All that is necessary for evil to succeed, is for good men to do nothing.

Now in Russia we have Pascha, days of joy and feasting. But the situation of religion remains as before. We are in the front line, and this front line is on every side, since on every side we are surrounded by enemies.

We are surrounded by atheists on all sides. There is no place where one is not exposed to fire. The press, art, theater, schools, institutions-everything has been occupied by the atheists. The laws are all directed towards stifling religion. Take just this one point: Religion is a matter of con- science, the Church is separated from the State. We are guaranteed freedom of anti- religious propaganda, and freedom of performance of the religious cult. just listen to this The performance of the religious ‘cult,’ as if the Christian religion is only a ‘cult’ , while Christ told us directly: “Go into the whole world (the whole world!) and preach the Gospel.”

Free preaching which is done in public meets opposition; the preacher is attacked, and there are clashes. This cannot but happen. He who goes out to preach knows that by preaching, he brings salvation: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved”-the Gospel. And he c a n not cease doing this, since he is obliged to do this by the downfall of those who surround him, by his conscience, by God.

We have been in the front for along time. Many of us have fallen into captivity, if not something worse: our whole front line is in captivity. And the situation has gotten even worse. There is an internal corruption of the generals of the army. The will to resist has become paralyzed. Those who go out to battle are hindered by ‘their own people in league with the enemy.

The law in our country with regard to religion is directed to its annihilation. . They want to destroy us. But by destroying holy things, the enemy is making an attempt not only against one group (let us say, the believers), but against the whole population, against the whole culture.

We have now reached the very lowest level of morals. Our family has been destroyed. Throughout the whole of Russia one sees only the ruins of our national heritage, even though they try to cover up the ruins with the boxes of standardized houses.

They wish to drown out the voices which call for help: from outside they want to sup- press and clamp down on them; from within they want to drown them out by falsely accusing us of undermining our Mother the Church, and thus supposedly revealing her secrets and casting shadows on her.

But the voices cannot be stifled. One person on his deathbed thinks that if he cries out it will be worse, as if there is something worse than death. Another one, even while dying, all the same cries out with the aware ness that, even if he perishes, perhaps he will protect someone by his cry.

Everyone who can answer, answer. And do not believe those who try to cover up the danger and the aim of the enemy to destroy; he has no other purpose. But having destroyed us, he will later destroy everything else. Atheism is a plague; it must be stopped, or else it will spread over everything, devouring everything.

People come to me, especially young people, although they know that their coming to me is not without danger. Many who come to me are summoned and threatened, it seems to me, so that they might be dispersed and so that I might remain alone. But they come. People also of other confessions come, non- Orthodox. Our front of opposition becomes wider.

Already the positions of the enemy are wavering. It is not only around me that people are gathering: I am not alone. People understand that one cannot live without God, that one must be liberated, that atheism is death. Many letters of solidarity come to me. People are flocking to the candle.

Help, O Lord, my weak powers, so that this candle might not go out, but might be in creased more and more!

There is a prophecy of our Russian Saints that in Russia there is to come a Pascha at an unexpected time of year; “Christ is Risen” that year will resound throughout the whole world; Paschal joy will shake the whole of Russia.

But for the time being, “Christ is Risen” is heard within the encirclement, within captivity, by the voices of those who are tortured and worn out.

Hear us, all you who can hear! We are alive! After all the frightful attacks, after all the frightful bombardments, we are alive!

But we need help. In whatever way you can, help us. Do not remain indifferent. In- difference in our days is death, and not only for us, but for all mankind.

There should begin a decisive, final war for the liberation from captivity, for the salvation of all alive, a universal Sacred war.