The Russian Orthodox Church intends to revive the Orthodox mission and parish organization in China. Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, said on March 15: "Today, the Orthodox faithful in China suffer from the lack of priests and regular services. The Russian Orthodox Church, as the Mother Church, is interested in restoring the activities of the Chinese Autonomous Orthodox Church (CAOC). At this stage, our Church is ready to provide all-round assistance to Chinese believers, and first of all in the appearance of Chinese priests." It is known that in China there are up to 15 thousand Orthodox believers, mostly descendants of Russian emigrants or Chinese baptized in pre-revolutionary times, while in the billion-strong country there are only four officially registered parishes of the CAPC.

Vladislav Maltsev, rector of the Orthodox Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Hong Kong and chairman of the Orthodox Brotherhood of the same name, Archpriest Dionysius Pozdnyaev, answers questions about the organization and parish life of the Russian Orthodox Church not only in China, but throughout East Asia.

- Where and how are the Russian Orthodox Church and other Orthodox Churches represented in East Asia today?

- Today the Russian Orthodox Church has parishes in the largest cities of East Asia: Tokyo, Pyongyang, Ulaanbaatar, Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, Hong Kong, and Pattaya. Regular services are also held in churches on the territory of the Russian diplomatic missions in Beijing and Shanghai. Recently opened Orthodox monastery in Ratchaburi (Thailand). Unfortunately, the Russian Orthodox Church does not yet have its own educational institutions in East Asian countries.

It is worth noting that the Russian Orthodox Church does not have separate dioceses in the region. All parishes are under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate's department of parishes abroad, although, of course, there are regular contacts between parishes in East Asia and the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church in Siberia and the Far East. For comparison, the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which has parishes in Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, and East Asia, has created three major canonical dioceses - the Archdiocese of Hong Kong, the Archdiocese of Singapore, and the Archdiocese of Korea.

In addition to the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church, there are two autonomous Orthodox Churches in East Asia under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate - Japanese and Chinese, and several ROCOR parishes (which recognize unification with the Moscow Patriarchate) operate in South Korea and Indonesia.

Among other local Orthodox Churches, there is a parish of the Romanian Patriarchate in Japan, for Romanians living in this country. Contrary to what is sometimes claimed in Russia, there are no parishes of the Patriarchate of Antioch in the Philippines yet, although there are plans to create them.

- How is there interaction, possibly competition, with parishes of other Orthodox Patriarchates in the region?

- I wouldn't talk about competition - after all, the Churches of different jurisdictions are divided only administratively. In dogmatic and ecclesiological terms, we are a single body of the Orthodox Church. Many countries are developing forms of cooperation : a Romanian hierodeacon serves in parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in Thailand, and a Russian priest serves in a parish of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Seoul. Orthodoxy is not the property of the Greeks or Russians , so in Asia, where Christians are in the minority, we try to bear witness to Orthodoxy together, relying on the historical tradition of the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is closest to the countries of East Asia.

- What is the Orthodox congregation in Hong Kong and, more broadly, in East Asia in national terms?

- The flock of the Orthodox Church in this region is multiethnic, and its social composition is also heterogeneous. This allows us to consider the Orthodox Church in various countries of East Asia as a Church open to all - without national, linguistic or social barriers. Both the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Moscow understand that Orthodoxy in East Asia is primarily missionary in nature. In my opinion, the task of pastoral care of our compatriots in East Asia is temporary - there are no stable diasporas of traditionally Orthodox peoples formed here. Most often, foreigners do not live in Asia permanently, so the main focus should be on the local population. Although, of course, the question of language plays a role: Russians like to come to places where they serve in Russian, and Greeks like to go to places where they can pray in Greek.

For example, in my parish in Hong Kong, the number of parishioners divided by nationality is something like this: 70% are Russians and Ukrainians, 15% are Chinese, 15% are Americans, French and citizens of other countries. In general, Russians make up the majority in the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in East Asia (except for Indonesia, where the parishioners are mostly Indonesians). In China, there is a special situation-there are parishes of the KAPTS, the parishioners are mostly descendants of Russian settlers who have very strongly assimilated with the Chinese. In the parishes attached to diplomatic missions in China, the parishioners are Russians and some foreigners (most of all Americans). In South Korea, where our priest serves in the parish of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, our parishioners are mostly Koreans, but a certain number of other foreigners are also represented. Singapore has a Russian-speaking parish of the Moscow Patriarchate and a rather diverse parish of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In general, the situation is different everywhere.

- Does the Russian Orthodox Church and other Orthodox Churches in East Asia use elements of the traditions of local peoples (decorating churches, approaching local rituals)? What is the situation with the translation of church and liturgical literature into local languages? Does this involve introducing some words and concepts that are more familiar to local residents (it is known that Western missionaries sometimes translate the New Testament "I am the bread of life" for the Chinese as "I am the rice of life" that is more understandable to this people)?

- It is a common practice for Orthodox parishes in Asia to use local languages and cultural elements (for example, in China, Thailand, and Indonesia, local craftsmen carve iconostases and candlesticks and add local elements to their design). In China, there is a custom of consecrating a new collection of tea. In Thailand, it is customary to take off your shoes before entering the temple. Everywhere there are some local features that give the parishes their own flavor. However, the most important work is the translation of liturgical and doctrinal books into local languages, which is necessary as a mechanism for the life of the Orthodox tradition in the context of Asian cultures. The example of using the word "rice "is a particular one, and bread is generally widespread in China, so in the main translations of the Gospel, it is the word" bread " that is used in the quote you quoted. Although there are different experiences, for example: "In the beginning was Tao" is one of the translations of the first words of the Gospel of John.

- Are local students sent to study in Russian seminaries and theological academies, and what is their future fate in the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church? How are Russians and Greeks generally represented among the Orthodox clergy in East Asia, on the one hand, as representatives of countries that are centers of Orthodoxy, and on the other hand, as representatives of local peoples?

- Currently, students from China and Mongolia are studying at the Moscow and Belgorod Theological seminaries and the Moscow Theological Academy, students from Thailand, Indonesia and Korea have already completed their studies, and students from China and Laos are preparing for admission. Korean, Thai and Indonesian graduates of our theological schools have been ordained to holy orders. In all East Asian countries, there are both Greek and Russian priests - but the presence of local clergy is necessary, since they are responsible for a significant part of the work of preaching the word of God to their compatriots. The rectors of some parishes in East Asia are representatives of local peoples: in Pyongyang (Koreans, graduates of the MDS), Thailand (Priest Daniel Vanna is a graduate of the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary). In Japan and Korea, almost the entire clergy consists of indigenous priests, and the same can be said about Indonesia (where the clergy are graduates of the Moscow and Belgorod theological seminaries). In China, the issue of ordination of Chinese clergy is still pending, and until it is resolved, the situation of the Orthodox Church in China cannot be considered normal.

- You are also the chairman of the public organization of the Council of Compatriots in Hong Kong. What is the Russian diaspora like in this city and elsewhere in East Asia?

- In Hong Kong, the Russian diaspora is small - about 600 people, although it is growing, eight years ago there were twice as many Russians. About 2 thousand of our compatriots live in Singapore, and several thousand live permanently in Thailand. There are different migration trends in different countries, and the situation varies greatly from country to country. Almost nowhere (except Japan) is it already impossible to meet descendants of white emigration - in the 60-70 years of the twentieth century, almost all of them left Asia, so we are talking about a new migration, and not having the character of a permanent one.

- How are relations with local representatives of non-Orthodox Christian Churches developing? Do they differ in the composition of their parishioners from Orthodox communities? How do Christians of different faiths generally feel when surrounded by non-Christian peoples of East Asia?

- The situation is different in different countries. In general, we develop good relations everywhere - this is facilitated by a non-religious environment, in which all Christians are naturally closer to each other. I can say that for many Protestants and Catholics in Asia, Orthodoxy has become a real discovery in recent years - and many people convert to Orthodoxy precisely from among the followers of these faiths. Their faith serves as a catechesis, a bridge from paganism to Orthodoxy. But both Protestants and Catholics have a long and glorious history of service in Asia - in particular, in a number of countries they have created education systems, and have done a lot to develop health systems. For example, in Hong Kong, Catholics have managed to secure the status of carriers of the principles of social justice. And they have considerable success - from 1950 to 2010, 480 thousand people from local residents converted to Catholicism. The Orthodox Church should invest significant material and human resources to ensure that Orthodoxy in Asia does not become a marginal religion of a minority or foreigners, but can carry the word of the gospel to local peoples in full force. Without an understanding of the missionary nature of the Church, neither the Greeks nor the Russians in Asia will be able to advance in the preaching of Orthodoxy.

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