Fallen to the Russian Schismatics: Former Benedictine Becomes Orthodox

Editor: Somehow, more blame belongs to the Benedictine Hermits of Switzerland than this poor, celebrated intellectual hermit. He's a lot more interesting than Thomas Merton, however, why don't Catholic publishing houses do more to celebrate men of his type, instead of men who are embarrassingly irreligious darlings of the literati class?

First he was a Benedictine. Then he lived twenty years as a hermit in Tessin. Now he has left the barque of Peter.

[kreuz.net] The famous Benedictine Hermit and spiritual writer, Peter Gabriel Bunge, has fallen to the Russian Schismatics.

This is according to the weblog 'prevoslavie.ru'

Bugne studied first of all at the Rhenish Fredrich-Wihelms-Unviersitaet in Bonn. He is working ffor a doctorate there with his work on Second Maccabees.

Then he entred the bi-ritual Belgian Benedictine Cloister Chevetogne.

For twenty years he belonged to the byzantine-slavic Rite.

With the permission of his superior he's lived since nineteen eighty as a Hermit in the area of the Community Capriasca in the vicinity of Lugano in the South Swiss Canton of Tessin.

He amed his cell "Hermitage of Santa Croce". There he celebrated the Mass at first in the Ambrosian Rite.

Then, after a few years, he changed to the Byzantine Rite.

As Hermit he was up to his apostasy under the old liberal Benedictine Cloister of Monks in Central Switzerland.

According to reports from Father Antoine Lambrechts from Chevtogne -- in an reader entry for the Blog 'eirenikon.wordpress.com' -- Bunge has been Orthodox in life and belief for the last fifteen years.

Bunge has secured for himself an international reputation as a spiritual writer.

He publishes books and countless articles in scholarly magazines.

His formal renunciation of the Church occurred on 27th August - on the eve of the Orthodox feast of 28 August celebrating the Assumption -- in the vigil of the Moscow Church Icon of the Mother of God, "Joy of All the Bereaved".

The church is located in the Bolschaja Ordynka street.

The presbyters present at his apostacy were Moscow Patriarch, Metroplitan Hilarion Alfayev von Volkolamsk and Metropolitan Kallistos Ware (76) of Diokleia -- a former Anglican.

Bunge belongs now to the Russian Schismatics.

Metropolitan Hilarion said to him: "You were a Catholic, but deep in your heart you were Orthodox. Today, on the vigil you have become orthodox and have closed your long spiritual journey in a natural way."

Hilarion wished Bunge well in his apostasy and gave him an Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of all Bereaved".