The present Statute of the Moscow Patriarchy says (ch.5, paragraph "e")
that the council of the Russian Orthodox Church "elects the Patriarch
of Moscow and All Rus' and determine the procedure of this election."
This means, that the procedure is not defined by the Statute. This contradicts
to the interview which patriarch Alexy gave to "Izvestiya" on June 6,
2003. He stated in this interview that "the procedure of election is thoroughly
defined by the Stature."
This situation is very typical to the "Soviet psychology". The ruling
elite doesn't want to limit herself with any legal liability, people agree to
the lawlessness. Majority of society agree that laws are "Western whim,"
which can be imitated in Russia only to get some benefits from the Western countries.
Still, real decisions must be made by those who know better, who have real power,
and democracy must remain a slogan.
Moscow, 3 July, 2003 |