Expert: Celibacy is a long-standing Catholic tradition, but not a doctrine. “I could not remain in the Church with the worship service distorted.” Conversation with Robert Jacklin, an Orthodox layman and former Catholic priest

priest Andrey Tkachev, priest Viktor Dobrov
Priest- in the commonly used (non-terminological) meaning - a minister of a religious cult.

In historical churches that adhere to the traditional understanding of the priesthood, the priest is an elder, having a 2nd degree: below the bishop and above the deacon. To use the term “priest” in relation to a person who has episcopal (bishopric) rank is terminologically incorrect.

Also called presbyter in Orthodox churches and traditional Protestantism.

• 1 different Christian denominations
  • 1.1 Orthodoxy
    • 1.1.1 Image Orthodox priest in art
  • 1.2 Catholicism
    • 1.2.1 Conditions for ordination to the priesthood
      • 1.2.1.1 Roman Catholic Church
    • 1.2.2 General information
    • 1.2.3 Some other terminology
  • 1.3 Protestantism
    • 1.3.1 Lutheranism
• 2 Judaism
• 3 See also
• 4 Notes

In various Christian denominations

Orthodoxy

Priest - a clergyman of the second degree of priesthood. Has the right to perform divine services and all sacraments except the sacrament of ordination. Otherwise, a priest is called a priest, or presbyter (Greek πρεσβυτερος - elder (this is the name of a priest in the epistles of the Apostle Paul).

Ordination to the priesthood is accomplished by the bishop through ordination.

It is customary to address an ordinary lay priest or monastic priest (hieromonk): “Your Reverence.” To the archpriest, protopresbyter, abbot or archimandrite - “Your Reverence.” The informal address is “father (Name)” or “father”. In the Russian Church Abroad, the address “Your Reverence” traditionally applied to a monastic, and “Your blessing” to a lay priest.

WITH late XIX century in Russia, the term “pop” is perceived as colloquial (sometimes with a negative connotation). Until 1755-1760, the word was a generally accepted and official title. Almost always, the term “priest” refers to a lay priest. Thanks to the activities of Ivan Panfilov, confessor of Empress Catherine II, the words “priest” and “archpriest” began to be used in official documents. The word "pop" is traced back to the modern Greek language - "papas". Also in the modern Greek language there is a special name for a Catholic priest. He, as in Russian, is called “Papa”, with the emphasis on the first syllable. The wife of a lay priest in modern Greek is called “priest.” confirmation of this version, the historical and etymological dictionary of Chernykh cites the fact that the word “popadya” came to Slavic languages from Greek. Among the Russian inhabitants of Mount Athos, the word “priest” is often used in speech as a common designation for persons in the priestly rank.

During the struggle against religion, the Bolsheviks most often used this term to designate not only lay priests but also priest-monks.

The image of an Orthodox priest in art

The Orthodox priest is the main character of a number of works of Russian classical literature. One of them is “The Tale of the Priest and His Worker Balda” by A. S. Pushkin. The image of an Orthodox lay priest from the novel “Resurrection” by L. N. Tolstoy became widely known. The story of the difficult life of a provincial lay priest is presented in N. S. Leskov’s novel “The Cathedral People.”

In modern times, Russian cinema has begun to turn to the image of the Orthodox priest. For example, in the film “Island” directed by Pavel Lungin, filmed in 2006, in leading role- Pyotr Mamonov, who played a man picked up by priests (monks) on some northern island during the hostilities of World War II. Or in the film “Pop” directed by Vladimir Khotinenko, filmed in 2009 based on the novel of the same name by Alexander Segen, actor Sergei Makovetsky created the image of an Orthodox lay priest - Father Alexander Ionin - bearing the difficult cross of his ministry in the controversial and difficult conditions of the German occupation of the Baltic states, also during Second World War. Both films received many Russian and international awards.

Catholicism

In the Catholic Church, as in the Orthodox Churches, priests are clergy of the second degree of the priesthood.

Conditions for ordination to the priesthood

Ordination to the priesthood in the Catholic Church is governed by certain canons. At the same time, the Roman Catholic Church and each church from the group of so-called “Eastern Catholic Churches” have their own requirements for a candidate for the priesthood, which may not coincide.

Roman Catholic Church

The canon law of the Roman Catholic Church requires a certain period of study before ordination to the priesthood. According to Canon Law, the candidate must undergo training in philosophy and theology (canon 232). In different countries, the local Conference of Catholic Bishops, taking into account specific conditions, can determine specific conditions and terms of study. In the United States, candidates for the priesthood must complete a four-year course in philosophy and a five-year course in Catholic theology, after which they receive a bachelor's degree in theology. Europe requires candidates to have completed a four-year course of study, with at least the training taking place in for four years at the Higher Theological Seminary. In Africa and Asia, there is a more flexible situation when the duration of training depends on the specific situation, spiritual or age state of the person wishing to become a priest.

In Russia, in St. Petersburg, there is the only Catholic Higher Theological Seminary “Mary - Queen of the Apostles”, where candidates for ordination to the priesthood are trained. Currently, the training in this seminary totals six years. In Novosibirsk, near the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord, there is a pre-seminary that prepares candidates who want to enter the St. Petersburg seminary.

The priest is ordained by the bishop. The ordination of a candidate for the priesthood is subject to the preliminary requirements which are specified in Canons 1024-1039 of the Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church. Only a baptized man (canon 1024) who has received the sacrament of confirmation (canon 1033) can be a priest. The candidate must have certain documents and undergo certain verification. in particular, the candidate must “have due freedom and cannot be forced” (canon 1026), as evidenced by his handwritten application (canon 1036) asking to be admitted to the priesthood (canon 1036). He must undergo certain training and know the duties that flow from his ordination (canon 1027-1029). A man who has reached the age of 25 can take the priesthood (canon 1031). The candidate must complete a five-year course of study in philosophy and theology (canon 1032). The consent of the bishop or monastic authorities to incardinate a certain candidate for priest is necessary (canon 1034). The candidate must undergo spiritual exercises for at least five days before ordination (canon 1039).

There are some obstacles to accepting the sacrament of ordination to the priesthood. These obstacles may be permanent or temporary. The obstacles to the sacrament of the priesthood are described in canons 1040-1042. Only the Pope can free you from constant obstacles under certain conditions.

Constant obstacles:

1. one who suffers from some form of mental disorder or other mental illness as a result of which, in the opinion of experts, he is considered unfit for the proper performance of the ministry;
2. one who has committed the crime of apostasy, heresy or schism;
3. one who has attempted to enter into a marriage, even if only a civil one, either himself bound by the bonds of marriage, holy orders, or a perpetual public vow of chastity, or by contemplating marriage with a woman actually married or bound by the same vow;
4. the one who committed a premeditated murder or an abortion with a positive result - as well as all those who positively participated in this.
5. one who has performed an act of the power of ordination, the right to which is reserved for persons in the episcopal or presbyteral rank, if the culprit either does not have such rank, or is subject to a ban on performing priestly service by virtue of a declared or imposed canonical punishment.

Temporary obstacles:

1. married man
2. one who holds such a position or carries out such leadership work that is prohibited to clergy according to the norms of canons 285 (public positions involving participation in the exercise of civil power - approx.) 286 ( commercial activity- approx.) and for which he must report - until he is released by resigning from this position or management work and reporting on its performance.
3. newly baptized - unless he, in the judgment of the ordinary, has already been sufficiently tested."

Before the immediate ordination of the candidate, the rector of the parish to which the candidate is assigned gives an announcement calling on believers to inform the rector of known obstacles.

General information

A Catholic priest of the Latin rite has the right to perform five of the seven sacraments, with the exception of the sacrament of priesthood (ordination) and the sacrament of confirmation (which the priest has the right to perform only with the permission of the bishop of the diocese in which he is incardinated).

Unlike the Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that a legally ordained priest cannot be defrocked because at his ordination he receives the so-called “indelible seal” of the priesthood, which remains with the priest regardless of his will or the will of others ( including the Pope). A priest may be banned or temporarily removed from his ministry for various reasons, but at the same time he retains the priesthood. A priest who is prohibited or suspended from performing divine services may perform the sacrament of confession if a believer who is under threat of death turns to him.

As in Orthodoxy, priests are divided into monastics ( black clergy) and diocesan priests ( secular clergy). In the Latin rite of the Catholic Church, celibacy is established for all priests; in the Eastern Catholic churches, celibacy is not practiced - only monks and bishops are required to be celibate. In addition to the most numerous Latin rite, there are rites of the Eastern Churches in the Catholic Church. Catholic priests in the Catholic Church can be biritual (two-rite), that is, perform divine services in the Latin and in one of the Eastern rites.

It is customary to address a priest as “Father (Name).”

The traditional clothing of all priests is a cassock with a belt and a collar, which is also used in a lighter version as an insert into the collar of a black or other colored shirt. The color of the cassock depends on the degree of cleric. The priest's liturgical vestment includes the alba, ornat (also called casula) and table.

According to the teachings of the Catholic Church, any believer, by virtue of the sacrament of baptism, has the so-called universal priesthood and can perform the sacrament of baptism under special conditions and subject to a certain oral form and the presence of water.

Some other terminology

In France, the term curé refers to a parish priest. The word abbot (French: Abbé) is used in double meaning, as a synonym for priest and as abbot of an abbey.

Protestantism

In general, Protestantism is characterized by a more democratic structure of communities compared to Catholicism. At the head of the church community are elders (presbyters), elected from the secular members of the community, and preachers, whose duties were not related to priestly activities, but were only a service (Latin ministerium; hence their name - ministers). The elders and ministers are part of the consistory. The consistory is a collegial governing body in the church, whose responsibilities include solving all pressing issues and problems of parishioners, their faith and the life of the church itself. Protestantism abolished the institution of monasticism and monasteries.

For Quakers, all members of the community perform the role of priests, and the pastor only plays the role of preacher.

Lutheranism

In the theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, it proceeds from the dogma of the “Priesthood of all believers” on the basis of the words Holy Scripture: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Thus, according to Lutheran teaching, all believers are priests who receive all the necessary grace from God at baptism.

However, due to the requirements of external order in Lutheran communities, there are people called for public preaching and performing the sacraments - pastors (Augsburg Confession, XIV). A pastor is called by the church through the rite of ordination. The calling implies that the pastor has the ability and has received sufficient knowledge and skills to preach the Gospel in purity and perform the sacraments according to the Gospel. Ordination is seen as a rite of blessing for future pastoral ministry, and there is no talk of any “additional” grace; a person receives all spiritual gifts at baptism.

In cases where, for one reason or another, there is no pastor in the community, his duties are performed by a preacher or lecturer. The preacher must have a certain theological education. The preacher has the right to compose the sermons that he reads; the lecturer does not have such a right.

Judaism

Has special significance in historical Judaism. In ancient Israel, the Jewish priesthood descended from Aaron, the elder brother of Moses. The priesthood is believed to have been established by God Himself. The book of Exodus 30, 22-25 describes the ritual of Moses preparing a special ointment for anointing into the priesthood. During the time of the two temples, priests were responsible for conducting special services in the Jerusalem Temple, during which various sacrifices were made. After the destruction of the second temple, the priestly ministry ceased, after which some priestly duties began to be performed by the so-called kohanim, who performed the priestly blessing.

Currently, there are no priests in Judaism (more precisely, modern features Kohanim are small, and Levites are generally extremely insignificant), and using this term in relation to rabbis is erroneous). Orthodox Judaism considers modern kohanim as a reserve for the restoration of a future true priesthood when the Third Temple is built.

see also

• Priesthood
• Clergy
• Holy Orders

Notes

1. Panfilov, Ioann Ioannovich // Russian biographical dictionary: 25 volumes / under the supervision of A. A. Polovtsov. 1896-1918.
2. Chernykh P. Ya. Historical and etymological dictionary of the modern Russian language
3. CCC, canons 1024-1039
4. CCC canon 1041
5. CCC canon 1042
6. CCC Canon 1008

priest, priest Andrey Tkachev, priest Viktor Dobrov, defrocked priest, priest Mikhail Ardov, priest Oleg Popov, priest sings, priest Fedor Sokolov, priest film, priest photo

Priest Information About

An expert in the field of canon law, Catholic priest Dmitry Pukhalsky answers:

Although Catholic priests are prohibited from marrying, there are also married priests in the Catholic Church.

What's the matter? Speaking about celibacy, we must remember that this is a voluntary refusal to marry. Therefore, it is more correct to say not that Catholic priests are forbidden to marry, but that the Catholic Church ordains men who have chosen a life of celibacy as priests (there are several exceptions, which will be discussed in more detail below).

It should be recalled that, firstly, in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches you cannot marry while already a priest, and, secondly, celibacy is mandatory for those who have chosen monastic service.

Consider, however, situations where a Catholic priest may be married. The first of these is that he is not a priest of the Latin rite. As you may know, in addition to the Latin Rite (with which most people associate Catholicism), there are Churches of the Eastern Rites that are in full communion with the Holy See (today there are 23 of them). There are married priests there, since celibacy is not mandatory for them (but, again, you can never marry after taking holy orders!). By the way, the priests of these churches can also serve in the Latin rite.
The next situation when the appearance of married clergy is possible - already in the Catholic Church of the Latin Rite - is the reunion of Anglican priests with it. According to the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus of 15 January 2011, the ordination of former Anglican married priests as priests of the Latin Rite is permitted subject to certain conditions.

It is important to remember that celibacy is only a tradition; it has no doctrinal justification. In the first centuries of Christianity, communities did not require celibacy from priests, but part of the clergy even then voluntarily chose the path of celibacy. Celibacy became mandatory for priests during the reign of Pope Gregory VII only in the 11th century.

What will happen to a priest if he gets married during his ministry? According to Canon 1394 of the Code of Canon Law, a priest who attempts to contract a marriage is subject to ecclesiastical punishment (“suspension”), which results in a ban on ministry. The punishment is "automatic", that is, a direct and immediate consequence of the priest's attempt to consummate the marriage. If a person who has left the priestly ministry wants to marry his wife in the Catholic Church and participate in the sacraments, then this requires release (dispensation) from celibacy, the provision of which remains the exclusive prerogative of the Pope.

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In various Christian denominations

Orthodoxy

Ordination to the priesthood is accomplished by the bishop through ordination.

It is customary to address an ordinary lay priest or monastic priest (hieromonk): “Your Reverence.” To the archpriest, protopresbyter, abbot or archimandrite - “Your Reverence.” Informal address - "father ( Name)" or "father". In the Russian Church Abroad, the address “Your Reverence” traditionally applied to a monastic, and “Your blessing” to a lay priest.

Since the end of the 19th century in Russia, the term “pop” has been perceived as colloquial (sometimes with negative connotations). Until 1755-1760, the word was a generally accepted and official title. Almost always, the term “priest” refers to a lay priest. Thanks to the activities of Ivan Panfilov, confessor of Empress Catherine II, the words “priest” and “archpriest” began to be used in official documents. The word "pop" is traced back to the modern Greek language - "papas". Also in the modern Greek language there is a special name for a Catholic priest. He, as in Russian, is called “Papa”, with the emphasis on the first syllable. The wife of a lay priest in modern Greek is called “priest.” In support of this version, the historical and etymological dictionary of Chernykh P.Ya. cites the fact that the word “popadya” came into Slavic languages ​​from Greek. Among the Russian inhabitants of Mount Athos, the word “priest” is often used in speech as a common designation for persons in the priestly rank.

In modern times, Russian cinema has begun to turn to the image of the Orthodox priest. For example, in the film “The Island,” directed by Pavel Lungin, filmed in 2006, the leading role is Peter Mamonov, who played a man picked up by priests (monks) on some northern island during the hostilities of World War II. Or in the film “Pop” directed by Vladimir Khotinenko, filmed in 2009 based on the novel of the same name by Alexander Segen, actor Sergei Makovetsky created the image of an Orthodox lay priest - Father Alexander Ionin - bearing the difficult cross of his ministry in the contradictory and difficult conditions of the German occupation of the Baltic states, also during Second World War . Both films received many Russian and international awards.

Catholicism

In the Catholic Church, as in the Orthodox Churches, priests are clergy of the second degree of the priesthood.

Conditions for ordination to the priesthood

Ordination to the priesthood in the Catholic Church is governed by certain canons. At the same time, the Roman Catholic Church and each church from the group of so-called “Eastern Catholic Churches” have their own requirements for a candidate for the priesthood, which may not coincide.

Roman Catholic Church

The canon law of the Roman Catholic Church requires a certain period of study before ordination to the priesthood. According to Canon Law, the candidate must undergo training in philosophy and theology (canons 250, 1032). In different countries, the local Conference of Catholic Bishops, taking into account specific conditions, can determine specific conditions and terms of study. In the United States, candidates for the priesthood must complete a four-year course in philosophy and a five-year course in Catholic theology, after which they receive a bachelor's degree in theology. In Europe, candidates are required to have completed a four-year course of study, with at least a minimum of four years at the Higher Theological Seminary. In Africa and Asia, there is a more flexible situation when the duration of training depends on the specific situation, spiritual or age state of the person wishing to become a priest.

There are some obstacles to accepting the sacrament of ordination to the priesthood. These obstacles may be permanent or temporary. The obstacles to the sacrament of the priesthood are described in canons 1040-1042. Only the Pope can free you from constant obstacles under certain conditions.

Constant obstacles:

Temporary obstacles:

Before the immediate ordination of the candidate, the rector of the parish to which the candidate is assigned gives an announcement calling on believers to inform the rector of known obstacles.

General information

The traditional clothing of all priests is a cassock with a belt and a collar-collar, which is also used in a lighter version as an insert into the collar of a black or other colored shirt. The color of the cassock depends on the degree of cleric. The priest's liturgical vestment includes the alba, ornate (also called casula) and table.

According to the teachings of the Catholic Church, any believer, by virtue of the sacrament of baptism, has the so-called universal priesthood and can perform the sacrament of baptism under special conditions and subject to a certain oral form and the presence of water.

Some other terminology

Lutheranism

The theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church proceeds from the dogma of the “Priesthood of all believers” on the basis of the words of Holy Scripture: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special people, to proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9). Thus, according to Lutheran teaching, all believers are priests who receive all the necessary grace from God at baptism.

However, due to the requirements of external order in Lutheran communities, there are people called for public preaching and performing the sacraments - pastors (Augsburg Confession, XIV). A pastor is called by the church through the rite of ordination. The calling implies that the pastor has the ability and has received sufficient knowledge and skills to preach the Gospel in purity and perform the sacraments according to the Gospel. Ordination is seen as a rite of blessing for future pastoral ministry, and there is no talk of any “additional” grace; a person receives all spiritual gifts at baptism.

In cases where, for one reason or another, there is no pastor in the community, his duties are performed by a preacher or lecturer. The preacher must have a certain theological education. The preacher has the right to compose the sermons that he reads; the lecturer does not have such a right.

Judaism

Has special significance in historical Judaism. In ancient Israel, the Jewish priesthood descended from Aaron, the older brother of Moses. The priesthood is believed to have been established by God Himself. The book of Exodus 30:22-25 describes the ritual of Moses preparing a special ointment for anointing into the priesthood. During the time of the two temples, priests were responsible for conducting special services in the Jerusalem Temple, during which various sacrifices were made. After the destruction of the second temple, the priestly ministry ceased, after which some priestly duties began to be performed by the so-called kohanim, who performed the priestly blessing.

Currently, there are no priests in Judaism (more precisely, the modern functions of the kohanim are small, and the Levites are generally extremely insignificant), and it is wrong to use this term in relation to rabbis). Orthodox Judaism considers modern kohanim as a reserve for the restoration of a future true priesthood when the Third Temple is built.

Islam

Islamic clergy is a conventional term used to designate a set of persons who perform in Islam the functions of organizing a cult and developing dogmatic and religious-legal doctrine. In Islam (with the exception of Shiism) there is no institution of the church, which serves as a mediator between believers and God, and there is no special spiritual class possessing Divine grace. Therefore, among Muslims, theoretically, any adult man with sufficient knowledge and moral authority, with the consent of believers, can lead the religious life of a mosque society without a special procedure for ordination, without acquiring any social privileges. Most often, the term “Islamic clergy” refers to “scholars” (Arabic. ulama) - experts in theology, historical and religious traditions and ethical and legal norms of Islam. The concept of “ulama” includes theologians (ulemas, mujtahids), jurists (faqih), as well as practical figures specializing in religious and social functions - mullahs, muezzins, qadis, teachers of mektebs, madrassas, etc.

The corporate spirit of the ulama was developed only within the Ottoman state and the Safavid state. Here, in the 16th-18th centuries, with the support of the state, a corps of “people of religion” ( rijal ad-din), closely interacting with the state apparatus.

ON SOLOVKI

From the very first days of his stay in the camp, Father Nikolai began to seek permission to hold services in the only one operating on Solovki, the small, neglected Germanovsky chapel, at least on Sundays and holidays; after repeated visits to the head of the administrative department and long and difficult negotiations, he managed to obtain the right for Catholics to perform religious rites. And in the summer of 1926, the first Latin priest, Vitebsk Dean Leonard Baranovsky 8, arrived in Solovki. After serving quarantine, Father Leonard settled in the same room with Russian Catholics.

In October 1926, Exarch of Russian Catholics Leonid Fedorov 9 was brought to the Solovetsky camp. It should be noted that the relationship between the priests of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches has always been strained. Father Leonid understood well “how painfully the Orthodox clergy feels everything that comes to them from the Latin side under the guise of arrogant contempt”, but at the same time did not forget, “how many grounds do the Polish clergy have for complaining about the same arrogance on the part of the recently “mainstream” Church” 10 .

For Orthodox Russia, he saw only one path, which in the future would allow the Orthodox, without renouncing their roots, to reunite with Rome, and, in his opinion, , “only those made by Eastern Rite Catholics are the “real seed” future unity" 11 . Father Leonid understood perfectly how much it would be for them “a difficult feat under a hail of ridicule and reproaches both from the Orthodox and from their Latin brothers”. And only his conviction that “little by little, by their very existence, they open the eyes of the Russian people to the universal spirit of the Catholic Church”, gave strength and faith to his followers.

The history of the relationship between Russian Catholics and Polish priests even before the revolution was not easy: firstly, the active rejection of them by the “state” Orthodox Church, the absence of their own churches, and the impossibility of official status for their head, the exarch of Russian Catholics, and secondly, the holding of services on Orthodox rite - all this made it possible for Polish priests, during the transition of the Orthodox to the Catholic faith, to point to the “Easterns” as sectarians, “semi-schismatics”, and to the Eastern rite as a temporary evil.

After the revolution, the attitude of the Polish clergy towards the Orthodox clergy and Russian Catholics sharply worsened. Constantly encountering Polish priests on church services in the churches of Petrograd, Father Leonid at the beginning of 1922 warned Father Vladimir Abrikosov about the serious danger of latinization of Orthodox believers in Russia, since, in his opinion, the Poles are convinced that “Russia is dying, it is no longer a state, it has lost its national character <...>The Orthodox Church also collapsed, and there is no one to turn to with a proposal for union<...>The energetic satanic work of the Bolsheviks can only be opposed to Catholicism of the Latin rite, as it is inevitably more energetic, active and cheerful than Eastern Catholicism<...>A Russian person can become a real Catholic only then when will accept Latin rite, since only this rite<...>can convert his mind and heart" 12 .

However, the mass arrests of the Polish clergy, the inability of the Vatican to protect Catholic hierarchs in Russia from convictions and executions, but most importantly, the common fate of the clergy changed the relationship between Orthodox and Catholics in the camp. It was Father Leonid, according to the recollections of the priests, who stood on Solovki “an example of his never-abandoning spiritual optimism, good mood, cordiality, readiness to serve everyone at every moment” 13 . His firm belief that “all Catholics without exception, Latins or Orientals, whether they are arrogant or not, are brothers in faith.”, marked the beginning of close and sincere relations between Polish and Russian Catholics.

Bishop Boleslav Sloskan 14, who was taken along with others to the “Trinity” penal assignment on the island of Anzer, later recalled Father Leonid’s views on the unification of churches at that time:

“Father Exarch in the Solovetsky years of his life did not talk about any kind of massive, comprehensive reunion Orthodox Russia with the Apostolic See. He did not seem to believe in an easy reunion even if fall of Soviet power<...>He knew what misconception about the Catholic Church there was a huge mass of Orthodox clergy. Therefore, he argued that, humanly speaking, it would take a certain period of time to familiarize Orthodox Russia with true Catholicism, with universal Catholicism <...>Father Exarch clearly understood and repeated this to our brethren that the reunification of Orthodox Russia under the shadow of the Holy Apostolic See is a matter of an absolutely supernatural order, and, as such, according to him I am convinced that without martyrdom, without real martyrdom, it is unthinkable.”.

Convicts Catholic priests arrived in stages from all over the country to the Solovetsky camp. In the summer of 1928, the last remaining free priest of Russian Catholics, Potapiy Emelyanov, was brought here. The transition of Father Potapiy and his parishioners in the village of Nizhnyaya Bogdanovka, Luhansk district, Donetsk region, from Orthodoxy to Eastern Rite Catholicism was so unusual that it needs to be discussed in more detail.

The Orthodox monk of the Pochaev Lavra, Potapiy, was sent by his archbishop to attend pastoral courses in Zhitomir in 1910, where he unexpectedly became interested in "the writings of St. Church Fathers and history ecumenical councils. There he was struck most of all by the patristic testimonies speaking in favor of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome. So, gradually, young Potapius became imbued with the idea of ​​​​reunification with Rome<...>IN In his life, Potapius had not met any Catholics until that time; therefore, there could be no talk of any outside Catholic influence on him.” 15 .

In 1911, he was ordained an Orthodox priest; after completing the courses, he remained in the Pochaev Lavra as a hieromonk. In March 1917, he was sent to serve as rector of the Nizhnyaya Bogdanovka parish in Ukraine, where he immediately won the warm sympathy of the entire population, since “Bogdanovites were very pious, they loved long statutory services and sermons”. Father Potapiy was a good preacher and knew how to captivate people “with their bright, meaningful and understandable sermons" and in them "he immediately began to prepare his parishioners for reunification with Rome." The people have already fallen in love with Father Potapius so much “for his unselfish and selfless pastoral activity, for his splendid, strictly statutory service, which did not cost him It’s a lot of work to capture the minds and souls of parishioners.” After a year of such apostolic activity, Father Potapiy achieved that in June 1918 "his parishioners decided to reunite with Rome».

In the summer of 1917, Father Potapiy announced to his flock the establishment in May of this year of the Russian Exarchate of the Eastern Rite. The parishioners, who enthusiastically accepted this news, drew up an agreement by which they authorized their pastor to carry out the act of transition to the Catholic Church. In June 1918, Father Potapiy met in Petrograd with the Exarch of Russian Catholics Leonid Fedorov, and on June 9 he accepted him into the bosom of the Catholic Church, giving him the necessary instructions for the first time. More than a month later, Father Potapiy safely reached Nizhnyaya Bogdanovka, telling in detail about his meeting with the exarch; he later recalled this: “When I returned to the parish with the Catholic blessing of the exarch, a letter and a message and read it after the prayer singing, spiritual joy and tears of tenderness knew no bounds, for the message was filled with the most ardent fatherly love and edification.”.

On October 6, 1918, Father Potapiy met with Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky and received a letter from him in which he proclaimed: “Desiring to satisfy all the spiritual needs of our faithful in Ukraine, by virtue of the power given to us by the saints By the Apostolic See, we entrust you with the leadership of the parish of the village of Bogdanovka and give you all the power necessary for this work. May God bless you and your work." 16 .

During the Civil War, when local authorities changed, as if in a kaleidoscope, the attitude towards the residents of Nizhnyaya Bogdanovka was almost the same: under Hetman Skoropadsky, parishioners were flogged with whips for converting to Catholicism, and Father Potapiy, along with members of the parish council, was arrested and brutally beaten in prison; Under the Whites, Father Potapiy was imprisoned twice and only miraculously escaped execution. When he finally returned to his native village in December 1919, the joy of his parishioners knew no bounds - “My appearance seemed to them like a resurrection from the dead, tears of joy flowed uncontrollably. All the old and young tried, as if by touch, to make sure that I was really alive, for they had long been assured that I did not exist.” 17 .

With the establishment of Soviet power, the position of Father Potapius and his parish initially seemed to improve. By the decision of the People's Commissariat of Justice of May 3, 1922, the community of Bogdanov Catholics, which by that time numbered 828 parishioners, was even given a functioning church. However, later Bogdanov’s Catholics shared the fate of all believers in Russia.

At the end of 1924, Father Potapiy met a Catholic priest, the rector of the parish in Makeyevka, Donetsk region, Father Eugene Neveu, and they became great friends. After the secret consecration of Father Eugene Neveu to the rank of bishop and his transfer in September 1926 to Moscow as rector of the Church of St. Louis, they began to correspond constantly.

As an embassy priest, Bishop Pius Neve could not be arrested, but in letters to Father Potapius, worried about his fate, he tried to be extremely careful and when sending letters he took advantage of only the opportunity. And not in vain, since more than one “voluntary assistant” of the security officers was assigned to both Father Potapiy and the bishop himself, for example, one of the “volunteers” reported in the fall of 1926 that “ Emelyanov is closely associated with Bishop Neve, who was and is engaged in economic espionage and is closely connected with the French embassy in Moscow. By assignments to Neva Emelyanov different ways tries to preach union and Catholicize the Orthodox. Under this flag Emelyanov is engaged anti-Soviet agitation and corrupts the peasants" 18 .

On January 7, 1927, Father Potapiy was arrested. During the search, letters from Bishop Pius Neve were confiscated from him, many lines of which became "proof of his guilt". For example, the investigation highlighted the following lines from the bishop’s letter: “With this the Pope proves your attention to the Russian people, his peacefulness and desire that there be no reason for misunderstandings. You'd have to be a complete fool not to understand this <...>Let all They pray earnestly for me, so that the Lord will give me understanding and strength! All the best, dear Father Potapiy, I send from my heart an archpastoral blessing to you, to all my acquaintances who once visited me<...>Devoted to you P.”

The main crime accused of Father Potapius during the investigation was receiving money from the bishop, and in the case materials there is evidence that "Potapiy Emelyanov by distributing money to peasants in the form of benefits, the goal was to improve the life and well-being of the peasantry, to pay taxes and other payments to the state for them.” Material assistance to believers was presented by the security officers as a counter-revolutionary action, since, according to the testimony of “witnesses,” “for the conversion to Catholicism, Emelyanov promised and distributed money loans, bought clothes and shoes, and household equipment". And although the Catholic community of Bogdanovites arose and was registered back in 1918, when Father Potapiy was not familiar with Bishop Neve, there were several peasants who confirmed the prosecution’s version of exclusively selfish motives for the conversion of believers to Catholicism.

On August 20, 1927, Father Potapiy was presented with an “Indictment”, which stated that he “spread rumors about the imminent fall of Soviet power and about that the communists are engaged in robbery. He tried in every possible way to discredit the Synodal Church in the eyes of the population, to persuade believers to conversion to Catholicism." One of the accusations is "dissemination of secret instructions from the Vatican" referred to Father Potapius’ visit to Bishop Alexander Frizon at the request of Pius Neve in Crimea, which he testified during interrogation: “Neve told me about his consecration of [new] bishops, asking me to keep it secret, and in conclusion offered to take the package to Bishop Frison in Crimea, explaining that it would be less dangerous and suspicious to use me for this purpose, since Catholic priests are monitored by authorities authorities".

On September 12, 1927, Father Potapiy was sentenced to 10 years in a concentration camp 19, and on March 4 this sentence was even more severe - “DO NOT APPLY amnesty against Potapiy Andreevich EMELYANOV.”

On Solovki, Father Potapius, warmly welcomed by Exarch Leonid Fedorov and Russian Catholics, very soon made friends with Polish priests, and for some of them he would later become hope and support. On September 23, 1928, a new batch of convicted Polish priests was delivered to the Solovetsky camp from Butyrka prison, among whom was Father Felix Lubchinsky. His tragic path to the camp Calvary is so typical of the fate of any Catholic priest in the post-revolutionary years in Ukraine that it should be described in more detail.
* * *

Civil war in Ukraine. Continuously changing power - white, red, green... Endless murders, robberies and pogroms. The blood of innocent people is flowing in streams. And constant, soul-wearying fear - both whites and reds, intimidating the population, first of all took hostages. It was during these years that Father Felix Lubchinsky, rector of the Catholic parish in the village of Kushelevka, Gaisinsky district, Podolsk province, came to the firm conviction that “A person, deprived of faith, is simultaneously deprived of morality, turning into a wild beast. Everyone, without exception, is a rapist, no matter how they They called themselves and had one philosophy: “There is no God, therefore, everything is possible, everything is permitted.” 20 .

But each government had its own preferences. After the next return of the Red Army and the establishment of Soviet power in Ukraine, mainly Polish priests were arrested: either they were taken as hostages or accused of espionage. Felix’s father did not escape this fate either. In 1920, during the retreat of the Polish army from Ukraine, many Catholic priests fled to Poland. At the same time, Father Felix turned to his bishop with a request for permission to return to his homeland, explaining that “Most of the parishioners left with the Poles, and I was left as a shepherd without a flock.” However, the bishop instructed Father Felix to continue his priestly service in his parish, although it was dangerous for him to remain here, and the Poles warned him about this.

Immediately after the establishment of Soviet power, Father Felix attracted the attention of the GPU - in September 1920 he was arrested “on suspicion of espionage, but after petition from parishioners he was released" In October of the same year he was arrested again "on suspicion of preparing an uprising against Soviet power". Later, with the help of parishioners, it became clear that this was an uprising "flashed during his first arrest" Thanks to their protection, Father Felix was again freed. In 1921 he was again arrested on charges "in the counter-revolution", and his subsequent release was associated with an amnesty.

At the end of 1922, the predictions of the Poles came true in the most terrible way - one day, when he went to perform pastoral services in another parish where there was no rector, bandits attacked his house and “They not only plundered his property, but also barbarously and savagely killed, one after another, all members of his family and even his servant. Father Felix the bandits cut them into pieces and threw them along with other corpses into well" 21 .

Father Felix immediately named the alleged killers to the police, but for some reason the perpetrators of the crime were not found, although they did not hide, and later the investigator would accuse him of having “he throws the blame for this attack and murder on the Red Cossacks who had lodged in his house the day before, and blames the responsibility for this murder indiscriminately on the Soviet government as a whole” 22 (although he, having seen enough of mass extrajudicial executions and general brutality, had grounds for such accusations). After this terrible tragedy, Father Felix could no longer stay in Kushelevka and was soon transferred to Kamenets-Podolsky as rector of the Cathedral of John the Baptist.

In August 1923, Father Felix was again arrested on suspicion of "illegal teaching catechism", but after six weeks he was released from prison on cash bail, and was later acquitted by the court "behind lack of evidence." But the security officers continued to constantly monitor him, as evidenced by the “Memorandum on the Case of Father Lyubchinsky,” preserved in his investigative file. Here are excerpts from this document, compiled based on reports from “voluntary assistants” of the GPU received from 1923 to 1927:

“In his first sermon, Father LYUBCHINSKY said publicly from the pulpit: “I am to two gods, teI will not serve God and the Soviet regime" <...>During confessions, he advises peasant parishioners to avoid fulfilling the duties imposed by the Bolsheviks, and to pass on what they are told to others. Behind his fame increased a brave, decisive person who hated Soviet power and not afraid of anything<...> 6 June 1924 years, during the ministry in the cathedral, in his sermon on the issue of religion, he again denounced Soviet power, showing to the assembled parishioners the worthlessness of power, its temporary strengthening, as well as the absurdity that the Bolsheviks were doing in the separation of church and state. He proved that faith and God exist and will exist.

August 6, 1925, walking with procession, along the entire route he spoke hostilely about Soviet power, calling the Bolsheviks “dogs” and other words<...>On September 2 in the cathedral he said: “We live in a wild country<...>The revolution gave nothing to the people<...>Don't trust the Bolsheviks. You'll only get a stone in the back."

On April 13, 1927, Father Felix was arrested, and the notes of numerous sermons discovered during the search became the basis for his accusation "in anti-Soviet agitation" although the investigator noted that “The very content of the sermons is predominantly presented in a cautious and allegorical form, sometimes with sharp, unambiguous anti-Soviet attacks.”

For further investigation, Father Felix was sent to Moscow and placed in Butyrka prison. The interrogations continued for more than a year, and only on April 5, 1928, he was presented with an “Indictment”, which, among other things, stated - "during the period of time from 1920to April 1927 Gsystematically pronounced in churches from the pulpit before numerous parishioners he gave sharply anti-Soviet and counter-revolutionary sermons, in which he carried out the influence of the Polish bourgeois statehood, Teassisted the Polish part of the international bourgeoisie, was engaged in agitation and propaganda aimed at undermining and weakening Soviet power using for this purpose the religious and national prejudices of the masses, aimed at inciting national and religious hostility and discord."

Having familiarized himself with the “Indictment,” Father Felix went on a hunger strike in protest, about which the investigation materials contain a corresponding act signed by the head of the Butyrka prison: “It is reported for information that the prisoner listed as yours is LYUBCHINSKY F.N. from 11.6.28 went on a hunger strike, demanding to call the prosecutor» 23. Obviously, the meeting with the prosecutor took place, since on June 14, according to the second act, the hunger strike was stopped.

And on August 21, 1928, Felix Nikolaevich Lyubchinsky was sentenced to “imprisonment in a concentration camp for TEN years” 24. His fellow priests later recalled that “Priest Felix was greatly influenced by the announcement to him of absolutely groundless accusation and conviction by 10 years of camp. After signing this verdict, he burst into tears in his cell so much that he could not come to his senses for a long time.” 25 .

On August 3, 1928, Felix Lubchinsky with a large group of priests was sent along a convoy to the camp, to his " Open sheet convicted" read: “Forwarded - Mr. Kem. At the disposal of the USLON OGPU. Supervision is on a general basis. The doctor's conclusion - you can follow the steps. Signs - Age 41. Eyebrows dark brown. Height is above average. The nose is ordinary. Hair color dark brown" 26 .

In June 1929, former housekeeper Stanislava Pankevich and driver Sergei Klochkov, who had previously worked for Father Eugene Neve, the rector of the parish before his transfer to Moscow and consecration to the rank of bishop, were arrested in Makeyevka. During interrogations, the security officers extracted testimony from them that Bishop Pius Neve used them as "agents of counter-revolution" but the investigation failed to break those arrested. When the bishop learned that the accused were sentenced to imprisonment in a camp and sent to Solovki, he was shocked by such injustice and wanted to write to Stalin, but the embassy convinced him of the pointlessness of such a step. Then he sent a memo to the French ambassador, in which he wrote: "We are considered spies, we bring grief to our friends. All those who dealt with us have been convicted. AND If we are not yet in prison, it is only because this could cause a big diplomatic scandal between France and the Soviets: we are being persecuted from all sides, even in our church.” 27 .

And in the wild by that time the situation was heating up. Negotiations in Berlin between the Soviet government and the Vatican finally reached a dead end. The Vatican could no longer help but protest against the growing persecution of Catholics in the USSR, against group trials, cruel sentences, and the appalling situation of Catholic prisoners in the Solovetsky camp. On September 8, 1928, the Pope declared a prayer crusade in defense of all believers in Russia, and on February 9, 1929, his message “Demanding the provision of sacred rights, cruelly trampled on the territory of Russia” 28 was published, which ended with the announcement of a ceremony of atonement and a call to all Christendom join this prayer. On March 19, 1929, the Pope, in front of a huge crowd of people, celebrated a mass about the suffering of believers and the end of their persecution in Russia.

All these actions of the Vatican were assessed by the Soviet government as interference in the internal affairs of the USSR. The Pope's call to all countries of the world to interrupt economic and diplomatic ties with Russia until their attitude towards religion changes only worsened the situation of Russian Catholics in general, and especially in the camps. This also affected the Solovki residents, and first of all, in the fact that at the beginning of 1929, Catholics were forbidden to visit the Germanovskaya chapel. Officially, the ban was, of course, justified by internal reasons - “as punishment for the secret initiations of priests that took place there and the immoderate use of it”. Already this step by the camp authorities caused considerable difficulties, since priests and believers lost the opportunity to confess and receive communion. But this was only the first step.

From January 19, 1929, a “catacomb” existence began for Catholics in the full sense of the word: as a result of a many-hour search, the purpose of which was to put an end to secret services, security officers confiscated all religious books and church utensils. Now every Catholic believer had to look for a way out of the situation himself. However, this was not all of what the Solovetsky security officers prepared for them.

The hardest blow for the Catholics was their transfer in March 1929 to the 13th company, where in one large room Hundreds of prisoners were kept, including criminals. This is how the camp authorities tried to break the spirit of the shepherds. However, documents indicate that even under these conditions, Catholic services continued: in the office of the ski-furniture workshop, in the room next to the disinfection chamber, in the mill, in the basement of the engine room - who, where and how managed to find a random room.

And in June, most of the priests were isolated on the Trinity mission on the island of Anzer. Here it is appropriate to return to Father Felix, whose behavior in the camp is evidenced by the characteristics filed in his personal file - from among those that were systematically compiled by the heads of camp missions for each prisoner. Here are excerpts from them:

"10.02.30 - Anzer. Doesn't respect camp routine. Adheres to religious beliefs<...> 10.11.30 - Anzer. There are no signs of correction. IN The current attitude towards work is unsatisfactory. Commits crimes quite consciously and thoughtfully<...> 18.11.30 - 4 department. Ideologically consistent and stubborn enemy of everything Soviet. Deserves strict isolation<...> 30.07.31 - 14 department. Doubtful for correction" 29 .

We also read about Father Felix’s spiritual fortitude in the memoirs of his fellow prisoner and close friend, Father Donat Novitsky: “Having known Father Felix closely, I cannot say that I have ever seen on him traces of emotional experiences that so wound and undermine the delicate nature of an intellectual. He was a highly cheerful and balanced, noble and sensitive person. He knew how to nobly be indignant when observing unfair manifestations. If there were any misunderstandings in our family, he reacted quickly to them and decisively and directly expressed his opinion. We they even called him our prosecutor" 30 .

On the island of Anzer, Catholic priests were housed in a separate barracks, and even at work, any communication with other prisoners was excluded. Twenty-three priests were in a room measuring 3-4 meters long and about two meters wide: some slept on the floor, and some slept on planks, at a height of about a meter from the floor.

With the active participation of Bishop Boleslav Sloskan, a Catholic commune was organized, which morally and materially supported its members, while money and food parcels received from the mainland were pooled into a common fund, and each member received an equal share. The commune included both Latins and Catholics of the Eastern, Georgian and Armenian rites. Despite repeated searches, the shepherds managed to preserve the vestments, icons, utensils and liturgical books necessary for the service, and received wine and wafers in parcels. On Sundays and holidays everyone did not work, informing the camp authorities in advance and completing the assigned work at another time. At first they served in the forest on rocks, later - in the attic of the former monastery rescue station, Father Donat Novitsky spoke about this in detail later in his memoirs.

Later, all the newly arrived Catholic priests at the camp immediately headed to Anzer, and it was they who brought here the news that excited all the prisoners about the ongoing negotiations between the USSR and Poland regarding a possible exchange of prisoners. Polish priests serving their sentences in Solovki now have hope of returning to their homeland. The long and anxious wait for the results of the negotiations, which promised possible release, obviously affected Father Felix’s state of mind, as Father Donat Novitsky later recalled: “It was impossible not to notice that priest Felix was still very burdened by the imprisonment, and with some undisguised impatience he was awaiting the exchange of prisoners between Poland and the USSR. Exchange negotiations, as we knew for sure, began at the very beginning of 1929 of the year. IN Among the candidates for exchange was Father Felix. Many were anxiously awaiting a happy opportunity<...>But already in 1930 year, Father Felix began to lose hope of liberation.”.

The first and unexpected symptoms of Felix’s father’s illness appeared in August 1931 - “a state of quiet melancholy set in, forgetfulness appeared. WITH During this time he began to avoid society, even became burdened by the simplest conversations<...>For the most part, Father Felix was either lying down or wandering alone through the heather meadows.”.

The camp administration, however, did not care about the prisoner’s illness; he continued to be assigned to hard work. Friends, trying to ease his lot, did the work for him, and later they managed to get the medical commission to relieve Father Felix from hard work. Over time, Father Felix could not even do light housework, and his fellow prisoners began to do it for him. Only at the end of October 1931 was the patient admitted to the infirmary, and there was some hope that he would be cured.

At this time, Father Potapiy Emelyanov was in the hospital undergoing surgery. "If it weren't for the intervention OPotapia, the patient's position would become truly terrible. Unfortunately for priest Felix, his orderly behaved very rudely to him and refused him basic services. For the greatest relief of the situation of a poor sick fellow O. Potapiy achieved his transfer to the ward of priest Felix and, like a mother, looked after the patient.”.

However, Felix's father's condition worsened every day. Thanks to the persistence of Father Potapius, the doctor finally diagnosed the patient, which was disappointing - "inflammation of the front part of the brain" 31. Father Felix was doomed, since there was no hope for serious treatment and special care for the patient on Solovki. Father Potapiy was an excellent storyteller and interlocutor, and with constant conversations he comforted the patient a lot, thereby brightening up his last days. Later, seeing that “As the end of his earthly life approaches, Father Potapiy reminded him of confession. The patient was deeply happy with this touching care of Father Potapius and after confession he kissed his hands, not letting go of them.” 32 .

Death occurred on November 17, 1931 at 13:10, about which a report was drawn up and is now stored in the “Personal File of the Prisoner.” Friends did everything possible and impossible to bury the deceased with dignity: “Knowing that the deceased would be immediately taken to the mortuary as soon as they learned of his death, Father Potapiy, immediately after the death of Father Felix, performed the funeral rite for him, which he knew perfectly well by heart.”

Due to an amazing coincidence of circumstances, it was at this time that the Solovetsky authorities summoned priests Pavel Ascheberg 34, Vikenty Deinis 35 and Donat Novitsky, who wrote later that this became “simple, but strong and so convincing for us prisoners, proof of God’s participation in the small and important circumstances of our lives” 36 . Thanks to their acquaintances, they “after the autopsy of the deceased, we went into the dead room, prayed at the coffin, blessed and stabbed it with our own hands coffin lid" Father Donat recalled later that he never forgot the expression on Father Felix’s face in the coffin - “There was a slight smile on his face. This is not fantasy. He as if thanking us for our concerns and, first of all, for confession, funeral service and table".

The friends of Father Felix accomplished a real feat, giving him warmth in the last days of his life, adequately preparing him for his final journey and burying him according to Christian rites. This was truly a feat, because on Solovki it was not easy to bury the dead not only in a Christian way, but also simply in a human way.
* * *

In 1932, the GPU began preparing the next group trial of the Catholic clergy of Ukraine. Participants "fascist counter-revolutionary organization of the Roman Catholic and Uniate clergy in Right Bank Ukraine" were already accused of plans to tear away Soviet Ukraine from the USSR and of nationalist activities, especially among young people.

Branches of this organization were “discovered” by security officers everywhere, including in the Catholic commune on the island of Anzer, which included Father Potapiy, who returned from the hospital in December 1931. By 1932, the commune already had 32 members, after the removal of Bishop Boleslav Sloskan from Anzer, 37 Jan Troigo 38 and Pavel Chomic 39 became the eldest, Bishop Teofil Matulianis 40 enjoyed special authority. Members of the commune managed to maintain constant contact with the outside world, especially with Bishop Pius Neve, through him transmitting information about their situation on Solovki to the Polish Red Cross and the Polish embassy. Thanks to Bishop Neva, the fate of the Solovetsky prisoners became known in the West: “Former rector of the Polotsk church Adolf Gottlibovich Phillip 41 during a meeting with his mother, he handed her a petition written with a wet chemical pencil on two pieces of fabric addressed to the chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, Kalinin.”

On Sunday, September 7, 1930, Father Adolphe's mother brought this document to Bishop Pius Neva, who handed the petition to the then French Ambassador, who sent it by diplomatic mail to Bishop Michel D'Herbigny, so that he would hand it over to Pius XI. Soon this document was published in the English Protestant newspaper "Morning Post", it spoke about the unbearable conditions of detention of priests on the island of Anzer: “We priests, almost all elderly and disabled, are often forced to do very hard work, such as digging holes for the foundations of buildings, pulling out large stones, digging frozen ground in winter <...>sometimes you have to be on duty for 16 hours a day in winter and outdoors without a break <...>After hard work, we need a long rest, and indoors for each person we sometimes have less than 1/16 parts of the cubic capacity of air necessary for human life" 42 .

The publication of this letter may have hastened the tragic outcome on the island of Anzer. In the summer of 1932, thirty-two members of the camp commune were arrested. A new investigation has begun in the group case "an anti-Soviet counter-revolutionary organization of Catholic and Uniate clergy on the island of Anzer." The "Indictment" stated that the accused “they took advantage of the opportunity to live together, created a tightly knit anti-Soviet group, whose members systematically conducted anti-Soviet agitation among the other masses of prisoners, and were engaged in secret worship and religious ceremonies<...>influenced other Catholic prisoners by distributing cash benefits from amounts received from like-minded people, held conversations on religious Topics" 43 .

The members of the commune behaved with great dignity during the investigation, defending their religious beliefs and categorically denying all political accusations. Here are the answers of some of them during interrogations:

"Here I became more a more steadfast Catholic, and nothing can shake me."- father Potapiy Emelyanov;

"I am ready to give my life for my Catholic beliefs"- father Vikenty Deinis;

"God me noted that I endure suffering, strengthening the feelings of believers. Neither I will not make any compromises in the field of religion.”- father Pavel Khomich;

"Concerning Catholicism - mine I won't change my beliefs. He remains as firm as he was before the camp and imprisonment. Hostility towards Soviet power I don’t, but I never could and never will be able to support atheism, I won’t go against my conscience.”- Father Yakov Rosenbach."

At the end of the investigation, eight priests were sent to the Leningrad prison, two to the Yaroslavl political isolation ward, and the rest, among whom was Father Potapiy, were sent on the most difficult assignments: Savvatyevo, Brick Factory, Zayatskie Islands, Bolshaya Muksalma.

When concluding a Non-Aggression Pact with the USSR, the Polish government asked for an amnesty for Polish priests. The prisoner exchange agreement signed on August 3, 1932 covered 40 Poles, among them 17 clergy. On September 12, 1932, priests sent to Leningrad were brought to Moscow for exchange, among them Father Donat Novitsky and Bishop Boleslav Sloskan, who was taken from Solovki in 1930, were returning to their homeland; their memories preserved for us the memory of Father Felix Lubchinsky.

In 1935, the NKVD carried out new mass arrests of Catholic clergy and laity in Ukraine and Belarus, who were again accused of creating "branches of the fascist counter-revolutionary organization of the Roman Catholic and Uniate clergy". Everything happened again - both the charges and the sentences. They were all sent mainly to the camps of the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and to Siberia.

On January 6-7, 1937, the All-Union Population Census was held in the USSR, and many sincerely called themselves believers. In July 1937, the official authorities announced that the census was carried out by Trotskyist enemies and therefore its results were invalid. And the press and radio were thrown into the fight against religion. The new call of the Pope to prayer for the believers of Russia, proclaimed on March 19, 1937, was no longer paid attention in the Soviet Union, since from now on any actions of the Vatican were declared to contribute to "oppressors of the people."

After the completion of the investigation into the group cases of the last remaining priests and laymen, arrested as "participants branches of the fascist counter-revolutionary organization of the Roman Catholic and Uniate clergy", as usual, they were accused of espionage. All group trials in the period 1937-1938 ended in executions; the same thing happened in the camps. On Solovki, for example, in October-November 1937 alone, 32 Catholic priests were shot.

The holy war of the Soviet power against the Catholic Church on the territory of the USSR was crowned with success. By the beginning of 1939, there were only two functioning Catholic churches left in the country - in Moscow and Leningrad... and only two priests, and even then they were foreigners.

1 Balashev Vladimir Vasilievich, born in 1880 in Perm province. In 1900 he graduated from a real school, in 1909 from the Technological Institute in St. Petersburg, and worked there as an engineer. In 1909 - converted to Catholicism, entered the community of Russian Catholics; from 1913 - editor of the magazine "Word of Truth". From the end of 1918 he worked as an expert in the Supreme Economic Council Committee. Joined the Third Order of St. Dominic. November 16, 1923 - arrested in a group case. May 19, 1924 - sentenced to 10 years in prison and sent to the Solovetsky camp.

2 Serebryannikova Anna Spiridonovna, born in 1890 in Saratov. She had incomplete higher education and worked as a rural teacher. She converted to Catholicism, joined the Abrikosovo community, and later accepted monastic tonsure with the name Imelda. November 26, 1923 - arrested in a group case of Russian Catholics. May 19, 1924 - sentenced to 8 years in prison and sent to the Solovetsky camp.

3 Sapozhnikova Tamara Arkadyevna, born in 1886 in Podolsk. Received secondary education. She converted to Catholicism and later joined the Third Order of St. Dominic; was part of the Abrikosovo community. November 26, 1923 - arrested in Moscow in a group case. May 19, 1924 - sentenced to 10 years in prison and sent to the Solovetsky camp.

4 Alexandrov Nikolai (Peter) Nikolaevich, born in 1884 in Moscow. Graduated from a technical school in Moscow. From 1912 he was an engineer at the Siemens-Schuckert company in Germany, where he converted to Catholicism. In July 1913, he returned to Moscow and worked in the City Government; from 1917, he was an engineer at Glavtop. He joined the Abrikosovo community and took monastic vows with the name Peter. In August 1921 - ordained a priest, deputy exarch, from September 1922 - head of the parish. November 12, 1923 - arrested in a group case, May 19, 1924 - sentenced to 10 years in prison and sent to the Solovetsky camp.

5 Vakhevich Elizaveta Vasilievna, born in 1885 in Moscow. She received an incomplete higher education. She lived in Moscow, joined the Abrikosovo community, and was later tonsured a nun with the name Dominica; taught in an illegal parish school. March 10, 1924 - arrested in a group case. May 19, 1924 - sentenced to 5 years and sent to Oryol prison. November 25, 1925 - transferred to the Solovetsky camp.

6 Nefedieva Elena Mikhailovna, born in 1870 in Pskov province. She graduated from high school in Pskov. In 1921 she converted to Catholicism, a parishioner of the Russian Catholic community in Petrograd. December 5, 1923 - arrested in a group case. May 19, 1924 - sentenced to 5 years in labor camp and sent to Oryol prison, from November 1925 - to the Solovetsky camp.

7 Novitsky Donat Gilyardovich, born in 1893 in Moscow. He studied at universities, and from 1916 he studied at the theological seminary in Petrograd. From 1916 he served in the tsarist army, until 1921 he remained in military service, and after demobilization he served in Moscow. In 1922 he joined the Abrikosovo community of Russian Catholics. November 16, 1923 - arrested in a group case. May 19, 1924 - sentenced to 10 years in prison and sent to Oryol prison on June 13; in September 1925 - taken to the Solovetsky camp.

8 Baranovsky Leonard Nikolaevich, born in 1875 in Vitebsk province. He graduated from the theological seminary and academy in St. Petersburg, and was ordained in 1900. He served as vicar of the parish in Orel, from 1902 - in St. Petersburg, from 1904 - in Smolensk, from 1909 - dean of Polotsk, from 1914 - in Kazan, from 1915 - in Vitebsk. In 1919-1922 he was arrested as a hostage, but was soon released. In June 1925 - arrested on charges "in espionage." June 26, 1925 - sentenced to 3 years in labor camp and sent to the Solovetsky camp in the summer.

9 Fedorov Leonid Ivanovich, born in 1879 in St. Petersburg. He graduated from high school and later studied at the Orthodox Theological Academy. He became interested in Catholicism, went to Lvov, then to Rome; July 31, 1902 - reunited with the Catholic Church there. In 1907 he graduated from the Pontifical Jesuit College, and later studied at the College of the Congregation. He graduated from the university in Freiburg and returned to Lviv. Since 1909 - rector and professor of the Theological Seminary of the Order of Studites. March 25, 1911 - ordained, in 1912 - served in the Studite monastery. In 1914 - returned to St. Petersburg; expelled by the authorities to Tobolsk. In 1917 he returned to Petrograd, served as rector of the Russian Catholic Church, and later as exarch of Eastern Rite Catholics. February 23, 1923 - arrested in a group case. March 21-26, 1923 - sentenced to 10 years in prison. He served his sentence in Moscow. April 26, 1926 - released early with restrictions, lived in Kaluga. August 10, 1926 - arrested, September 18 sentenced to 3 years in labor camp and sent to the Solovetsky camp.

34 Ascheberg Pavel Petrovich, born in 1895 in Odessa province. In 1918 he graduated from theological seminary in Odessa, and in 1919 he was ordained. He served as rector of the parish there. In 1925 - arrested and exiled for 2 years; in 1927 - released. He served in the parish of the village of Yamburg, then in Odessa. At the beginning of January 1929 - arrested, on January 24 sentenced to 3 years of labor camp and, after refusal of exchange, sent to the Solovetsky camp

35 Deinis Vikenty Vikentievich, born in 1880 in Riga. He graduated from theological seminary in St. Petersburg, March 1, 1903 - ordained. Vicar in Dvinsk, from 1905 - near Minsk, from 1908 - in the village. Yamburg. In December, he was exiled to the Aglona Monastery for disobedience to the authorities. From 1911 he served in Yuryev, in 1923 - in Yamburg, from 1926 - in Leningrad. February 5, 1928 - arrested, August 13 sentenced to 7 years in labor camp and sent to the Solovetsky camp.

38 Troygo Yan Yanovich, born in 1881 in Grodno province. He graduated from the theological seminary and in 1908 - the Theological Academy in St. Petersburg, in 1906 - ordained. Teacher of the law in secondary schools in Mogilev, from 1910 - professor of liturgics at the seminary in St. Petersburg, from 1914 - in the metropolitan curia, member of the Administrative Council. From 1916 - teacher of law at gymnasiums in Petrograd; from 1918 - in the curia. March 10, 1923 - arrested in a group case. March 21-26, 1923 - sentenced to 3 years in prison, imprisoned in Sokolniki prison. In 1925 he returned to Leningrad and served as rector. January 13, 1927 - arrested, July 18, 1927 - sentenced to 5 years in labor camp and in June sent to the Solovetsky camp.

39 Khomich Pavel Semenovich, born in 1893 in Grodno province. October 22, 1905 - converted to Catholicism. He graduated from theological seminary in St. Petersburg, studied at the academy, and was ordained in 1916. He served in parishes in Petrograd and the region, from 1920 - in Pskov, from 1923 - in Leningrad and the region. December 3, 1926 - arrested, June 27, 1927 - sentenced to 10 years in labor camp and sent to the Solovetsky camp.

40 Matulianis Teofilis Yurievich, born in 1873 in Lithuania. He graduated from theological seminary in St. Petersburg and was ordained in 1900. Vicar of the Varklyany parish, from 1901 - in Bykhov, from 1907 - in Rykov, from 1910 - in St. Petersburg. In March 1923 he was arrested in a group case. March 21-26, 1923 - sentenced to 3 years in prison; was in Moscow prisons. In 1926 he returned to Leningrad. From December 8, 1928 - titular bishop of Taman, February 9, 1929 - secretly consecrated bishop. November 24, 1929 - arrested in a group case, September 13, 1930 - sentenced to 10 years and sent to the Solovetsky camp

41 Philip Adolf Gotlibovich, born in 1885 in Vitebsk province. He graduated from theological seminary and was ordained in 1909. From 1912 - rector of the parish in Luga, also a teacher of the law at school; from April 1915 - went to Vitebsk, served in the local church. January 10, 1927 - arrested on charges of "anti-Soviet agitation". June 20, 1927 - sentenced to 10 years in labor camp and sent to the Solovetsky camp in the fall.

42 A copy of Adolf Philip’s letter is kept in the personal archive of Father Roman Dzvonkovsky.

A presbyter, or Catholic priest, refers to the second degree of priesthood, and there are three of them - deacon, priest, bishop. Only the bishop has the right to carry out elevation to rank, or ordination, to all three degrees.

This rite belongs to the sacraments of the church, but is performed only by laying the hands of the bishop on the head of the initiate and praying for the descent of the Holy Spirit on him. In this rite there is no secret formula inherent in other sacraments. Before the rite of ordination itself, the initiate prostrates himself before the altar, depicting a cross as a sign of humility, reverence and dedication of his entire life to Christ.

Celibacy as an indispensable condition

A Catholic priest, with rare exceptions, does not have the right to marry because celibacy, or celibacy, is legalized in the canonical practice of the Roman Catholic Church. In Orthodoxy, the marriage of priests is not only permitted, but is also encouraged with the only mandatory condition that the sacrament of marriage be performed only before ordination to the degree. In Protestantism, a priest can marry even after ordination.

Knowledge is the best weapon

Before being ordained, a Catholic priest studies a lot. In the Roman Catholic Church education has always been given great importance great importance- the first theological universities arose in the Middle Ages. In Europe, a mandatory condition for ordination to the first rank is four years of study. And when entering the priesthood, the candidate is required to study at the Higher Theological Seminary for at least 4 years. In Russia, in St. Petersburg, there is the only Higher Theological Seminary in the country, called “Mary - Mother of the Apostles” and training Catholic priests. The duration of study is 6 years. In Novosibirsk there is a pre-seminary that prepares candidates for admission to the Higher Academy.

Features of the rank of a Catholic priest

A Catholic priest has the right to perform five of the seven sacraments. The exceptions are the sacraments of priesthood and anointing. And the sacrament of confession can be performed even by a presbyter removed from worship. The important fact is that an Orthodox priest can be excommunicated from the church, and he turns into a defrocked priest. And a legally ordained priest of the Catholic Church cannot be deposed by anyone, ever - upon ordination he receives the “indelible seal of the priesthood.” As in Orthodoxy, Catholic clergy are divided into black (monastic) and white (diocesan) clergy. It is customary to address the presbyter as “Father Imyarek.” There is such a thing as a Catholic parish priest. It is clear that such a presbyter must have a parish or he must be the rector of an abbey. In France, such priests are called curés.

Features of the priest's clothing

Outwardly, a Catholic priest is always recognizable by the robe consisting of a cassock (a long outer garment with long sleeves), worn outside of services. It has a stand-up collar, into which the most important distinctive feature of the Western clergy is inserted - the colorator, or Roman collar. This is a hard white insert, which used to be solid and wrapped around the neck, representing a collar and thus denoting a devoted servant of God. Catholic priest's clothes different color, which indicates the degree of cleric.

Liturgical vestment

The attire for the liturgy, the main Christian service, looks completely different. Its most important detail is the alba - a long white garment made of thin fabrics: linen, cotton or wool, belted with rope. Its prototype was an ancient Roman shirt worn under a tunic. A casula (cloak) or ornate is worn on the alba. This is an embroidered robe, similar to the deacons' cloak - dalmatica, but without sleeves. The next element of the presbyter’s clothing is the table, which is a two-meter ribbon, 5 to 10 cm wide, decorated at the edges and in the middle with crosses. It is worn around the neck over the ornate.

In general, in the Roman Catholic Church there are three types of church vestments - liturgical, for attendance at worship, and ceremonial. There are many more details in the liturgical clothing of the priest, such as the maniple, which is worn on the left hand (obviously, the word “manipulate” comes from it).