suspected. He drew conclusions that you need to rely only on God, and not on human help, not on your own deeds. And when there is a providence of God, it is difficult to resist it. ()

October 28th, 2016

“Patriarch Kirill has his own “golden personnel fund”, whose representatives not only strive to reproduce the royal way of life of their lord (up to palaces, aircraft and bodyguards), but also have a certain immunity. They consider themselves representatives of the new Russian elite and even form a special philosophy - hedonism based on the ideas of personal God's chosen people. Today our story is about one of the most prominent representatives of the patriarchal "personnel reserve" - ​​Metropolitan Feofan of Kazan and Tatarstan, against whom his own flock - with the consent of the authorities of the republic - is gathering a large-scale rally on October 30.
Did not take into account the specifics of the region ...

A whole bunch of complaints about the new Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan Feofan (Ashurkov) was received at the last meeting of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, which took place on October 21 in Moscow's Danilov Monastery. ()

October 20th, 2016

The saga of Metropolitan Feofan Ashurkov:
did not abbreviate a single word -
almost folk epic:

"Feast during the plague of the new time
From the new diary

“No one can serve two masters...
You cannot serve God and mammon”

Gospel of Matthew (6:24)

Introduction

Archpastor
The archpastor - by succession of power from the holy apostles, is the primate of the local church - the diocese, canonically governing it with the conciliar assistance of the clergy and laity.

Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church

Think about it, dear reader, what lofty words - according to the succession of power from the holy apostles. And how democratically declared - the manager with the conciliar assistance of the clergy and laity.

In the times preceding us, to the Holy Saints of God, in view of the feat of life they suffered - love for the sake of God and neighbor, there was in the minds of the people a respectful appeal in the simplest and most closely related form - father or father.

In our time, the Church protocol requires the following appeal to the archpastors of the Russian Orthodox Church - Your Eminence Metropolitan such and such or so: His Eminence Vladyka such and such ...

Without disputing the form of addressing the elected and high-ranking gentlemen of the church organization of our time, let us ask ourselves about the dignity of modern hierarchs. How do we see them. What are they like in works of faith and what are the fruits of their pastoral ministry.

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead."

Catholic Epistle of James (2:26)

In order for us to have something to start from in the discussion of this issue, let us quote the words of the ascetic of piety, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov, explaining the expression of the Apostle Jacob. “Faith without works is dead; but the works of faith are: love, peace, long-suffering, mercy, humility, bearing the cross, and living in the Spirit. Only such a belief is imputed to the truth. Let's take this as a measure of righteousness.

Part 1

about our lord... and father

So, get acquainted.

Ivan Andreevich Ashurkov, born on May 21, 1947, a native of the mountains. Dmitriev, Kursk region, RSFSR, USSR. From available official sources: no previous convictions, never married, officially has no heirs, has not been seen in discrediting relationships. Since 1973 he has been a monk with the name Feofan. Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, currently Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan. ()

October 20th, 2016

"In the Orthodox environment of Tatarstan, the atmosphere is heating up in connection with the activities of Metropolitan Feofan Ashurkov, who was appointed to this position some time ago by the head of the ROC MP Kirill Gundyaev without consultations with the leadership of the republic.

The fact that Muslims and simply Tatar patriots are dissatisfied with the activities of Ashurkov, "Voice of Islam" wrote more than once. In particular, his words that “Kazan is a Russian land”, and the inhabitants of Tatarstan (regardless of their religion) are “under the protection of the Holy Mother of God”, and the publication of the Bible in the Tatar language with Muslim terminology, designed to convert Muslims to Orthodoxy, and attempts to bring the schools of the Kryashens out of subordination to the Republic and subjugate them to the Russian Orthodox Church, and much more.

In general, it must be understood that Ashurkov is the special forces of the "Parallel State of Kirill", thrown into Tatarstan to capture it and turn it into the Kazan province, which the propagandists of the Russian Orthodox Church spoke about in plain text. ()

October 19th, 2016

"Submitted by: Patriarch Kirill and the Holy Synod

Call on Metropolitan Feofan to order and put an end to lawlessness in the Kazan diocese!

"Your Holiness!!!

Dear members of the Holy Synod!!!

The lawless rule of Metropolitan Feofan in the Kazan Diocese forced me to turn to you.

During the time that Metropolitan Theophan headed the Kazan Diocese, many unpleasant events happened with his direct "leadership". So, Metropolitan Theophan indiscriminately, guided only by personal likes and dislikes, began to expel employees of churches, monasteries, and farmsteads, despite the fact that these people worked for the good of the Church. Many of the employees expelled by Metropolitan Theophan worked in these places for many years, often starting their work for the benefit of the Church from the very ruins of a particular temple or monastery. And many of them had no other place to go and where to lay their heads.

It is no longer a secret for anyone in our Diocese that the Orthodox Faith and dignity have become a kind of "business" for the Metropolitan. Practically from all parishes and monasteries unofficial fees were collected, as was said for the bishop's house. Now in the village The Petrovsky city of Kazan has a luxurious mansion, which does not fit in with the image of the modest archpastor and unmercenary Metropolitan Feofan. This mansion was registered in the name of the wife of the Metropolitan's secretary, Tatyana Samoylenko. But after the previous letter addressed to you, the aforementioned mansion was re-registered for the Kazan Diocese. At least the benefit of the Church came out of it.

As for the divine services of Metropolitan Theophan, not one of them has yet passed without shouting, swearing and showdowns from the metropolitan. Swearing and screams are heard from him even during the Divine Liturgy. (October 14th, 2016

Another scandal in the Kazan Metropolis.

A few quotes from the article "Battle for Sviyazhsk ...":

“Together with the signatures (in addition to the parishioners, the clergy also signed the document - about 20 people in total) a public appeal will also be sent to the Holy Synod and to the reception room of Patriarch Kirill.

The correspondent of "BUSINESS Online" managed to get acquainted with the document, which includes two parts. The second is more specific and contains specific requests both to the synod and to the Most Holy Patriarch himself. The authors of the letter, who also gave additional explanations to BUSINESS Online, assure that under Feofan, the diocesan tax increased many times, that the sale of church candles and other utensils was centralized, and their prices were increased. They demand financial audits of the activities of both the entire metropolitanate and Tatiana Samoylenko (diocesan treasurer), Archpriest Vladimir Samoylenko (secretary of the metropolitan) and the head of the Tatarstan metropolis Feofan himself.

In total, as of May this year, according to our interlocutors, 28 Tatarstan influential and not very clergy have lost their posts.

However, the authors of the appeal to the synod and to the patriarch are not limited to individual claims against the decisions of Metropolitan Feofan - they seek to show that almost all of his activities are "evil" and lead to a "disastrous path." This is the subject of the first part of the open letter.

Thus, the metropolitan's ill-wishers claim that his acquaintance with most of the employees of parish churches and monastic farmsteads almost always turned out to be unpleasant and that Feofan supposedly kicked out many "servants" at the first meeting. The authors of the appeal also talk about the parking lot for the servants and parishioners of one of the monasteries, personally closed by the ruling bishop. “He drove not soulless cars, but people in these cars,” the letter says. Which monastery we are talking about, unfortunately, is not specified.

“During his stay at the Kazan cathedra, Metropolitan Feofan, both in word and deed, overthrew the ideal of pastoral service to its extreme limits. We hope that the choice of such behavior was made by him independently and his activities as the Russian Orthodox Church, and even more so, do not have a systemic character within the organization,” the authors of the letter write.

Finally, one of the most entertaining details of this part of the epistle, dedicated to the way of life of the Metropolitan, is the information about the house with an area of ​​2.5 thousand square meters. m in the village of Petrovsky. Allegedly, this house de facto belongs to Metropolitan Feofan, although according to the documents, since October 2015, the already mentioned Samoylenko, the wife of the secretary of the head of the Tatarstan Metropolis, has owned it. The cost of the mansion, according to the interlocutor of "BUSINESS Online", is about 150 million rubles.

However, on this occasion, as the interlocutors of our publication assure, all exhaustive explanations, if necessary, can be given by the administration of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan. And Patriarch Kirill is unlikely to be shocked by the story about Petrovsky, in which he personally stopped during a recent visit to Kazan last summer.

“MULTIPLE PERSONNEL DECISIONS WILL NOT CHANGE ANYTHING. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING"

During the visit, they handed the patriarch an appeal to recall the metropolitan from the management of the Kazan cathedra, that is, the entire metropolis, and they called his methods of work "increasing anxiety and tension in society." They called the head of the Tatarstan metropolis himself "emotionally and mentally unbalanced."

“A rare service with his participation takes place without shouting and scandal. He finds fault with everything with or without reason, ”the appeal to Patriarch Kirill says. At the same time, the authors of the appeal note general public indignation at Feofan’s proposal to transfer one of the buildings of the presidential residence in the Kremlin to the Tatarstan Metropolis: “By the manner of communication, by the form of communication, the metropolitan evokes direct and ambiguous associations with the Chekist of Stalin’s times in Tatarstan.”

The reaction to this appeal (by the way, signed not personally, but "from the Orthodox believers of the Republic of Tatarstan") has not yet officially followed ... "

The authorities of Tatarstan still do not provide schoolchildren with the opportunity to study the "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" as part of the course "Fundamentals of Religious Culture and Secular Ethics" (ORCSE). The news of this caused bewilderment of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus':

“There is also a “unique”, one might say, region - Tatarstan, where the regional authorities consider it possible for people to decide what they can study within the framework of the ORKSE and what they cannot. OPC is not possible. At the same time, civil rights and the requirements of federal legislation are grossly violated, the decisions of the President, the Government, the Ministry of Education and Science are ignored, ”said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill in an interview published in the 11th issue of the Orthodox Education magazine.

Alexander Terentyev, head of the Department of the President of Tatarstan for Domestic Policy, called the words about the oppression of Orthodoxy in the Republic of Tatarstan “lamentations” and demonstrated at a meeting on issues of interethnic and interfaith relations a number of data that, in his opinion, testify to the development of Orthodoxy in the region. So, in 1998 there were only 15 Orthodox objects in Tatarstan, and now there are 467 (324 churches, 46 prayer houses, 86 chapels and 11 prayer rooms); at the moment there are 334 Orthodox religious organizations in the republic, and in 1998 there were only 15 of them. In addition, 26 Orthodox churches are under reconstruction in the region, 35 more are under construction.

“Numbers are stubborn things. You can't argue with them. Could the above be stated in the case of harassment? It’s time for everyone to give an honest answer to this question, ”Interfax-Povolzhye quotes A. Terentyev.

“Indeed, numbers are a stubborn thing. And they testify not at all in favor of Tatarstan.

There are no more regions in Russia where terrorists would massively attack Orthodox churches. There are no regions in Russia where, over the past 2014, the growth of terrorist crimes would have amounted to 320%, with a general downward trend in their number, which was announced in January by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic Artem Khokhorin.

With an equal ratio of Orthodox and Muslims in Tatarstan, the number of mosques exceeds the number of temples by more than three times. The authorities of the republic are building mosques outside its borders, but for some reason they are not building Orthodox churches. We are happy for the Muslims of Tatarstan and consider them our friends, but the authorities of the republic would like to see the same attitude towards the Orthodox.

In Tatarstan, it is still impossible to choose “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture”, and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, speaking about this, is not engaged in “lamentations”, but directly points to the arbitrariness of local officials who put someone’s position above Russian law. And we will raise this topic over and over again at all levels until we achieve the observance of the rights of children from Orthodox families.”

“Since the end of 2013, when the VRNS Human Rights Center held a round table on the violation of the rights of the Russian and Orthodox population of Tatarstan, the situation has definitely improved, but has not become completely normal. And we need to work on improving it, and not snap at criticism, ”Roman Silantyev also said.

Let us add that we all remember the rampart of the Kryashen churches that swept through Tatarstan in 2013. All this was so serious that the Kryashens - the Turkic people professing Orthodoxy - were forced to turn to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill for help:

“Terrorists are burning down our churches. Thank God, the arsonists were found, but we are not sure that this will not happen again. We are not sure about the future. There have already been cases when Wahhabis came to Orthodox priests and agitated to convert to Islam. To whom to complain, they do not know. They are afraid that they will be immediately accused of Islamophobia,” Maria Semyonova, head of the public organization of the Kryashens of Kazan, said in an open address.

And in December 2014 in Kazan, a memorial temple in honor of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, built on the site of a mass grave of soldiers who fell during the capture of Kazan in October 1552. On the columns of the temple, the vandals made three inscriptions with red paint: “Why did you baptize our children”, “No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten” and “1552”.