I saw a little footage on Euronews, which is a cable channel I have...Former Presidents Clinton and Bush were there. The funeral was a resplendent and absolutely ethereal service. Here are some photos:
With all due respect, the situation in Russia is quite different from here in the U.S.
WHY? Well ... because Yeltsin can be classified as the key person in the resurrection of the Orthodox Church in Russia. In some respects, he fits qualifications for sanctity for rulers within the Orthodox/Eastern tradition. Yet, his relationship to the Church was questionable.
Perhaps in this way, he can be likened to Constantine -- who was glorified not for his own personal piety but for his role in stopping persecution against the Church and for protecting it ...
So it is an especially ironic situation without parallel in our American environment.
(Unless one wants to argue that JFK occupied a similar, yet less strategic, role in helping the RC position in the U.S.)
You raise a fascinating topic and certainly Constantine only became a Christian on his death-bed (and was baptized by Semi-Arians).
The Orthodox Church of Russia was upset with Yeltsin when he refused to sign in the law giving Orthodoxy certain privileges (so Yeltsin doesn't qualify as a Constantine either!).
But he was the first post-Soviet leader to tell the world he was an Orthodox Christian, although his style of government was much more autocratic than that of his atheist predecessor, Gorbachev (whose wife, holding a doctorate in Marxist political economy, was a very pious Orthodox Christian).
It was Yeltsin who forced Russia to face the deaths of the Romanov Family (he was the former governor of Ekaterinburg in which jurisdiction this tragedy occurred and where the house of special purpose existed).
I don't know much about Yeltsin except that he and Gorbachev were the only remotely likeable Russian leaders since the beginning of the Soviet era.
Farewell with Boris Yeltsin begins in Moscow�s Christ the Savior Temple
---------------------------------
In these minutes (15:47) in Christ the Savior Temple begins the farewell ceremony with the first President of Russia Boris Yeltsin, reports the correspondent of "portal -.Credo.Ru".
For the first time since 1894, when in Petropavlovsk cathedral Emperor Alexander the third was buried, the head of Russian state will be buried according to the Christian rite.
Several thousand people have already assembled before the temple of Christ the Savior. Clergy is assembling; during almost 24 hours they will be reading the Book of Psalms over the newly departed. The mourning cortege, which brought the coffin with Boris Yeltsin�s body, arrived in Christ the Savior temple as the temple�s bells were ringing. All who wish may bid farewell to Boris Yeltsin. Entrance to the temple is from Volkhonka. The farewell viewing will be until 12:30 on April 25th.
The Panikhida will begin at 17:00. According to Orthodox custom, the coffin will be in the temple the entire night. At 8 A.M. on 25 April a litany for the dead will be served. From 12.00 to 14.00 heads of State will bid farewell to the deceased (it is expected that will arrive the President of the Ukraine Victor Yushchenko, the President of Belarus' Aleksandr Lukashenko, the ex- Presidents OF THE USA George Bush, Sr., Bill Clinton and others) will come to Moscow, as well as officials, among whom there will be many heads of regions, including the mayor of Moscow Yuri luzhkov, the governor of Saint Petersburg Valentina Matviyenko, the governor of Sverdlovsk Eduard Rossel. The oldest member of the Holy Synod, MetropolitanJuvenaly (Payarkov) of Krutitsy and Kolomna) will lead the funeral service. The last litany for the dead will be conducted at the Novodevichy Cemetery by Archbishop Arseni (Yepifanov) of Istra, vicar to the Patriarch..
Mourning events will take place not only in Moscow, but also in Ekaterinburg. Here on 25 April at 10.00 in the Boris YeltsinInformation Center there will be a reunion of his classmates. A book of condolences will be available � along with Yeltsin's portrait and an icon.
Another article mentions that Yeltsin's grandchildren were baptised. Yeltsin is also credited for returning church buildings and property to the Russian Orthodox Church. He seems to have had a good relationship with Patriarch Alexsei.
I think we need to hold on here. First this thread is about a historic funeral. It seems though that posters are beginning to speculate regarding whether or not Mr Yeltsin was a believer, though not saying it directly. I am going to caution anyone from making any such implications. We are not privy to Mr Yeltsin's spiritual life, and speculation of such is a matter between his spiritual father/confessor and himself. I am going to make the correlation of other posters here bringing your spiritual life here on this thread. This is not within the intent of the original post to this thread.
If you have any concrete evidence to post that his relationship with the Church and with God are contrary to the rules of someone being buried within the Orthodox Church, please do so. If not you are to refrain from speculation.
In IC XC, Father Anthony+ Administrator
Everyone baptized into Christ should pass progressively through all the stages of Christ's own life, for in baptism he receives the power so to progress, and through the commandments he can discover and learn how to accomplish such progression. - Saint Gregory of Sinai
Yeltsin's official relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church is a matter of historic record. I was assuming that posters were familiar with this. The important details of his life can be found at
As to his official relationship to the Church (the nature of his relationship to Christ is of course not officially recorded and thus inappropriate for discussion), the following refrain (found in almost all news stories about this event) aptly summarizes the interesting questions his death and funeral have raised for the Russian Orthodox Church and faithful:
The Soviet Union was an atheist state, so it seemed fitting Russia's first post-Soviet president was accorded religious rites. Though he made appearances at church services, Yeltsin was not regarded as an overtly pious man, but the Russian Orthodox Church was grateful for his support.
"By his strength, he helped the restoration of the proper role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the life of the country and its people," church spokesman Metropolitan Kirill said in a statement.
See http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/sns-ap-yeltsin,0,1375569.story?coll=ny-leadworldnews-headlines
To me, this raises an interesting question (which I would agree is beyond the "purpose" of the origina post) about sanctity and secular leaders. Is a Christian secular leader (Emperor, King, President) glorified/canonized because of his personal piety or because of his official actions in support for the Church?
It seems to me that the record of glorifiations/canonizations does not provide an easy answer to this question.
Traditionally, as you know, Emperors and Kings have been put into the calendar not primarily because of their sanctity, but because the Church owed them a debt of gratitude for their protection of the Church.
They have traditionally been enrolled in the calendar among those saints whose names are simply in the commemoration, but who do not have a public liturgical cult or service.
The cult of St Alexander Nevsky is different because he became a monk at the end of his life and he was actually glorified not as a ruler but as a monastic. The same is true of the glorification (with the Saints of Siberia) of Tsar Alexander I who is said to be the Elder Theodore Kuzmich.
The Emperor Charlemagne led a scandalous life and was feared by his subjects (a monk who read the epistle in his presence was so afraid of making a mistake during the liturgy that he stood still while a poisonous spider made his way down to him and bit him fatally in the face . . .). But he was glorified a saint by an antipope and his cult was later reduced to that of "Blessed" and that only in Aachen, Germany.
Boris Yeltsin is, in fact, the first Russian leader since Tsar St Nicholas Romanov to have been friendly toward the Russian Orthodox Church. Hardly grounds for canonization, but certainly gratifying to Orthodox believers.
As per one of PrJ's links. I thought it was too eloquent not be printed, and pretty much sums up the questions posed by this topic. May all his sins be forgiven, and 'memory eternal' to the one who helped restore God to the country of Russia!
24 April 2007, 12:45 Church life revived under Yeltsin - Alexy II
Moscow, April 24, Interfax - Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia presents his condolences on the occasion of Boris Yeltsin�s death.
�He died as a bright politician and a political leader. He gave all his energy to building a new Russia, in which the Russian Orthodox Church has finally got a possibility to serve and wetness freely,� the patriarch said in his letter of condolences that he presented to Naina Yeltsina, the widow of the first Russian president.
Alexy II noted that under Yeltsin churches and monasteries were given back to the believers, �destroyed shrines started raising in their beauty everywhere, many theological colleges were reopened, and educational, charitable and public activities of the Orthodox Church developed.�
The primate also noted that Boris Yeltsin favored good relations between the Russian state and the Russian Orthodox Church .
After leading his nation through the difficult years of dramatic change, Russia�s first president �addressed the nation with moving words entrusting the nation�s future to the nation itself, so now, I am sure, our country is in reliable hands,� the patriarch said.
�I pray for the newly-departed one that our Lord may rest his soul in the mansions of heaven and make his memory be eternal,� Alexy II said in his letter of condolences, text of which was published by the Moscow Patriarchate�s official website.
Whatever faults can be pointed out at Yeltsin - I care not at this point.
Yeltsin publicly acknowledged that Stalin was behind the Katyn massacre and provided the evidence to the chaplain of the survivors of those killed at Katyn.
While Yeltsin will never be remembered as a great democrat or political philosopher, and perhaps a poor president, when the one single moment in his life occurred that required Yeltsin to stand up and be a leader, he did it.
It wasn't four months after that failed coup attempt in 1991 that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics died, and that hideous red flag was taken down from the Kremlin.
To me, this raises an interesting question (which I would agree is beyond the "purpose" of the origina post) about sanctity and secular leaders. Is a Christian secular leader (Emperor, King, President) glorified/canonized because of his personal piety or because of his official actions in support for the Church?
It seems to me that the record of glorifiations/canonizations does not provide an easy answer to this question.
Christ is Risen!
Then this needs to be brought as a separate topic/thread in the appropriate forum section that would best address it.
In IC XC, Father Anthony+ Administrator
Everyone baptized into Christ should pass progressively through all the stages of Christ's own life, for in baptism he receives the power so to progress, and through the commandments he can discover and learn how to accomplish such progression. - Saint Gregory of Sinai
Christ is Risen! Xpuctoc Bockpec! I think these very positive comments from Mr. Yeltsin's priest should end the inappropriate discussion.
Quote
25 April 2007, 12:18 Yeltsin first crossed himself when already head of state - Russia�s first president�s clerical acquaintance
Moscow, April 25, Interfax - Boris Yeltsin liked Patriarch Alexy II very much and took an interest in what happens to one�s soul after death, Archpriest Georgy Studyonov, rector of St. Michael�s at Troparyovo, Moscow, recalls.
�It was in our church that Boris Nikolayevich made the sign of the crossed for the first time, as he himself admitted. He didn�t know how to do it, though he was baptized. It is not an easy thing to do for the first time�, Father Georgy said in an interview with the Izvestia daily published on Wednesday.
Later though, the priest said, the former Soviet leader �had no problems with it whatsoever�.
Boris Yeltsin frequented the church at Troparyovo and made a donation for its restoration. He arranged a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Kazan not far away from his office in the Kremlin, Father Georgy related.
�We would always begin a meal with a prayer. He respected and liked His Holiness the Patriarch very much. We occasionally sang together �Many Years of Life� to His Holiness�, said the priest who was the one who baptized Yeltsin�s grandchildren.
The rector of St. Michael�s also said that Yeltsin also asked him questions about afterlife during the funeral service for his mother.
�He took a keen interest in it�, the priest stressed.
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