Marta Dell’Asta is a researcher at the Italian organization Russia Cristiana, where she specializes in dissent and the religious policies of the Soviet state.
The organization was founded by Father Romano Scalfi in 1957, during the Soviet era, when religion was severely repressed in the communist state. The objective of Russia Cristiana was and remains to discover the rich spiritual, cultural and liturgical traditions of Russian Orthodoxy, to encourage ecumenical dialogue and to contribute to the presence of Christianity in Russia.
During a recent visit to Lisbon, Portugal, where she was a guest speaker at an event hosted by the local branch of the Catholic Communion and Liberation movement, Dell’Asta spoke with The pillar on the current religious situation in Russia.
Your association works to support Christianity in Russia.
Is this job easier today, or more difficult than it was in the 90s?
Hard times have returned. In the 70s and 80s, everything was clear: we knew there was an enemy, communism, and we tried to help all the dissidents.
Today things are different, because unfortunately the involvement of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in the government has blocked the process of church freedom started in the 1990s.
Many priests and lay people are confused, because they believe that their religious authorities’ account of the war is not religious, but they do not have the means to judge, to understand. By maintaining an open dialogue with them, we can all together help them better understand the true terms of the problem, because today there are many who, in good faith, have been led to believe that “messianic nationalism” is part of integral to the faith; we must avoid scandalizing simple people.
In fact, many priests were removed from the ROC, suspended, because they were not praying for victory, as they were told, but for peace. It is a tragedy for the priest and his family, but also for his faithful, who often lose confidence in the institutional Church. So now we’re trying to maintain them, and it’s a new challenge for us.
How to sustain them? Are you talking about material or moral support?
I would say that today our help is more on the level of personal friendship, of a cultural nature. Various Orthodox structures are present in Western Europe today and can offer solutions from a material point of view.
The greatest help we can offer them is that of friendship, to hold them in esteem, for we have seen that the feeling of isolation and defeat can lead to serious discouragement. Our headquarters in Seriate, Italy, has once again become, as before, a place of hospitality and dialogue.
You said earlier that you used to help the Church during the communist era, but now the ROC is involved in the government.
We know that during the times of the Soviet Union there was also some compromise between the Church and the government, and that many priests were government agents.
It is true that during the last century, the Republic of China has twice suffered the invasive influence of political power: under the atheist communist regime, and today, under a regime which uses religion in political terms. Consequently, while in the past, at least for simple believers, it was clear that the danger lay in an external and hostile power, today the terms of the question are much more ambiguous: it seems that the magnitude of the Church coincides with imperial grandeur. greatness of the nation, hence the great risk for the faith.
But yesterday as today, we help all priests and lay people who seek the living Christ and his truth, apart from political projects. Thank God there are still many of them today.
We know the positions of the authorities and the Patriarch of the Republic of China.
But there was a group of priests who signed a letter against the war, from the start of the conflict.
Do you believe there is hope for the future? Is there still true love for the gospel of peace within the Republic of China?
When we talk about the Church, we must keep in mind that it is not just a human institution – that God is present. We cannot simply say that the ROC today has nothing to do with God and that the authority has betrayed God. I think there must surely be new possibilities for rebirth.
We are certainly living in a time of deep suffering for the entire body of the Church. For example, we are in contact with priests who have been laid off and are now unemployed and have families to support. These people understand that if their Church is going through all this, it must be for a major purification, for the renewal of the faith, mixed with nationalist and imperialist thinking for many years – and not just since Soviet times.
They believe that a new Church is being born and they know that it is necessary.
But this is not a new situation for the Republic of China. By its very nature as an ethno-national Church, it has a long history of involvement and dependence on secular authorities.
The question is: does the Republic of China know how to be independent of secular power?
This temptation is there, and it is part of the history of the Republic of China, but this dependence was condemned by a council. Several Orthodox theologians are reflecting today on this question, which is certainly difficult and complex.
We hope that the current difficulties will lead to a profound rethinking. For my part, I can say that historically, both lines have been present in the Russian Church: that of spiritual freedom and that of symphony with power.
After all, a figure like Metropolitan Philipp, killed by Ivan the Terrible because he condemned his conduct, remains a fixed point of Orthodox spirituality.
Unfortunately, in Russian history, the opposing trend has often won, completely marginalizing the other, which has produced a serious imbalance.
What about relations between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches? Are they different now than they were before?
No, I do not think so. The many steps taken towards each other in recent decades, the many initiatives taken together are not canceled, but they are frozen by a political agenda that wants war.
Ecumenism has stopped for some time, but at the same time it is clear that the reasons for this are strictly political rather than religious. I believe that true friendship and cooperation are still possible. Now is just not the time to talk about it too openly.
One of the three secrets revealed to the shepherd children of Fátima was that Russia would spread its errors throughout the world, but would eventually convert.
There was debate over whether this promise had been kept, and many believed that the revival of the Republic of China was the conversion of Russia. What is your opinion?
I thought that after the fall of communism, the prophecy had come true. But now I read it in a completely different way. The Virgin’s promise has not yet been kept, because conversion has not yet arrived.
I am sure that the deep religious feeling of Orthodox Russia is still present, but it needs to be purified. Russia’s conversion is not yet complete, but it will be neither mechanical nor automatic. The fall of communism was not enough, it was only the beginning.
Are Russians aware of the Fatima prophecies? What do they think of them?
You know, in this regard, it is interesting to read Russian Wikipedia entry about Fatima. Recently, they added a banner with the following statement: “This article depicts an urban legend as if it actually happened. Please edit the article so that the fictional nature of the subject is clear from the first sentences as well as in the following text.
(This status is supposed to be that of a legend, because this one is the closest to him. You can please delete this status, which you have й, так из последующего текста.)
The current regime obviously considers the message of Fatima offensive to Russia.
In any case, I think that for the majority of Russians, Fatima is a rather unknown subject.
Pope Francis has been criticized for his positions on Russia. Is it right?
Those who criticize the pope would often like to hear strong political condemnations from him. Perhaps his position is not fully understood by those involved in the conflict.
In fact, the Pope rightly wanted to emphasize the difference between attacking and attacked and, at other times, he spoke of Russia as a country with imperial temptations. But we must listen to everything the pope says and put it in different contexts. Oral remarks are one thing, written texts are another.
It’s no secret that the Pope would like to visit Russia.
Do you think this visit will happen in the near future, and do you think it would be useful if it happened?
I think the current wounds need to be healed before inviting the Pope to Russia. But the initiative of the Holy Spirit is always possible.
You obviously have a lot of contact with Russian Orthodox spirituality.
What do you admire most and how has it helped make you a better Catholic?
For me, at the heart of Orthodoxy is the profound unity of truth, good and beautiful, this unity is what I also desire for my life; in the history of the Russian Church, of its martyrs, there are so many examples of such faith. I believe that despite all the failures, this light has not been dimmed.
