ROCOR latest

[Khaleas]

Russian Orthodox church to vote on ties with Moscow parent

LOUISE CHU

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO - Delegates from the exiled Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia decided Thursday to embrace the Moscow-based church it broke away from after the Bolshevik revolution.
The New York-based church convened the special 134-member All-Diaspora Council, which includes both clergy and lay people, to issue an opinion to bishops. Those 11 bishops will make a final decision next week.
The council, which met at San Francisco's Holy Virgin Cathedral, was only the fourth convened since 1920 when the church split from the Russian Orthodox Church.
The emigre church severed all contact with its parent in 1927, after Patriarch Sergiy issued a declaration of loyalty to the atheistic Communist government.
The Moscow Patriarchate has said Sergiy did so to save the church from ruin, but it recently disavowed the declaration, along with other church documents that "do not express the true voice of the Church of Christ (and) are deemed no longer valid."
Talk of re-establishing ties began after the Soviet collapse in 1991. The two churches set up working groups after a 2003 visit to Russia by three archbishops of the emigre church and a 2004 visit by its head, Metropolitan Laurus.
In his opening address to the council Sunday, Laurus emphasized the issue at hand was not "unification" or "merger" of the two churches. Regardless of the bishops' vote, the Church Outside Russia would maintain administrative control over its roughly 350 communities in Europe, Australia and North America "for we understand the needs of our clergymen and flock better than they are understood in Moscow," Laurus said.

[Khaleas]

So we have to wait another week for the final decision by the Bishops.

[ClementofRome]

Looks promising though.....if the report is trustworthy.

[Khaleas]

Looks promising though.....if the report is trustworthy.

Unless AP got wrong info (which happens now and again) it should be good. My friend from church said it was on the ROCOR mailing list too.

[Michael the Iconographer]

May God guide the ROCOR Bishops!

[Eusebios]

This certainly looks to be wonderful news! I second Michael's prayer for God's providential guidance for the ROCOR Bishops!
Christ is risen!
Eusebios

[Torah613]

Glory to God!

May the Bishops do likewise with God's guidance.

Joe Zollars

[Prawnik]

el double post mas estupido.

[Prawnik]

Not to rain on ya'all's parade, but if ROCOR votes to re-enter communion with the MP, under whose jurisdiction will ROCOR be?

ROCOR is not and has never claimed to be a patriarachate. Instead, ROCOR was created as an emergency response to the belief that the Patriarch and the MP had lost their freedom to act. The ROCOR churches were to return to MP jurisdiction once the emergency had passed.

As much as I want to see the MP/ROCOR rift healed, it appears that this vote will make what was intended to be a temporary irregularity into a permanent one.

[vanshan]

My ROCOR godfather sent me this resolution and says they have voted to unite with the MP. I think it's a done deal, but they must still discuss details of course.

RESOLUTION OF THE IV ALL-DIASPORA COUNCIL



We, the participants of the IV All-Diaspora Council, having gathered in the God-preserved city of San Francisco, in the blessed presence of the Protectress of the Russian Diaspora, the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, and the holy relics of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco, in trembling recognition of the duty laid upon us, in obedience to our Archpastor, Christ, with complete trust and love of the pastors and laity to our First Hierarch, His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus, and the Council of Bishops, attest that as loyal children of the Holy Church, we shall submit to Divine will and obey the decisions of the forthcoming Council of Bishops.
We archpastors, pastors and laymen, members of the IV All-Diaspora Council, unanimously express our resoluteness to heal the wounds of division within the Russian Church—between her parts in the Fatherland and abroad. Our Paschal joy is joined by the great hope that in the appropriate time, the unity of the Russian Church will be restored upon the foundation of the Truth of Christ, opening for us the possibility to serve together and to commune from one Chalice.
Hearing the lectures read at the Council, the reports made by the Commission on negotiations with the corresponding Commission of the Moscow Patriarchate, and the various points of view expressed during the discussions, we express our conciliar consent that it is necessary to confirm the canonical status of the Russian Church Abroad for the future as a self-governing part of the Local Russian Church, in accordance with the Regulations of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia currently in force.
From discussions at the Council it is apparent that the participation of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in the World Council of Churches evokes confusion among our clergy and flock. With heartfelt pain we ask the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate to heed the plea of our flock to expediently remove this temptation.
We hope that the forthcoming Local Council of One Russian Church will settle remaining unresolved church problems.
Bowing down before the podvig [spiritual feats] of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, glorified both by the Russian Church Abroad and by the Russian Church in the Fatherland, we see within them the spiritual bridge which rises above the abyss of the lethal division in the Russian Church and makes possible the restoration of that unity which is desired by all.
And we, the members of the IV All-Diaspora Council, address our brothers and sisters in the faith in our renascent Homeland with the Paschal hymns: "Pascha! Let us embrace each other joyously!"

[vanshan]

They are still saying they hope to commune together from one chalice at "the appropriate time," but it sounds as though they are expressing a clear desire for reunion, but it still must be finalized. It sounds like one term is that the MP stop participating in the WCC, which sounds reasonable, considering the nature of the WCC.

Basil

[ufonium2]

I think if I were considering joining the MP, I would make it on the condition that they pulled out of the WCC. Somehow I don't think my declaration would carry as much weight as ROCOR's, though :)