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Daniel Sandford
July 29, 2012
In St Nicholas' church in a historic district of Moscow, a Russian Orthodox priest wafts incense over icons, marking the start of his service.
It has a sort of mesmeric quality. Outside, recent rainfall freshens the air, and many in the congregation are happy to engage in conversation on the case of the Pussy Riot three.
Their controversial trial will begin on Monday. Having already spent the past five months in prison, for briefly singing a political protest song in Moscow's main cathedral, they now face up to seven years in jail.
It is a case that has divided Russia between those who think the women have been treated far too harshly, and those who feel their action grossly offended the Orthodox faith.
'It was blasphemy'
The women are accused of being among a group who danced in brightly-coloured balaclavas near the altar of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour while calling on the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Vladimir Putin.
"It was blasphemy. And they need to go to prison," one serious-looking young woman from the St Nicholas' congregation said.
A middle-aged man added: "You wouldn't insult your parents, and in the same way you wouldn't defecate in a church."
He was referring to the strong language Pussy Riot used in their song, and the fact that they danced so close to the altar.
But a young man in army uniform took a different view. "Our Lord said 'Judge not that you be not judged'. I don't think they should be in prison."
The official Russian Orthodox Church view is decidedly harsher, as spokesman Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin outlines.
"For Orthodox Christians their holy places, holy objects and holy names are the most precious things in the world," he said. "You know very well how explosive were the acts of burning the Koran. And I am deeply concerned about the future of any society in which extremely divisive actions are ignored."
Political trial?
But this case has political overtones.
Pussy Riot staged their cathedral stunt as a protest at Patriarch Kirill's open support for Vladimir Putin in the build-up to the March Presidential election.
The Russian Orthodox church has always walked a moral tightrope throughout its long history, and has been criticized for its involvement with successive leaders from the Tsars to Stalin, and now, Vladimir Putin.
Pyotr Verzilov - himself a radical artist from the Moscow faction of the Voina group - is the husband of Nadia Tolokonnikova, one of the three members of Pussy Riot behind bars.
He claims that the course the church, police, prosecutors and courts have taken has been strongly influenced by the Kremlin.
"It's personally Putin and his closest assistants basically leading this case," he said.
"And it shows that on the twelfth year of controlling Russia, Putin is starting to lose the boundaries. He no more understands the limits of what he can do and what he cannot do."
At successive court hearings the judge has turned down the three women's repeated requests to be given bail while they waited for the trial.
Two of them have young children. Nadia Tolokonnikova's daughter Gera is just four years old.
Broken butterflies
Their treatment has caused deep disquiet among many Russians, who feel the women are - to coin a phrase from the 1967 trial of members of the Rolling Stones - butterflies being broken on a wheel.
Among the intellectuals who signed a letter calling for their release were some surprises. For example Sergei Shargunov is a novelist with close links to the Church.
"I will be very sad if I know that the Church asked somebody to take them and put them there," he said. "There are a lot of people in the Church who say that prison is not the place for these girls."
Pussy Riot's fate has gained international attention. Superstar musicians like Sting, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Franz Ferdinand have supported their cause during visits to Moscow this summer.
But that will not help them in this trial. The three imprisoned women's supporters believe pressure from the Kremlin will be far more influential.
Surely the Church must lead by example and forgive them "for they know not what they do". There can be no justification for persecuting these girls by the Church or the state. This view would neither condone what they do or what the Patriarch is accused of. But love thy neighbor and lead by example.
ReplyDeleteThey got the attention they were looking for. Shame on the Kremlin for allowing themselves to be manipulated into elevating juvenile tantrums into an international cause.
ReplyDeleteThese “girls” have been known to have sex in public – these days it passes as “singing” in a band. If you hear their “music” then it becomes immediately obvious that their value as musicians is zero. One of the conditions for their immediate release is they have to name who actually paying them – they refused. What they are in actuality are agent provocateurs. They are simply hired agents. I guess they are afraid their boss more than the wrath of the Patriarch.
ReplyDeleteLike all internet stories - be wary of what you read as the media (particularly Russian media) is not free.
ReplyDeletePray that the Metropolitan is guided by the Holy Spirit in his dealing with the problem, that Putin realises that the world is watching his game show and that these girls are no longer used as pawns in the evil game no matter what they have done.
ReplyDeleteIn this case their sex tapes are real you can find those videos on youtube where those "girls" having sex in public, one of them is 9 months pregnant ( she gave birth 4 days later). They got what was coming to them. I too hope that Holy Spirit guides the Patriarch - he has a job which beyond human strength.
ReplyDelete"We should never think about someone that God will send him some evil or that God will punish him for his sin. This thought brings about very great evil, without our being aware of it. We often feel indignation and say to someone: ‘Have you no fear of God’s justice, are you not afraid of God’s punishment?’ Or else we say, ‘God will punish you for what you’ve done,’ or, ‘O God, do not bring evil on that person for what he did to me,’ or, ‘May that person not suffer the same thing.’
DeleteIn all these cases, we have a deep desire within us for the other person to be punished. Instead of confessing our anger over his error, we present our indignation in a different way, and we allegedly pray to God for him. In reality, however, in this way we are cursing our brother.
And if, instead of praying, we say, ‘May God repay you for the evil you have done to me,’ then once again we are wishing for God to punish him. Even when we say, ‘All very well, God is witness,’ the disposition of our soul works in a mysterious way and influences the soul of our fellow man so that he suffers evil.
When we speak evil about someone, an evil power proceeds from within us and is transmitted to the other person, just as the voice is transmitted on sound waves, and in point of fact the other person suffers evil. It is something like the bewitchment of the evil eye, when someone has evil thoughts about others. This occurs through our own indignation. We transmit our evil in a mystical way. It is not God who provokes evil, but rather people’s wickedness. God does not punish, but our own evil disposition is transmitted to the soul of the other in a mysterious way and does evil. Christ never wishes evil. On the contrary, He commands, Bless those who curse you..." -Elder Porphyrios