ROCOR was ecumenist from the beginning

DIscussion and News concerning Orthodox Churches in communion with those who have fallen into the heresies of Ecumenism, Renovationism, Sergianism, and Modernism, or those Traditional Orthodox Churches who are now involved with Name-Worshiping, or vagante jurisdictions. All Forum Rules apply. No polemics. No heated discussions. No name-calling.


Post Reply
User avatar
Maria
Archon
Posts: 8428
Joined: Fri 11 June 2004 8:39 pm
Faith: True Orthodox Christian
Jurisdiction: GOC
Location: USA

ROCOR was ecumenist from the beginning

Post by Maria »

http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/syn ... sarev.html

  • Conclusion

    The position of the Russian Church Abroad in relation to the local churches and heterodox Christians has taken two positions: 1) a missionary one, and 2) one of guardianship. The years associated with the former approach coincide with the period in which Metropolitans Anthony and Anastasii headed ROCOR (1920-1964). The second approach began with the times of Metropolitan Philaret and continued to this day, with a noted exception of the fact that after the election of Metropolitan Laurus, relations with other Orthodox Churches began to approach the state they were in during the first period.

    Fundamentally, ROCOR relied not on the letter of Church canons, but on an intuitive understanding of their spirit, which was expressed by the holy Apostle Paul: “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians. 9, 22). Finding herself in such an undefined status during the first period, the Russian Church Abroad did not break communion with the other local churches, although it considered it a duty to lament that which it could not by conscience accept.

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

User avatar
Maria
Archon
Posts: 8428
Joined: Fri 11 June 2004 8:39 pm
Faith: True Orthodox Christian
Jurisdiction: GOC
Location: USA

Re: ROCOR was ecumenist from the beginning

Post by Maria »

There is a picture taken of the solemn procession during the celebration of 1600th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council, headed by Ecclesial Council of Canterbury. In front is Met. Germanos of Thyateira; behind Met. Anthony is his cell-attendant Hieromonk Feodosii. (June 1925)
I originally got this picture from the link below which no longer works.
http://classicalchristianity.com/2014/0 ... ecumenism/

Note in this picture that Met. Anthony and ROCOR engaged in ecumenism with heterodox from eastern and western confessions.

Warning: the website linked above is unabashedly pro-ecumenical.

Below are two excerpts delivered at conference proceedings. This shows Met. Anthony's ambiguity.

"All heterodox confessions are deprived of hierarchical grace, and one cannot exempt the Anglican Church from other Christian confessions, including the Catholic Church." (Metropolitan Antonii (Khrapovitskii), Archpastor of the Russian Diaspora: Conference Proceedings. Edited by Vladimir Tsurikov, p. 105)

VERSUS

"Look with reverence on your [Anglican] pastoral service as upon the highest service of the Lord, if you will be worthy to fulfill your high responsibility… Young people, chosen by God: you are called to the highest earthly service to God — to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth."(Metropolitan Antonii (Khrapovitskii), Archpastor of the Russian Diaspora: Conference Proceedings. Edited by Vladimir Tsurikov, pp. 105-106)

See these links for additional information:
http://orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/photii_2.aspx
http://orthodoxwiki.org/Anthony_%28Khra ... 29_of_Kiev
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/d ... nsultation

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

User avatar
Barbara
Protoposter
Posts: 3983
Joined: Sat 29 September 2012 6:03 pm

Re: ROCOR was ecumenist from the beginning

Post by Barbara »

I guess Met Anthony was taking St Paul's statement quoted above very seriously ! For that is surely what he was doing
issuing the diametrically opposed statements about Anglicans mentioned here. Even understanding this, we wince at that strongly stated support for young Anglican 'pastors' :
"chosen by God" ???
"the highest service of the Lord" ???

What if these same 'pastors' go out and proslytize amongst Russian emigre circles, winning over some proportion of a Rocor flock in Europe ? How will Met Anthony feel then about the Anglican 'pastors' he lauded so effusively - !

The picture is fascinating. That is excellent to catch a rare glimpse [ ? ] of Hieromonk Feodosy, the cell attendant. I remember reading the latter's account of the last months of Met Anthony's life, likely in the Jordanville periodical, Orthodox Life. It was very moving and had me riveted !

Maria, I think it's Deacon Vladimir Tsurikov as the author of the paper.
Fascinating subject.
I will read the entire article by Andre Psarev at that link.

Archimandrit Nilos
Member
Posts: 474
Joined: Tue 25 April 2006 8:34 am

Re: ROCOR was ecumenist from the beginning

Post by Archimandrit Nilos »

I agree totally with this thread. Met. Anthony Khrapovitsky (+1936) was a splitted and dubious person, an ecumenist of clear waters from the beginning of the ROCOR. I think also on Metrop. Seraphim LADE of Berlin and Germany, formerly a Protestant, born in Leipzig, during a time also member of the so called "LIVING CHURCH"(="Erneuererkirche"), also a splitted and dubious person was a leading man in the ROCOR (+1950). Many questions about all these persons and "events" are coming on the surface.

User avatar
Barbara
Protoposter
Posts: 3983
Joined: Sat 29 September 2012 6:03 pm

Re: ROCOR was ecumenist from the beginning

Post by Barbara »

Oh yeah ?? Metropolitan Searaphim Lade was suspicious ? I never knew anything about him, except that he was a German convert. I remember hearing one time somewhere WHY he was given this title of Metropolitan. But I hate to say that I have forgotten. It was something to do with his service in Europe. The situation during WW 2 maybe. No one else but the First Hierarch was otherwise granted this title. Only when Met Anastassy passed the 'torch' to Metropolitan Philaret were there 2 Metropolitans of the Church alive at the same time.
Why would a native-born German receive this exalted title when Russian hierarchs carrying much responsibility did not ?
AND WHY if he had been in the LIVING CHURCH ?? That is tantamount to being a poisonous plant into Rocor.

So Met Seraphim [Lade] was born in Leipzig ? Was he really loyal to Rocor or a maneuverer ? Or worse, a plant ?

User avatar
Maria
Archon
Posts: 8428
Joined: Fri 11 June 2004 8:39 pm
Faith: True Orthodox Christian
Jurisdiction: GOC
Location: USA

Re: ROCOR was ecumenist from the beginning

Post by Maria »

http://anglicanhistory.org/orthodoxy/kh ... s1927.html

Project Canterbury

Code: Select all

Why Anglican Clergy Could Be Received in Their Orders.
By the Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky
(President of the Synod of Karlovtsi).

The Christian East, March, 1927, pp. 60-69.

A BULKY volume was written on this subject by V. A. Sokoloff, the very conservative professor of the Moscow Ecclesiastical Academy, who sets himself to prove that the Apostolic Succession has not been broken in the Anglican Church. The book was published more than thirty years ago.

We shall examine the matter from quite a different point of view, namely, by direct application of the Canons of the Holy Apostles, of the seven Holy Oecumenical Councils, and of the nine Local Councils confirmed by them. ...

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

Dcn.Ephrem
Member
Posts: 118
Joined: Fri 31 May 2013 3:28 pm
Jurisdiction: ROAC

Re: ROCOR was ecumenist from the beginning

Post by Dcn.Ephrem »

Maria wrote:

http://anglicanhistory.org/orthodoxy/kh ... s1927.html

Project Canterbury

Code: Select all

Why Anglican Clergy Could Be Received in Their Orders.
By the Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky
(President of the Synod of Karlovtsi).

The Christian East, March, 1927, pp. 60-69.

A BULKY volume was written on this subject by V. A. Sokoloff, the very conservative professor of the Moscow Ecclesiastical Academy, who sets himself to prove that the Apostolic Succession has not been broken in the Anglican Church. The book was published more than thirty years ago.

We shall examine the matter from quite a different point of view, namely, by direct application of the Canons of the Holy Apostles, of the seven Holy Oecumenical Councils, and of the nine Local Councils confirmed by them. ...

It is important to note that this article is not ecumenistic in any meaningful sense. The entire basis of the Metropolitan's argument is that the Anglicans are separate from the Church and that their rites are therefore graceless. Metropolitan Anthony was actually stricter than most in this regard. In his lifetime he made many enemies by insisting on the Orthodox Church's exclusive claim to grace. It is very unusual that he is now being regarded as some kind of proto-ecumenist. Of course, he labored to bring Anglicans and Old Catholics into the Church, but he was always strict in his insistence that schismatics and heretics were outside of the Church and consequently graceless.

Fr. Deacon Ephrem Cummings
Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church (ROAC)

Post Reply