Bishop Gregory Addresses ROCOR (L)

[Seraphim Reeves]

An Address to the Members of ROCA (L) by Bishop Gregory of Denver and Colorado was just posted to the Euphrosynos Cafe (http://www.euphrosynoscafe.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1331) by Father George of Dormition Skete. I would strongly suggest everyone take a look at it, most particularly those who it is explicitly addressed to.

Bishop Gregory Addresses the ROCOR (http://www.euphrosynoscafe.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1331)

Seraphim

[Maximus]

Oh, man.

Glad I am not involved in all that.

I had heard that reunion is imminent.

I have lived in Russia. I attended Russian Orthodox churches there. I saw no signs of any lingering communism. Just the opposite.

It's not my place to sit in judgment on this one, but I don't see the current MP as the same as the MP under Bolshevism.

All we need is another schism.

[Reader Nilus]

The following is from:
Religious Groups That Use 'Orthodox' in Their Names But Are Not Canonical (http://a_g_green_jr.tripod.com/OtherOrthodox.html)Eastern Orthodox Churches (http://a_g_green_jr.tripod.com/OtherOrthodox.html) on Al Green's website.

Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church (http://roac-suzdal.narod.ru/)- AKA: Suzdalites. This group, like the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), seems to have broken away from the canonical Church of Russia in protest to the Russian church's complicity for the sake of survival with the Soviet government. There also seems to be some relationship between this sect and others known as the Free Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Catacomb Church, both of which are outside the unity of world Orthodoxy. In an tediously long justification that prints 40 pages, these schismatics point fingers and practically brand all other jurisdictions, canonical, uncanonical, and noncanonical alike, as heretics. Saint Basil of Kineshma Chapel (http://home.earthlink.net/~russianorthodox/index.html), a "home" chapel at the residence of "priest" Dionysi McGowan in Staunton, VA.
It seems ROCA is just a little worried that if ROCOR and the MP heal their split then it will be apparent what ROCA is.
Jeff the Finn

[Euphrosynos]

Of course Al Green also thinks to be "canonical Orthodox" you have to be in communion with the EP, (Neo-Papal Patriarchalism) which is not part of any of the canons whatsoever. He also has the url of Saint Basil of Kineshma Russian Orthodox Church's web site wrong. http://www.SaintBasilChurch.org

[Orthodox6]

Ok, I followed the link to the post by Bp. Gregory, and the snake's nest of replies (which I stopped reading after the first page).

I do not personally know Bp. Gregory. I do know a tiny bit about his jurisdictional hopping of recent years. How do I know this? Because I am a personal friend of "the kook who used to be the priest of the ROCOR parish in Denver."

SATAN, GET YOUR NONCORPOREAL POSTERIOR (euphemistically put, for politeness' sake) OFF THE INTERNET, AND OUT OF THE SOULS OF ALL PEOPLE WHO POST INSULTS, SLANDER, INNUENDO, AND HATEFULNESS ON THE INTERNET -- AND GET IT OUT OF THE SOULS OF SINNERS LIKE MYSELF WHO POLLUTE THEMSELVES BY READING MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE OF SUCH TRASH. (We have to read one sentence, else we don't know what something is.)

Please move your link to the "Indiana List", or one of the Yahoo Orthodox "hate-lists", where it belongs.

THANK YOU.

[Reader Nilus]

"Those who attack the Church of Christ by teaching that Christ's Church is divided into so-called "branches" which differ in doctrine and way of life, or that the Church does not exist visibly, but will be formed in the future when all "branches" or sects or denominations, and even religions will be united into one body; and who do not distinguish the priesthood and mysteries of the Church from those of the heretics, but say that the baptism and eucharist of heretics is effectual for salvation; therefore, to those who knowingly have communion with these aforementioned heretics or who advocate, disseminate, or defend their new heresy of Ecumenism under the pretext of brotherly love or the supposed unification of separated Christians, Anathema!"
The Russian Church Abroad's Anathema on Ecumenism. (http://www.russianorthodoxautonomouschurchinamerica.com/)
The ROCA bishop Gregory writes this:
The ROCOR bishops and many of the clergy are attempting to cleverly mislead the faithful to follow them into a tragic and destructive sin...
How is it sin to be in communion with the Orthodox Church? Unless of course according to Gregory we are not Orthodox at all and fall into the anathemas he and his fellows of ROCA pronounced on everyone but themselves. It is true Gregory George went church hopping, in search of the "true church", which sounds to me very protestant, he did not like Antioch so he went to ROCOR, he did not like ROCOR so he went somewhere else.
I guess I am on the road to heat, because I am in communion with heretics, and therefore under anathema of the ROCA sect.
Jeff the Finn

[Euphrosynos]

I do not personally know Bp. Gregory.
...
I am a personal friend of "the kook who used to be the priest of the ROCOR parish in Denver."

Huh? What are you talking about. The kook comment was someone's personal attack on Bishop Gregory. Do you not know him or are you a personal friend of him?

[Orthodox6]

The posted enquiry, if I recall it correctly, was whether or not Bp. Gregory was "that kook who . . ." The poster was fumbling for something to see if he knew or not who Bp. Gregory is.

Bp. Gregory never was the priest at the Denver, ROCOR parish. The parish website lists every priest ever assigned there. An Orthodox priest, who once served there, has borne rude insults because of his decision to leave; he is one of my friends from many years back. Since not every person who slams an individual knows all pertinent facts, I blew up at the allusion -- something that I do not often do on the Internet -- because this time I knew what I was talking about.

[Euphrosynos]

huh?