ROCOR and the Russian Orthodox Church: the prospect of reunification

September 25 - on the day of the meeting of President V.V. Putin at the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in New York with ROCOR hierarchs and clergy - official representative of the Moscow Patriarchate Fr. Vsevolod Chaplin told an Interfax correspondent that the Russian Orthodox Church does not lose hope for the reunification of the Churches.

Father Vsevolod recalled that "the Russian Orthodox Church has repeatedly proposed to the Russian Church Abroad to enter into a dialogue without any preconditions." “I believe,” he said, “that the Lord will lead us to unity, especially since the historical causes of divisions are gone: the revolution, the civil war and the Cold War. According to him, “to the fullness of the Eucharistic, prayerful communion” The Church is "moved by all recent developments in history. After all, the hierarchs, clergy, laity of our Church and those of the Church Abroad communicate more and more with each other, helping each other to withstand the challenges of the secular world both in Russia and in the West."

The hope for rapprochement with the Russian Orthodox Church was also expressed by one of the hierarchs of the Church Abroad, Archbishop Mark (Arndt) of Berlin and Germany. After a meeting with the Russian President, he said: "Our task in the current situation, of course, is to overcome the obstacles to rapprochement, to find a common language and a common path."

The Pastoral Conference of the ROCOR Chicago Diocese on October 12 adopted a resolution expressing the hope for a speedy reunification with the ROCOR. And on October 29, at a conference of the Australian diocese, a resolution was adopted stating that the Church Abroad has never separated from the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian people and only temporarily enjoys self-government on the basis of the decree of 362 St. Patriarch Tikhon. This resolution, in addition to 24 clerics, was also signed by ROCOR First Hierarch Metropolitan Laurus, Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney and Australia and New Zealand, and Bishop Gabriel of Manhattan, Secretary of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops. (For more details about this resolution and the mentioned resolution N 362, see the article by hegumen Innokenty (Pavlov) in "NG-Religions" .)

However, the latter, speaking on November 9 at the Orthodox Conference of the Southern States of the United States, stated that the condition for reunification should be the renunciation of Sergianism and ecumenism by the ROC. Bishop Gabriel recalled that the ROCOR Synod had anathematized ecumenism and that this decision remained in force. This statement was received with approval by opponents of rapprochement with the ROC, while supporters of reunification pointed out that the words of the bishop contradict the latest statements of other hierarchs of the Church Abroad and the resolution of the Australian Diocese Pastoral Conference, under which he himself signed.

On November 11, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, Secretary for Inter-Orthodox Relations of the DECR MP, said in an interview that the Moscow Patriarchate considers the division of Churches "historically obsolete." On November 17-25, the first official visit to Moscow of a ROCOR delegation headed by Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany, Bishop Hilarion of Sydney and Australia and New Zealand, and Bishop Kirill of San Francisco and Western America is to take place.

On November 16, Portal-Credo.ru, citing Our Country magazine, reported that 14 clergymen of the Eastern American Diocese of ROCOR expressed their concern about the "lightning speed of developing events" in a letter to Metropolitan Laurus and members of the Council. The clerics suggested that “someone is using the archpastors of the Church Abroad for their own political interests,” and turned to them with a request “only one thing: to take seriously the great responsibility that you bear for us and for our precious flock. We we cannot now enter into Eucharistic communion with the Moscow Patriarchate because no ecclesiastical agreement has been reached between us, without which we cannot prayerfully say "unanimity of confession."

Priests of the Eastern American Diocese also ask that the Council not make "any decisions that would be contrary to our pastoral conscience", and otherwise threaten to withdraw from submission, since "this violence will be unbearable. We cannot in one day cross out the entire history of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia".

was distributed At the same time, a letter from Bishop Daniel of Iria, Vicar of the Chairman of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops for serving the Old Believers, dated October 20, . Bishop Daniel believes that “improvement of relations with the Moscow Patriarchate should be recognized as desirable as far as possible, but merging with it should be resolutely rejected, since this would mean the “self-abolition” of the Church Abroad, to which we have no moral right. church to the Moscow Patriarch, those of us and our flocks for whom submission to him is unacceptable would be left without a church, which would contradict the main purpose of all church rules, as mentioned at the beginning.Therefore, it is better for us to remain in our present position, although difficult, but according to conscience is the only right thing."

Another voice against unification is a letter from Hieromonk Andrei (Zalizetsky) (ROCOR) to "the compilers of the message for the forthcoming council of bishops." In his opinion, the draft conciliar message, which refers to reunification with the Russian Orthodox Church, testifies that "bishops clearly exceed their power. Bishops have the right to EXPRESS the will of the Church, to speak on her behalf, but no one gave them the right to dictate their will to the CHURCH IN MATTERS OF THE FAITH, without consultation with the clergy and laity, without even informing them of what is happening... <...> When bishops, without consultation with the clergy and laity, rush to meet those whom a dozen years ago they themselves called "Christ-sellers" , "red priests", "Sergians" and other unflattering epithets, then this is a betrayal of the Church.

was circulated in the media . In November, a letter from ROCOR(L) parishioners, who also opposed unification with the Moscow Patriarchate,

On November 17, an official ROCOR delegation arrived in Moscow, which included: Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany, Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney and Australia and New Zealand, Bishop Kirill of San Francisco and Western America, Archpriest Nikolai Artemov, Secretary of the German Diocese, and Archpriest Peter Kholodny , Treasurer of the Synod of Bishops. On November 19, under the chairmanship of Alexy II, negotiations were held at the Patriarchal Residence of the Holy Danilov Monastery, at which, in addition to the Patriarch, the Russian Orthodox Church was represented by: Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, and Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the DECR MP. Also participating were Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), the abbot of the Moscow Sretensky Monastery, and Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR Secretary for Inter-Orthodox Relations.

issued by the DECR MP A press release on the course of the talks notes: “At the meeting, the will of both sides to establish communion of prayer and the Eucharist was expressed. to church unity in the spirit of true repentance, relying on the common canonical Tradition and with respect for the church-administrative realities that have developed during the twentieth century.Such a rapprochement, heartily expected by the children of the Russian Church both in the Fatherland and in diaspora, will be an important contribution to the spiritual overcoming the tragic consequences of the revolution and the Civil War in Russia, felt over many decades of confrontation and misunderstanding.

Consideration of the issues discussed at the meeting will be continued at meetings of the Holy Synod and the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as the Synod of Bishops and the Council of the Russian Church Abroad.

The most important milestone on the path to unity should be the visit to Moscow of the Chairman of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad, Metropolitan Laurus, in early 2004. During the visit, an agreement is expected to be signed that defines the canonical, pastoral and ecclesiastical-practical foundations for the unity of the Russian Church.

During the negotiations, which took place in a warm atmosphere of mutual understanding, respect and frankness, the wish was also expressed that the movement towards unity would no longer encounter new obstacles through statements or actions that could damage the process of mutual rapprochement.

Meanwhile, columnists for Nezavisimaya Gazeta O. Nedumov and D. Shchipkov drew attention to the fact that the briefing on the results of the talks at St. Daniel's Monastery was cancelled. In their opinion, "this means that the negotiations are far from going as smoothly as expected. Most likely, the differences on specific issues turned out to be so serious that they did not even allow general "conciliatory" statements to be made to journalists."

O. Nedumov and D. Shchipkov believe that the “Sergianism” and “ecumenism” of the ROC are not an insurmountable obstacle to the merger of the Churches, but “the question of the ROCOR’s church property and the problem of its administrative self-government should probably become much more important during the negotiations.” "According to the statutory documents of the Church Abroad, all movable and immovable property is at the disposal of parishes and monasteries registered as independent legal entities. In the event of the liquidation of a particular community or monastery, their property should automatically be transferred to the disposal of the diocese or the ROCOR Synod of Bishops. communities to another jurisdiction are not specified in the statutory documents, but it can be assumed that if a split occurs in ROCOR and part of the parishes pass into the jurisdiction of the MP, they will be able to take with them all their property, including money accounts in banks.

On November 20, "Portal-Credo.ru" published a statement dated October 22 by Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany to the meeting of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops. This document, in particular, says: “Undoubtedly, we rightfully treated the Moscow Patriarchate very critically even 10-15 years ago. But during this time there have been fundamental changes (including in the quantitative and qualitative composition of the episcopate). and the healing process continues.There is no reason to exclude oneself from this process or, what would be even worse, to actually oppose oneself to it.<...>

Recognizing ourselves as only a part of the Russian Orthodox Church, we should, on the basis of the canonical rules of the Russian Church itself (Decree No. 362, etc.), recognize the Moscow Patriarchate as one of the self-governing parts of the same Russian Church, leaving the future All-Russian Council to speak out about the possible presence of other parts of our one ecclesiastical body.

In search of unity, we should not talk about "subordination", "attachment", "reunification", "absorption", etc., but only about humbly recognizing one after another the status of a part of the unified Russian Orthodox Church. The very path of the search for unity is presented exclusively as a conciliar feat, in which all parts of the one Church are aware of their origin from a single source, taking into account both their own path traveled amid the terrible events of the 20th century, and the path of other parts of the Russian Church, performed in exceptional circumstances. and unprecedented in such a volume hitherto in the history of the Church.

On November 20, a representative of the delegation of the Church Abroad, treasurer of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops, Archpriest Peter Kholodny, stated in an interview with RIA Novosti that "the members of the delegation are very pleased with the results of the negotiations."

The parish of the Church Abroad in Birobidzhan has announced that it will not unite with the Moscow Patriarchate until conciliar repentance for "Sergianism" and ecumenism has been brought. The rector of the parish, publisher of the Chrysostom magazine, Priest Dimitry Kaplun, stated that the ROCOR hierarchs "acted like a Christian, asking for forgiveness for their harshness," but there is "not a hint of repentance or a sense of their own wrongness" from the hierarchs of the ROC MP.

On November 21, a press conference was held at the Danilovsky hotel complex, at which the preliminary results of the negotiations were summed up. The press conference was attended by Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, and the head of the ROCA delegation, Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany. Both sides expressed their satisfaction, first of all, with the very fact of the meeting, and also noted the length and complexity of the forthcoming process for the resumption of Eucharistic communion between the ROC and ROCOR.

On the same day, ROCOR First Hierarch Metropolitan Laurus issued a statement in which he refuted reports that created "the impression that the delegation had not only clarified with representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate their positions on a number of issues, but had already taken a number of concrete steps and decisions." He urged "the flock not to make hasty conclusions and remain calm" and stressed that "the delegation cannot single-handedly make fundamental decisions concerning the fate of our entire Church. Such issues are exclusively within the competence of the supreme body of church authority, within the competence of the Council of Bishops."

On December 6, "Portal-Credo.ru" published an appeal from ROCOR laity to Metropolitan Laurus and the Council of Bishops. The authors of the document note the role of lay organizations in the history of the Orthodox Church and state: "Taking into account ... the extremely negative events now taking place in the Russian Federation, with the return of people from the KGB to most of the key places of state administration, the restoration of the Soviet anthem, the return of the red flag and a red star with a hammer and sickle, the restoration of monuments to Soviet theomachists, etc., etc., we, the faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, remembering its main precepts, are extremely negative about any negotiations with the Moscow Patriarchate at this time. The Moscow Patriarchate will embark on a truly ecclesiastical path of free catholicity, openly admit all the horror of what the Bolsheviks have done, get rid of the "red bishops" and begin to constantly commemorate all "those who died at the hands of godless communists", then, perhaps, we will have something in common. For now, we're on our way."

Before the start of the All-Diaspora Pastoral Conference "The Path of the Russian Church Abroad in the Past and Future" in Nyack, Metropolitan Laurus gave an interview to the Kommersant newspaper. In particular, answering a reporter's question about possible forms of unification of the Churches, he said: "In any case, we cannot talk about administrative unity. It is absolutely impossible, even practically. The most we can talk about is communion and co-service."

of the clerics of the Russian parishes of ROCOR to the All-Diaspora Pastoral Conference was published In December, the appeal . Welcoming the attempts to overcome the division of the Russian Church, the authors of the appeal, however, again focus on the commitment of the Moscow Patriarchate to "Sergianism" and ecumenism. In addition, ROCOR clerics expressed their fear that the property of the Church Abroad would become the property of the Russian state, "the legitimacy and continuity of which with Imperial Russia is in doubt, and the continuity with Soviet Russia is indisputable." "We are invited to voluntarily commit what was previously forcibly committed by the communists and their political allies, in the presence and with the assistance of the Moscow Patriarchate," the appeal says.

Sources

• The Moscow Patriarchate hopes for reunification with ROCOR // Portal-Credo.ru. 2003. 25 September.
• ROCOR hierarchs see the meeting with Putin as the basis for achieving the unity of Russian Orthodoxy // RIA News. 2003. September 26.
• Separation of the ROC and ROCOR in the Moscow Patriarchate is considered "historically obsolete" // NEWSru.com. 2003. November 12.
• We have never separated from the Russian Orthodox Church, ROCOR(L) hierarchs and clerics have said // Portal-Credo.ru. 2003. November 13.
• Bishop of ROCOR(L) declared that the ROC-MP should renounce ecumenism and Sergianism // There.
• Bishop Daniel of Iria (ROCOR): Uniting with the Moscow Patriarchate Means Self-Abolition of the Church Abroad // There.
• DOCUMENT: Letter from Hieromonk Andrei (Zalizetsky) (ROCOR(L)) regarding a possible unification with the ROC-MP // There. November 17th.
• Glory to the Unifying President! It is unlikely that the "unification of the Russian Church" conceived by Putin will go like clockwork... // There. November 18th.
• DOCUMENT: Letter from ROCOR(L) laity protesting against the upcoming unification with the ROCOR-MP // There. November 18th.
• Visit to Moscow of the Delegation of the Russian Church Abroad // DECR MP Communication Service. 2003. November 19.
• DOCUMENT: Statement by Archbishop Mark to the meeting of the ROCOR(L) Synod of Bishops // Portal-Credo.ru. 2003. November 20.
• The delegation of the Russian Church Abroad is satisfied with the talks in Moscow // RIA News". 2003. November 20.
• The Birobidzhan parish of ROCOR(L) will not unite with the ROC MP until it brings "conciliar repentance for ecumenism and Sergianism" // Portal-Credo.ru. 2003.
• "We have a mutual desire to overcome the division caused by the tragic events of the 20th century": The first results of the visit of the official delegation of the Russian Church Abroad summed up // DECR MP Communication Service. 2003. November 21.
• DOCUMENT: Statement by ROCOR(L) First Hierarch Metropolitan Laurus // Portal-Credo.ru. 2003. November 22.
• "BULLETIN OF THE GERMAN DIOCESE OF ROCOR": Meeting of the delegation from the Russian Church Abroad with Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus' and members of the Synod of the ROCOR MP // There. December 3rd.
• DOCUMENT: Appeal of ROCOR(L) Laity to Metropolitan Laurus and the Council of Bishops // There. December 6.
• MEDIA MONITORING: We are not talking about the administrative unity of the ROC and ROCOR. Interview with ROCOR(L) First Hierarch Metropolitan Laurus // There. December 8th.
• APPEAL to the All-Diaspora Pastoral Conference and the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia // Chrysostom. 2003. December.