1. GREEK ORTHODOX DELEGATES TO THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH IN MOSCOW 2. REPORT ON ORTHODOX COMMUNITY REQUESTED BY MOSCOW PATRIARCH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R001700560011-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 14, 2000
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: July 1, 1948
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Rel
CR~
SUPPLEMENT
REPORT NO.
COUNTRY t.I.dle Ea ;t/ SR
:I.. Greek Orthodox Delegates to t e th
SUBJECT Anniversary Uelebration of the Russian.
Church in 116scow
2. Report on Orthodox Commnity Requested by
ACQUIRED
i. xii os,~ _ Ec enical Patriarch of the Phanar, wan opposed to accepting
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!/'h F45X1 X wrvivc rsaxy c rlebra ,tion of the Russian Ch chh, to be held in, :tosco1w
during the first ht of :l y. The Holy Synod of the P banar~, however,
/V oval . di s and decided to accept the invitation. To avoid the
complication; of obtaining exit visas for priests of `.Turk .sh nationality,
r S_t vas, decided to nom t;e three prelates who lived outside of Turkey
Via., the delegation to represent the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of the
Phanar H Those chosen were the Metropolitan Ge; snos, of London, representative
of the Ph- ,mar for Central Europe; tha etropolitan of Rhodes,, Apostalos;
and an A.rch.ix andrit?~ uni~d; rrt died) ?w ho was living in- Athenso 25X1 A
Comment this third represerrtabive was the
25X1 X p f x a is id0a {s c Thy Bishop of Mariotidos is possibly tke 25X1 X
sa..x as a Bishop IMor`atinos or L.1oriatak3s) who reportedly h~? been expel
25X1 X fron R+ ania recently for anti. Contnrriist activities and. is no-n, in Greece
2. The 11017 Synod of the Phanar was to instruct these delegates to abstain from
attending any conference pertaining to theolo a cal hers or to matters
relating to the relations between the various Ortriodox Churches, The
reason for these instructions was that
i t ova w felt that 1 atriarch l ei
:act , on the suggestion of Stefan Exarch of Bulgaria, quid attezrapt, to
obtain, infra: t.iori and to ligence: from the P; ar delegation with
regard to J ur?opean and U-Iddie E=te: '' count rifi <
~i `7~.g ."2~?-7~z+ ?fi "F* P t e eh o ~z~ :a r.`$u "_`t^$"4?c3t'd ?C" eat 0 t t r C YG; to
3.
L f3,scow. but had Apostalos. Tletrao ii ;an of Rhodes, : 7 resen4 him,
the First Secretary of the Soviet gat ion
in Cairo Chve dov, offered. Patriarch Chr stophoros, when the latter was
in Cairn at the end of Lay's a free to Mosco i by air and a wonderRfaal
'aced ;:ion in the USaa . plus a contribution of 10,000 pounds for the "poor,"
if heti:oul,d accept, but that the Pa:tri?ch roj;ctcd ?r.; offera 25X1X
Timotheos. Patriar z of Jerusalem as well as Uetropoli n of
did and send WT delegates to the llcac ow ".eleb. ation.
CLASSIFICATION W11FE)EN'Tin
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EXCISED
BCfQRE PUBLIC 4ELEASE,OF 'H
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- }atunnentpi. _VX
a:-- NO CHANGE in nl d' X,
CKDECLASSIF,
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CONNTiIAL
Release 2000/05/16 7 CIA-RDP82-00457R00 M560011-4
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Approved For Release 2000/05/16 : CIA-RDP82-00457R001700560011-4
CONFIDENTIAL
CO 1FID1 NTIM.
OE11TRAL ZTELLIGINCE AGtENC
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o Alexandros Tahbans Patriarch of Arztiaehs sent a delegation of -three
en to Moscow. as follo : Tl_ . s Karam, Bishop of Sri,;, L hbanon;
A3e candros Jana,":3 ishop of Horns? S, ria; and the Archimanc'r . e 3i:c .c3or
ZtiNllcitin, representative of the Patriarchate of Moscow to the
Patriarchate of Antioch. Cor;iento BishoD C14T'. Karma 25X1 A
hos. been xvported many times as a pro-Sovietwho aetivr .y W?proaess
iii ~ -Sov3: t propaganda and .c?s A.rch:. dri to Sanaha in di , tir:' ut:. R
Conutuntsl: Party funde to Greek Orthodox priests in Lcbanonc;
B:ishot, Jahha is also a procSoviet p:'opagandist? Archimandrite
Simeon N ldtin is a propagandist and has also been re orterd. several
tinas in connection v^aith Soviet esp:E_ona'ge activities. 25X1X
6? `3everal months ago Patriarch Tahha .n of Antioch received a 'Letter
from Patriarch Aiexei asking hit for a report on the condition of the
Orthodox Coz !inii;y in the Eat, on the Wormer of poor persons
and orphans cpenditur s of the rnonasteraes and schools of .the
Orthodox Coact arnity funds required for building repairs, and the
conditions of the elwentary and seco ^y schoolso x?he purpose
of the report was to ascertain the steps that should be taken to
re ove the causes of poverty and to raise the morale of the c ler gyo
Patr_ i.arch Alexel wrote; thz t; the report should be brought to Moscow
by an archbishop who might enter :l.nto negotiations and study methods
of using the aid which rouid be furnished. Later Soviet M}.nis ter Solod
received a similar note, and since that time olod nd Patriarch T?hhon
have been. in continna1 conferences s i t th a .1. the priests of the comity
and with finer bers o:*' some of the scc__c'cies" in order to dent ruine the.
condition of the Orthodox Com_)nity., The repe~r b, tshich war= then
draa= up by Patriarch Tahhan, -was tak,vn to P;'tascx* by the Antioch c?e1e atc,s.
7a
th Greek Orthodox Community Council in
4MMas w had requested such a report from Patriarch Tahh. re in order uo
en fie the Collin n ity Council_ l_ to help members of the Syrian and
Lebanese Greek Orthodox Churches,,
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 2000/05/16 : CIA-RDP82-00457R001700560011-4
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