Russia’s Eastern Orthodox zealots vs. North American rock opera

Lots of controversy around Rostov-on-Don authorities banning St. Petersburg Rock Opera Theater’s rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary Jesus Christ Superstar (scheduled for October 18), following complaints from a group of Eastern Orthodox zealots that it might offend religious sentiment. Interestingly, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) objected to the ban. Even more interestingly, the local authorities sided with the protesters and their allegation that the rock opera would hurt the true believer’s feelings.

“We had to act that way. Selling tickets has been suspended until the administration announces its final decision on the matter,” explained Svetlana Zhabina, deputy director [manager] of the local philharmonic society.

One of the rock opera protesters said there is a bill – still to be passed by Russia’s Duma, aimed at protecting the believers’ interests – and that was why they decided to seek government protection. He added that the image of Christ in the rock opera is wrong from the true Christian point of view, and that the staging of this performance should be agreed upon with the [Moscow] Patriarchate. There were several phone calls to the philharmonic society from the city administration. A statement of protest, signed by 18 local activists, was forwarded to the local public prosecutor’s office, with a copy to the ombudsman of Rostov oblast. The final decision on the matter is expected to be made within a week.

This protest is rooted in a bill amending Russia’s Criminal Code with Article 243.1, providing for legal punishment – ranging from a fine of up to 300,000 rubles to some 200 hours of community service to a prison term of up to three years – in retaliation for acts aimed at damaging citizens’ religious feelings and/or religious objects and places of pilgrimage.

As it was, Rostov-on-Don’s Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church made it clear that Jesus Christ Superstar did not hurt the feelings of the true Orthodox believers. “We were amazed to discover that there is a group of individuals who refer to themselves as believers, and who claim that their views [on the rock opera] coincide with those of all Orthodox adherents. This cannot be true. This can only be an opinion shared by 18-20 individuals. This opinion does not reflect the view on the matter on the part of the Russian Orthodox Church and [least of all] that of the Eparchy of Rostov-on-Don,” says Rostov-on-Don ROC Eparchy Archpriest Daniil Azizov. He reminds that “twenty years back, when The Book wasn’t [officially] available to people [under the Soviet regime], they could learn The Word from [samizdat video copies of] the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. This is a great [rock] opera. It contains nothing to offend a [true] believer… I would’ve watched it if I had the time… Those individuals who are protesting this [rock] opera have nothing to do with the Eparchy. In fact, I tried to reason with one of them, but he started yelling at me.”

Says Vladimir Legoida, head of the Eparchy’s information department: “An Orthodox believer cannot, of course, accept an image of Christ the way it is portrayed in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera. This subject provides enough room for debate, but regarding the whole thing as blasphemy is obviously a gross overstatement.

Vladimir Putin met with Andrew Lloyd Webber in 2008 and said: “I believe that Jesus Christ Superstar is among your works that are well-known all over the world. This [rock opera] reminds me of Prokofiev – some motifs, ideas, feelings. This is more than melody, this is sentiments… Russia has always – and correctly – regarded itself as part of the European cultural space.”

The Day asked editor-in-chief of www.grani.ru, Vladimir KORSUNSKY, for comment on the ban on the rock opera and its impact on events in Russia.

“This country [i.e., Russia] is frantically looking for an ideological footing for its existence. The current political leadership – the flesh and blood of those who ruled us [i.e., Russia] in 1917-91 – is in a bad way without ideological support. Theft, embezzlement, abuse of office, rampant corruption, corporate governance, the works. They have it, all of it. What they don’t have and badly need is some kind of justification of their existence, so they can keep implementing this monstrous political model. They are making every effort to use the Russian Orthodox Church as an ideological Politburo – except that all these characters (killers of the Church and clergy in what used to be the Soviet Union) don’t know how to make this project work. Hard as they try, what they come up with is not a sermon but another Kalashnikov eulogy. This Kalashnikov keeps firing, sending bursts across Russia, without aiming at targets so far, God be praised, but the range of fire is increasing. This is a very dangerous process, considering that the darkest moods and worst intentions come from the least educated, cultured and sentient individuals, those who regard as idiotic such maxims as thou shalt not kill and whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Also, considering that such individuals pose as Orthodox believers – none of this makes sense to me. Yet this nonsense is very much like a highly contagious disease. Dr. Petr Viazemsky, lecturer, deputy head of chair, Moscow State Institute of International Relations, while delivering a public lecture, refered to atheists as sick animals that needed medical treatment. This is a contagious disease affecting even the most advanced minds. This is a very dangerous process, it can’t be stopped by a rock opera.”

You think this bill will be passed? What will happen next?

“It will be passed, of course, and then they will start tightening the screws on a machine ready to fall apart. This may well result in a major [public] outburst – I can only keep fingers crossed, hoping no human blood will be shed, but there is our legislation that provides for mass arrests.”

Do you mean that nothing can be done to stop this process?

“Of course not. Something can be done if and when this [Russian] society finds the strength to adequately respond to the challenge posed by the state. Negotiations aren’t a likely option, considering that the state is not prepared to hold negotiations and doesn’t know what to negotiate. Self-preservation instinct is predominant ‘upstairs.’ It prevents those in power from making any sensible decisions. Judging from their decisions, from their court rulings, the overall impression is that all of them are in a hair-raising dark void. They are scared stiff of being exposed and blamed for what they have done. This fear is so strong, it makes them adopt idiotic laws, one worse than the next, considering that none is in accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation.”