Deliberations of one of the highest Party members on the “episcopate” of the Soviet “Church”:
Naturally, it would be extremely intriguing to bring forth the opinions of major Party workers about the “Bishops” that were created for the “Soviet Church” by the [Communist] Party.
To the ideological Communists, the appearance of this “Church” that was a direct creation of the Chekist apparatus, evoked a spontaneously negative attitude. Senior Party members that were closely familiar with the technique of the selection of the “upper hierarchy”, sometimes – near openly - expressed their opinion on the undertaken “operation”.
And so, one long-time resident of the Capitol who had graduated as a lawyer at the Moscow Government University before the revolution: an officer during WW1, and a priest during the Soviet times, having been personally ordained by Patriarch Tikhon, related to me the opinion of one of the top Moscow Party members.
- Please tell us what your personal opinion and attitude is toward the new “Bishops”, who have suddenly appeared in the “Church” that is headed by Metropolitan Sergius?
His reply to this was:
- Before anything else, I have no respect for these “Bishops” because each of them has a key to a personal cabinet in the Lubyanka! (Headquarters of the OGPU - KGB) - [A place where many Saints were murdered].
This was stated quite clearly and does not require any further commentary.
And furthermore, it’s worthy to bring forth a known illustration – revealed by a defector, the former NKVD agent Rastvorov - testifying before the American Congressional Subcommittee on the 12th of April 1956:
“Rastvorov said: Major-General Karpov was the head of the religious section in the NKVD Headquarters. At the same time, he held the post of President of the Religious Committee with the USSR Soviet Ministry…
Morris: Did he receive the position of Committee President in relation to his work with the NKVD?
Rastvorov: Yes.
Morris: Good. Can you now outline in detail the function of that specific role which he carried out?
Rastvorov: As you well know, the Church in Russia is not independent as the Soviet Government is now trying to prove. She is totally dependant on the Government authority, and the authority controls all the activities of the Church in the Soviet Union. More than that, it not only dictates all the actions of the Orthodox Church, but implants MVD (formerly NKVD) agents into Her.
Morris: You are saying that MVD agents are infiltrating into the Church?
Rastvorov: Yes. I think it’s worth noting that at the end of the Second World War, when…
Morris: Second World War?
Rastvorov: Yes. Second World War, when the Government allowed the Church in the USSR to function more freely. The Church organised 1 or 2 Seminaries and not few, but many agents from MVD Headquarters were sent there as students.
Morris: Were they sent there as students or to watch over the students?
Rastvorov: No. They sent officers to these seminaries - counter-intelligence officers, who consequently became Bishops in many churches”.
(Stenographer’s Protocol. American Senate April 12th 1956, Pages 780-781).