Rome: Letter of Protest Written in 1930 by Priest -- Found by Jesuit at Archive

White Sea. Solovetskie islands ( Solovki ). Golgofa-hill. 
Golgotha and the Crucifixion (Golgotho-Raspyatsky) 
hermitage

Imprisoned priests wrote the Central Committee of the Communist Party in 1930 -- Jesuit found document in the archive of the Papal Oriental Institute.


Rome (kath.net/KAP) A till now unknown document about the persecution of the Church in the Soviet Union during the Second World War was recently discovered in the archive of the Papal Oriental Institute in Rome. The periodical "Pro Oriente" reported this on Saturday, which appeared in an article by "Osservatore Romano" (Friday Edition). The uncovered Russian language document was by a Polish Priest Eugeniusz Senko, who was a researcher from 1917 for years in the Papal Oriental Institute, about the Communist Church persecution.

The document dealt with information resulting from a letter of protest by a Catholic Priest Adolf Filipp to the Central Committee of the Party, dated from 29 June 1930. Filipp was incarcerated with 31 other priests on the island of Anzerskij -- a Solovki Island. How the document came to Rome, may not be reconstructed, it is said.

Before the October Revolution, one of the largest Orthodox monastic cities was located on the Solovki islands. Following the Bolshevik seizure of power it was used for holding, and then established as a work camp for political prisoners, above all, Christians of all confessions. The camp on the Solovki islands formed the foundation of the so-called "Gulag". On the island Anzerskij, on which the Catholic priests were imprisoned, a dungeon was constructed in the consecrated Church of the Trinity.

Adolf Filipp's letter of protest was, according to information by P. Senkos, clearly written by hand originally and then typed on a machine -- the errors in writing the names of the priests incarcerated with Filipp were explained, it said in the broadcast.

The priest described "illegal methods" of the " "Gossudarstwennoje Polititscheskoje Uprawlenije" (GPU), the former Secret Service of the Soviet Union. These were said to have made constant infringements against the codes of the Soviet Constitution regarding freedom of conscience. Filipp stressed that the incarcerated priests, in view of the "enormity of the constitutional infringements" by the GPU could not remain silent any longer, because even such silence could be constituted as a "crime". The priest also described the unbearable conditions in the camp.

He wrote, describing information about the Communist Party promoted campaign of atheism, for example, the mass closing of churches, extreme taxation of churches and their members, as well as the imprisonment and deportation of clergy and their followers and the oppressive activities ascribed to the organizations founded by J.M. Jaroslawksij  or "Societies of Godless Militants".

P Senko published the protest letter in the Italian language which included footnotes, to make the background more clear. Till now it is not known if the letter of protest actual reached the Central Committee and what consequences the letter of complaint against State Atheism and the activities of the GPU had for the author, it read.

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Storming Heiligenkreuz: Austrian Monastery's Vocations Explode

88 Monks, average age 47: "It is above all the Liturgy and the Gregorian Choir as well as our loyalty to the Pope and the Church's teachings", said P Karl Wallner.

Vienna (kath.net/Cross Press) IN the Cistercian Monastery of Heiligenkreuz in the Vienna Wood, the number of Monks has risen to 88, which means a doubling in the last year, and the highest manpower in its almost 900 year history. The average age of the Monks is 47 years.

"Such a wave of young people who want to participate in our life hasn't happened since the Middle Ages,' exclaimed P. Karl Wallner, Professor of Dogmatics at the Order's Academy and Youth Pastor.

As to the secret of how there are so many admissions, he says: "It is above all the Liturgy in the Gregorian Chorale according to the norms of Vatican II as well as our loyalty to the Pope and Church teaching."

In the last week, Abbot Henckel Donnersmark clothed seven young men in the Novitiate, six novices have taken temporary vows, while five novices are working for that, seven Monks have decided to take "solemn vows" and four Monks were elevated by Auxiliary Bishop Lackner to the Diaconate.

A "divesture" is required for the members of Heilgenkreuz in any case, to sell everything: their previous Prior, Christian Feuerstein, was elevated to Abbot of Monastery Rein in Steryia where he took up his office on the 21st of August.

"It is interesting, that all entrants have made their first contact with us through the Internet. Some have visited the website of the Cloister repeatedly till they found the courage just to visit the Cloister for the first time in their lives."

"Usque ad mortem"

Upon the Feast of the Assumption, the Patronal Feast of Heilgenkreuz, seven young Monks, who had already taken temporary vows, now take their celebratory Profession, that is an eternal vow "usque ad mortem", to the death"

P Joahnnes Paul Chavanne and P Mag. Tobias Westerthaler are both Vienese, P Bacc.phil. Edmund Waldstein is from Lower Austria, P. Mag. Damian Lienhart and P.Dipl.Ing. Emmanuel Heissenberger are Steyrians and P.Dipl.Kfm. Dr. oec. Lic theol. Justinus Pech as well as P.Mag. Placidus Beilicke come from Germany.

They come from various professional backgrounds, and are, however, just over 20. One is a microbiologist, another in International Business Relations and Economics and a Hydrological Engineer. Most of them have at least gleaned the book "Chant -- Life for Paradise". At their profession there were 120 Priests and Religious as well as over 700 faithful and family members, who filled the monastic environs for the accompanying Agape feast.

www.stift-heiligenkreuz.at