Free Republic

Full liturgy for the Feast of the Dormition.

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, the Russian Orthodox Church's oldest and most respected bishop, died Monday in London after leading the church in Britain for more than 50 years. He was 89. The Moscow Patriarchate announced his death Tuesday but did not give a cause. He had been in poor health for some time. One of the last direct heirs to Russia's spiritual revival of the early 20th century, Metropolitan Anthony was unique among church hierarchs in that he had enormous spiritual influence both in Russia and in Orthodox communities around the world; both among the church's liberal and conservative members,...