On Friday the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexy II passed on to eternal life. May the perpetual light shine upon him.
Like Russia he was an enigma, and because he lived during these moments in history he was more so.
I think we, as Americans, fail to perceive the complexities of life in other countries, and especially in countries we perceive as threats. We tend to view things as black and white especially when the media and government feed us “acceptable perspectives.” Think back to communism in the Soviet Union and that imposed by Russia upon the states that were sold off by their British and American allies (yes, our leaders sold people into slavery and death). We think of intellectual oppression, gulags, and a lack of toilet paper and shoes. Of course things on the ground, day-to-day life, relationships between families and friends were far more complex.
A funny story. When I was in Poland for the first time I marveled at the fact that people knew and appreciated all sorts of American and British music from the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s — Paul Anka, the Beatles. I was indoctrinated to think that people sat in apartment blocks, poorly built buildings, shivering in small apartments filled with at least 10 bodies, weeping over their misfortune, longing for democracy. I thought that the music they were referencing was verboten. In retrospect it was silly, but I needed that encounter. I needed to hear their stories before I could truly understand the reality, the positives and negatives of the system.
Right now some of Poland’s former leaders are on trial. Here’s a reference to: Poland’s former leader on trial from the BBC.
Poland’s last communist leader, General Wojciech Jaruzelski, has gone on trial accused of committing a crime by imposing martial law in 1981.
I sincerely doubt that these were great or brave men in the majority of their actions. Rather, they were weak and selfish in many rights, using the system to their benefit, accommodating base principals. The real tragedy is that happens in every system, including the good old U. S. of A. It is one of the reasons I sincerely dislike the process of lustration. Men and women will take advantage regardless of the system. These folks will not be the protesters, the ones who stand behind barricades fighting to change the system. Those actions are for the poor and disenfranchised. These folks — the ex-communist businessmen, the oligarchs — just morph into the proper role for the times. The system has changed, but in name only; only in its methods of exploitation.
So this was the environment for Alexy, for the clergy subject under these systems. Did they make unfortunate choices, did they make errors, were they less than absolutely perfect? Certainly. Will they do so under the current system? For sure, just look to the sins of religious leaders in the United States. Before we judge, or throw stones, or expect absolute perfection, let’s take a moment to understand, to talk, and to encounter. We will find that nothing is black and white, nothing is perfect, nothing is as we have been led to believe.
What does matter is that all of us, like Alexy II, are on that road to God. Climbing the ladder to that ultimate union includes the discovery that perfection exists in God alone. Our love for Him, our desire for life in Him, are the impulses that grow as we grow closer to Him. If we focus ourselves on our climb and the rooting out of our imperfections, then we will have made real progress.
