Memory eternal, Patriarch Aleksy II
7th December 2008
The closest comparable experience to what Russia went through when the Communists took over, I think, was the last serious attempt to eradicate Christianity under Diocletian — except that in Russia they government knew who all of the Christian clergy were. Things got pretty grim for a while.
It’s crucial to remember that all of this was taking place only a few generations after the Communists closed 98 percent of Russia’s churches and, in one brief period, killed 200,000 bishops, priests and nuns and then sent another 500,000 believers to die in labor camps. Millions later died in Stalinist purges. KGB records indicate that most clergy were simply shot or hanged. But others were crucified on church doors, slaughtered on their altars or stripped naked, doused with water and left outdoors in winter.
Look up “ROCOR” in Wikipedia for a brief discussion of the issues.