Patriarch Alexy II’s personal diary to be published

Patriarch Alexy II was writing his diary all through his patriarchal ministry, in autumn 2009 it is going to be conveyed to the museum of Christ the Savior Cathedral and then it will be published, head of the Moscow Patriarchate Publishing Council Archpriest Vladimir Silovyev told Interfax-Religion.

“His Holiness the Patriarch’s personal notes require further research as Alexy II didn’t think they would be exhibited and published,” the priest said.

He pointed out that it is necessary to decipher the late primate’s handwriting “as it is very small and not easy to understand as is usual for a person who writes a lot.”

Fr. Vladimir noted that, for example, now “such prominent a researcher of the Holy Land” historian Nikolay Lisovoy works with Archimandrite Antonin Kapustin’s diary (Head of the Russian Ecclesiastic Mission in Jerusalem, who made most significant acquirements for the Mission) “and his productivity is rather low in this relation, though he is rather experienced expert.”

According to the interviewee of the agency, after conducting all necessary works, Alexy II’s diary will become a part of an exposition dedicated to the late Primate at the museum of Christ the Savior Cathedral that opened this Wednesday and will work on permanent basis since autumn.

Fr. Vladimir reminded it was planned to exhibit the diary on the first day of the exhibition and open it at the last writing the Patriarch made on December 4, a day before his death. However, according to the interviewee of the agency, hierarch didn’t bless such an initiative as they considered it important to conduct a research.

“I hope then the diary will be published. We will exhibit it first and then take a blessing for publishing it. And His Holiness the Patriarch will bless who will publish it… May be, he will bless another publishing house,” the priest said.

He went on to say, Patriarch Alexy often shared his innermost thought expressed in his diary. “It’s very interesting. For example, some time ago we took Nicholas’II diary from the archive and exhibited it at the anniversary of the Emperor’s abdication. It aroused great interest,” the interviewee of the agency said.

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