Society Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia to join Moscow Patriarchate

rian.ru ^ | 21/06/2005 | RIA Novosti, Olga Lipich

[Destro]

21/06/2005

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia to join Moscow Patriarchate

MOSCOW, June 21 (RIA Novosti, Olga Lipich) - The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) is set to join the Moscow Patriarchate as a self-governed branch, similar to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The union was envisaged by a draft act on canonical communication, which was published Tuesday on the official Web sites of the foreign ties department of the Moscow Patriarchate and ROCOR, along with other documents adopted by the cross commissions for the bilateral dialogue.

"These documents cover the key issues that ROCOR considered to be major obstacles on the way to a full dialogue," said Protopope Nikolai Balashov, the secretary for Orthodox ties of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Under the draft act, ROCOR will retain independence in terms of organization, but will still become part of the Moscow Partriarchate. By way of example, he cited the Ukrainian, Latvian, Moldovan and Estonian Orthodox Churches, all branches of the Moscow Patriarchate.

According to the draft act, "ROCOR is independent in terms of pastoral, enlightening, administrative, economic, property and secular issues."

The document also states that ROCOR bishops are members of the Local and Bishop Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, and can participate in the Holy Synod sessions. ROCOR will also receive its holy oil from the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The cross commissions for dialogue between the Moscow Patriarchate and ROCOR were established in December 2003. Metropolitan Laurus, the ROCOR Protohierarch, visited Russia in May 2004. Then the sides decided to begin the work of the commissions, and determined the range of issues to be discussed.

Since then, four joint sessions have been held.

"We are hopeful that the commissions will finish their work before the all-Foreign Council next May," Balashov said.

[dangus]

Does ROCOR represent the preponderance of Russian Orthodox in North America?

[Theophane]

I believe that the situation is that within the Orthodox jurisdictions in the US, there are the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), which represents the former Russian Orthodox Metropolia and similar groups, and is an autocephalic (self-governing) church; then there is the ROCOR, which is part of the worldwide Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (or-- Outside Russia). I understand that the OCA may have about 350,000 members here in the US (and some in a rather limited number of missions elsewhere if I'm not mistaken, as in Mexico). ROCOR is said to have about 1 million members worldwide, of which I could only hazard a wild guess that there are maybe 200,000 in the US.

This is a very big development within the Orthodox world, and could be analogized to the Society of St Pius X regularizing its status with the Roman Catholic Church (for which fervent prayers are hereby offered), but maybe even bigger. I have frequently seen it said that the ROCOR is kind of the Orthodox analog to the SSPX. I see this as part of a trend in Orthodox jurisdictions toward more conservative ways of living, believing and worshipping, evidenced also by the rejuvenation of many of the monasteries on Mount Athos, the establishment of Athonite monateries in the US, and the union (and thus regularization) of the St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood with the Serbian Orthodox Church, among other things. The influence of the late Fr. Seraphim Rose here continues to grow as well.

Our own Roman authorities should take note that Orthodoxy is becoming more, not less, traditional. I am sure this is not lost on Pope Benedict.

[sanormal]

Altogether the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia has over 400 parishes, monasteries and convents in 40 countries around the world, served by 573 priests. There are 133 worshiping communities in the United States, and 22 in Canada. There are several monasteries, the most important of which is Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York, which has 38 monks. There are five communities in the United Kingdom under the spiritual guidance of Bishop Mark, who resides in Munich, Germany. Archbishop Hilarion Kapral presides over the 21 parishes in the Australian Diocese, including three in New Zealand (18 Chelmsford Avenue, Croydon, NSW 2132). There are also two monasteries, one for men near Cooma, New South Wales, and another for women near Campbelltown, New South Wales.


Location: Worldwide and in Russia
Head: Metropolitan Laurus (born 1928, elected 2001)
Title: Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
Residence: New York, New York, USA
Membership: 150,000
Website: http://www.synod.com

Source: The Eastern Christian Churches – A Brief Survey (6th edition)

by Ronald Roberson, CSP

http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg.aspx?eccpageID=49&IndexView=toc