Русский | English Translation by Katherine Ilachinski (Aug 2009)

Thus, since August 18, 1950, Bishop Nikandr has officially entered on faculty of Harbin.

To operate a diocese at this time became more and more difficult. Years of blossoming have passed. The process of irreversible decline began, which was impossible to resist. And it is not surprising. At the turn of the 1940-50's - refugees of Harbin (the clergy and laymen) found themselves under authority of those forces from which they were trying to escape in the beginning of the twentieth. Now these forces were working together with "loyal pupils"- the Chinese administration.

Creating visibility of legal confusion, authority took years to resolve a question on legal status of Exarchate. As a result, all religious associations in China "have formed alliance and had representatives in the State Administration - except for the Orthodox Church" [33]. In the second half of 1940's, Russian schools in territory of Manchuria began to operate under the Soviet programs. "The separation of school from church" has triumphed. The teaching of religion has been forbidden. At the same time the blow was executed on Theological faculty and the Theological seminary. Seeing this, Bishop Nikandr has focused his efforts to preservation of church traditions which for the present remained untouched.

Unfortunately, during such a period so dangerous to Church, in personal mutual relations of Exarch with the Deputy completely inopportunely friction has arisen. Bishop Nikandr has always felt, that "Exarchate - only nominal representation of the Patriarchate, and real representation was the diocese of the Exarchate" [34]. So he wrote to the Patriarchate. He thought this way during the period when he acted as Exarch. Therefore, without hesitation, he has given the instruction that during divine services in churches of Harbin to remember the Exarch only as "Master", not adding excessive, from his point of view, pronoun of "ours" [35]. Vladyka Victor has informed the Patriarchate, that Bishop of Harbin looks on Exarch "as at the person only with title, keeping himself in isolation, as only Russian bishop, and not taking any measures to make a church life in the diocese more Chinese" [36]. Bishop Nikandr was reproached that he was against replenishing the clergy of the diocese by Chinese clerics, keeping parishes for the remaining Russian priests" [37]. Any Russian, certainly, will tell that in these acts there was no sin.

[33]Priest. D. Pozdnyaev. Orthodoxy in China. On the Internet.
[34] In the same place.
[35] In the same place.
[36] In the same place.
[37] In the same place.