"Does this seem to you more like the MP asking for his support or like Met Herman trying to appear relevant?"
Mostly it looks like +Herman is trying to find a comfortable monastery far, far away from the US!
I must say, it does seem highly unlikely that the MP sought out this "vote of confidence".
It does. And it seems to me that with +Alexy II getting along so well with First Heirarch Metropolitan Laurus (Not to mention +Alexy II seemingly weighing in that the Russian churches outside Russia should promote Russian culture; something counter to the OCA mission statement) that +Herman may be grasping after relevance and favor.
I can probably find the article but I know the MP has said a few things on how they are trying to keep Russian culture alive for Russian's who've left Russia. This could make +Herman a bit nervous given the OCA's push for New Calendar English Liturgy parishes (many with pews).
17 April 2006, 14:58
Division in Russian Orthodox Church senseless - patriarch
Moscow, April 17, Interfax - Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexy II said on Monday that he prays for the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church inside and outside Russia in every service he ministers.
"Today there are no reasons for schism between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian people who found themselves abroad during the Revolution. It is our duty to resolve problems that remain in our relations," he said.
Many Russian emigrants have died and the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia "is losing its Russian nature," he said.
He called on members of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia who still accuse the Moscow Patriarchate of cooperation with the Bolsheviks to review their opinion.
The accusations are mostly based on the appeal by Metropolitan Sergius (Stargorodsky), who asked the Soviet authorities not to regard the Church as a counter-revolutionary organization in 1927. Some Russian emigrants viewed the appeal as a form of cooperation with the atheistic regime.
Metropolitan Sergius was trying to rescue the Church and put an end to the executions of clerics on counter-revolutionary charges, Alexy II said. The metropolitan showed that the Church rejoices at the Fatherland's joys and grieves at its sorrows, he said.