Monk Diomede continues his canonical perversions. Rebel diomede continues to denounce the Russian Orthodox Church

The situation with the former Bishop Diomede came to its logical conclusion - the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, at its meeting on October 6, 2008, carried out the decision of the Council of Bishops on June 24-29, 2008, and the former Administrator of the Anadyr and Chukotka Diocese from that day forward was a simple monk. For many people, both church members and those completely far from the Church, the name of former Bishop Diomede was largely associated with confrontation. What the nature of this confrontation was, everyone decided depending on their own church or ideological preferences, but the fact that under this name people gathered who expressed a certain discontent is undoubtedly. Today, when the hierarchy of the Russian Church has deprived Bishop Diomede of the right to be a bishop and perform sacred rites, every person who is a child of the Moscow Patriarchate needs to understand why the path proposed by the former Chukchi bishop is a path to nowhere.

Actually, there was already a book on this subject, which explained in sufficient detail the reasons for the discrepancy between the theses basic to Diomid’s teaching and the Orthodox Tradition. Now we need to repeat for ourselves again and again the key passages that make the position of the monk Diomede incompatible with life in the Church.

Let's start with the “anathematisms” of July 17, 2008. On this memorable day for the church people, when the Russian Church honors the memory of the royal passion-bearers and the 90th anniversary of their martyrdom, the then bishop (prohibited, however, from serving) Diomede sends a message in which he anathematizes for the “heresy of regnalism” His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk Philaret, Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad Kirill and “all their predecessors who participated in the anti-monarchist February riot of 1917.” Thus, the entire Orthodox Local Russian Church finds itself under the “anathema” of a person who considers himself “the only true bishop.”

Ironically, the brotherhood that provides informational and other support to the former Bishop Diomede is named after the Hieromartyr Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev, a saint whom Diomede considers one of the main culprits of the “anti-monarchical February rebellion of 1917” and one of the main “king-fighters” of the Russian Church.

Many people believed that, most likely, the former bishop himself did not compose the lengthy text of the message, and other people did it for him, thus “substituting” Diomede. It is possible that Diomede himself is not the author of this message, but the point is not who wrote it, the point is who signed it. And the signature under it belongs to Diomede, while in subsequent interviews he not only did not deny involvement in these “anathematisms,” but also confirmed them.

The reason that Diomede uses to “anathematize” the Russian Church is the anathematism from the Week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, which was introduced by the Holy Governing Synod on the direct orders of Empress Catherine II, the main persecutor of the Hieromartyr Arseny (Matseyevich), Metropolitan of Rostov. The Local Council of 1917-18 removed this anathematism from the observance of the Week of Orthodoxy, and at the same time canceled the bans imposed by the church authorities on the direct orders of the Empress on Metropolitan Arseny. As far as we know, former Bishop Diomede considers himself the spiritual successor of the work of St. Arseny (he even tried to defend his thesis on Hierarch Arseny), using at the same time the arguments of the persecutor of St. Arseny against the fathers of the Local Council of 1917-1918 and the entire Russian Church.

And one of the main arguments showing the cunning and anti-church position of Diomede is that he is not able to answer for his words and actions. The only way to communicate with others is through open letters via the Internet, interviews, and that’s it. In an open and calm dialogue, Diomede has nothing to say; I suspect that he simply cannot clearly and intelligibly formulate what is the essence of his position and defend it with arguments - this is the main reason for Diomede’s failure to appear both at the Council of Bishops and at the meeting of the Holy Synod, where he was invited several times. Such a cowardly and crafty position does not at all make him similar to the holy fathers, who were not afraid to enter into open disputes to defend Orthodoxy. Former Bishop Diomede has nothing to say to the church people, which is why he hides behind pre-compiled texts and confusing interviews.

In his last “pearl,” Diomede went so far as to call the Russian Church “the handmaiden of the Antichrist,” which was “overcome by the gates of hell.” Do I need to add anything here? Now every Orthodox Christian must clearly and consciously understand that, considering the position of the former Bishop Diomede to be Orthodox, we ourselves are voluntarily depriving ourselves of unity with the Russian Church, which with its grace-filled power nourishes the faithful people of God.

Truly, whoever God wants to punish takes away his mind. Is this why we became Orthodox Christians?

By the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of June 28, 2008 (magazine No. 56), Bishop Diomede of Anadyr and Chukotka was banned from the priesthood and removed from the administration of the diocese. The Holy Synod appointed Archbishop Mark of Khabarovsk and Amur as temporary administrator of the Anadyr diocese.
Archbishop Mark arrived in Anadyr on July 4, 2008. On the day the new temporary director of the diocese arrived in Anadyr, he met with journalists, during which he announced that he had come to Anadyr, fulfilling the obedience given to him by the Holy Synod. With Archbishop Mark, shrines arrived in Chukotka, donated to the entire Far East by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' - a copy of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Quick to Hear”, written on Athos, a particle of the Life-giving Tree of the Cross of the Lord and particles of the holy relics of the Apostles Peter, Paul, James Zebedee and Saint Mary Magdalene, Equal to the Apostles.
When asked about Bishop Diomedes, Bishop Mark replied that at the meeting he would be given all the honors corresponding to the rank of bishop and the most favorable reception. Unfortunately, Bishop Diomede avoided meeting with the temporary administrator of the diocese who had arrived and soon left Anadyr. Currently, Bishop Diomede resides in the remote village of Cape Shmidt on the Arctic coast of Chukotka.
The absence of the former ruling bishop complicated the transfer of statutory, administrative and financial documents of the Anadyr diocese. Several meetings took place with employees of the diocesan administration and the clergy of the diocese from among the supporters of the former bishop, which took place at their request in the presence of representatives of the police and the Accounts Chamber of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. During the negotiations, employees of the diocesan administration gave written obligations to transfer documents, keys to churches in Anadyr and seals of the diocese and parishes. These agreements were repeatedly violated and, ultimately, were not fulfilled, with the exception of the transfer of seals and part of the keys. As a result of this, the temporary administrator of the Anadyr diocese, Archbishop Mark of Khabarovsk and Amur, filed a statement with the prosecutor's office regarding the theft of the statutory, administrative and financial and economic documentation of the Anadyr diocese.
Only after this did things move forward. On July 15, as part of investigative actions, law enforcement officers, in the presence of witnesses, seized documents from the warehouse of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Anadyr and from a private apartment, where they were located in violation of legal requirements for the storage of such documentation. Currently, the seized documents are kept sealed in the investigation department.
Unfortunately, during the negotiations, supporters of Bishop Diomede allowed themselves quite sharp attacks against the new ruling bishop - for example, during negotiations in the Department of Internal Affairs of the city of Anadyr, they stated in an insulting tone that “Archbishop Mark is not an archbishop for us, he is lying and has sold out.” for thirty pieces of silver”; They accused Bishop Mark of violating paragraph 9 of the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church by filing a complaint with the prosecutor's office regarding the theft of statutory and financial and economic documentation for calling on the secular authorities to intervene in internal church proceedings on canonical issues.
This and many other puzzling questions that confuse the clergy and laity from among the supporters of the banned bishop are the result of their poor awareness and low theological preparation. This also includes the lawless theft of antimensions from churches and the celebration of “alternative” Liturgies in private apartments. Due to the fact that supporters of Bishop Diomede from among the clergy are prohibited from entering the priesthood, these actions fall under the 4th rule of the Council of Antioch.
During the 8 years of Bishop Diomede's administration of the diocese, normal conditions for the spiritual life of believers were not created. Proof of this is the empty churches and the meager number of signatures on appeals in defense of the former administrator of the diocese. For example, the latest appeal published on the Internet, loudly entitled “Appeal of the Orthodox Christians of Chukotka,” was signed by only about 80 people from several settlements, which is less than one percent of the total number of residents of the district. And such a number of believers is the result of the archpastor’s eight-year labors.
As you know, one of Bishop Diomede’s addresses was the result of a diocesan meeting. It turned out that the signatures of several clergy were added in their absence at this meeting. And the signature of priest Leonid Tsapok appeared under the appeal as follows - he only signed the minutes of the meeting (which recorded his disagreement on literally all points). As a result, his name inexplicably ended up under the “Appeal”.
According to the testimony of some of the clergy of the diocese (hieromonk Nikolai from the village of Egvekinot, hieromonk Andrei from the village of Bilibino, priest Evgeniy from Pevek), their signatures also fell under the famous appeal by deception.
It is also characteristic that these four clergy, who have seminary and academic education and do not share the views of Bishop Diomede, serve in the most remote settlements, while the priests who support the actions of the banned bishop most often do not have any spiritual education, and sometimes even secular education, except high school, but at the same time they stay, for the most part, in the capital of the district.
Currently, regular services are held in churches in Anadyr by the clergy of the Khabarovsk diocese and priests of the Missionary Department of the Moscow Patriarchate temporarily sent to Chukotka.
Contacts have been renewed with the local newspaper “Far North”, radio and television. Printed publications condemned by the Hierarchy, such as “Easter of the Third Rome,” “The Spirit of a Christian,” and “Alarm,” were removed from church shops. In their place appeared the magazines “Foma” and “Neskuchny Sad”.
A trip of the clergy to the parishes of the Anadyr and Chukotka diocese is expected in the near future.

And about. rector of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Anadyr
Hieromonk Agafangel (Belykh).

II and actually declared himself the head of the Moscow patriarchal throne, caused different reactions. The Russian Orthodox Church called this statement “nonsense” and called for prayer for his understanding, and Russian bloggers became seriously interested in the biography of the scandalous schismatic.

Details of the personal lives of clergy rarely become public. But the development of Internet technologies seems to be overcoming this wall.

The priest of the Kamchatka diocese, Father Mikhail Neverov, revealed little-known facts from the life of the bishop in his online diary.

“Here they ask if anyone personally knows Bishop Diomede... I happened to know him quite closely. I passed obedience in his church before entering the seminary. This was in 1993 in Kamchatka, the city of Elizovo in the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Hieromonk Diomede He gave me a recommendation to enter the seminary (there was no Kamchatka bishop at that time) Thanks to this recommendation, I entered the MDS without any problems. For this I am still grateful to him.

So, the first thing that comes to mind is the radical hostility of Fr. Diomede with all the Kamchatka clergy. He turned everyone against himself and behaved as if the whole world was at war against him. I remember his conflict with Kamchatka dean Father Yaroslav Levko. The story is somewhat similar to the current one. Diomede accused Fr. Yaroslav in the love of money in the illegal reduction of services, etc. Articles appeared in the media describing the property of Fr. Yaroslav. Diomede called him a Jew and a renovationist. He said that Fr. Yaroslav has several apartments on the mainland, a yacht, several cars, untold cash savings, etc. Although realistically, as it later turned out, not even a hundredth of what was listed by Fr. Yaroslav was not there. And again Fr. Diomede avoided personal meetings with Fr. Yaroslav. The entire conflict was discussed in the media. I remember myself, with the blessing of Fr. Diomede composed articles against Fr. Yaroslav. Thank God they weren't published. The whole city was discussing the statements of Fr. Diomede. The Orthodox people found themselves split into two irreconcilable camps. It's unpleasant to remember. The worst thing is that all this was discussed in secular media to the delight of atheists and sectarians.

In personal communication, Fr. Diomede was an extremely difficult person. When he arrived from Magadan in early 1993 to Kamchatka and became the rector of the Assumption Church, he began by dispersing all the parishioners, the entire choir. For some time, because of this, he even prayed in a half-empty temple until he gathered his supporters. During the service, he could go out and, without hesitation, yell at the worshipers at the choir, calling them goats and sheep. He once placed a pot of hot soup on the head of a sexton who contradicted him. Just don’t think that it was me and now I’m taking revenge on him for this))) When this happened, I was studying at the seminary))). (As for me, I was 18 years old at the time. I was young and passionate. I adjusted my views only in seminary.)

At the same time, rumors were spreading that Fr. Diomede is not a money-grubber, he walks around in torn boots, he has only one cassock and that one is in patches. They said that he was a great man of prayer and through his prayers the Lord saved Kamchatka from a devastating earthquake several times. That thanks to his prayers, the Lord gave him the gift of healing and insight. The long service led by Fr. Diomede became a reason for accusing all other priests who had not served for as long as being renovationists.

He was always surrounded by some exalted women and bearded men. Who did everything for him. He made all contacts, including with the city administration, through these women. He himself extremely rarely, even when it was necessary (he was building a temple), descended to some kind of personal conversations and conversations with officials and businessmen. No one was in charge of it. Although from the outside it may have seemed that someone was influencing him.

In general, I am surprised at how amazingly long there was no reaction to all the “miracles” of Diomede in the patriarchate. But everything could have been prevented at the very beginning. Anyone who knows ow. Diomeda from the seminary, or from the Lavra, can remember a terrible story that happened almost immediately after Sergei Dzyuban was tonsured as a monk. He was placed in the same cell with his brother. One night an ambulance was urgently called. The entire cell in which the two brothers lived was splattered with blood. There were two victims. Monk Diomede's hand was cut with an ax, and his brother had blood all over his head. In short, they didn’t share something.

To be honest, in the MDA they immediately expel you for assault. Here... silence. It was as if nothing had happened. What is this intercession of the Holy One? As you know, Diomede was his cell attendant for some time. Or maybe the Lavra authorities, taking into account the special position of Diomede, (the cell attendant of the patriarch after all) decided not to let this happen? Don't know. Only when they now say that the cathedral suddenly unexpectedly quickly and sharply took drastic measures, I just throw up my hands... Wow, quickly and sharply! He sowed unrest, discord and outright splits for fifteen years, and only now they decided to restore order. And this is called fast?

...Diomede was admonished for a year and a half. They spoke to him personally (Bishop Theognostus), explained that he was wrong, and debated him. And now the entire Church, in the person of the Council of Bishops, calls on him to repent, but he insists on his own. It’s time to remember the Gospel: “[Matthew 18:15-18] If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone; If he listens to you, then you have gained your brother; But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established; if he does not listen to them, tell the church; and if he does not listen to the church, then let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector.”

Everything was done that way. Only Diomede not only sinned against someone personally, but immediately brought the entire Church into confusion.

Many of those who now support Bishop. Diomede, they accuse our bishops of feudal habits. They call bishops feudal lords who have forgotten about the problems of ordinary believers. I am sure that Diomede is a very dubious ally for them in this matter. When they learn in more detail how Diomede treated people, ordinary priests all this time, then it will be impossible to call him anything other than a tyrant. And this will soon be known. Because sooner or later those whom he kicked out, whom he insulted, who were banned without a means of subsistence, will speak out. But he placed almost more priests under ban than those he now has in his diocese.

Priest Mikhail Neverov, Kamchatka diocese

Published with abbreviations

Former bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, who accused the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church of “deviations from the purity of Orthodox doctrine”

The former bishop of Anadyr and Chukotka (in the world - Sergei Ivanovich Dzyuban), who accused the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church of “deviations from the purity of Orthodox doctrine.” The author of the message “To all the faithful children of the Holy Orthodox Church,” which in February-March 2007 the media associated with the likely prospect of a grandiose schism of the church. In June 2008, Diomede’s activities were condemned by the Council of Bishops, which decided to deprive him of his dignity if the bishop did not repent before the next meeting of the Holy Synod. At the same time, a special commission of the Russian Orthodox Church, which studied Diomede’s speeches, proposed to bring him to a church court. In July 2008, he anathematized the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II. Deposed from office in October 2008.

In 1986, Dzyuban entered the Moscow Theological Seminary. On July 3, 1987, in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, he was tonsured a monk by the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Alexy (now Archbishop of Tula and Beflevsky) and took the name Diomede. On July 18 of the same year (on the day of memory of St. Sergius of Radonezh and the 650th anniversary of the founding of the Lavra) he was ordained hierodeacon by Philaret, Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus.

In 1989 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary and entered the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 1993. On September 1, 1991, in the Donskoy Monastery on the day of the 400th anniversary of the Donskaya Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, he was ordained a hieromonk by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus'.

Since 1991, he was on a business trip to the Kamchatka and Magadan (and temporarily Sakhalin) dioceses. In the Magadan diocese he carried out missionary obedience, traveling around the settlements of the Magadan region and Chukotka. Since 1992, he became rector of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and subsequently became rector of the newly built Holy Trinity Church in the city of Elizovo, Kamchatka region. On August 28, 1993 he was elevated to the rank of abbot, and on July 21, 2000 - to the rank of archimandrite.

On July 19, 2000, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, a diocese was created in Chukotka, and on August 10, 2000, Diomede was ordained Bishop of Anadyr and Chukotka. Meanwhile, under Soviet rule in Chukotka, according to official data, there was not a single believer, although Orthodoxy in those parts had been known since the middle of the 17th century, and active missionary service began at the end of the 18th century.

Bishop Diomede's relationship with the authorities was quite complicated. If, under Governor Alexander Nazarov, Orthodoxy was supported in Chukotka (the governor even asked Patriarch Alexy II to help in the establishment of Orthodoxy in the region, and he sent five priests and 14 graduates and students of the Belgorod Seminary to the autonomous district; in fact, after this the issue of opening episcopate in Chukotka), then under Governor Roman Abramovich, according to Diomede, a lot of preachers from America appeared in the region (since it has become much easier to get into the district, and no one persecutes foreigners there) - who, from the bishop’s point of view, are sectarians .

True, the governor nevertheless allocated money for the construction of a new cathedral - according to the media, from personal funds, and this partly reconciled the bishop with Abramovich (in 2005, Bishop Diomede consecrated this Cathedral of the Life-Giving Trinity - the largest wooden church in the world). The media claimed that, according to rough estimates, during the two years in power, Abramovich allocated the same amount of funds for the construction of Orthodox churches in the region as was allocated over the previous 10 years. This greatly contributed to the fact that by the beginning of 2007 there were already 17 parishes in Chukotka and the construction of the first monastery was planned.

At the beginning of February 2007, an open letter from Bishop Diomede “To all the faithful children of the Holy Orthodox Church” appeared on religious and patriotic Internet sites, in which he accused the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church of “departures from the purity of Orthodox doctrine.” In this message, the bishop reproached the leadership of the Patriarchate for “spiritual conciliation, subordinating church power to worldly, often atheistic”, and the lack of “exposing the anti-people policies of the existing government, leading to the collapse of the state, demographic crisis and other negative consequences.”

The bishop also expressed concern about “the violation of the principle of conciliarity in connection with the long absence of convening the Local Council and the transfer of its most important functions to the Bishops’ Council” - that is, the fact that church life is strictly regulated by bishops, and in the intervals between councils (which occur every four to five years) all issues are resolved by a narrow circle of members of the Holy Synod. Diomede also deserved special condemnation for the fact of “justifying and blessing the personal identification of citizens with the erroneous assertion that the adoption of external signs and symbols imposed by new times cannot harm the soul without its conscious renunciation of God.” In addition to Diomede, the letter was also signed by Abbot Elijah (Empulev), Priest Sergius (Bakharev), Priest Evgeniy (Pilipenok) and monk Gabriel (Larionov).

According to Novye Izvestia, the bishop's message was urgently conveyed to Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus'. However, he postponed consideration of the document - in connection with the beginning of Lent. At the same time, according to the RIA Novosti news agency, this letter was not received by the office of the Moscow Patriarchate.

But close attention of the press to the letter was attracted only on March 1, 2007, when the newspaper “Novye Izvestia” outlined the contents of the bishop’s appeal. By that time, the media had already claimed that in many central regions the collection of signatures in support of the bishop had begun and that we were talking about a church schism of incredible proportions.

The press service of the Moscow Patriarchate called Diomede’s statements evidence of his “ignorance and ignorance” and stated that they did not consider the letter to be evidence of a schism in the Church. At the same time, the head of the press service of the Moscow Patriarchate, priest Vladimir Vigilyansky, admitted that Bishop Diomede’s letter caused a wide public outcry, and suggested that the Holy Synod would soon express its opinion regarding the bishop’s message.

On June 24, 2008, the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church opened in the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Diomede himself refused to come to the Council, citing poor health. On the opening day of the Cathedral, a clash occurred near the walls of the temple between supporters of Bishop Diomede and activists of the Nashi movement. Three days later, the Council of Bishops decided to deprive Diomede of the rank of Bishop of Anadyr and Chukotka: disobedience to the hierarchy and the schismatic activities of the bishop were cited as the reason for his deposition. It was noted that Diomede may repent before the next meeting of the Holy Synod, otherwise the decision made will automatically come into force immediately after the meeting of the Synod.

At the same time, a special theological and canonical commission of the Russian Orthodox Church, headed by the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Metropolitan Philaret of Minsk and Slutsk, studied the documents signed by Diomede and came to the conclusion that they discredit the authority of the church and “actually provoke a schism.” In this regard, on June 27, 2008, Filaret signed the commission’s conclusion, which states that “Bishop Diomede of Anadyr and Chukotka is subject to ecclesiastical court.”

On June 28, the Holy Synod removed Bishop Diomede from the administration of the diocese and prohibited him from holding divine services. However, Diomede stated that he did not intend to obey the synodal decision and promised that he would continue to serve, despite the ban, since he had nothing to repent of, and he did not consider himself guilty. Moreover, he sent a complaint against the decision of the Council of Bishops to the Church Court and, according to a representative of the Chukotka Diocesan Administration, expressed his intention to personally speak in court against the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Kirill (Gundyaev) of Kaliningrad and Smolensk, “accusing him of treason Orthodoxy". It was noted that Diomede, in particular, accused the Metropolitan of “spinning his funds in Western banks and running his own business in the West.” It was not reported when the meeting of the Church Court was to take place.

On July 17, 2008, Diomede made an open statement in which he decided to transfer the Anadyr and Chukotka diocese to self-government and anathematized the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, as well as his other opponents - Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad and Metropolitan Philaret of Minsk and Slutsk.

In the same month, Archbishop Mark, who replaced Diomede as head of the Anadyr and Chukotka diocese, announced the theft of all its constituent and registration documents, personnel documentation, as well as accounting and tax reporting. He suspected Diomede, who, according to him, was hiding at Cape Schmidt in the north of Chukotka, of large-scale thefts and sent a statement to the district police department and the prosecutor's office with a request to open a case against the disgraced bishop for illegal embezzlement of diocese funds. However, in August of the same year, Diomede returned to Anadyr: it was reported that he was indeed in the village of Cape Shmidt, where he lingered because the bad weather remained there for several weeks, and he did not have the opportunity to cross to the “mainland.”

The meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was supposed to decide the fate of Diomede, was supposed to take place on September 2, 2008. However, on the appointed day, representatives of the press service of the Moscow Patriarchate announced the postponement of the meeting “for an indefinite time” (the reason was not given). The meeting took place on October 6, but Diomede did not attend. On the same day, the decision of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church to defrock Bishop Diomede came into force.

However, even after he was demoted to an ordinary monk, Diomede did not obey the decree to deprive him of his episcopal rank. On November 10, 2008, his decree was distributed on the Internet, which announced the re-establishment of the Holy Governing Synod, as it was before the revolution - that is, without the Patriarch. Reporting this, Nezavisimaya Gazeta called the situation comedic, clarifying that the institution created by Diomede included only the former bishop himself and his brother, who were supported exclusively by a small parish in the village of Cape Shmidt in northern Chukotka, where Diomede began serving as a priest.

According to Novye Izvestia, everyone who dealt with Diomede spoke of him as a man of principle and fearlessness, who did not take money for christenings, weddings and funeral services and who harshly criticized his superiors [

Deposed from his dignity, Diomede continues to perform episcopal services. Photo courtesy of Diomede (Dziuban)

The name of Diomede (DZYUBAN), the former Bishop of Chukotka, whom the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church “dismissed” on October 6, 2008, has been forgotten by many. Meanwhile, over the past years, the Moscow Patriarchate has not escaped the contradictions that led to the Diomede incident. Patriarch Alexy II, to whom Diomede “proclaimed anathema” in the summer of 2008 for ecumenism and relations with the “godless authorities,” which was the reason for the “eruption” of the bishop, died in December of the same year, and he was replaced by Patriarch Kirill, under whom the gap between the official the policies of the Russian Orthodox Church and church conservatives have only increased. The new leader of the Russian Orthodox Church performed a previously impossible act - he met with the Pope, and even in communist Cuba. The Havana tête-à-tête caused a storm of criticism from opponents of ecumenism, and although Dzyuban was not heard in this chorus of voices, the shadow of the Chukchi rebel appeared behind the backs of the dissatisfied.

"NGR" decided to find Diomede. A correspondence took place, the former bishop answered from an unknown distance, without revealing his location. It turned out that Diomede, whom the Russian Orthodox Church considers a simple monk, continues to follow the Russian Orthodox Church, while remaining firm in his rejection of the Moscow Patriarchate. We present Diomede’s (Dzyuban’s) answers to journalist Lev PERCHIN’s questions, warning that the wording of our interlocutor sounds extremely harsh and disrespectful towards the leadership of the Church, which Diomede rejects as “heretical.”

– Do you continue your religious activities outside the Moscow Patriarchate?

– I did not stop religious activities. We have separated ourselves from heresy and heretics and continue our ministry.

– Do you have any followers left?

– Our communities are in many regions of the country, in Ukraine and Belarus. There are also flocks in far abroad countries.

– Do you ordain clergy, since in 2008 you declared the patriarchal see widowed and created your own Church?

- I do. In 2008, I pointed out to Patriarch Alexy II, Metropolitans Filaret (Vakhromeev, exarch in Belarus until 2013 - "NGR") and Kirill (Gundyaev, now Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' - "NGR") for their violation of the canons of the holy fathers and called them to repentance for communication with Catholics and ecumenical activities. Not seeing their repentance, I confirmed the anathema under which they fell, according to the Rules of the Holy Ecumenical Councils and the Rules of the Holy Fathers, and we stopped commemorating the heretic patriarch.

For me, your Patriarch Kirill is monk Kirill (Gundyaev), since he, having prayed in Notre Dame with Catholics, fell under the 45th Apostolic Canon: “A bishop, or presbyter, or deacon, who prayed with heretics only, may he be excommunicated. If he allows them to act in any way, like the servants of the Church, he will be deposed.” When monk Kirill (Gundyaev) was asked after his appointment as patriarch: “Who is the head of the Church?”, he said that he was. And the head of our Church is the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have not created any new jurisdiction and remain in the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church, continuing the activities of the pre-revolutionary Holy Governing Synod from the time when the apostate hierarchs of the Church blasphemed the name of God, and then the sovereign emperor, the anointed of God, was overthrown and handed over to reproach.

Currently, the Russian Orthodox Church is more like a totalitarian sect merged with state power. And any clergyman who disagrees with monk Kirill (Gundyaev) comes under pressure.

– Do you maintain relations with clergy who oppose the ecumenical activities of the Moscow Patriarchate, especially since the meeting between Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis in Havana?

– In Havana, monk Kirill (Gundyaev) reported to the pope about the work he had done, that he had justified their long-standing hope and brought the Russian Orthodox Church to the feet of the pope. Probably, the pope has already awarded him an honorary award - the title of cardinal - bishop. We do not maintain relations with those who remain in the bosom of the heretical organization called the “Moscow Patriarchate” (MP), where they serve a certain god universal for all religions - the Almighty, who is no longer the Holy Trinity. (A similar statement was voiced by Metropolitan Kirill (Gundyaev) at the summit of religions in 2006.) Many clergy support us, but are afraid to admit it openly, fearing reprisals from the leadership of the Moscow Patriarchate.

In the Moscow Patriarchate, many believe that heresy is nothing to worry about; the Church was in heresy for 100 and 200 years. But they do not understand the simple truth that everyone who died at that time went to hell, since they did not go through the ordeal of heresies. If heresy were such an insignificant detail, then the Church would not have convened seven Ecumenical Councils to protect its children from its harmful effects.

– Do you think that after 2008, the Russian Orthodox Church retreated even more from the image of the Church that you see as true, or is it beginning to return to it?

– We stand in the truth of Orthodoxy according to the canons of the Holy Catholic Apostolic Church. Now it has become obvious not only to us, but also to many Orthodox Christians, that the fierce fight against God and open apostasy from the truth of Orthodoxy by the MP hierarchs and their accomplices. The Moscow Patriarchate is going to hell.

We did not cancel our anathemas. With the advent of Kirill to the leadership of the MP, the processes of apostasy intensified many times over.

– How do you assess the council in Crete and the refusal of the Russian Orthodox Church to take part in it?

– The Council in Crete is a wolf council, as the holy fathers said, and non-participation in it is only a tactical move, a trick of the Moscow Patriarchate in order to extinguish the discontent of the Orthodox and lull their vigilance. There is an opinion that they did not go, but sent their signatures.

– Do you have any contacts with the current Bishop of Chukotka, Matthew (Kopylov)?

– Patriarch Kirill recently visited Chukotka. Have you met him? Was there such a desire?

- No. “Blessed is the man who does not follow the counsel of the wicked.” But if you have the opportunity to meet monk Kirill (Gundyaev), ask him a question about how he combines the monastic vow of Christ’s poverty with his millions.

– Since you are connected by birth with Ukraine, could you express your opinion about the events taking place there in church life, plans for the creation of a unified Church, about the appeals of the Verkhovna Rada to the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew, etc.?

– Once a year I visit Ukraine – this is my homeland. Now this is the LPR. There are the graves of my loved ones and my father lives there, who spent his whole life working in the mine, and now they shoot at him from cannons. A ruler who destroys his people is cursed. As for the Church, there is stability in the territory that is under the militia. And in another part of it, which is under the rule of Poroshenko, there are seizures of churches, murders and persecutions. Filaret (Denisenko, leader of the so-called Kyiv Patriarchate - “NGR”) supports Poroshenko, and Bartholomew (Patriarch of Constantinople - “NGR”) blesses their actions. If you dig deeper, Bartholomew, a Freemason, a renovationist and a Tsar, is following the instructions of the Obama government and introducing a destructive current into the Church. There is a competition between him and monk Kirill (Gundyaev): who should sit at the right foot and who at the left foot of the Pope. Both of them are of the same breed - apostates and traitors to Orthodoxy. It is sad that the entire clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate is rotten and betrayed Christ for temporary material benefits. Thus, in one of his sermons, Archimandrite Peter (Kucher) openly said: “Brothers and sisters, we, the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church, are leading you to hell.”