ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE |
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Exarchate of Parishes
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The History and future of the Archdiocese: an interview with Archbishop Gabriel of Comana
Interviewer: Archbishop Gabriel, you were elected in May 2003 to lead the Archdiocese of Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe, whose see is in Paris. Since your election, the number of parishes in the Archdiocese has increased. Can you give us an outline of the Archdiocese from its beginnings to the present, and your vision for its future? Archbishop Gabriel: The Archdiocese is an Exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for parishes and monasteries o At that time the church in Paris was completely Russian, composed mainly of Russian refugees, as might be expected. Metropolitan Evologii founded parishes and built church buildings throughout Western Europe. Even in Africa, in Morocco, there was – and still is – a Russian Orthodox parish founded by Metropolitan Evlogii. There were also parishes in Czechoslovakia and Poland, which were lost after the Second World War, of course. It was, then, a very Russian Church. Then, sadly, a conflict arose between Metropolitan Evlogii and the locum tenens of the Moscow Patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Sergii. The upshot was that Metropolitan Evlogii requested the canonical protection of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. That protection still exists today: that is why we are a Church of Russian tradition, but under the protection and with the blessing of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Meanwhile, French-, Dutch- and German-speaking parishes have been founded. In many Russian tradition parishes in France, the liturgy is celebrated also in French. To my great surprise – and also delight – when visiting Scandinavian countries from time to time, I have discovered that they celebrate in Norwegian, in Swedish and in Danish, without of course forgetting Church Slavonic. Now, of course, there are many inhabitants of the former Soviet Union, Russians, Ukrainians and Byelorussians, who come to our churches. But at the moment we can say that our diocese is really integrated into the life of Western Europe: that is why we can say, with modesty, and without hubris, that our archdiocese is an example of the integration of Orthodoxy into the Western world. With regard to that, of course, we must not forget the importance of the St. Sergius’ Theological Institute and the openness of its founders, Metropolitan Evlogii and his successors, to the West. The importance of the ecumenical movement is often discussed as though it were something between Catholics and Protestants, completely forgetting that someone like Metropolitan Evlogii also worked for Christian unity. The teachers at St. Sergius’ were in dialogue with their Catholic and Protestant brethren. That is why I think that Orthodoxy in Western Europe, particularly in France, is accepted by our fellow Christians as a great and venerable Christian tradition. We are no longer foreigners here. Our earthly abode for us is France, Belgium, Germany, Britain and so on: that is our present situation. That explains, I think, why many parishes have wanted to join our diocese. Still today, the process is continuing. Interviewer: How many parishes and communities go to make up the Archdiocese today? Archbishop Gabriel: At the moment we make a distinction between a parish and a community. You could say that a community is on the way to becoming a parish. A community does not have its own priest, but one from another parish comes to celebrate, say, once or twice a month. So if you add up the number of parishes and communities, we have around one hundred and twenty-five holy tables, so to speak, places where we celebrate regularly or occasionally. I may say that it is a joy for me every time I bless a priest to celebrate in a place, as happened recently when a priest came to me and said, ‘You know, in the village where I live, I celebrate twice a month.’ I said at once, ‘That’s wonderful! Let it be a community, with St Alexis of Ugine as its patron.’ So it is now a community, free of any obligation to pay diocesan dues and without representation at the General Assembly of the Archdiocese. But such communities are often very lively, and the people who come to them are really looking for God. You know, I experienced that when I became Orthodox in Ghent. Today it is a very large parish but I shall never forget its enthusiasm and the atmosphere of prayer which reigned in that community at the beginning. (I’m sure it still does today: I don’t mean that the parish’s spiritual life has in any way become poorer.) But there was an élan, you know, of youth and enthusiasm among the faithful at that time because they had discovered something at their heart – Christ in the community. Interviewer: In which Western European countries is the Archdiocese represented today? Archbishop Gabriel: If I am counting correctly, in eleven countries: the three Scandinavian countries, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Britain. So it is very big. Interviewer: But I think the majority of parishes are in France? Archbishop Gabriel: Yes, indeed. For example, in Portugal, there are just three parishes. In the Scandinavian countries, on the other hand, when I became Archbishop, there were just two parishes, one in Stockholm and one in Oslo, under the late Archimandrite Matthias and Archimandrite Johannes Johansen respectively. But in each country there were communities, and every Saturday those priests would travel to celebrate somewhere in a community. Meanwhile, thanks to ordinations taking place and the arrival of more priests, there are now also parishes in Stavanger, at Overkalix in the North of Sweden and another parish and a community in Denmark. There it is growing very strongly. Interviewer: Yes, with that in mind, at the last General Assembly, Archimandrite Johannes Johansen was elected to the episcopate.
We intend – but it is not quite sure yet so I should say, I would like – to consecrate Father Johannes bishop around the time of the Feast of St. Alexander Nevsky, here in Paris. That is important both for priestly ordinations and ordinations to the diaconate. Very often, priests invite me, saying, ‘Come to us, Vladyko. The parish has asked for it,’ or perhaps, ‘It is the place where the vocation was discovered.’ I say to them, ‘Yes. All that is true’, and in some cases, for deacons, I accept. But when it is a question of the priesthood, I prefer the ordination to be in the cathedral. The word ‘cathedral’ means the place where the ‘cathedra’ is, that is, the bishop’s see. It is the mother of each parish and it underlines also the importance of unity between the clergy, the priests, and their bishop. For auxiliary bishops too, consecration should be at the cathedral. Interviewer: Archimandrite Johannes Johansen is of Scandinavian origin. Can you say a few words about him, by way of introduction? Archbishop Gabriel: Yes, the story of his life is rather like the story of my own life. He was Lutheran, as the Lutheran Church is the state church over there. He discovered Orthodoxy as a young man, I don’t know exactly when or where – I think at Stockholm, if I am not mistaken, while he was a student. He left for the Monastery of New Valaamo in Finland to learn a little Russian and Slavonic, and Orthodoxy. He was received into the communion of the Church by Bishop Stefan, our auxiliary bishop in Stockholm at that time and was ordained deacon in Nice by the bishop there. Later, he returned to Oslo as priest, taking over the parish and doing a tremendous amount of work. When I had just been elected bishop, I celebrated the consecration of their new church of St Nicholas in Oslo. Over there, there is a lot of enthusiasm everywhere. Interviewer: As we have seen, your Archdiocese is everywhere in Western Europe. Is there a difference among the Orthodox from one country to another? Archbishop Gabriel: Of course. Perhaps people will be surprised at that reply, but there is a difference. I beg your pardon, but a French person who becomes Orthodox acts in character with his people. He tells people about his Orthodoxy, goes to conferences. He is joyful, in the French manner. (You can see it in the compositions of Russian composers, such as Maxim Kovalevsky, when they have let themselves be influenced by this French mentality.) But when you go to the Netherlands, for example, or in Sweden, among the so-called converts, whose soul and traditions are suffused by Calvinism or Lutheranism, they are very sensitive to the sacredness of Holy Communion and their (or our) unworthiness to receive. Before communion, when we say, ‘I believe, Lord, and I confess…..’, and that Christ has come ‘to save sinners, of whom I am the first’, that corresponds to all that they have learned in their youth. Very often, they no longer dare to receive communion. So the priests have to tell them, ‘Holy Communion was not made for angels, but for us’. There are also differences in the ways of celebrating. Let’s be honest about this. Between Russian Orthodoxy in Russia and Orthodoxy in Greece there is a difference of mentality. That exists in the heart of our diocese and as I said on the day of my consecration, when I became auxiliary bishop, I think it is precisely the work of the bishop to be a pontifex, that is, a bridge-builder and to feel at home in each mind-set. That is why, when I am in Norway, I say at least one prayer during the service in Norwegian, as I don’t find the Norse language too difficult and I do the same in Sweden. As for our parish in Denmark, I have to admit, that though I like the people there very much, I don’t dare! It’s a question of pronunciation. But that is a sign of the reality of the cultural diversity of our diocese, though everywhere there is the same rite, so I can celebrate everywhere. The responses can be in Italian or Slavonic: there is no problem. Interviewer: Your Eminence, how do you see the witness of the Orthodox in Western Europe, in European society? Archbishop Gabriel: I think in Western Europe it is even worse than in America. Christianity is the victim of so-called secularism, of indifference towards spiritual questions and religious life. But at the same time, you can see that amongst young people, there is a great interest in spiritual life, but a lack of commitment. So everyone invents his own faith, so to speak. I used to be a teacher of Religious Studies in the Netherlands and at a certain point I was told, ‘You know, the young these days have no faith’. I said, ‘You should teach them Religious Studies. You’d be surprised. They’re all believers in their own way.’ Young people have created their own dogmatics, so to speak: their own faith. That is the case for a lot of people these days. So, we are living in a secularised society and that is a big problem. All we Orthodox, I think, are here by the will of God to witness to the truth of our faith. But unfortunately, by our way of behaving, because of our internal problems, instead of engaging with the essential of living out our faith and proclaiming the joy of the resurrection, we have quarrels and sterile discussions. Sometimes I am afraid of the Judgment, you know. What shall we reply, after all we have received from God? It is true for each human person. When I look at my life story, I say to myself, ‘Truly, I am a spoilt child of God. What shall I reply on the Last Day, when he will call me to account for my life?’ You understand how it is! But for the West and for the world at large, we have something to offer. But do we do it? That is the big question! Interviewer: You are a member of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops of France. What are your relations like with the other bishops? Archbishop Gabriel: I can say that the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops in France is a wonderful instrument willed by God, because that is where we talk together. More and more, we are talking about real problems. At the beginning, in the early years, it was more about getting acquainted, but now we know one another and we are beginning to have more concrete talks. For example, there may be towns in France with three parishes of one diocese or another and then one of our fraternity decides to open a fourth parish there too. So now we talk about it: is it really necessary to have four parishes in a single city, while in another town, thirty miles away there are Orthodox with nothing? So we talk about it. Our Chairman represents us all in our contacts with civil authorities. For the day to day life of our diocese, it is a wonderful tool. Of course, there are tensions from time to time, or difficulties. But we see each other every month, to talk about them and discuss things. We do publish a communiqué every time. But when we talk together amongst ourselves, all that we say is not published. Perhaps the faithful think that we see each other, have a drink, have a meal together and it is all over. It is true that we share a meal, but we do a lot of work. Interviewer: You also have a seat in the Council of Christian Churches in France. What are your relations like with your Christian brethren? Archbishop Gabriel: They are excellent: that is all I can say. But here I must say something very important, and here I am speaking to all those who, like me, have become Orthodox coming from the Catholic Church, or from the Protestant tradition: we were not pagans! We come from another Christian tradition. Each heresy has its truth, as St. Augustine said. So, there are spiritual values that I learned in the Catholic Church, and a Protestant has values that he acquired from the Protestant communion. For example, among Protestants in the Netherlands, and I think in France too, there is the tradition that before meals, the Bible is read. So if a Protestant family decides to become Orthodox, I always say to them, not to abandon that. It is spiritual wealth and you can follow the calendar and read the Apostle and the Gospel of the day. We Orthodox venerate the Gospel, but we do not read it very often. Neither do we read the whole Bible. So there are elements of my faith that I learned in the Catholic Church and now that I am Orthodox I talk with my Protestant brethren in that spirit of gratitude. Of course, as an Orthodox, I confess, ‘We have seen the true light and found the true faith’ but it is God who knows our faith, because the Church can never judge someone’s faith. It can judge as to the manner of the confession of that faith, but not faith itself, because that is an inner mystery of the human heart, hidden with the Lord himself. That is why we can never say, ‘There are the boundaries of the Church – over here or over there’. God only knows. We should be aware of that, because it will help us to live and even to pray sometimes with our Catholic and Protestant brethren. Every time I hear criticisms coming from the faithful against ecumenism – ‘Oh, that’s a heresy’ – I am pained. It is not true. It is not true. It is a movement, not an entity in itself, for seeking unity in Christ. In that way, we should be glad when we see amongst our non-Orthodox brethren, certain components in their faith that we recognize as Orthodox. Of course, there are problems. Let us take, for example, the situation with icons. I do not regret at all that many Catholics are making icons. What I regret very much, is that often, they do not have the ecclesiastical discipline to accept the doctrine of icons. So we see them making icons of the Holy Family. That makes me unhappy, I must confess. Yet, they have icons, but the style must be purified, by our prayers perhaps, by our love, because to say things like, ‘What do you think you’re doing with that?’ is pointless. We have to be with them to correct things. Interviewer: Your Eminence, of what does episcopal ministry consist and what is the most difficult aspect of it to carry out? Archbishop Gabriel: Well, according to classical theology, I must teach and defend the truth of the Church: that I try to do, in good collaboration with the priests. You know, I am a child of my upbringing. I am now sixty-one years old. Now and again, I say, ‘Don’t forget that I was twenty-two in ’68,’ with all that that means. I cannot forget that. I think that for us in Western Europe, for our diocese, the bishop must be the elder brother, a friend of the clergy. I can say that after four years of experience, such an attitude does not destroy authority. Sometimes one has to be strict and say that something is impossible, but if there is good understanding and friendship and brotherhood between the bishop and his clergy, that is not a problem. Throughout my life as an Orthodox, I always had the happiness of being supported by my Archbishops, right from the beginning, with my Vladyko, George Tarassov, who ordained me, then Vladyko George Wagner and Vladyko Sergius. So I always thought that if one day I were to undertake such responsibility, for example as Dean – beyond that, I did not think – I would not forget that. Now, as bishop, when I visit a parish and the priest phones three times before I come, saying, ‘Oh, Vladyko, the choir is anxious. The women are cleaning the church, but we don’t really know how to sing the Trisagion in the pontifical way’, my great joy is to say, ‘Forget all that. There’s no reason to learn difficult tunes because the Archbishop is coming. Let it be a holiday, for everybody’. That is for me the greatest joy of being a bishop: to visit parishes and be welcomed and celebrate and see that everyone is happy because of my visit. At that moment, I don’t have any difficulties with the language: I can do a sermon. Yesterday, for example I was with Father Eugene in a certain place at the retirement home. There was a splendid liturgy and some young people from the cathedral came to sing. It was wonderful, because right from the opening blessing to the moment I left, I felt that everyone was happy and glad, as was I, with great joy. And when there are difficulties, as there always are, you know, everywhere, I suffer personally a great deal from the lack of unity between us Orthodox. But I remember that the Church is not heaven, but the gateway to heaven, giving us the sense of the angels and the sweet smell of Christ, symbolised by the censer. But there is also the odour of this world and that makes us suffer. But in general, after four years, I can say, ‘It’s a wonderful job’. I am happy and I think that I must continue. Sometimes, people say, ‘Take care of your health, Vladyko’. I know I must, so I try to be sensible and to look after myself. Interviewer: Thank you, your Eminence. Translation: V. Chamberlain |
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Translated and reproduced by kind permission of the Archbishop. A video of the interview (in French), is 
f Russian tradition – that is of Russian liturgical and spiritual tradition. The Archdiocese was founded, as is very well known, after the Russian revolution, with the arrival of 
Archbishop Gabriel: Yes, or rather, to be exact, he was presented as candidate, because it is the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate who accepts his candidacy and it is the members of the Holy Synod who canonically elect the Archimandrite to the episcopate. God willing, that will happen during the session of the Holy Synod at the beginning of June and we shall receive their reply, which I trust will be positive, by mid-June.