Second MP-ROCOR conference on church unity, in Moscow

[Cyril]

This just in from http://www.sedmitza.ru, a Moscow Patriarchal site. The MP and ROCOR are having their second conference. No bishops are involved. The article, in Russian: http://www.sedmitza.ru/index.html?sid=158&did=2093&call_action=popup1(topic)

From an announcement on http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net:

The top news item on the above website of the MP's "Orthodox Encyclopedia" reports that a second meeting of MP and ROCOR began November 13th in Moscow's Andreyevsky Monastery. The meeting was organized by ROCOR's commission on Russian church unity. The first such meeting took place about a year ago in Hungary with the assistance of the Serbian patriarchate. Hierarchs are not involved in this meetings/working sessions, which thus far involve only mid-level representatives. ROCOR's clerics who arrived in Moscow: Archpriest Nicholas Artyomov, secretary of the German diocese, and archpriests Peter Perekrestov, Alexander Lebedeff, Victor Potapov. Among the MP participants: Archpriest Valentin Asmus and Georgy Mitrofanov, archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), Priest Georgy Orekhanov (St. Tikhon's Theological Institute), as well as exoerts/historians: Olga Vasilyeva, Mikhail Shkarovsky, Sergey Firsov. The conference will last until Nov. 16.

[尼古拉前执事]

Yes, they do meet and this drove ROCiE out of the Church because of it, but until the MP fixes the errors as listed by ROCOR reunification will not come. I think that it will only be after the current Patriarch, Alexy II reposes that reunification will be possible. With his KGB past, and so many ROCOR members from Russia that were hurt or know someone hurt by the KGB, the reunification with Alexy as Patriarch would probably only cause further schism. Thats my 2 kopecs anyway. God Bless!

[Seraphim Reeves]

...I have a hard time understanding what this will accomplish if no heirarchs are involved.

While I think union between brothers is always desirable, I think SOME folks on "our side of the fence" are just a little too eager. As Nik mentioned, such imprudence has caused plenty of problems of itself (giving scandal to the weaker brethren, to the point that they form a sect.)

Seraphim