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Churches United
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In Tuesday All-Russia’s Patriarch Alexy II of Russian Orthodox Church and Metropolitan Laurus of Orthodox Church Outside Russia signed a historic document - a Canonical Communion Act. The first joint service was timed to the great holiday of the Ascension.
The ceremony was provided in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in presence of the president Vladimir Putin, Moscow major Yuri Luzhkov, head of JSC Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin, the first vice-speaker of the State Duma Lyubov Sliska, deputies from the Ukrainian Party of Regions and the Supreme Council of the Crimea. Thousands of palmers both from Russia and from abroad and about 500 journalists assembled in the Cathedral.
Near open Holy Gates a table with two copies of the Act was placed. Patriarch Alexy has put his signature with green ink (green is a patriarchal colour). After the Act was signed by both sides, Patriarch Alexy and Metropolitan Laurus kissed thrice and the Metropolitan kissed Patriarch’s hand, acknowledging his supremacy.
Then Alexy II presented to Vladimir Putin a casket with a Trinity triptych for his contribution on the reunion of the Churches. “Let it stay as a memory about this day that has united us all” - the Patriarch said to the President. Putin kissed three times with the Patriarch and the Metropolitan.
Putin said that now there is no ground for a tragedy that has become obsolete, for outdated confrontation. After that the first joint service in the Cathedral has begun.
The signing of the Act of Canonical Communion restores formally the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church that has been split over 80 years ago. Now priests of both branches of Russian orthodoxy can hold common services and the faithful can receive Communion from one chalice. The Act declares the Orthodox Church Outside Russia to be an integral self-directed part of the Russian Orthodox Church and acknowledges its supremacy. The ROCOR stays independent in some questions, i.e. administrative, civil, property and economic affairs and the Moscow Patriarchate will not interfere in everyday life of the Church Outside Russia but is has received the right to approve all appointments of high clergy.
However some foreign observers predict that after the reunion the ROCOR will not stay independent for long and soon will fully join the Moscow Patriarchy.
It should be mentioned that some foreign clerical discommend the union of two Churches, since not all priests and parishioners are ready to overcome distrust to the “red church”. The Russian Church was split in 1927 after Metropolitan Sergy had called to loyalty to the soviet power and emigrant priest had refused to obey the Moscow Patriarchy. Then Patriarch Tikhon allowed separate existence of the Orthodox Church abroad until Russia gets rid of the “godless authority”.
Now, advocates of the union say, all the obstacles are pushed aside: the godless power has fallen down, Nikolay II and his family killed by Bolsheviks are canonized. So, the union of the two Churches will symbolize return of the country to its pre-revolutionary greatness.
Opponents of the union, whose mouthpiece became head of the South America eparchy archpriest Georgy Petrenko, reproach the Moscow Patriarchy that it has not fulfilled all conditions of the foreign church, i.e. it has not condemned heresy of Ecumenism and Sergianism, thereafter collaboration with The World Council of Churches and with the Bolsheviks.
The day before the adviser of Russian Church Outside Russia’s commission Father Nikolay Savchenko told to Kommersant Daily, that at present about 20-25% clericals and parishioners of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia are against the union with the Russian Orthodox Church. According to him about in a year there could be a new split if the Russian Orthodox Church does not repudiate the Ecumenism, that implies leaving the World Council of Churches.
This statement caused quite a harsh reaction of the Russian Orthodox Church. Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy deacon Andrey Kuraev argued that at our days “about 80-90 percents of the faithful of the ROCOR are people who leaved Russia in the 90s, not descendants of emigrants”
“ It is just they who made priests and bishops to change their opinion, their attitude toward Russia and its spiritual life. At least this fact shows that it is impossible that a third of the ROCOR parishioners are dissidents. He called the newspaper to publish on the day after the signature of the Act official apologizes for that information.