Обновленческий раскол

The exile of Patriarch Tikhon’s closest assistants, Bishop Hilarion (Troitsky), Bishop Peter (Polyansky) and others, the arrest of His Holiness himself became a stage in the Bolsheviks’ preparation for the Renovationist schism, initiated by L. Trotsky. In the “arch-secret” minutes of the meeting of the commission chaired by Trotsky, assembled two days before the arrest of Bishop Hilarion, that is, on March 20, 1922, the topic of identifying and supporting the schismatic clergy by the authorities is already clearly outlined: “Newspapers should take measures to give a brighter and more open expression to the voice of those priests who are dissatisfied with Tikhon’s course and are inclined to carry out the decree of the Soviet government not out of fear, but out of conscience.” confiscation of valuables" 333. Vladyka Hilarion, with bitterness for his powerlessness and bewilderment about the causes of the schism, followed from exile the development of renovationism, the root of which he saw, first of all, in moral debauchery: “It is interesting that at the congress, for the sake of “revival,” they only thought of: 1) marrying a bishop, 2) marrying monks with retention in the rank, 3) marrying a priest to a widow, 4) marry the priest a second time, 5) marry his sister-in-law, 6) marry his cousin. So, six “get married” - and that’s all!” “Lust, having settled in his mind, darkened his eyes,” says St. Ephraim the Syrian about a man led by passions 335. Vladyka Hilarion speaks even more impartially about the darkening of the minds of the Renovationists (“Zhivtsov”, as they were popularly called): “In Moscow they have gone completely crazy. About thirty to forty random people from the street will gather: “Let’s set up a Living Church! Let’s do it! It’s ready!” Well, aren’t you idiots?” 336 Despite the distance from the “epicenter” of the events that shook the Russian Church, the exiled bishop does not hesitate at all on the question of the legality of the self-proclaimed church government: “The ‘newly minted’ cannot be recognized in the rank according to the canons, because all their decrees are not legal.”337 The bishop’s traditional concepts of the Church and its borders give him a solid basis for standing in the truth: “Imposture among us носу, но еще ее нет. Ведь в ЖЦ самое главное – самозванство ее управителей, никем не выбранных и никем не назначенных и никому не нужных. Поэтому благодати на самозваных арх. здесь столько же, сколько на любом татарине. И с ними в общение я никогда не вступлю, что бы ни было. А что будет? Ну, постранствую 5, м. б. 10 лет. Что ж? И странствовать может быть хорошо. Так как здесь я I live, I can still live” 338. There is no confessional pathos in his letters and, as always, no grumbling. Only ordinary contentment with the circumstances: “And I am very pleased and glad that I live here, the main thing is free time and books...” But there is deep sorrow about the desecration of the Mother Church by her ungrateful children: “I am not at all interested in my personal fate, because the external situation is nothing important for me... But I cannot help but suffer and speak passionately, seeing and understanding the suffering of the Russian Church” 339. Russian Orthodox Church in Soviet times (1917–1991): Materials and documents.../ Comp. G. Stricker. – M.: Propylene, 1995. P. 157. Hilarion (Troitsky), bishop. Letter from the priest Leonid and Lydia Arkhangelsky dated August 28. 1922 – Archive of A.V. Nikitsky. Ephraim the Syrian, St. Creations: in 8 volumes – [B.m.]: Ed. dept. Moscow Patriarchies, 1993. T. 2. P. 141. Hilarion (Troitsky), bishop. Letter from the priest Leonid 20 Sep. 1922 – Archive of A.V. Nikitsky. Hilarion (Troitsky), bishop. Letter from the priest Leonid and Lydia Arkhangelsky dated February 26. 1923 – Archive of A.V. Nikitsky. Quote by: Damascene (Orlovsky), Hierom. Biography of Archbishop Hilarion (Troitsky) // Hilarion (Troitsky), Archbishop. The Church as a union of love. P. 39.