Evening star., 1923-04-30
CHURCH CONCLAVE
|NDORSES SOVIET
Group Headed by Revolution
ary Priest Controls Mos
COW Meeting.
BY tine Asso lated Press.

BY tine Asso"a ted Press.
MOSCOW. April 3o.-The Living
Church" which recently accepted the
communist party program and which
considers il possible to work spirit-
uaiiy for social revolution. while re-
tanning the elements of Christianity
had tremendous majority when the
hrst conclave opened here yesterday
A resolution was adopted thanking
the soviet government for .fhe free
dom of conscience permitted and the
use OF the Church of Christ the
Saviour for the meeting"
AS only $50 of the expected 500 de-
iegates had arrived. the business
sessions of the conclave were post
poned until Wednesday.
The Living Church, whose chair
man, the revolutionary priest. Krass
nitsky, was in the Yudenitch cam
paign. an officer and instructor in the
rcd army. held a meeting a week ago
and indorsed the program of the
communist party with the execution
of that plank which speaks OF at
tanning social revolution through
combating religious superstition.
Approves Red Army.
1t was contended at the meeting
that revolution could be achieved not
only through ma'erialistic Marxism.
but also by spiritualistic ideals for
which Christianity stands. 1t ap-
proved of the red army on the ground
that social revolution was at
tainable only by strife. in which the
army played an important role. 1t
seemed probable last night that it is
this group, conscious of the revolu-
tionary changes in Russia and deem
ing the Most Rev. Dr. Tikhon, former
patriarch, guilty of counter-revolu-
tionary acts. that will secure Official
control of the Russian Church. It's
services are practically the same as
those prevailing during the past
century. but II wants proletarian
control of Christianity.
Bishop Blake and DR.. Hartmann Of
tended the opening session. Accord
ing to Russian clergymen, Bishop
Blake is looking more to the small
apostolic group headed by Fedensky
than to the Living Church for re-
forms in Russia along Protestant
lines. The Vedensky group has only
a small representation in the con-
clave.
DR.. Hartmann spoke before the
Moscow district conclave few days
pie. and Russian churches were now
undergoing what America expert
enced 15o. years ago.
In tiny cell of the cloistered
Troitsky Monastery. the former home
OF DR.. Tikhon. the Associated Press
correspondent talked with the priest
krassnitsky this afternoon. The
most prominent figure in the con-
clave, .Krassnitsky. a handsome
blond bearded man Of forty. proudly
displayed a picture Of himself in the
uniform of the red army. He de
clared that Marxism was compatible
with Christianity. except that its
materialism did not go beyond life
"Anti-religious propaganda can
not kill religion" he declared, but
added that the church must reform
or eliminate bourgeosie control, for
which Tikhon stood.
From an unofficial communist
source, it is learned that it is not
likely DIR. Tikhon will be executed.
but that after his trial and convic-
tion on his own admissions, probably
will he sentenced to remain in a
monastery. The anti-Tikhon cam
paign of the churches has been 80
successful that only very few
Tikhon supporters have appeared at
the conclave.