I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, but the identity saith, all ye, and so will not be in your strife, that ye may be also approved in perfect prudence and perfect thoughts (1 Cor 1: 10.) - the holy apostle Paul calls us. Following the natural desire to be of one mind in the faith of Christians, which unity is the outward expression of the mysterious unity of the Body of Christ, by this Act, we, the undersigned bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Bishops Council of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church, bear witness to the full canonical communion between us.
Numerous divisions in our local Russian Orthodox Church have emerged in the era of persecution of the twentieth century and have been associated with both the machinations of persecutors, following the old principle of 'divide and rule', with differences in theological and canonical views. For centuries, these differences were present in our church and secretly broke out after a godless revolution. But if the Sergianist Renovators had fallen away from the Church in a fundamental, religious character, the division among the True Orthodox were and still are mostly purely administrative, not accompanied by differences in faith. So, the Catacomb True Orthodox Church in the Fatherland and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia mutually recognize each other. In addition, the hierarchy of ROCOR in Russia has helped the Catacomb Church to be restored.
New temptations face our Church after the fall of the atheist regime. Firstly, the persecution of the True Orthodox in Russia has not stopped, but has acquired new forms, sometimes more subtle and dangerous than it was during open atheism. Secondly, the Church has been enriched with a mass of new converts from among the[ former atheists or followers of the Sergianist Patriarchate. In addition, the Church has been weakened with the spirit of unhealthy "competition" and sinful lust for power. Many of us have been responsible for the new division because of the fervor, lack of prudence and love, too much suspicion of neighbors and other sinful, but venial (through repentance) human weaknesses. The new division, while painful and sinful, did not involve falling away into heresy or schism in the strict canonical sense. Such separation is well known in church history, which gives us a lot of examples of how the Orthodox find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict caused by a misunderstanding. Recognizing such division is the first step in the healing of a person, and we see this healing as the duty of Orthodox bishops. Now we have to forget old feuds and not return to them.
On this basis, having repentance for our division, and asking for forgiveness from each other and all the True Orthodox Bishops of the Russian tradition, we, the bishops of the True Orthodox Church of Russia, agree to the following:
The Russian Orthodox Church unites now all true Orthodox Christians who reject the ancient heresies, convicted by the Holy Fathers, and the latest Sergianism heresy, ecumenism and imyaborchestvo (Name-fighting or those who are against the heresy of Name-Worshiping), regardless of their organizational and administrative situation of these Christians.
For historical reasons, the Orthodox Russian Church is currently deprived of a common organization, formed by the Local Council of the Higher bodies of church authority, obedience, which should be mandatory for all its bishops, clergy and laity.
The True Orthodox hierarchs of the Russian Church in these circumstances have combined to form temporary church organizations (sometimes called a small cathedral) or they continue to exist independently, which, however, does not release them from the obligation to be in full communion with each other, where the faithful and priests in their diocese can concelebrate.
None of the above time-church organizations, and none of the True Orthodox bishops of the Russian Church does not have the powers of ecclesiastical authority over other similar organizations, and bishops, but every small or independent Cathedral Bishop guided by their own internal traditions and orders, not conflict with the general church law. Only dogmatic and canonical issues, because their value goes beyond the lives of individual religious associations are subject to joint discussion of all the Bishops, have come together in the full church and canonical communion.
The differences in historical facts or seemingly incompatible political views should not be an obstacle for communication between True Orthodox Christians. The Apostle Paul even admits that a certain share of disagreements between Christians occurred on minor issues, reminding us to cover this difference of opinion with love.
None of the bishops have authority over one another, but all are brothers in Christ.
This Act is drawn up in seven copies (one copy for each of the signatories) for the two groups of bishops: the Russian Orthodox Church and the Bishops Council of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church.
We invite all the bishops, historically associated with the Russian Orthodox Church, and we share the same true-Orthodox confession of faith, denouncing the heresy of ecumenism Sergianism and leave the old quarrels and restore communion in the bosom of a single True Orthodox Church of Russia.
Metropolitan of Moscow and All-Russia of Damascus
Archbishop of Zaporizhia and John Malorossiysky
Bishop of Belgorod and South-Russian Mikhail
Vladimir Bishop
Bishop Gregory of Petrograd and Gdov
Bishop Sebastian Chelyabinsk
Bishop of Kaluga and Obninsk Ignatius
Approved: in the village Myatlevo Kaluga diocese in the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow."
June 26 / July 9, 2016
Mother of God Tihfinskiya