Orthodox priests 'selling prayers', claims Russia's Patriarch Alexey

[emad]

The Independent
By Andrew Osborn in Moscow
26 December 2004


Russia's "everything and everyone is for sale" culture has infected an unlikely and venerable institution - the Orthodox Church.

According to Patriarch Alexey II, head of the Russian Orthodox church, some priests have embraced Western-style capitalism with a little too much relish, and have gone as far as drawing up fixed-price lists for miscellaneous religious services such as christenings, blessings, confessions and prayers.

"I know of instances when priests have shown parishioners specific price lists," Patriarch Alexey told Moscow clergy just before Christmas. "For example, if asked to bless a new car, they take between one and five per cent of the purchase price."

Russia's churches and cathedrals were gradually being turned into commercial enterprises selling comfort for the soul to the highest bidder, the patriarch complained, obstructing the serious business of "saving people".

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=596064

[gratuitous]

1. Calling Martin Lutherovich

A little reformation, anyone?

[JVS]

9. Amen

[cshupp]

10. Wow.

I guess everything old really is new again.

[InvisibleBallots]

2. Good to see him denoucing it

[tk2kewl]

3. whats so odd...

the catholic church has fixed prices for weddings, christenings funerals, etc. you pay to play.

[InvisibleBallots]

4. who provides weddings and funerals for free?

Do secular groups privide free weddings and funerals?

[tk2kewl]

5. dunno

kinda my point.

catholic church will also add your loved ones name to the list of names prayed for during mass. that'll cost you. they'll even do a whole mass in memory of your dead family member for a price. heck, they even did a mass in memory of john gotti at st pats in nyc (i wonder how much it costs to have them do mass in memory of murderers).

[bleedingheart]

6. Actually I got married in a Catholic church and there was no fee

except for the organist and the soloist...but that was expected.

I did give the priest a "tip"...but technically that was not required...or even asked for.

Both kids christened in the church...no fee..but I did tip the priest again in both cases.

[InvisibleBallots]

7. damn it, you went and ruined a good smear!

:eyes:

[tk2kewl]

8. really? cost me $400

when and where did you get married?

[bleedingheart]

11. i live in a suburb of pittsburgh...

I got married 10 years ago and my last kid was christened 6 years ago.....and my son had his communion last spring...no fees...

[tk2kewl]

12. wow

i wonder if its just a ny thing?

[JVS]

14. Maybe it depends on whether you're an active member of the parish

in which the ceremony is performed.

[tk2kewl]

15. yeah, it does, if your not it costs more.

[JVS]

19. I find it surprising that they would want a fee to pray for people at mass

My family is Lutheran and at the Christmas eve service the Deaconess was going through the names of parishoners to pray for. My father's name came up (he's in poor health) and not only had we not paid, but I hadn't even known he was on the list before.

[knitter4democracy]

13. This is against Orthodoxy, and he should put a stop to it!

This is directly against canon law, from what I understand, and thank goodness Patriarch Alexey is taking care of it. I may not agree with everything my patriarch says and does, but overall, he's a good spiritual leader of our church, and he doesn't usually put up with this kind of behavior.

How dare they?! The Church is to help lead us to God, and priests are to be the spiritual leaders of their flocks, not be like the money changers in the Temple. The Mysteries are not for sale--and the prayers we all say before Communion are very clear on that. God help us all.

Btw, the comments about needing Martin Luther and a Reformation of the Eastern Orthodox Church were a bit much. We've never had a Reformation, and it doesn't sound like we need one yet, with our Patriarch stepping in and taking care of it.

[JVS]

16. Yeah good on the patriarch for stepping in

I think that one of the reasons that the Orthodox church never had the kind of conflict that the Western Church has had is that it never became as centralized in the first place.

[knitter4democracy]

18. That's part of it

We've always been a Church run by council (even though there've been some patriarchs in the past who've been a bit more powerful than the others, it's still been by councils). Part of it is also that Eastern Europe didn't have the Renaissance Western Europe did (of course, after they stole the books from Constantinople during the Crusades, that's when they had the Renaissance). Part of it was due to the way the Church and the governments in the Orthodox countries were tied together. Part of it was language, too, I suspect, and cultural.

I'm not saying my Church is perfect--far from it--but it's the best I've been able to find.

[InvisibleBallots]

17. yep - looks like he is putting a stop to it

And no one here would know anything about it if the Patriarch hadn't have denounced it in public.

[emad]

20. Simony: buying ecclesiastical prayers/worship

always a snip at the price....