Cultural Interaction, Pastoral Succession and Demographic Shift: The Self-Consciousness of the German Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
(Report by Bishop Job of Stuttgart at the opening of the international conference “Heritage and Calling,” dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the German Diocese)
Your Eminences, Your Graces, Reverend Fathers and Mothers, Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Today we celebrate the centennial anniversary of the German Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad — the oldest Orthodox church structure on German soil. It belongs to that part of the Russian Church that was formed abroad after the upheavals of the Russian Revolution in 1920 and which existed separately from the Church in Russia until 2007. On May 17, 2007, with the signing of the “Act of Canonical Communion between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia,” the reunification of the two parts of the Russian Church was confirmed.
At the same time, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad has retained wide autonomy. It remains administratively, financially, and in terms of personnel independent, but in spiritual matters is part of the Russian Church. Moreover, since 1936, the German Diocese has had the status of a legal corporation, meaning it enjoys broad recognition from the German state. Considering its rich and multifaceted history, it is not easy to comprehensively describe and properly evaluate the German Diocese within the framework of a single report.
The scholarly presentations that will take place in the coming days are better suited to handle this task. I, however, would like to focus on the continuity of its mission and self-awareness, which can be traced throughout its history up to the present day. At the same time, it is impossible to do without a brief outline of the various stages of its activity on German soil.
Stages of history
The presence of the Russian Orthodox Church in Germany can be conditionally divided into six periods.
1. At first there were chapels and churches that emerged as a result of diplomatic relations between the Russian Empire and German princes, kings, and emperors. They were used, for example, by Russian princesses who entered dynastic marriages, as well as by diplomats at Russian embassies.
2. Then, with the development of railways at the end of the 19th century, Russian aristocrats, artists, and writers began to visit German resorts and during their stay built Orthodox churches there. Some remained "eternal vacationers," others died from their illnesses and were buried here by Russian priests. Under these conditions, a certain parish life was also formed.
3. The Revolution and Civil War forced a significant part of the Russian elite to emigrate: nobility, military personnel, intellectuals, clergy, and officials. In the diaspora, they led an active cultural and church life, while simultaneously hoping for the rapid fall of Soviet power. They established parishes, organizations (including scouting), schools, church and secular publications, and organized concerts and literary evenings. At the same time, the Russian Church Abroad formed as a unified centralized structure that ensured the church life of emigrants—from Constantinople and Paris to Shanghai and New York.
4. After the end of World War II, Germany had a large number of refugees from the Soviet Union — people who were escaping Stalinist terror, persecution of the Church, and the horrors of war. Added to them were prisoners of war, used in Germany as forced laborers. At Stalin's request, a significant portion of them were forcibly repatriated to the USSR by the Western allies. Only a few managed to avoid being handed over, and most of them sought to emigrate further to the West. Only a small number remained in Germany.
5. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, new waves of migration arrived in Germany. The largest groups were people with Jewish roots and the so-called “Russian Germans,” whose ancestors were once invited to Russia by Peter I and Catherine II. Many members of these groups were and remain Orthodox Christians, who revitalized the church life of parishes in Germany.
6. Finally, in our time we are witnessing a new wave of refugees from war-torn Ukraine, as well as a significant willingness of the German state to receive and support them from the beginning of this conflict. Our parishes welcomed Ukrainians with open arms and simultaneously organized humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Since the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church at home is under increasingly severe pressure, many clergy ended up among the refugees. Most of them integrated into our diocese.
Ebb and Tide?
On one hand, this is, you could say, a typical story of the diaspora — that is, constant new waves of immigrants who arrived in Germany for a variety of reasons: some would return to their homeland as quickly as possible, others — moved further, and still others settle here. This is, therefore, an alternation of new waves and their gradual disappearance or assimilation. On the other hand, it is the story of a church organization that has taken root here for more than a hundred years, established itself, and strives for a consistent, genuine mission in Germany and for Germany.
How do these two sides relate? Considering the constantly renewing Orthodox presence on German soil, is it even possible to speak of a continuous history of the German diocese? Does it not merely reflect the interests of the corresponding generations of migrants, while remaining forever a foreign body in this country? I would like to answer this decisively in the negative. Allow me to demonstrate this using examples from certain episodes in the history of our diocese. Let us turn to those church figures, thanks to whom the diocese exists in the form it has today, in order to understand what the true purpose of their activity was.
The Plant of Orthodoxy
What motivated members of the Russian Imperial family and the aristocracy in the 19th century to build about two dozen luxurious Orthodox churches in Germany and, in general, in Western Europe in the traditional Russian style? These richly decoratedchurches can be considered the first “sprouts” of the Orthodox faith in Western Europe.
A characteristic example for me is the witness of Archpriest Vladimir Levitsky, who from the second half of the 19th century sought the construction of a Russian church — in the traditional Russian style — in Florence. Of course, Florence is not just any city in Western Europe, but the place of the Ferrara-Florence Council, that is, a place of a special encounter between Western and Eastern Christianity. For Fr Vladimir, it was therefore a matter of no less than “restoring the honor of Orthodoxy in the city where it once suffered a great defeat.” As architectural symbols, royal churches testify to the beauty and dignity of Orthodoxy, which in the West for a long time was underestimated, ignored, and pushed aside. So what prompted Archpriest Alexej Maltsev in 1890 to publish German translations of liturgical texts? First of all, FrAlexej had in mind the descendants of Russians in the Alexandrovka colony in Potsdam, who, a hundred years after resettlement, had almost ceased to understand the Russian language.
However, his ambitious publishing project aimed for more — to introduce the German audience to the richness of Orthodox worship for the first time. This is evidenced, in particular, by the extensive prefaces and explanations for each part of his translations. Fourteen substantial volumes of bilingual liturgical books were, of course, also intended for practical use.
Even then, Maltsev saw the possibility of the existence of German-speaking Orthodoxy beyond the Russian colony. He understood that the Orthodox tradition in Germany could remain viable for generations only if it were transmitted in German. Thus, his translation work went far beyond his own time and specific occasion and fits into the image of a still foreign to Germany “plant” of Orthodoxy, which, in order to survive, begins to adapt to new soil.
What was going through Bishop Tikhon (Ljashchenko)'s mind when in 1936, being the ruling hierarch of the diocese, he laid the first stone of the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Berlin, the construction of which became possible thanks to generous subsidies from the Reich Ministry for Church Affairs? This new cathedral in Berlin should not be understood merely as a propaganda project of the National Socialist regime, supposedly aimed at preparing for eastern expansion. The Russian diaspora in Berlin lost its previous church during the great economic crisis of 1928. Acquiring or building a new church had long been its urgent goal.
In my opinion, the measured policy of the German ruling hierarchs was primarily aimed at the needs of the diaspora. Thanks to this clear focus, their decisions did not harm the Church either at the time or subsequently. On the contrary, accusations of collaboration or the instrumentalization of the German diocese for political purposes have been historically refuted and repeatedly legally dismissed.
The construction of the cathedral on Hohenzollerndamm in Berlin marked the beginning of a new stage of Russian presence in Germany. It is not the first time the diaspora has erected a church as an expression of its integration and belonging to this country. They build for themselves—they build to stay. The “plant” of Orthodoxy begins to create its own ecosystem in which it can survive.
What prompted the young native of Chemnitz, Michael Arndt, in the 1960s to embrace the Orthodox faith — and specifically in the Mannheim Community of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia? And what later led him to serve this Church all his life — as a monk, priest, and finally bishop? Metropolitan Mark, before his monasticism Michael Arndt, a professor of sciences, had a special connection to Russia from the very beginning. At the age of four, he experienced the end of the Second World War, the Soviet occupation of his homeland, the expulsion, and even the murder of his relatives from East Prussia.
At the age of twelve, he was throwing stones at Soviet tanks during the uprising of June 17, 1953, then he fled to the West with his family and in Frankfurt became a witness to the height of the Cold War, which prompted him to join the newly re-established Bundeswehr. As a teenager, he began attending the Russian Orthodox community in Frankfurt — to not forget the Russian language he had learned in East Germany.
When he joined the army, his interest in the Russian “enemy” turned into the study of the Russian language, culture, and the most valuable thing this people had and have — the Orthodox faith. Ultimately, it was precisely this that became the center of his life. Being a German, he has served the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in the episcopal rank for 46 years and feels responsible both for the spiritual salvation of Russians, Belarusians, and Ukrainians, and for his own people. His Christ-centered message is addressed to all who are ready to hear it.
No Orthodox bishop has done more for German-speaking Orthodoxy and for Orthodoxy in Germany than he has. Although he was not the first Orthodox bishop of German origin — I mean Metropolitan Seraphim Ljade, who headed the German Diocese from 1938 to 1950 — it is precisely due to his consistent introduction of bilingualism, enormous efforts in publishing the bilingual journal "Vestnik" and liturgical books, as well as the revival and development of monasticism, that Bishop Mark rightfully deserves credit for Orthodoxy in Germany becoming truly established. Thanks to him, Orthodoxy in Germany has finally taken root.
Resilience
The European continent has experienced major upheavals and trials over the past hundred years. The diocese has undergone the existence of three German state systems, World War II, at least five major global economic and governmental crises, political repression by Nazi Germany, campaigns of discreditation by Soviet Russia, and in more recent times — even the questioning of its very existence by certain politicians in the Federal Republic of Germany in connection with the war in Ukraine.
This resilience, in my opinion, also indicates the presence of a continuous vision, a certain "crimson thread" in the so complex and heterogeneous history of the German diocese — and not only as a result of human efforts, but also as a manifestation of Divine Providence. Despite the role of politics, personal ambitions, and external pressure, the activity of the Russian Orthodox Church in Germany has been and remains directed toward a single goal: to be the Church of Christ and the bearer of the millennial Orthodox tradition.
Challenges of the Future
1. This goal remains at the center of attention in the future. Coming generations will be able to rely on everything that has been done over a hundred years of history in pursuit of this goal, as well as on the current legal, numerical, and spiritual strength. Thanks to this, the diocese gains the opportunity to elevate its activities in Germany to a new level. Here, I would like to mention three points that, in my opinion, will define this new stage. However, I do not possess the gift of prophecy and ask that this be taken into account in the following presentation.
2. The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad has always considered itself the guardian of pre-revolutionary traditions and the ecclesiastical culture of Holy Russia. At the same time, we had hope and set ourselves the goal of returning these traditions to the faithful in the homeland after the end of the Soviet regime. To some extent, this has also been achieved. However, the Church in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus has once again strengthened and developed independently. On the one hand, it has become more dominant and bureaucratized and is criticized for political involvement; On the other hand, it has grown enormously, launched large-scale church construction, carries out indispensable charitable and social activities, and in such areas as publishing, church mission in the public sphere, church art, religious education, canon law, and theology, it demonstrates a level of professionalism and creative power that can only be afforded by such a large and resourceful Local Church as the Russian — the largest Local Orthodox Church. And finally, the sincere striving for holiness and its genuine manifestations in the Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian peoples can be perceived only with reverence. In other words, the Russian Church has once again become a powerful ecclesiastical organism—with all its merits and flaws. For us, as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, especially in Europe, I see the challenge in preserving our traditional and at the same time somewhat more “intimate” identity of the ROCOR, where people know each other and where Orthodoxy naturally is a part of life, while at the same time not closing ourselves off from positive ecclesiastical developments coming from Russia and Ukraine. The following point will also help us in this.
3. Until now, our church communities primarily saw themselves as diaspora churches, which were supposed to provide a refuge for Orthodox Christians from Eastern Europe living here, a kind of homeland abroad. This task remains important; however, with each new generation, it is becoming increasingly clear that the children and grandchildren of immigrants are gradually losing the Russian language. If, along with the language, they should not lose their Orthodox faith, then Orthodoxy in the German language must become an integral part of church life. At the same time, we must also abandon the typical “émigré mindset,” that is, the self-perception of ourselves as guests in a foreign country, as guardians of an allegedly forgotten tradition. Together with other Orthodox Churches represented here in Germany, we can and must also understand ourselves as a as a Local Church. This is a goal, not an aspiration. With the inner maturity and external status of a century-old German institute, the responsibilities of the German Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad grows along with its numerical increase, as a public, pan-Orthodox, and ecumenical voice, as a significant social and charitable actor, and as a visible opportunity for faith for all people in Germany. This new situation requires great effort, courage, and vigilance from all church participants, as well as God's guidance and care through His Son in the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thank you for your attention.
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