Patriarch Alexy II, whose biography is the subject of our article, lived a long and, I think, happy life. His activities left a deep mark not only in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, but also in the hearts of many people. This is probably why, after the death of the priest, the people could not believe and reconcile with his departure, and the version still circulates in society that Patriarch Alexy II was killed. This person managed to do so many good deeds in his life that the value of this person does not decrease over the years.
Origin
Patriarch Alexy II, whose biography is connected with the Russian Orthodox Church for several generations, was born on February 23, 1929 in a very unusual family in the city of Tallinn. The ancestor of the future priest during the reign of Catherine II adopted Orthodoxy with the name of Fedor Vasilyevich. He was a general, an outstanding public figure and commander. From this hero of the war of 1812 the Russian clan of the Ridigers went.
The grandfather of the future patriarch was able to take his family out during the hot times of the revolution from St. Petersburg to Estonia. Alexy's father studied at the prestigious Imperial School of Law, but graduated from Estonia. Then he worked as a judicial investigator in Tallinn, married the daughter of a colonel in the tsarist army. An Orthodox atmosphere reigned in the family; Alexy's parents were members of the progressive movement RSHD (Russian Student Christian Movement). They participated in religious disputes, visited monasteries, went to church services. When Alexy was very young, his father began to study in pastoral courses, where he met his father John, who later became the confessor of the boy.
The family had traditions to spend summer vacations on pilgrimage trips to different monasteries. It was then that Alexy fell in love with Pyukhtitsky Monastery for his whole life. In 1940, Father Alexy was ordained a deacon. Since 1942, he served in the Kazan Church of Tallinn and for 20 years helped people find God.
Childhood
From early childhood, the future Patriarch of Moscow Alexy was immersed in an atmosphere of religiosity, which was for him the main spiritual principle in formation. From the age of 6 he began to help in the service in the temple. Parents and the confessor raised the boy in the spirit of Christian values; he grew up as a kind, obedient child. Times were difficult, the family at the beginning of World War II was threatened with deportation to Siberia for German origin. Reedigers had to hide. During the war, his father took Alyosha with him for visits of prisoners in camps for people moving to Germany.
Vocation
The whole atmosphere of the Ridiger family was imbued with religion, the child absorbed it from a young age. He loved and knew church services, even played them in his games. His confessor actively supported the boy’s attraction to the Orthodox faith. In 1941, the future Holy Patriarch Alexy 2 becomes an altar boy, helping the deacon - his father. Then he served for several years in various temples in Tallinn. The fate of Alexy, in fact, was a foregone conclusion from his very birth, from 5 years old he existed only in the bosom of the church.
In 1947, the future His Holiness Patriarch Alexy 2 entered the Leningrad Theological Seminary, he was immediately admitted to the third grade due to his high education and preparedness. In 1949 he entered the Leningrad Theological Academy. During this period, revived educational religious institutions are on the rise, this allows Alexy to receive a high-quality education. He was a very good student, all the teachers noted his thoughtfulness and seriousness. He had no mental turmoil and quest, he was absolutely confident in his faith and his mission.
Priest's life
But most of his studies at the Academy A. Ridiger is an external student. Metropolitan Gregory of Leningrad invited the young man to take the rank before graduation. He was offered several options for ministry, he chose the post of rector in the Epiphany Church of Johvi. From there, he could often visit his parents and go to the academy. In 1953 he graduated from the academy, becoming a candidate for theology. In 1957, he was transferred from the difficult parish of Mr. Johvi to the University of Tartu. So the future patriarch Alexy II, whose years of life will be associated with religious service, entered his path as a priest.
Difficult times again fell to his lot. The Assumption Cathedral, to which Alexy was appointed, was in a deplorable state, the authorities did not support church undertakings, I had to work a lot, talk with people, stand services, and go to trebs. The novice priest decided to seek help from Patriarch Alexy the First, who assisted in the repair and blessed the namesake. In 1958, Alexy became archpriest and dean of the Tartu-Viljandi County. In 1959, the mother of the priest died, and this prompted him to become a monk. He had previously thought about such an act, and now he has finally established himself in his intention.
Bishop's way
In 1961, the future Patriarch Alexy II (his photo was increasingly seen in the reviews of trips of foreign delegations in Russia) received a new appointment. He becomes the bishop of Tallinn and Estonia, and is also temporarily assigned to manage the diocese of Riga. The Russian Orthodox Church was sorely lacking in young educated cadres, especially since it was once again experiencing a new round of persecution in Russia. Consecration, at the request of Alexy, is held in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn. Immediately the young bishop receives a call from the authorities. In his parish, it is planned to close several churches due to "unprofitability", and give his beloved Pukhitsky monastery to a miners' rest house. Urgent and strong measures were needed.
Alexy organizes several visits of large foreign delegations to his parish and to the monastery, as a result, publications about him appear in the Western press, representatives of almost all world religious organizations came here in a year, the authorities had to surrender, and the question of closing the monastery was no longer raised. Due to the efforts of Alexy, the Pyhitsky Monastery became a place for visits and communication of representatives of all European churches.
Alexy served in the Tallinn Parish for a quarter of a century. During this time, he significantly strengthened the Orthodox Church here, published a large amount of literature, including in Estonian. His efforts saved many churches in the region, including the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, in which Father Alexy, who died in 1962, the Kazan Church in Tallinn, served for a long time. But the propaganda and efforts of the authorities did their job: the number of believers was steadily reduced so that existing churches remained in the villages, the archimandrite paid for their maintenance from church funds.
In 1969, Alexy was entrusted with additional service as the Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod.
Church and public life
Alexy always traveled a lot to his parishes with divine services in order to conduct conversations with believers and strengthen their spirit. At the same time, the future patriarch devoted an extremely long time to public work. From the very beginning of his diocesan service, he did not remain aloof from the life of the entire Orthodox Church. In 1961, the future Holy Patriarch Alexy II, whose photo can be seen in the article, is a member of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Assembly of the World Council of Churches. He participates in prestigious organizations such as the Conference of European Churches, in which he worked for more than 25 years, eventually becoming the chairman of the Presidium, the Rhodes Pan-Orthodox Conference, peacekeeping organizations, in particular the Soviet Peace Fund, the Fund for Slavic Writing and Slavic Cultures. Since 1961, he served as deputy chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. In 1964 he became manager of the Moscow Patriarchate and has been performing these duties for 22 years.
In 1989, Alexy was elected People's Deputy of the USSR and dealt with the preservation of national cultural values, language, and the protection of historical heritage.
Patriarchal throne
In 1990, Pimen died, and the Local Council gathered to elect a new head of the Russian church, and there was no better candidate than Alexy. The Patriarch of All Russia was intronated on June 10, 1990 in the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow. In his word to the flock, he said that he sees his main goal in strengthening the spirit-bearing role of the church. He believed that the number of temples needed to be increased, including working in places of detention in order to give people spiritual support on the path to correction. The coming social changes in the church society needed to be used to strengthen its position, and Alexy understood this well.
For some time the patriarch continued to act as bishop of the Leningrad and Tallinn diocese. In 1999, he took charge of the Japanese Orthodox Church. During his service, the Patriarch traveled a lot in parishes, performed services, and contributed to the construction of cathedrals. Over the years, he visited 88 dioceses, consecrated 168 churches, and received thousands of confessions.
Public position
Alexy, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, from an early age had a solid public position. He saw his mission not only in serving God, but in promoting Orthodoxy. He was convinced that all Christians should unite in educational activities. Alexy believed that the church should cooperate with the authorities, although he himself experienced a lot of persecution from the Soviet government, but after perestroika he strove to establish good relations with the country's leadership in order to solve many state problems together.
Of course, the patriarch always stood up for the disadvantaged, he did a lot of charity work and helped his parishioners to help those in need. At the same time, Alexy repeatedly spoke out against people with non-traditional sexual orientation and warmly thanked the Moscow mayor for banning the gay pride parade, called homosexuality a vice that destroys the traditional norms of mankind.
Church and social transformations under the patriarch
Alexy, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, began his activity on the post by informing the current government of the country about the critical condition of the church. He did a lot to increase the role of the church in the country's politics; he, along with the top officials of the state, paid visits to memorial and ceremonial events. Alexy did much to ensure that church authority was concentrated in the hands of the Council of Bishops, reducing democratization in the structure of the church. At the same time, he helped to increase the autonomy of certain regions outside the Russian Federation.
Merits of the Patriarch
Alexy, Patriarch of All Russia, did a lot for the Russian Orthodox Church, first of all thanks to him, the church returned to wide public service. It was he who contributed to the fact that today Russian churches are full of parishioners, that religion has again become a familiar element of the life of Russians. He was also able to keep in the Russian jurisdiction the churches of states that became independent as a result of the collapse of the USSR. His activities as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia had a significant impact on the development of Orthodoxy, on increasing its significance in the world. Alexy was the chairman of the Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Forever meconfessional committee. In 2007, as a result of his efforts, the “Canonical Communion Act” was signed, which meant the reunification of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Church abroad. Alexy was able to return the wide practice of religious processions, he contributes to the acquisition of the relics of many saints, in particular Seraphim of Sarov, Maxim the Greek, Alexander Svirsky. He doubled the number of dioceses in Russia, the number of parishes almost tripled, the number of churches in Moscow increased by more than 40 times, while before the perestroika there were only 22 monasteries in the country, then by 2008 there were already 804. The patriarch paid great attention to church education, he significantly increased the number of educational institutions at all levels in the country, and also positively affected the curriculum, which became close to the world level.
Awards
Alexy, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, was repeatedly awarded by both secular and church authorities for his services. He had more than 40 orders and medals of the Russian Orthodox Church, including such honorary ones as the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called with a diamond star, the Order of the Grand Duke Vladimir, the Order of St. Alexis, the Dmitry Solunsky Medal, the Order of Gregory the Victorious from the Georgian Orthodox Church.
The Russian authorities have also repeatedly noted the high achievements of the patriarch with awards, including the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, the Order of Friendship of Peoples, and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. Twice Alexy was awarded a state prize for outstanding achievements in the field of humanitarian activities, had letters and thanks from the President of the Russian Federation.
Also, Alexy had many awards of foreign countries, prizes, honors and medals from public organizations.
In addition, he was an honorary citizen of more than 10 cities and was an honorary doctor of 4 universities in the world.
Care and memory
On December 5, 2008, sad news spread around the world: Patriarch Alexy 2 died. The cause of death is heart failure. The patriarch had serious heart problems for several years, even in the residence he was equipped with an elevator to go up to the second floor to help him avoid unnecessary stress. However, the media almost immediately appeared about the murder of the patriarch.
But there was no evidence for these suspicions, so everything remained at the level of rumors. The people simply could not believe that such a person had not died, and therefore tried to find the guilty party in their misfortune. The patriarch was buried in the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and buried in the Epiphany Church.
People almost immediately began to wonder: will Patriarch Alexy II be counted among the saints? While there is no answer to it, since canonization is a complex and long process.
The patriarch’s memory was immortalized in the names of libraries, squares, in the form of monuments, plaques, several monuments.
Private life
Patriarch Alexy 2, whose cause of death was not the only reason for discussing his personality, life, actions, was of interest to many. A lot of rumors circulated around his relationship with the KGB, Alexy was even called the favorite of special services. Although there was no evidence of such suspicion.
Another question that aroused the interest of the layman: was the priest married. It is known that bishops cannot have wives, since celibacy applies to them. But before the adoption of monasticism, many priests had families, and this was not an obstacle to their church career. Patriarch Alexy II, whose wife was in his student years, never mentioned his family experience. Researchers say that this marriage with Vera Alekseeva was absolutely formal. It was needed only then to prevent the authorities from calling on A. Ridiger to military service.
Little is known about the private life of the patriarch. He loved reading, he always worked hard. Alexy is the author of more than 200 books on theology. He was fluent in Estonian, German, spoke a little English. He lived and died in his beloved residence in Peredelkino, where he felt comfortable and calm.