Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

id several speakers. “These presbyters were not senior presbyters, but strict presbyters.... As long as such presbyters will not be removed, we cannot be reunited.’43 The highly respected N. I. Vysotski from Odessa also observed that some AUCECB supporters were “more Catholic than the pope in Rome because they are| ready to call all those who split away servants of the devil, children of Sata \ and other objectionable names,”’#4 4 At this congress Karev in particular insisted that their actions in 1960 | did not deserve to be regarded as a deathly sin because they had submitted to laws which did not forbid worship services and preaching. He was still committed to the principle that one may not ignore the laws, for that only leads to a dead end.* A congress resolution gave the AUCECB leadership strong endorsement by formally rejecting the legitimacy of the excommuni- _ cations announced by the Orgkomitet.46 Other pro-AUCECB spokesmen, however, emphasized that the work of the Orgkomitet had been completed with the adoption of the new statute in 1963.47 That represented an affirma- tion of the necessity of the Orgkomitet’s work during those first three years. An obvious problem within AUCECB ranks was the disagreement on the proper attitude to take toward the dissidents, Some of S. P. Fadiukhin’s remarks were unfair misrepresentations of the CCECB, although he, too, did affirm that the AUCECB should respond with love. Alexander Karev had stated openly that “we pray for our suffering brothers and sisters in the Council of Churches ... and hope that the organs of power will show hu- manity and lenience to those who are at present on trial.’48 After the two, Initsiationiki: spokesmen had finished reading their statement, senior presbyter D. D. Shapovalov called to them: “We are your brothers. We pray for you, your tears are our tears, we suffer about your arrogance. Stop this! Come back to our prayer houses and together we will work and praise the Lord.”4° The Latvian senior presbyter P. K. Egle, who had already spoken his mind freely in 1963, also affirmed that in spite of the mistakes they had made, “they remain our brothers and they need help in finding the right way, not the way of edicts and orders, but of true love and cooperation, ’5 \ The Union Defended, 1963-1969 215 In moving the adoption of Karev's report, A. I. Mitskevich declared that “we fully recognize our mistakes. ... I think, brothers and sisters, that you also will forgive us all our mistakes.” The assembly replied: “We for- give and will not remember.’®! Since individual delegates later re- membered that Karev and Mitskevich had personally asked for forgiveness, this may have been the moment they meant. President. Zhidkov made his own moving apology at the end of the congress. It was sufficient for most, although others felt that other key individuals in the leadership had refused to repent. But the whole issue had been discussed