E.N. And another question is in connection with the theme of your present lecture about the Mother of God. What do think about the actual service of women?

V.E. Undoubtedly, it is a whole problem in it of itself. In the Local council of 1917-1918, there was a discussion about the revival of the service of deaconesses. But, this did not move forward; it stayed on the level of discussion in various commissions, but it did not result in any decision or service in the council. This is necessary to have in sight. The service of deaconesses has changed from century to century. One type of service was the service of deaconesses in the apostolic time and right after the apostolic time, when we meet the martyr Tatjana, the deaconess Olympiada, Fiva the deaconess of Kenhreiskaja church, and others. In the ninth to the tenth centuries, deaconesses served in the churches. When in the 1980’s I asked a question about what do we imagine deaconesses to be, a priest from outside of Moscow answered, “It is like a cleaner of a church.” Likewise, it is necessary to have the female service guided by the Holy Spirit, by the Grace of God. Therefore, I internally feel that innovations like those will not be carried in from wishful fruit, like any dear task that is not done in the name of Christ in that it is done without a direct nod from above. It is all becoming clear. We now see that the female sex, our sister, in essence fulfilled the space of the Russian Orthodox Church. Even now, a large part of the parishioners are nevertheless female. Indeed, some priests had such a tendency to think that the less the laity and the parishioners thought, the more useful it was. Then they would serve better. It is stupidly incorrect. We will see how it will all be because it will all change in the eyes. It is understood that who is called to teach should teach. I remember when I first began to write in the “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate,” many of my friends asked, “Will they really let women work there?” We beautifully see that our organization of ourselves, the character of our life in the Church, our inertia of consciousness, are all suffering some types of changes right now. Therefore, even though we are not bringing in any new ranks, we need to attentively listen and wait to see how the Lord Himself will arrange it all, because changes naturally appear, and thus we record them only from the looking back. They [these changes] prove to be how they would naturally appear on their own. So much in our own time we have calculated how we would open new monasteries! But now we see that the ones which have been opened, are the ones which are living and are capable of living, but others do not appear to be worth the effort, as they are not even assembling together. Moreover, it is with both men and women to whom this is relating. But in any case, we saw beautifully all that is accomplished by Providence, that is the Head of the Church, our Lord Jesus Christ. And when we attempt by human efforts to give this a push, to help someone forward or to hold back another one, that all happens by the words of Christ: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5). It is needed, nevertheless, to commit to the will of God. It is to have testimony of our faith, our living trust to providence of the Lord about His Church.