Instructions to the Orthodox Church against Government Acts. February 28, 1918

The new conditions of Church life demand of Church workers, especially local ones, extraordinary care and unusual efforts, in order that requisite spiritual work may be carried on with good success, regardless of the obstacles to be met, and even of persecution. The Holy Assembly and Holy Patriarch direct the general method to be followed at the present time by the spiritual pastors. Inviting them to independent action under the present difficult conditions and cautioning against erroneous action on their part, we propose the following instructions:

Call to the Priests:

1. Priests are invited to be strictly on guard in protecting the Holy Church in the heavy years of persecution, to encourage, strengthen and unite the believers for defense against attacks on the freedom of the Orthodox Faith, and to strengthen the prayers for the enlightenment of the doubting.

2. The priests should encourage the good intentions of the believers directed towards the defense of the Church.

Organizations of the Church:

3. Parishioners and worshippers of all parish and other churches should be organized into united societies whose duty it shall be to defend all the sacred things and other church property against violation.

4. These organizations must have an educational and charitable character, as also a name, and can be presided over by a layman or priest. But they should not be called either church or religious societies, as all church and religious societies are by virtue of a decree deprived of all legal rights.

5. In extreme cases, these societies can declare themselves the owners of church property, in order to save them from seizure at the hands of the non-Orthodox or even those of another faith. Let the Church and church property remain in the hands of the Orthodox, believing in God and devoted to the Church.

6. The superiors, sister superiors and brothers of monasteries, hermitages and resting houses are to be appointed by similar united societies from among local residents and regular worshippers of the parish and all loyal parishioners.

7. The principals and teachers in church educational institutions shall establish relations with the parents of the pupils, and the employees of the united societies, for the protection of educational societies from seizure and the guarantee of their future activity for the benefit of the Church and the. well-being of the Orthodox people.

8. These societies must firmly demand and endeavor by all means to ensure that the situation in the educational institutions should remain strictly intact until further orders of the church authorities.

9. Teachers of religion in the non -ecclesiastical educational institutions should by all means in their power extend their influence over the' councils of educators and parents so that they may firmly defend the instruction of religion in educational institutions and cooperate with every new effort of the same for the benefit of religious training and education.

10. The removal by force of the clergy and members of the parish or monks from the monasteries should under no circumstances be permitted. In case of forceful removal, by the congregation or other persons, of the clergy from the posts occupied by them, the diocesan authority does not fill their places and demands the reappointment to their former posts of those removed, and the re-establishment of their rights. Every interference with a priest or member of the parish should be reported to the church authorities, who alone have the authority, after investigating the matter, to remove priests and church employees from the parish congregation.

11. If it should be established that the forceful removal was due to the request of any member of the clergy, the guilty person is subject to an episcopal tribunal and strict punishment, denied the right of clerical duties, and expelled from the clergy.

12. Church vessels and other appurtenances of the church service should be protected by all possible means against desecration and destruction, and for this reason should not be removed from safe depositories. And the latter should-be constructed in such a manner that they could not be easily opened by robbers.

13. In case of attempted seizure of church vessels, appurtenances of the church service, church registers and other church property, the same should not be surrendered voluntarily, inasmuch as (a) church vessels and other appurtenances of church service are blessed for church use and the congregation should not even touch them; (b) church registers are indispensable for church uses, and the secular authorities, if in need of same, should see to the preparation of them themselves; (c) church property belongs to the Holy Church, and the clergy and all Orthodox people are merely their guardians.

14. In cases of attack by despoilers or looters of church property, the church people should be called to the defense of the church, sound the alarm and send out for help.

15. Should seizure nevertheless take place, it is absolutely necessary to make a report thereof to the diocese, signed by witnesses, with an accurate description of the articles seized, and indicating by name those guilty of the seizure ...

(Articles 16-27 deal with excommunication of guilty persons; Articles 28-31 with Church marriages.)

32. Until further notice of the church authorities, it is obligatory to enter promptly in the books of record the births, certificates of baptism, marriages and deaths in the usual manner.

33. The collecting by the clergy of statistical data and the forwarding of the same to the civil authorities is not compulsory on the clergy. However, the representatives of the civil authorities must have access to the' church records, for the copying of information required by them, under the supervision of members of the diocese.

Source: Paul B. Anderson, People, Church and State in Modern Russia (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1944), pp. 55-57.