www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News ROCOR/MP final resolution adopted

The Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Church Abroad have resolved the remaining
dipsuted issues.

MOSCOW: A final resolution on the signing of the "Act of Canonical Communion" between
the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outisde Russia, which is to
take place on May 17, 2007 in the Church of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, has been
adopted.

"Those problems that had still remained unresolved, those issues that it was necessary to
reach an agreement upon, have found their agreement and solution. We hope that on May
17, (2007), in Moscow in the Church of Christ the Saviour, the solemn signing of the "Act
of Canonical Communion" and a joint Divine Liturgy (by the Primates [presiding hierarchs]
of both parts of the Russian Church) will take place", said Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk
and Kaliningrad to journalists this past Tuesday, in regard to the results of the meeting of
Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia with the ROCOR delegation.

He noted that the issues which had remained unresolved for the most part concern
suspended clergy. "There are such clerics in the Russian Church Abroad, and there are
such clerics in the Moscow Patriarchate" , noted Vladyka, adding that there remained
questions concerning the parishes of ROCOR in Russia and in the Ukraine.

"At least the algorithm [plan for resolving] all these issues by May 17 has been agreed
upon between us", added Metropolitan Kirill.

In turn, archpriest Nikolai Balashov, the secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate' s commission
for dialogue with the Russian Church Abroad, told the journalists that after the signing of
the Act, whose result will be full Church unity, all the bishops of the Church Abroad will
take part in the resolutions of all general church problems, and "will be participants in all
Bishops' Sobors of the one Russian Church".

As was earlier announced, last December, the Synods of the Moscow Patriarchate and of
ROCOR approved the proposals of the church commissions as to the time, place and order
of signing the "Act of Canonical Communion", which will mean that the division of the
Russian Church due to the revolution and civil war has finally been overcome. The Act was
worked out by the church commissions and ratified by the ROCOR Synod in September,
and by the Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate in July, of 2006.

According to this document, among other things the Moscow Patriarchate recognizes
ROCOR as "an inseparable, self-ruled part of the Local Orthodox Church of Russia,", which
"is independent in pastoral, educational, administrative, economic, property and civil
matters", but at the same time is "in canonical unity with all the fulness of the Russian
Orthodox Church".

The Russian Church Abroad, as before, will be ruled by its own Synod of Bishops,
constituting its "higher spiritual, legal, adminstrative, judicial and controlling authority",
and electing its First Hierarch on the basis of its own constitution. Then this election "is to
be confirmed in agreement with the norms of canonical law by the Patriarch of Moscow
and All Russia and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church".

Such important decisions as the formation or dissolution of dioceses of ROCOR are also to
be agreed upon with the Patriarch and Moscow Synod. The election of new hierarchs by
the ROCOR Sobor is to be confirmed "on canonical basis" by His Holiness the Patriarch and
the Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate: because all newly elected bishops will become full
members of the Local and Hierarchical Sobors of the Moscow Patriarchate, and also will
received the right and position in their turn to take part in the work of the Moscow Synod.

The highest instance of ecclesiastical authority for ROCOR will be the Local and Bishops'
Councils of the Moscow Patriarchate, the decisions of which, like the decisions of the Holy
Synod, apply in ROCOR, taking into consideration those special conditions defined by the
"Act of Canonical Communion", by the Constitution of the Russian Church Abroad, and by
the laws of countries in which ROCOR carries out its serving.

INTERFAX-Religion' Sedmitza. Ru

[Tr. by JRS, Jan. 31, 2007]


Alexandr

Funny it doesnt mention what those problems are and how they were solved.
Stephanos I
Does anyone know?

This is an amazing act of God in our modern times. As one who has prayed at the Sobor in San Francisco and was there for the glorification of St John -- I can hardly believe it has happened!

After all of the condemnations, anathemas, excommunications, accusations, etc.... if these two communities could heal their division and join together at the Holy Table -- there is certainly hope for the East and the West to be reunited!

Glory to God for all things!

The problems basically consisted of those clerics of the MP in Russia who left the MP to join ROCOR in Russia. They were suspended by the MP, and now will be recieved back with priestly orders intact. The same applies for Bishop Evithiky of Irkutsk and Bishop Agafangel of the Crimea. The ROCOR parishes in Russia and the Ukraine will be absorbed back into their respective diocese within 5 years.

Alexandr

I wouldn't mind ROCOR being responsible for all Russian Orthodox parishes outside the borders of the Russian Federation. IMO it could well resolve a few 'issues'...

Actually, that is a very likely scenario!

Alexandr

Have a local case that might be interesting. Concerns a former OCA parish that jumped to ROCOR, primarily over the calendar. The priest was "defrocked" by the OCA bishop (who is now Metropolitan). There had been an ugly lawsuit, and much "bad blood". Since OCA is in communion with Moscow, presumably ROCOR will be in communion with OCA. "Now what do we do"?

Dn. Robert

Well, it is a proverbial "can of worms". So far, the negotiations have been between ROCOR and the MP. But right now, the MP is none too happy with the situation in the OCA. There is even talk of rescinding the Tomos of Autocephaly, and the OCA being absorbed into ROCOR, which has it's good and bad points. But for the time being, all we can assume is that it will be "status quo" until further developments.

Alexandr

My question is ... (drum roll please ) what will be done with the memory of Patriarch Sergius? As you know, ROCOR has not had many nice things to say about him whereas the MP has defended his actions as being necessary and prudent to save the Church. Interesting ...

Patriarch Sergius (Stagorodsky) will go down in history the same as Patriarchs Nikon and Meletios (Metakaxis), as unfortunate men, who made bad decisions, and caused harm to the Church, not by intent, but by human failing.

Alexandr

This has not been the standard interpretation of the MP (I think of Metropolitan Anthony's defense of Sergius). So is there a shift in the current understanding by the MP?

I personally think that is an excellent solution. I know inter-war immigrants and their descendents from Volynia in Alberta who belong to Russian Patriarchal parishes in Edmonton and Northern Alberta. There are also a few Russian Patriarchal parishes in the USA. There is no way these people will or would have anything to do with the OCA because of the New Calendar, use of English instead of Church Slavonic, and lack of respect for Slavic traditions in general. Here in Toronto, people of Russian origins tend to drift towards the ROCOR parishes even if they start at the small OCA parish.

There are and will be individual hierarchs and clergy who have different interpretations, but I believe that Fr Andrew put it quite nicely when he said "The Resolution does not contain a demand to condemn Sergianism, something many expected, nor a demand for repentance by the Moscow Patriarchate. One can say that the most important thing in the life of the Church in Russia in recent years was the glorification of the New Martyrs and the rebirth of church life. We are not talking about accusing each other again, making impossible demands of each other. The Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (adopted at their Council of Bishops in 2000) is principally and essentially antithetical to Sergianism. Now the main thing is to look to the future and be vigilant that there are no departures again within the Church such as those which occurred in the Soviet years. Of course, one must think: will the hierarchy be subjected to the direct threat of martyrdom?

http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/synod/eng2006/11enmaierivsobor.html

Alexandr

That gives me great hope as we think about the past in terms of the reunion of East and West.

I'm not sure how this will be resolved. There are a number of odd circumstances with the whole thing (ROCOR, MP and OCA in North America), both past and present. Some are cleared up with what's being talked about, but some in my opinion are further muddied.

One thing I do not think will happen, for a number of reasons, is that the status of the OCA will be altered by the MP or that the OCA will be folded in to the ROCOR. It's not even clear, judging by the wording of the documents, what will happen with the parallel MP and ROCOR structures in the diaspora (though what will happen in the Russian Federation is clearly spelled out).

Time will tell.