REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

200
Remembrance in Time
In parallel with the State’s repercussions against the religiosity of the population from
R.S.S.M., the leadership of the Russian Church, being pressed by the State, tightened the
priests’ conditions of liturgico-sacramental activity. This way, in a circular of Nectarie,
addressed in 1959 to all archpriests and abbots from his diocese, there is recommended
not to install crucifixes at crossroads, public places and fountains. The existing ones had
to be evacuated in graveyards. These actions had to be executed with the local authorities.
Likewise, there was forbidden officiating the services in front of the fountains and of the
crucifixes 31 . In another document issued during the same year by the Chancellery of the
Moscow Patriarchate, addressed to all dioceses, there is forbidden for the people under 18
years old to officiate in the altar. It is reminded that, through the law of 1929, the
religious services in public places are forbidden. The priests’ visits during Easter and
Christmas holidays were forbidden. Likewise, there was forbidden praying in the ruralenvironment
people’s households, unless they had the local authorities’ notification. In
the same order of ideas, the priests were forbidden to rent houses and apartments to the
purpose of officiating religious services. Charity events were forbidden, regardless of
their form. 32 . Those who infringed these provisions were liable of criminal liability and
deposition from priesthood.
Likewise, in 1959, the Soviet repressions aimed at the bastions of the national orthodox
spirituality from R.S.S.M. – Bessarabian monasteries. The archbishop Nectarie, with no
objection, approved the decree issued by the Council of Ministers of R.S.S.M on the 5 th of
June 1959, whereby shutting down several churches were ordered. For liquidating these
places of worship, the bishop created a commission, consisting in the members of the
diocese administration. This commission dealt both with the psychological training of the
inhabitants within the monasteries aimed for abolition, and with the management of the
wealth left after liquidating the monastic complexes. The apparition of the members of
this commission in a monastery was a sure sign it would be shut, and its buildings –
delivered to the local authorities. Usually, this decision was met with resignation by the
abbots and father superiors who did not dare to infringe the vote of obedience. Any revolt
from them was catalogued both as anti-Soviet, therefore anti-State manifestation, and as
infringement of the church canons that refer to hierarchic subordination. Only in a single
case, at the monastery Răciula, both the abbess and the people of the village of Răciula
and of the neighbouring villages, on the 23 rd and 24 th of June showed insubordination and
disobedience firstly towards the church authority from R.S.S.M. and secondly towards the
local authorities 33 . The most revolting fact, which raised the indignation of the population
from Răciula was that the hierarch, instead of protecting the spiritual sheep, was among
the first to betray it, “uniting with the unholy”. In an anonymous letter, addressed to the
patriarch Alexei I of Russia, with respect to the tragedy from Răciula, the leaders of the
Church were called Ana and Caiaphas. In the letter, the reproach is made that the
“population from Răciula is disappearing and no one defends it”, and the Church’s
bishops left Christ and united with the unholy” 34 . However, the Soviet authorities very
much appreciated Nectarie’s contribution to liquidating the Bessarabian monasteries:
“There is worth mentioning that, in liquidating the monasteries Pripiceni and Dobruşa,
31 ANRM, F. 3046, i. 1, d. 105, f. 22.
32 Ibidem, f. 24.
33 ANRM, F. 3046, i. 1, d. 93, ff. 13-14 şi 17-18.
34 ANRM, F. 3046, i. 1, d. 93, f. 6.