Patriarch Alexy II. Alexy II

Patriarch Alexy II, whose biography is the subject of our article, lived a long and, I think, happy life. His activities left a deep mark not only in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, but also in the souls of many people. This is probably why, after the death of the priest, the people could not believe and come to terms with his departure, and the version that Patriarch Alexy II was killed is still circulating in society. This person managed to do so much good deeds in his life that the importance of this person does not decrease over the years.

Origin

Patriarch Alexy II, whose biography has been associated with the Russian Orthodox Church for several generations, was born on February 23, 1929 in a very unusual family in the city of Tallinn. The ancestor of the future priest during the reign of Catherine II converted to Orthodoxy with the name Fedor Vasilyevich. He was a general, an outstanding public figure and commander. From this came the Russian family of Ridigers.

The grandfather of the future patriarch was able to take his family out of St. Petersburg to Estonia during the hot times of the revolution. Alexy's father studied at the prestigious Imperial School of Law, but graduated in Estonia. Then he worked as a judicial investigator in Tallinn, married the daughter of a colonel in the tsarist army. An Orthodox atmosphere reigned in the family, Alexy's parents were members of the progressive movement RSHD (Russian Student Christian Movement). They participated in religious disputes, visited monasteries, went to church services. When Alexy was very young, his father began to study at pastoral courses, where he met Father John, who later became the boy's confessor.

The family had a tradition of spending their summer holidays on pilgrimages to various monasteries. It was then that Alexy fell in love with the Pukhtitsa monastery for the rest of his life. In 1940 Father Alexy was ordained a deacon. Since 1942, he served in the Kazan Church in Tallinn and for 20 years helped people find God.

Childhood

From early childhood, the future Patriarch of Moscow Alexy was immersed in an atmosphere of religiosity, which was for him the main spiritual principle in his formation. From the age of 6 he began to help in the service in the temple. Parents and confessor raised the boy in the spirit of Christian values, he grew up as a kind, obedient child. The times were difficult, the family at the beginning of the Second World War was threatened with deportation to Siberia for German origin. The Ridigers had to go into hiding. During the war, his father took Alyosha with him on visits of captives in camps for persons displaced to Germany.

Vocation

The whole atmosphere of the Ridiger family was saturated with religion, the child absorbed it from a young age. He loved and knew church services very much, even played them in his games. His confessor actively supported the boy's attraction to the Orthodox faith. In 1941, the future His Holiness Patriarch Alexy 2 became an altar boy, helping the deacon - his father. Then he served for several years in various churches in Tallinn. The fate of Alexy, in fact, was a foregone conclusion from the very birth, from the age of 5 he existed only in the bosom of the church.

In 1947, the future His Holiness Patriarch Alexy 2 entered the Leningrad Theological Seminary, he was accepted immediately into the third grade due to his high education and preparedness. In 1949 he entered the Leningrad Theological Academy. During this period, the revived educational religious institutions are on the rise, this allows Alexy to receive a high-class education. He was a very good student, all teachers noted his thoughtfulness and seriousness. He had no spiritual turmoil and quest, he was absolutely sure of his faith and his destiny.

The life of a priest

But most of his studies at the academy A. Ridiger is an external student. Metropolitan Gregory of Leningrad offered the young man to take the rank before graduation. He was offered several options for serving, he chose the position of rector at the Epiphany Church in the town of Johvi. From there, he could often visit his parents and travel to the academy. In 1953 he graduated from the academy, becoming a candidate of theology. In 1957, he was transferred from the difficult parish of Jõhvi to University Tartu. So the future Patriarch Alexy II, whose years of life will be connected with religious service, embarked on his path as a priest.

Difficult times fell on him again. The Assumption Cathedral, to which Alexy was appointed, was in a deplorable state, the authorities did not support church initiatives, they had to work very hard, talk with people, stand for services, go to church. The novice priest decided to seek help from Patriarch Alexy the First, who assisted in the repair and blessed the namesake. In 1958, Alexy became archpriest and dean of the Tartu-Viljandi region. In 1959, the priest's mother died, and this prompted him to become a monk. He had previously thought about such an act, and now he finally confirmed his intention.

Bishop's Way

In 1961, the future Patriarch Alexy II (his photo could be seen more and more often in reviews of trips of foreign delegations around Russia) received a new appointment. He becomes the bishop of Tallinn and Estonia, and is also temporarily entrusted with managing the Riga diocese. there was an acute shortage of young educated personnel, especially since it is again experiencing a round of new persecution in Russia. The consecration, at the request of Alexy, is held in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn. Immediately the young bishop receives a summons from the authorities. In his parish, it is planned to close several churches due to “unprofitability”, and to give the beloved Pyukhitsky monastery as a rest home for miners. Urgent and strong measures were needed.

Alexy organizes several visits of large foreign delegations to his parish and the monastery, as a result, publications about him appear in the Western press, representatives of almost all world religious organizations came here in a year, the authorities had to surrender, and the issue of closing the monastery was no longer raised. The Pukhitsky Monastery, thanks to the efforts of Alexy, became a place for visits and fellowship of representatives of all European churches.

Alexy served in the Tallinn parish for a quarter of a century. During this time, he significantly strengthened the Orthodox Church here, published a large amount of literature, including in Estonian. Many temples of the region were preserved through his efforts, including the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, in which Father Alexy, who died in 1962, served for a long time, the Kazan Church in Tallinn. But propaganda and the efforts of the authorities did their job: the number of believers was steadily decreasing, so that functioning churches remained in the villages, the archimandrite paid for their maintenance from church funds.

In 1969, Alexy was assigned an additional ministry as Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod.

Church and public life

Alexy always traveled a lot to his parishes with divine services in order to have conversations with the faithful, to strengthen their spirit. At the same time, the future patriarch devoted a lot of time to social work. From the very beginning of his diocesan service, he did not remain aloof from the life of the entire Orthodox Church. In 1961, the future His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, whose photo can be seen in the article, is a member of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church at the assembly of the World Council of Churches. He participates in the work of such prestigious organizations as the Conference of European Churches, in which he worked for more than 25 years, eventually becoming chairman of the presidium, the Rhodes Pan-Orthodox Conference, peace organizations, in particular the Soviet Peace Foundation, the Foundation for Slavic Literature and Slavic Cultures. From 1961, he served as deputy chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. In 1964, he became the manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate and performed these duties for 22 years.

In 1989, Alexy was elected a People's Deputy of the USSR and dealt with the preservation of national cultural values, language, and the protection of historical heritage.

Patriarchal Throne

In 1990, Pimen died, and gathered to choose a new head of the Russian church, and there was no better candidate than Alexy. He was enthroned on June 10, 1990 at the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow. In his speech to the flock, he said that he sees as his main goal the strengthening of the spiritual role of the church. He believed that it was necessary to increase the number of churches, including work in places of detention, in order to give people spiritual support on the path of correction. The coming social changes in the society of the church had to be used to strengthen its positions, and Alexy understood this well.

For some time, the patriarch continued to act as bishop of the Leningrad and Tallinn diocese. In 1999, he took over the administration of the Japanese Orthodox Church. During his service, the Patriarch traveled a lot to parishes, performed services, and contributed to the construction of cathedrals. Over the years, he visited 88 dioceses, consecrated 168 churches, received thousands of confessions.

public position

Alexy, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', from an early age was distinguished by a firm social position. He saw his mission not just in serving God, but in propagating Orthodoxy. He was convinced that all Christians should unite in educational activities. Alexy believed that the church should cooperate with the authorities, although he himself experienced a lot of persecution from the Soviet authorities, but after perestroika he sought to establish good relations with the country's leadership in order to solve many state problems together.

Of course, the patriarch always stood up for the disadvantaged, he did a lot of charity work and helped his parishioners also provide assistance to those in need. At the same time, Alexy repeatedly spoke out against people with non-traditional sexual orientation and warmly thanked the mayor of Moscow for the ban on the gay parade, called homosexuality a vice that destroys the traditional norms of humanity.

Church and social transformations under the patriarch

Alexy, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', began his work in office by informing the current government of the country about the critical state of the church. He did a lot to increase the role of the church in the country's politics, he, along with the first persons of the state, made visits to memorial and parade events. Alexy did a lot to ensure that church power was concentrated in the hands of the Council of Bishops, reducing democratization in the structure of the church. At the same time, he contributed to increasing the autonomy of individual regions outside the Russian Federation.

Merits of the Patriarch

Alexy, Patriarch of All Rus', did a lot for the Russian Orthodox Church, first of all, thanks to him, the church returned to broad public service. It was he who contributed to the fact that today Russian churches are full of parishioners, that religion has again become a familiar element in the life of Russians. He was also able to keep the churches of the states that became independent as a result of the collapse of the USSR under Russian jurisdiction. His activity as Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' had a significant impact on the development of Orthodoxy, on increasing its significance in the world. Alexy was the chairman of the "Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today and Forever" me-denominational committee. In 2007, as a result of his efforts, the “Act on Canonical Communion” was signed, which meant the reunification of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Church Abroad. Alexy was able to return the widespread practice of religious processions, he contributes to the acquisition of the relics of many saints, in particular Seraphim of Sarov, Maxim the Greek, Alexander Svirsky. He doubled the number of dioceses in Russia, the number of parishes almost tripled, the number of churches in Moscow increased more than 40 times, if before perestroika there were only 22 monasteries in the country, then by 2008 there were already 804. The patriarch paid great attention to church education, he significantly increased the number of educational institutions at all levels in the country, and also had a positive impact on training programs that have become close to the world level.

Awards

Alexy, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', was repeatedly awarded for his merits by both secular and ecclesiastical authorities. He had more than 40 orders and medals of the Russian Orthodox Church, including such honorary ones as the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called with a diamond star, the Order of Grand Duke Vladimir, the Order of St. Alexis, the medal of Dmitry Thessalonica, the Order of St. Gregory the Victorious from the Georgian Orthodox Church.

The Russian government also repeatedly noted the high merits of the patriarch with awards, including the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, the Order of Friendship of Peoples, and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. Twice Alexy was awarded the state award for outstanding achievements in the field of humanitarian work, he had diplomas and thanks from the President of the Russian Federation.

Alexy also had many awards from foreign countries, prizes, badges of honor and medals from public organizations.

In addition, he was an honorary citizen of more than 10 cities and was an honorary doctor of 4 universities in the world.

Care and memory

On December 5, 2008, the sad news spread around the world: Patriarch Alexy 2 died. The cause of death was heart failure. The patriarch had serious heart problems for several years, he even had an elevator built in the residence to go up to the second floor to help him avoid unnecessary stress. However, versions about the murder of the patriarch appeared in the media almost immediately.

But there was no evidence for these suspicions, so everything remained at the level of rumors. The people simply could not believe that such a person was gone, and therefore tried to find the culprit in their misfortune. The patriarch was buried and buried in the Church of the Epiphany.

People almost immediately began to wonder: will Patriarch Alexy II be canonized? So far, there is no answer to it, since canonization is a complex and long process.

The memory of the patriarch was immortalized in the names of libraries, squares, in the form of monuments, several monuments.

Private life

Patriarch Alexy 2, whose cause of death was not the only reason for discussing his personality, life, actions, was of interest to many. A lot of rumors circulated around his relationship with the KGB, Alexy was even called the favorite of the special services. Although there was no evidence for such suspicions.

Another question that aroused the interest of the townsfolk was whether the priest was married. It is known that bishops cannot have wives, since celibacy applies to them. But before accepting monasticism, many priests had families, and this was not an obstacle to their church career. Patriarch Alexy II, who had a wife during his student years, never mentioned his family experience. Researchers say that this marriage with Vera Alekseeva was absolutely formal. He was needed only to prevent the authorities from calling A. Ridiger into military service.

Little is known about the private life of the patriarch. He loved to read and always worked hard. Alexy is the author of over 200 books on theology. He was fluent in Estonian, German, and spoke a little English. He lived and died in his favorite residence in Peredelkino, where he felt comfortable and calm.

Alexy II. Portrait by Viktor Shilov.

Alexy II (Ridiger Alexei Mikhailovich) (b. 02/23/1929), patriarch Moscow and all Rus'. The son of a lawyer who became a priest and emigrated to Estonia. Born in Tallinn, in "independent" Estonia. He studied at the seminary in Leningrad (1949). Graduated from the Theological Academy in Leningrad (1953). Priest in Tartu (1957). Archpriest (1958). Monk (1961). Archbishop (1964). Chairman of the Commission for Christian Unity and Interchurch Relations (1963-79). Metropolitan of Tallinn and Estonia (1968). Member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (1961-68). Closely associated with Valaam monastery, the main center of monastic life in the North of Russia. Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod (1986). He played a major role in the canonization of St. Xenia Petersburg and the return of the relics of St. Alexander Nevsky from the museum to its original location in Alexander Nevsky Lavra. After the death of Patr. Pimena elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' (June 7, 1990). He performed divine services in many famous Russian cathedrals, which were closed after the Bolshevik coup. (St Basil's Church on Red Square, Assumption Cathedral V the Kremlin, coronation church of Russian tsars, Saint Isaac's Cathedral In Petersburg). Made a statement that the Declaration Sergius (Stragorodsky) cannot be considered an expression of the free will of the Church.

Alexy II (in the world Alexei Mikhailovich Ridiger) (1929-2008) - patriarch. Born in Tallinn in the family of an emigrant from Russia, a priest, Mikhail Alexandrovich Ridiger. From 1944 to 1947 he was subdeacon of the Archbishop of Tallinn and Estonia Pavel (Dmitrovsky). Since 1946 he served as a psalmist in Simeonovskaya, and since 1947 - in the Kazan Church in Tallinn. In 1947 he entered the Leningrad Theological Seminary. In his first year at the Leningrad Theological Academy in 1950, he was ordained a deacon, and then a priest, and was appointed rector of the Church of the Epiphany in the town of Jyhvi, Tallinn diocese. In 1953 he graduated from the Theological Academy. In 1957 he was appointed rector of the Dormition Cathedral in Tartu. In 1958 he was elevated to the rank of archpriest. In 1961, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, he was tonsured a monk. In 1961 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite, from the same year he was bishop of Tallinn and Estonia. Since 1964 - archbishop, since 1968 - metropolitan. In 1986 he was appointed Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod with instructions to manage the Tallinn diocese. On June 7, 1990, at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, he was elected to the Moscow Patriarchal Throne.

Used material from the site "Russian Abroad" - http://russians.rin.ru

Other biographical material:

Compositions:

Epistle of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on the 75th anniversary of the assassination of Emperor Nicholas II and his Family // Noble Assembly: Ist.-Publicist. Or T. Almanac. M., 1995, S. 70-72; Russia is needed not only for itself, but for the whole world // Lit. Studies. 1995. No. 2/3. pp. 3-14; To return to people the interethnic, political and social peace: From the answers of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II to the questions of the columnist of the newspaper "Culture" // Rossiyskiy obozrevatel. 1996. No. 5. S. 85-86; Appeal to the participants of the international conference "Spiritual foundations of politics and principles of international cooperation" // ZhMP. 1997. No. 7. S. 17-19; Epistle of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on the 80th anniversary of the assassination of Emperor Nicholas and his family // Ibid. 1998. No. 7. P. 11; The role of Moscow in the defense of the Fatherland // The role of Moscow in the defense of the Fatherland. M., 1998. Sat. 2. S. 6-17; Word of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus': [On the Crisis of the Russian School] // Christmas Readings, 6th. M., 1998. S. 3-13; Word to the participants of the Council Hearings [World Russian People's Council March 18-20, 1998] // Church and Time / DECR MP. 1998. No. 2 (5). pp. 6-9; Church and spiritual revival of Russia: Words. Speeches, messages, appeals, 1990-1998. M., 1999; Russia: spiritual revival. M., 1999; Appeal in connection with the armed action against Yugoslavia // ZhMP. 1999. No. 4. S. 24-25; Sorrowful of the Russian Land: The Word and Image of the First Sanctifier. M., 1999; Word at the first service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior // ZhMP 2000. No. 1. P. 44-45.

Literature:

Patriarch. M., 1993;

Primate. M., 2000.

Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Church and spiritual revival of Russia. Words, speeches, messages, appeals. 1990–1998 M., 1999;

Thoughts of the Russian Patriarchs from the Beginning to the Present Day. M., 1999;

Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2007. M., 2008;

Tsypin V. History of the Russian Orthodox Church. Synodal and modern periods. 1700–2005 M., 2006.

Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II was married. But this fact is not in any of his official biography.

In the picturesque suburb of Tallinn, Nõmme, a woman lives in a modest rural house. She looks much younger than her years (and she is almost 72), friends call her an exceptionally worthy person. She raised three children from her second marriage, buried her second husband. And few people know that in her first marriage she was the wife of the current Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II (then a student of the Leningrad Theological Academy Alexei Mikhailovich Ridiger).

Of course, the patriarch, like any bishop, is not married: since the 7th century, the church has demanded celibacy from its bishops. But this does not mean that he did not have the right to be married before he became a monk. Today, among the episcopate of the Russian Church, there are many who were once widowed or divorced for some reason. So, from the widowed archpriests, Archbishop Sophrony (Budko) of Kemerovo, the recently deceased Archbishops Meliton (Soloviev) of Tikhvin and Mikhail (Mudyugin) of Vologda became bishops. The marriage between the Archbishop of Tambov Yevgeny (Zhdan) and the Metropolitan of Kursk Yuvenaly (Tarasov) did not work out, the latter raised his two children himself. Even one new martyr came out of the widowed archpriests - Metropolitan of Kazan and Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, recently canonized Kirill (Smirnov).

Such a fate is not considered something reprehensible among the Orthodox. The fact of marriage often finds its place in the official biographies of Russian bishops. However, there is not a single word in any official text about the life of Patriarch Alexy that he was also married. You can read that after the first visit to the Valaam Monastery in 1938, the future patriarch dreamed of becoming a monk at the age of 11.

The wife of the Patriarch Vera Georgievna Alekseeva (Myannik by her second husband) was born in the same year 1929 as Alexei Mikhailovich (he - 23.02, she - 2.12), in the family of Georgy Mikhailovich Alekseev. The father-in-law of the patriarch, a Petersburger by birth (01/20/1892), a technologist by education, graduated from the Petrograd Theological Academy in 1918 and ended up in exile in Estonia. In 1931, he became a priest and for a long time served as rector of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn, where the future patriarch once served as an altar boy.

The wedding took place on April 11, 1950, when the future patriarch was still a first-year student at the academy. There is a record of the marriage in the Tallinn archives, but we do not present it, since according to Estonian laws it can be made public only by a court decision or with the consent of relatives. On the same day, the young were married by their fathers - Mikhail Ridiger (also a priest) and Georgy Alekseev. By the way, some Orthodox think that parents should not marry their children: it is supposedly a bad omen and the marriage will be unhappy. But in this case, something else is much more interesting: the date of the wedding. Easter in 1950 fell on April 9, April 11 is Bright Tuesday, and according to church rules, they don’t get married during the entire Easter week: you have to wait for the so-called Antipascha or Krasnaya Gorka (the Sunday following Easter; in 1950 - April 16).

What made a student of the Theological Academy and two respected priest-fathers violate the canon? Apparently, Alexei Mikhailovich was in a hurry to receive a priesthood, which cannot be accepted before the wedding. Indeed, four days later, on April 15, the future patriarch is ordained a deacon, and on April 17, a priest. Why such a hurry, why not wait a few days and do everything according to the rules? The deceased inspector of the Leningrad Theological Academy Lev Pariysky (1892 - 1972) believed that he knew the truth. In the archives of the Council for Religious Affairs under the Council of Ministers of the USSR, his letter (in other words, a denunciation) has been preserved "To the Commissioner of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church under the Council of Ministers of the USSR for Leningrad and the Leningrad Region A.I. Kushnarev":

"In L.D.A. (Leningrad Theological Academy. - Approx. Aut.) There was a case of consecration to the priesthood in order to evade serving in the Soviet army. Ridiger A.M., born in 1929, was subject to conscription for military service in 1950. Being the fiancé of the daughter of Archpriest G. Alekseev of Tallinn, Ridiger A. wanted to get rid of military service.Having learned for sure a few days about the draft into the army, Ridiger, Archpriest Alekseev and Bishop Roman of Tallinn begged Metropolitan Gregory to agree to marry Ridiger on Tuesday during the Easter week, when marriage is forbidden according to the Church Charter.

Ridiger was married in the Academic Church on Tuesday of Easter week 1950, was hastily promoted to deacon, then to the priesthood by Bishop Roman, and appointed to the Estonian parish of St. Johva, Balt. railway, Narvskaya st., E 102.

Indeed, until 1950, students of theological educational institutions were granted a deferment from the army. In 1950, it was canceled and they did not begin to call only persons in holy orders. Let's not forget that the future patriarch Alexei Ridiger was born in bourgeois Estonia, did not go to a Soviet school, literally just found himself in the country of victorious socialism, and in this sense he was hardly mentally ready to go to serve in the Soviet army.

What made the inspector of the Theological Academy write a denunciation of the future patriarch and his own student, and even a few months after the wedding? Does the stated version correspond to reality? We will probably never know for sure. But the document puts forward a humanly understandable version of the reasons for the haste with marriage and ordination. It is worth adding that the official biographies of Alexy II known to us contain the phrase: "He was recognized as not liable for military service due to heart disease."

The marriage of Alexei Mikhailovich and Vera Georgievna did not last long: the young couple broke up in the same 1950. The reasons for the divorce are shrouded in mystery. If the marriage really was concluded under the pressure of external circumstances, then it is clear that it could not be lasting.

The collapse of the young family caused a serious discord between the Alekseevs and the Ridigers, as evidenced by the recollections of eyewitnesses.

It is worth adding that marriage was not the result of a youthful impulse, this choice was a family affair. The diary entries of one of the late professors of the Leningrad Theological Academy, preserved in the archives, testify that Elena Iosifovna, the mother of the future patriarch, considered another girl, Irina Ponomareva, to be the “best bride” for her son. The piquancy of the situation lies in the fact that this same Irina in 1951 became the second wife of the inspector of the Leningrad Theological Academy, Archpriest Alexei Osipov. Subsequently, Osipov defiantly broke with the church (those were the times of "scientific" atheism and "Khrushchev's persecution") and moved to the position of militant atheism. He became the most famous apostate of the Soviet era, wrote several atheistic books. The trusting relationship between Irina Ponomareva and Alexei Mikhailovich Ridiger is evidenced by Irina's letters to friends, where she calls him Lesha even after he became a priest.

The former father-in-law of the patriarch, Archpriest Georgy Alekseev, was widowed in 1952, which sealed his fate. At the end of 1955, the Synod appointed him Bishop of Tallinn and Estonia. On December 17, 1955, he takes monastic vows with the name John, and on December 25, his episcopal consecration takes place. All this time, from 1950 to 1957, Priest Alexei, the future patriarch, was rector of a small parish in the Estonian town of Johvi. However, in 1957, his former father-in-law promoted him: he elevated him to the rank of archpriest and appointed rector and dean in the large city of Tartu. The fears of the Ridiger family regarding a possible bad attitude from former relatives were not confirmed.

However, in August - September 1961 the following occurs. The former father-in-law, Bishop John (Alekseev), is appointed to Gorky, and his place is taken by ... the former son-in-law - the future patriarch! This family continuity could have made a touching impression, if not for one circumstance. The appointment of bishops from widowed or divorced priests, as we have already said, is a common thing. However, most often candidates for the position of bishop accept monasticism after the decision of the Synod: immediately before episcopal consecration. Here it happened before. On August 14, 1961, Hieromonk Alexy (Ridiger) was appointed Bishop of Tallinn by the Synod. But he accepted monasticism on March 3 at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

The ordination of the future patriarch to the bishopric took place in Tallinn on September 3, 1961. The service was headed by Bishop Nikodim (Rotov), ​​who is officially considered the "founder" of Alexy's career, and, as if by an irony of fate, the former father-in-law, Archbishop John, also participated in the ordination. It can be assumed that at this service in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the ex-wife Vera also stood in her favorite place at the left kliros.

The transfer of John (Alekseev) to the Volga had a detrimental effect on his health. In 1963, a year and a half after the transfer, he fell ill, retired in 1965, and died on June 16, 1966. On June 21, he was buried in Tallinn, and this was done by the former son-in-law, Bishop Alexy (Ridiger). The daughter of one and the ex-wife of the other, probably, again stood somewhere nearby ...

It is difficult to imagine what made the patriarch delete the episode of his married life with this woman from his official biography. Purely humanly, such a fact cannot harm the image of any normal person. Not in society, not in church.

Chairman of the Diocesan Council. Mother - Elena Iosifovna Pisareva (1902-59), was born in Reval (Tallinn), the daughter of a colonel in the tsarist army shot by the Bolsheviks. As a child, Alexei repeatedly visited the Valaam Monastery with his parents (at that time in Finland); These trips, acquaintance and correspondence with the Valaam monks had a great influence on him. The energetic rector of the St. Nicholas Church in Tallinn (in which Mikhail Ridiger served as a deacon, and young Alexei as an altar boy) also played a role in the coming of the future Patriarch to the service of God, priest Alexander Kiselev.

The father's diaconal and priestly service during the years of the occupation of Tallinn strengthened his desire to become a priest himself. In 1941-44, Alexei was an altar boy in churches where soldiers of the Russian National Army (RNA) and the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) were fed.

At the age of 15, Alexei became a subdeacon of the Archbishop of Narva (later Tallinn and Estonia) Pavel. From May 1945 to October 1946 he was an altar boy and sacristan of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, since 1946 he served as a psalmist in Simeonovskaya, and since - in the Kazan Church in Tallinn. In 1947 he entered the Leningrad Theological Seminary, and after graduating from it in 1949, he became a student at the Theological Academy in Leningrad.

According to a study conducted by a group of authors and published by E. V. Komarov, an employee of the Moscow Patriarchate, on April 11, on Bright Tuesday, 1st year student of the Academy Alexei Ridiger married Vera Georgievna Alekseeva (Myannik by her second husband), the daughter of . George Alekseev, rector of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn.

episcopal ministry

During his stay at the Leningrad See, Metropolitan Alexy achieved the return of the diocese of a number of St. Petersburg churches and shrines.

Work in the highest administration of the Russian Orthodox Church before being elected Patriarch

Under such conditions, the need of the Russian Orthodox Church for young cadres, Bishop Alexy (Ridiger) makes a quick career in the central structures of the Moscow Patriarchate. On November 14, Bishop Alexy was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. He was recommended for this position by the new Chairman of the Department, the young and energetic Archbishop of Yaroslavl Nikodim (Rotov). While working at the DECR, Bishop Alexy participated in Pan-Orthodox meetings, assemblies of the World Council of Churches and numerous other events in the line of the ecumenical activities of the Moscow Patriarchate, various peacemaking forums. From to - President (member of the Presidium) of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), to - Chairman of the Presidium of the CEC.

From April 12 to 17, the Patriarch paid an official visit to the Primate of the Church of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrius I. (Patriarch Demetrius visited the Russian Orthodox Church even earlier, in August).

In November of the same year, the Patriarch was on a visit to the United States as a guest of the American Orthodox Church. A great resonance was caused by his visit to the synagogue in New York and his speech. Conservative church circles accused him of "identifying Talmudism with the religion of the Old Testament".

Participated in the Holy Assembly of the 14 Primates of the Orthodox Churches in Constantinople on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, March 15, which gathered “at the initiative, invitation and under the chairmanship<…>Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew" . In the issued Message, the Primates condemned "the activities of the Uniates in communion with Rome on the territory of Ukraine, Romania, Eastern Slovakia, the Middle East and other regions", as well as "proselytism". In addition, the Message "strongly rejected certain recent developments within ecumenism, such as the female priesthood and the use of language that blurs the concept of God." Patriarch Alexy, assessing the significance of the Holy Assembly, noted that "the meeting in Constantinople is the first meeting of the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches after the era of the Ecumenical Councils, and therefore, of course, historical."

Membership in the World Council of Churches does not mean the recognition of the WCC as an ecclesiastical reality of a more comprehensive order than the Orthodox Church itself, since it is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, or even simply the recognition that the WCC and the ecumenical movement have at least some kind of ecclesiastical reality on their own.

The document cautioned:

The current development of the WCC is moving in a dangerous and improper direction. They state the crisis of the World Council of Churches and call for a revision of the entire current ethos, the principles of the WCC.

The later aggravation of relations was caused by the decision of February 11 of the head of the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church, John Paul II, to erect "apostolic administrations for Latin Rite Catholics in Russia to the dignity of dioceses." The statement of the papal throne specifically emphasized: "In order to express due respect to the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church and their venerable archpastors, the Catholic dioceses of Russia received the titles of saints, and not of the cities in which their centers are located." Despite such reservations, the response of the Patriarch and the Holy Synod was extremely negative:

the establishment of a "church province" - "metropolis" essentially means the creation of a local Catholic Church of Russia with its center in Moscow, which claims to have the Russian people as its flock, which culturally, spiritually and historically is the flock of the Russian Orthodox Church. The formation of such a church in Russia actually means a challenge to Orthodoxy, rooted in the country for many centuries.

Russian Orthodox Church and secular power under Alexy II

In the period before his election as Patriarch, His Grace Alexy, like many other hierarchs, loyally participated in the activities of official Soviet organizations, mainly of a peacekeeping nature. He repeatedly went on business trips abroad with mainly ecumenical goals, which ipso facto demanded the sanction of the KGB of the USSR.

<...>the statement of Metropolitan Sergius, of course, cannot be called voluntary, for he, who was under terrible pressure, had to declare things far from the truth in order to save people. Today we can say that there is a lie in his Declaration. The Declaration set as its goal "to put the Church in the right relationship with the Soviet government." But these relations, and in the Declaration they are clearly described as the subordination of the Church to the interests of state policy, are precisely not correct from the point of view of the Church.<...>It must be admitted that the Declaration does not put the Church in a “correct” relationship with the state, but, on the contrary, destroys the distance that even in a democratic society should be between the state and the Church, so that the state does not breathe on the Church and does not infect her with its breath, spirit coercion and silence.<...>As for my defense of this Declaration, it must be remembered that the criticism of the Declaration was mainly directed against the words: "we want to consider the Soviet Union our civil Motherland, whose joys are our joys and whose troubles are our troubles." The opponents of the Declaration argued that by such a declaration the joys of an atheistic state were identified with the joys of the Church. It would indeed be absurd. But after all, the Declaration does not contain the word “which”, that is, the state, the Soviet Union, but there is the word “which”, correlated with the word “Motherland”. That is, we are talking about the Motherland, the joys of which, regardless of the political regime that dominates it or over it, really please the Church. That is why I have always defended this provision of the Declaration, and I agree with it today. As for the rest of the provisions of the Declaration... We were in no hurry to verbally abandon it, until in fact, in life we ​​could not take a truly independent position. During this year, I believe, we have really been able to get out from under the obsessive tutelage of the state, and therefore now, having as a fact our distance from it, we have the moral right to say that the Declaration of Metropolitan Sergius as a whole is a thing of the past and that we are not guided by her.

To the journalist’s remark about the well-known report of V. Furov, Deputy Chairman of the Council for Religious Affairs, to the Central Committee of the CPSU in 1974, which refers to His Grace Alexy as one of the most loyal bishops of the Russian Church, who understands the “disinterest” of the state in strengthening religiosity, the patriarch replied that he, upon his appointment as bishop in Tallinn in September, allegedly managed to defend the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the Pyukhtitsky Monastery from being closed.

After the election of Alexy II as Patriarch, he developed basically even relations with the leaders of the country, including both Presidents of Russia - B. N. Yeltsin and V. V. Putin. During the August events, the Patriarch ordered to lower the petition “On her authorities and her army” on the litanies.

During the October events, the Patriarch offered mediation to both opposing sides; with his participation, negotiations began in the Moscow Danilov Monastery, which did not lead to anything.

Alexy II participated in Yeltsin's inauguration procedure; attended the ceremony of handing over the “nuclear briefcase” to Acting President Putin on January 31. Alexy II did not take part in the inauguration procedures of Putin on May 7 and May 7, being present only among the invited guests along with representatives of other religious denominations. The Patriarch repeatedly met with both Presidents, discussed with them the current problems of the current legislation on religious issues, objecting, in particular, to some of the wording of the new Law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations", and legislation on education.

Despite the different, according to the opinion of many observers, the attitude of the secular authorities to this issue, he refused to agree to the visit of Pope John Paul II to Russia, referring to unresolved problems between the Churches.

Awards

Alexy II was awarded many awards of the Russian Orthodox Church and other local Churches:

Order of the Russian Orthodox Church of St. equal to ap. Prince Vladimir of the 2nd degree 11 / V-1963, the Order of the Russian Orthodox Church of St. equal to ap. book. Vladimir 1st degree 27 / V-1968, the Order of the Russian Orthodox Church, St. Sergius of Radonezh, 1st degree, 21/II-1979, Order of St. equal to ap. Cyril and Methodius of the 1st degree of the Czechoslovak Orthodox Church 20 / X-1962, the order of St. John of Rylsky 1st degree of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church V-1968 Order of the Apostle Mark of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church 1969 Order of the Life-Giving Cross 1st and 2nd degree of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church 1968, 1984 Order of St. vmch. George the Victorious 1st and 2nd Art. Georgian Orthodox Church 1968, 1972 with the Order of Ap. Peter and Paul of the 2nd degree of the Orthodox Church of Antioch 1 / IX-1981 other orders of the Metropolitanate of the Patriarch of Antioch medal of the 1500th anniversary of the Jerusalem Patriarchate 1965 gold medal 1st tbsp. St. great martyr. Demetrius of Thessalonica (Greece) 25/IX-1980 gold medal 1st class. St. vmch. Catherine Metropolis of Katerini (Greece) 4/V-1982

He was also awarded the State and other awards of the USSR:

State Order of the USSR Friendship between nations 22/11-1979, Order of the Red Banner of Labor, a diploma of the Soviet Peace Fund 23/VII-1969, a medal of the Soviet Peace Fund and a certificate of honor 13/XII-1971, a commemorative desktop medal of the Soviet Peace Fund 1969, a medal of the World Peace Council, in in connection with the 25th anniversary of the peace movement 1976, the medal of the Soviet Peace Committee, in connection with the 25th anniversary of the formation of the committee 1974, the diploma of the Soviet Peace Committee 11.1979, the diploma of the Soviet Peace Fund and the commemorative medal 11.1979, the commemorative medal of the World Peace Council, in connection with the 30th anniversary of the peace movement in 1981, an honorary badge of the Board of the Soviet Peace Fund for active participation in the activities of the fund on 15/XII-1982, was awarded a diploma by the Soviet-Indian Friendship Society (ZHMP, 1986, No. 5, 7). According to information Keston News Service, was awarded the Honorary Diploma of the KGB of the USSR.

the highest award of the Russian Federation - the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

sayings

On April 2, he expressed his opinion about homosexuality in connection with the issue of holding a gay parade in Moscow:

The state of health and related scandals in the media

The most serious health incident took place in October

Childhood years (1929 - late 30s)

His Holiness His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' is the fifteenth Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church since the introduction of the Patriarchate in Rus' (1589). Patriarch Alexy (in the world - Alexei Mikhailovich Ridiger) was born on February 23, 1929 in the city of Tallinn (Estonia) into a deeply religious family.

The father of Patriarch Alexy, Mikhail Alexandrovich Ridiger (+1962), a native of St. Petersburg, came from an old St. Petersburg family, whose representatives passed the glorious field of military and public service (among them, Adjutant General Count Fyodor Vasilyevich Ridiger - hero of the Patriotic War of 1812).

Mikhail Alexandrovich studied at the School of Law, graduated from the gymnasium in exile in Estonia. The mother of His Holiness the Patriarch is Elena Iosifovna Pisareva (+1959), a native of Revel (Tallinn). In pre-war Europe, the life of the Russian emigration was poor, but material poverty did not interfere with the flourishing of cultural life.

Emigrant youth was distinguished by a high spiritual attitude. A huge role belonged to the Orthodox Church. The activity of the Church in the life of the Russian diaspora was high, as never before in Russia.

The religious community in the Russian diaspora has created an invaluable experience for Russia in the churching of various forms of cultural activity and social service. The Russian Student Christian Movement (RSKhD) was actively working among the youth. The movement had as its main goal the unification of believing youth for the service of the Orthodox Church, its task was to train the defenders of the Church and the faith, and affirmed the inseparability of genuine Russian culture from Orthodoxy.

In Estonia, the Movement operated on a large scale. As part of his activities, parish life actively developed. Russian Orthodox people willingly participated in the activities of the Movement. Among them was the father of the future His Holiness Patriarch.

From a young age, Mikhail Alexandrovich aspired to priestly service, but only after completing theological courses in Revel in 1940 was he ordained a deacon, and then a priest. For 16 years he was the rector of the Tallinn Nativity of the Mother of God of the Kazan Church, was a member, and later the chairman of the diocesan council.

In the family of the future Primate, the spirit of Russian Orthodox Churchness reigned, when life is inseparable from the temple of God and the family is truly a home church. For Alyosha Ridiger, there was no question of choosing a life path.

His first conscious steps were taken in church, when, as a six-year-old boy, he performed his first obedience—pouring baptismal water. Even then, he firmly knew that he would become only a priest. At the age of eight or nine he knew the Liturgy by heart and his favorite game was to serve.

Parents were embarrassed by this and even turned to the Valaam elders about this, but they were told that if everything is done seriously by a boy, then there is no need to interfere. Most of the Russians living in Estonia at that time were not essentially emigrants. Being natives of this region, they ended up abroad without leaving their homeland.

The peculiarity of the Russian emigration in Estonia was largely determined by the compact residence of Russians in the east of the country. Russian exiles scattered all over the world sought to visit here. By the grace of God, they found here a "corner of Russia", which contained the great Russian shrine - the Pskov-Caves Monastery, which, being outside the USSR at that time, was inaccessible to the godless authorities.

Every year, making pilgrimages to the Pyukhtitsky Holy Dormition Monastery for women and the Pskov-Caves Holy Dormition Monastery for men, the parents of the future His Holiness Patriarch took the boy with them.

In the late 1930s, together with their son, they made two pilgrimage trips to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery on Lake Ladoga. For the rest of his life, the boy remembered meetings with the inhabitants of the monastery - the spirit-bearing elders Sheigumen John (Alekseev, +1958), Hieroschemamonk Ephraim (Khrobostov, +1947) and especially with monk Iuvian (Krasnoperov, +1957), with whom a correspondence began and who received the youth in my heart.

Here is a short fragment from his letter to Alyosha Ridiger: Dear in the Lord, dear Alyoshenka! I sincerely thank you, my dear, for your greetings on the feast of the Nativity of Christ and the New Year, as well as for your good wishes. May the Lord God save you for all these spiritual gifts.<...>

If the Lord would vouchsafe all of you to come to us for Pascha, this would increase our Paschal joy. Let's hope that the Lord, in His great mercy, will do it. We also remember all of you with love: for us, you are like our own, kindred in spirit. Forgive me, dear Alyoshenka! Be healthy! May the Lord keep you! In your pure childish prayer, remember me, the unworthy one. Sincerely loving you in the Lord m. Juvian.

Thus, at the very beginning of his conscious life, the future First Hierarch touched with his soul the pure spring of Russian holiness, “the wondrous island of Valaam.”

Through the monk Juvian, a spiritual thread connects our Patriarch with the Guardian Angel of Russia, St. John of Kronstadt. It was with the blessing of this great lamp of the earth that the Russian father Iuvian became a Valaam monk, and of course he told the boy Alyosha, dear to his heart, about the great shepherd.

This connection reminded of itself half a century later - the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990, which elected His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, glorified the righteous John of Kronstadt among the saints.

Youth. Study, early ministry (late 30s - late 50s)

The path that the saints of the Russian land have traveled for centuries - the path of pastoral service, originating from the churched childhood in Christ - was banned under the Soviet regime.

The Providence of God for our current Primate built his life from birth in such a way that life in Soviet Russia was preceded by childhood and adolescence in old Russia (as far as it was then possible), and the young, but in spirit mature and courageous warrior of Christ met with Soviet reality.

From early childhood, Alexey Ridiger served in the church. His spiritual father was Archpriest John the Epiphany, later Bishop Isidor of Tallinn and Estonia (+1949). From the age of fifteen, Alexy was a subdeacon of the Archbishop of Tallinn and Estonia, Pavel (Dmitrovsky; +1946), and then of Bishop Isidore. He studied at a Russian high school in Tallinn.

His Holiness the Patriarch recalls that he always had a five according to the Law of God. The family was his fortress and support both in choosing the path and throughout the entire priestly service. Not only the bonds of kinship, but also the bonds of spiritual friendship connected him with his parents, they shared all the experiences with each other ...

In 1936, the Tallinn Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, whose parishioners were the parents of the future Primate, was transferred to the Estonian parish. The history of this temple is long-suffering: immediately after the proclamation of the Republic of Estonia in 1918, a campaign began to liquidate the cathedral - they collected money "for the demolition of churches with Russian golden onions and booths of Russian Gods" (Orthodox chapels) even in children's schools.

But the destruction of the cathedral was opposed by the public, Russian and international, as well as the Red Cross. Then a new wave arose: to demolish the domes of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, put up a spire and create a “pantheon of Estonian independence” there. Illustrations were published in an architectural magazine: a view of the city without "Russian bulbs", but with the "pantheon of Estonian independence".

These illustrations were preserved by the future His Holiness Patriarch Alexy and at one time were useful for saving the cathedral, when the authorities of already Soviet Estonia set out to convert the temple into a planetarium (the demonstration of the intentions of the bourgeois authorities regarding the use of the cathedral discouraged the Soviet rulers).

In 1936, the gilding was removed from the domes. In this form, the cathedral existed until the war. In 1945, subdeacon Alexy was instructed to prepare for the opening of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the city of Tallinn for the resumption of divine services in it (the cathedral was closed during the military occupation period).

From May 1945 to October 1946 he was the altar boy and sacristan of the cathedral. Since 1946, he served as a psalmist in Simeonovskaya, and since 1947 - in the Kazan churches of Tallinn. In 1946, Alexy Ridiger passed the exams to the St. Petersburg (Leningrad) Theological Seminary, but was not accepted, because at that time he was not yet eighteen years old.

The following year, 1947, he was enrolled immediately in the 3rd year of the seminary, from which he graduated in the first category in 1949. Being a freshman at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, on April 15, 1950, he was ordained a deacon, and on April 17, 1950, a priest and was appointed rector of the Epiphany Church in the town of Johvi, Tallinn diocese.

For more than three years, he combined the ministry of the parish priest with correspondence studies at the academy. In 1953, Father Alexy graduated from the Theological Academy in the first category and was awarded the degree of Candidate of Theology for his term paper “Metropolitan of Moscow Filaret (Drozdov) as a dogmatist.”

On July 15, 1957, Father Alexy was appointed rector of the Dormition Cathedral in the city of Tartu (Yuriev) and during the year combined his ministry in two churches. He served in Tartu for four years.

Tartu is a university city, quiet in the summer and lively in the winter when students arrive. His Holiness the Patriarch kept a good memory of the old Yuryev university intelligentsia, who actively participated in church life. It was a living connection with old Russia. On August 17, 1958, Father Alexy was elevated to the rank of archpriest.

In 1959, on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the mother of His Holiness the Patriarch died. She had a difficult cross in her life - to be the wife and mother of a priest in an atheistic state. Prayer was a reliable refuge and consolation - every day Elena Iosifovna read an akathist in front of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow." Mother Elena Iosifovna was buried in Tartu, and buried in Tallinn, at the Alexander Nevsky cemetery - the resting place of several generations of her ancestors. Father and son were left alone.

episcopal ministry

On March 3, 1961, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archpriest Alexy Ridiger took monastic vows. Soon, by the decision of the Holy Synod of August 14, 1961, Hieromonk Alexy was determined to become the bishop of Tallinn and Estonia with the assignment of temporary administration of the Riga diocese.

On August 21, 1961, Hieromonk Alexy was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. On September 3, 1961, Archimandrite Alexy (Ridiger) was consecrated as Bishop of Tallinn and Estonia, temporarily administrator of the Diocese of Riga.

It was a difficult time - the height of Khrushchev's persecution. The Soviet leader, trying to revive the revolutionary spirit of the twenties, demanded the literal implementation of the anti-religious legislation of 1929. It seemed that the pre-war times had returned with their "five-year plan of godlessness." It is true that the new persecution of Orthodoxy was not bloody — the ministers of the Church and the Orthodox laity were not exterminated as before, but newspapers, radio and television spewed streams of blasphemy and slander against the faith and the Church, while the authorities and the “public” persecuted and persecuted Christians. Across the country there was a massive closure of temples. The already small number of religious educational institutions has sharply decreased.

In February 1960, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I, in his speech at the conference of the Soviet public for disarmament, addressed millions of Orthodox Christians over the heads of those gathered in the Kremlin. Calling on them to persevere in the face of new persecution, His Holiness the Patriarch said: “In such a state of the Church there is much consolation for its faithful members, for what can all the efforts of the human mind against Christianity mean if its two thousand-year history speaks for itself, if hostile against Christ Himself foresaw his attacks and gave the promise of the unshakableness of the Church, saying that "the gates of hell will not prevail against her!"

In those difficult years for the Russian Church, the older generation of bishops who began their ministry in pre-revolutionary Russia left this world - confessors who went through Solovki and the hellish circles of the Gulag, archpastors who went into exile abroad and returned to their homeland after the war ... They were replaced by a galaxy of young bishops, among whom was Bishop Alexy of Tallinn. These bishops, who did not see the Russian Church in power and glory, chose the path of serving the persecuted Church, which was under the yoke of a godless state. The authorities invented ever new ways of economic and police pressure on the Church, but the faithfulness of the Orthodox to Christ's commandment became an invincible fortress for her: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).

On November 14, 1961, Bishop Alexy was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. Already at the very beginning of his hierarchical service, the young bishop was faced with the decision of the local authorities to close and transfer the Pukhtitsky Assumption Monastery to a rest home. However, he managed to convince the Soviet authorities of the impossibility for the bishop to start the service with the closing of the monastery. At the beginning of 1962, being already the deputy chairman of the DECR, Bishop Alexy brought a delegation of the Evangelical Church of Germany to the monastery. At that time, his father was lying with a heart attack, but the bishop had to accompany foreign guests - after all, it was about saving the monastery. Soon there were rave reviews about the Pühtitsky monastery in the newspaper Neue Zeit. Then there was another delegation, a third, a fourth, a fifth... And the question of closing the monastery was removed.

Recalling those years, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy says: “God alone knows how much each of the clergy who remained in Soviet Russia, and did not go abroad, had to endure... they were shot, but how much they had to endure, defending the interests of the Church, God and history will judge. During the 25 years of Vladyka Alexy's episcopal service in Estonia, with God's help, he managed to defend a lot. But then the enemy was known - he was alone. And the Church had ways of internal opposition to him.

Having ascended the Patriarchal Throne, His Holiness faced a completely different situation: in the modern complex world, with its social, political and national problems, the Church has many new enemies. On June 23, 1964, Bishop Alexy was elevated to the rank of archbishop and at the end of 1964 he was appointed manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate and became a permanent member of the Holy Synod.

His Holiness the Patriarch recalls: “For nine years I was close to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I, whose personality left a deep impression on my soul. At that time, I held the post of Executive Director of the Moscow Patriarchate, and His Holiness the Patriarch fully entrusted me with the solution of many internal issues. The most difficult trials fell to his lot: revolution, persecution, repressions, then, under Khrushchev, new administrative persecutions and the closure of churches. The modesty of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy, his nobility, high spirituality - all this had a huge impact on me. The last divine service that he performed shortly before his death was in 1970 at the Candlemas.

In the Patriarchal residence in Chisty Lane, after his departure, the Gospel was left, revealed in the words: "Now let Thy servant go, Lord, according to Thy word in peace ...".

From March 10, 1970 to September 1, 1986, he carried out the general management of the Pension Committee, whose task was to provide pensions for the clergy and other persons working in church organizations, as well as their widows and orphans. On June 18, 1971, in consideration of the diligent efforts to hold the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1971, Metropolitan Alexy was awarded the right to wear a second panagia.

Metropolitan Alexy performed responsible functions as a member of the Commission for the preparation and holding of the celebration of the 50th anniversary (1968) and 60th anniversary (1978) of the restoration of the Patriarchate in the Russian Orthodox Church; a member of the Commission of the Holy Synod for the preparation of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1971, as well as the chairman of the procedural and organizational group, the chairman of the secretariat of the Local Council; since December 23, 1980, he has been deputy chairman of the Commission for the preparation and holding of the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' and chairman of the organizational group of this commission, and since September 1986 - the theological group.

On May 25, 1983, he was appointed chairman of the Responsible Commission to develop measures for receiving the buildings of the Danilov Monastery ensemble, organizing and carrying out all restoration and construction work to create the Spiritual and Administrative Center of the Russian Orthodox Church on its territory. He stayed in this position until his appointment to the St. Petersburg (at that time - Leningrad) department.

In 1984, Bishop Alexy was awarded the title of Doctor of Theology. The three-volume work “Essays on the History of Orthodoxy in Estonia” was submitted by him for the degree of master of theology, but the Academic Council of the LDA unanimously decided that, since “the dissertation in terms of depth of research and the volume of material significantly exceeds the traditional criteria for master’s work” and “on the eve of 1000 anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, this work can form a special chapter in the study of the history of the Russian Orthodox Church”, then the author deserves a higher academic degree than the one for which he submitted it.

“The dissertation is a comprehensive work on the history of Orthodoxy in Estonia, it contains a huge amount of church and historical material, the presentation and analysis of events meet the high criteria for doctoral dissertations,” was the conclusion of the Council. On April 12, 1984, a solemn act of presenting the Doctor's Cross to Metropolitan Alexy of Tallinn and Estonia took place.

At the Leningrad department

On June 29, 1986, Vladyka Alexy was appointed Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod with instructions to govern the Tallinn diocese. Thus began another era in his life.

The reign of the new bishop became a turning point for the church life of the northern capital. At first, he was faced with a complete disregard for the Church by the city authorities, he was not even allowed to pay a visit to the chairman of the Leningrad City Council - the representative of the Council for Religious Affairs stated harshly: “This has never happened in Leningrad and cannot be.” But a year later, the same chairman, at a meeting with Metropolitan Alexy, said: "The doors of the Leningrad Council are open for you day and night." Soon, representatives of the authorities themselves began to come to see the ruling bishop - this was how the Soviet stereotype was broken. Since January 24, 1990, Vladyka Alexy has been a member of the board of the Soviet Charity and Health Foundation; Since February 8, 1990, he has been a member of the Presidium of the Leningrad Cultural Foundation.

From the Charity and Health Foundation in 1989 he was elected a people's deputy of the USSR. During the administration of the St. Petersburg diocese, Vladyka Alexy managed to do a lot: the chapel of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg at the Smolensk cemetery, the Ioannovsky Monastery on Karpovka were restored and consecrated.

During the tenure of His Holiness the Patriarch as Metropolitan of Leningrad, the canonization of Blessed Xenia of Petersburg took place, the churches of shrines, temples and monasteries began to return, in particular, the holy relics of the Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky, St. Zosima, Savvaty and Herman of Solovetsky were returned.

Activities in the international field

During all the years of his hierarchal service, the future His Holiness Patriarch Alexy took an active part in the activities of many international organizations and conferences.

As part of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, he participated in the III Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in New Delhi (1961); was elected a member of the Central Committee of the WCC (1961-1968); was president of the World Conference "Church and Society" (Geneva, Switzerland, 1966); member of the commission "Faith and order" of the WCC (1964-1968).

As the head of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, he participated in theological interviews with the delegation of the Evangelical Church in Germany "Arnoldshain-II" (Germany, 1962), in theological interviews with the delegation of the Union of Evangelical Churches in the GDR "Zagorsk-V" (Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 1984 ), in theological interviews with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland in Leningrad and the Pyukhtitsky Monastery (1989).

For more than a quarter of a century, Archbishop and Metropolitan Alexy has dedicated his writings to the activities of the Conference of European Churches (CEC). Since 1964 he has been one of the presidents (members of the presidium) of the CEC; was re-elected president at subsequent general assemblies. Since 1971, Metropolitan Alexy has been Vice-Chairman of the Presidium and Advisory Committee of the CEC. On March 26, 1987, he was elected chairman of the Presidium and Advisory Committee of the CEC. At the VIII General Assembly of the CEC in Crete in 1979, Metropolitan Alexy was the keynote speaker on the theme "In the power of the Holy Spirit to serve the world." Since 1972, Metropolitan Alexy has been a member of the Joint Committee of the CEC and the Council of Bishops' Conferences of Europe (SECE) of the Roman Catholic Church. On May 15-21, 1989, in Basel, Switzerland, Metropolitan Alexy was co-chairman of the First European Ecumenical Assembly on the theme "Peace and Justice", organized by CEC and SEKE. In September 1992, at the Tenth General Assembly of the CEC, the term of office of Patriarch Alexy II as chairman of the CEC expired. His Holiness spoke at the Second European Ecumenical Assembly in Graz (Austria) in 1997.

Metropolitan Alexy was the initiator and chairman of four seminars of the Churches of the Soviet Union - members of the CEC and the Churches that maintain cooperation with this regional Christian organization. Seminars were held at the Assumption Pyukhtitsky Convent in 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1989.

Metropolitan Alexy took an active part in the work of international and domestic peacekeeping public organizations. Since 1963 - a member of the board of the Soviet Peace Fund, a member of the founding meeting of the Rodina society, at which he was elected a member of the society's council on December 15, 1975; re-elected on May 27, 1981 and December 10, 1987.

On October 24, 1980, at the V All-Union Conference of the Society of Soviet-Indian Friendship, he was elected vice-president of this Society.

Delegate of the World Christian Conference "Life and Peace" (April 20-24, 1983, Uppsala, Sweden). Elected at this conference as one of its presidents.

It was up to the future First Hierarch in his Patriarchal ministry to revive church life already on an all-Russian scale.

On May 3, 1990, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Pimen reposed in the Lord. An extraordinary Local Council was convened to elect a new Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. On June 7, 1990, the bell of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra announced the election of the fifteenth All-Russian Patriarch. The enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy took place on June 10, 1990 at the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow.

The return of the Church to broad public service is largely the merit of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II. Truly providential events followed one after another: the finding of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, their solemn transfer to Diveevo, when, according to the saint’s prediction, Easter was sung in the middle of summer; finding the relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod and returning them to Belgorod, finding the relics of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon and solemnly transferring them to the Great Cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery, finding the relics of St. Philaret of Moscow and St. Maxim the Greek in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, finding the incorrupt relics of St.

These miraculous acquisitions testify to the fact that a new, amazing period has begun in the life of our Church, they testify to the blessing of God on the service of Patriarch Alexy II.

As co-chairman, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy joined the Russian organizing committee for the preparations for the meeting of the third millennium and the celebration of the two millennium of Christianity (1998-2000). On the initiative and with the participation of His Holiness the Patriarch, an inter-confessional conference "Christian Faith and Human Enmity" was held (Moscow, 1994). His Holiness the Patriarch chaired the conference of the Christian Interfaith Consultative Committee “Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). Christianity on the Threshold of the Third Millennium” (1999); Interreligious peacemaking forum (Moscow, 2000).

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy was Chairman of the Patriarchal Synodal Biblical Commission, Editor-in-Chief of the Orthodox Encyclopedia and Chairman of the Supervisory and Church Scientific Councils for the publication of the Orthodox Encyclopedia, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Charitable Foundation for Reconciliation and Harmony, and headed the Board of Trustees of the National Military Fund.

During the years of his hierarchal service in the rank of Metropolitan and Patriarch Alexy II visited many dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church and countries of the world, was a participant in many church events. Several hundred of his articles, speeches and works on theological, church-historical, peacemaking and other topics have been published in the ecclesiastical and secular press in Russia and abroad. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy headed the Councils of Bishops in 1992, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2004 and 2008, and invariably presided over the meetings of the Holy Synod.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy paid great attention to the training of clergy for the Russian Orthodox Church, the religious education of the laity, and the spiritual and moral education of the younger generation. To this end, with the blessing of His Holiness, theological seminaries, theological schools, and parochial schools are being opened; structures are being created for the development of religious education and catechesis. In 1995, the dispensation of church life made it possible to approach the reconstruction of the missionary structure.

His Holiness paid great attention to the establishment in Russia of new relations between the state and the Church. At the same time, he firmly adhered to the principle of separation between the mission of the Church and the functions of the state, non-interference in the internal affairs of each other. At the same time, he believed that the soul-saving service of the Church and the service of the state to society require mutually free interaction between church, state and public institutions.

After many years of persecution and restrictions, the Church was given back the opportunity to carry out not only catechism, religious, educational and educational activities in society, but also to carry out charity towards the poor and the ministry of mercy in hospitals, nursing homes and places of detention.

The pastoral approach of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy removed the tension between the institutions of the state system for the preservation of cultural monuments and the Church, which was caused by unjustified fears, narrowly corporate or personal interests. His Holiness signed a number of joint documents with the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the leadership of individual museum complexes located on the territory of church-historically and spiritually significant monasteries, which resolve these problems and give the monasteries a new life.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy called for close cooperation between representatives of all areas of secular and ecclesiastical culture. He constantly reminded of the need to revive morality and spiritual culture, to overcome artificial barriers between secular and religious culture, secular science and religion.

A number of joint documents signed by His Holiness laid the foundation for the development of cooperation between the Church and the health and welfare systems, the Armed Forces, law enforcement agencies, justice, cultural institutions and other state structures. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, a coherent church system has been created for the care of military personnel and law enforcement officers.

In the course of political, social and economic reforms, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II constantly spoke about the priority of moral goals over all others, about the advantage of serving the good of society and a particular person in political and economic activities.

Continuing the tradition of Christian peacemaking ministry, during the socio-political crisis in Russia in the autumn of 1993, fraught with the threat of civil war, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus' took on the mission of appeasing political passions, inviting the parties to the conflict to negotiations and mediating these negotiations.

The Patriarch came up with many peacekeeping initiatives in connection with the conflicts in the Balkans, the Armenian-Azerbaijani confrontation, the hostilities in Moldova, the events in the North Caucasus, the situation in the Middle East, the military operation against Iraq, the military conflict in South Ossetia in August 2008, and so on. Further.

During the time of the Patriarchal service, a large number of new dioceses were formed. Thus, many centers of spiritual and church-administrative leadership arose, located closer to parishes and helping to revive church life in remote regions.

As the ruling bishop of the city of Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II paid much attention to the revival and development of intra-diocesan and parish life. These works have largely become a model for organizing diocesan and parish life in other places. Along with the tireless intra-Church organization, in which he constantly called for more active and responsible participation of all members of the Church without exception on a truly conciliar basis, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church paid great attention to the issues of fraternal cooperation of all Orthodox Churches for joint witness to the Truth of Christ to the world.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy considered cooperation between different Christian denominations for the needs of the modern world to be a Christian duty and a way to the fulfillment of Christ's commandment of unity. Peace and harmony in society, to which Patriarch Alexy tirelessly called, necessarily included benevolent mutual understanding and cooperation between adherents of different religions and worldviews.