VERTOGRAD (English) Newsletter No. 9, January 31, 2005

Priest Siluan · Post by **Priest Siluan** » Mon 31 January 2005 7:21 pm

IN THIS ISSUE:

Moscow Patriarchate Continues to Sow Religious Hostility in the Caucasus
Unification of ROCOR with Moscow Patriarchate Transferred to Early 2006
TRUE ORTHODOX NEWS

MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE CONTINUES TO SOW RELIGIOUS HOSTILITY IN THE CAUCASUS
(Suzdal Diocesan lists - Vertograd, Zheleznovodsk, Stavropol Region)

The relics of St Ignatius Brianchaninov delivered to the city of Zheleznovodsk became yet another occasion for the application of religious intolerance in the Caucasus. The ruling bishop of the Stavropol diocese of the MP, Bp Theofan (Ashurkov) called the local authorities in to participate in the encounter.

At the Mineralnyevode City Airport the relics were brought down by ladder and carried down the runway by the rector of the Pokrov Church in Zheleznovodsk and N.I. Mudretsov, the head of the Stavropol regional division of the Russian Federal Properties Fund.

After a molieben before the holy relics at the city center (at the foot of a rather imposing statue of Lenin) Bishop Theofan awarded a customary commendation to A. S. Zubtsov, the city mayor. After this, he loudly proclaimed a threat to "schismatics", i.e. to the ROAC community, in reference to its St. Olga Temple-- where it must belong, in his words, "to its rightful owner, His Holiness the Patriarch, and not governed by any foreign, by any American authorities".

The St Olga Temple was erected by the community of the ROAC on the precise pattern of the Tsar Constantine Cathedral in Suzdal. Bishop Theophan's lie can can only serve to divide the inhabitants of Zheleznovodsk, to incite religious conflict and further destabilize the situation in the Stavropol territory, which shares a boundary with the Caucasus.

It is worthy of note how preparations for the "ceremony" followed the style of Soviet demonstrations: the day before the arrival of the relics, Mayor Zubtsov made it mandatory for local businesses and hospitals to send 10-20 people each to participate in a "procession" with the relics. Nothing except aversion and hostility towards the "established church" and religion in general can be caused by such actions.

ROCOR (L) NEWS

UNIFICATION OF ROCOR WITH MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE TRANSFERRED TO EARLY 2006
(Interfax - Portal-Credo.Ru - Vertograd: New York)

ROCOR (L) will solve the key issues of its "reunification" with MP during the All-Diaspora Sobor in first half of 2006, the reason given being that a decision on such an important question requires the convocation of a special All-Diaspora Sobor, said Metropolitan Lavr, the First Hierarch of ROCOR (L) and Bishop of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville.

It was decided that the event would take place in the Joy of All Who Sorrow Cathedral in San Francisco, where the incorrupt relics of St John (Maximovitch)-- some of the most sacred possessions of the Russian dispersion-- are laid.

Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney and Australia has been appointed as the chairman of the pre-Sobor commission, the first meeting of which will take place on February 8, 2005, in San Francisco.

Last week, the Hierarchical Synod of the ROCOR (L) discussed and approved documents accepted during the third joint meeting of bilateral commissions of the MP and the ROCOR on unification which took place in Moscow.

(C) Vertograd, 2004--2005. http://www.vertograd.blogspot.com/
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Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Mon 31 January 2005 8:05 pm

UNIFICATION OF ROCOR WITH MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE TRANSFERRED TO EARLY 2006

ROCOR (L) will solve the key issues of its "reunification" with MP during the All-Diaspora Sobor in first half of 2006, the reason given being that a decision on such an important question requires the convocation of a special All-Diaspora Sobor, said Metropolitan Lavr, the First Hierarch of ROCOR (L) and Bishop of Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville.

This is just more than I can take.

1937 Miraculous Cross · Tue 1 February 2005 12:01 am

Dear Justin,

Many of us have already crossed the threshold. YOu will find peace in the TOC/GOC where there isn't this "reunion with the MP' theme. (I'm talking ROCOR (V), AROC, GOC (Kiousis), TOC (Matthewites), GOC ("Lamians"). Personally, I think you'll find a healthier environment.

I left the ROCOR church after the Oct. 2000 Sobor... and while they are not 'officially' united with the MP, there certainly has not been any slowing down of the process, which in fact only seems to be confirming what many of us who left always feared.

Nectarios

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Tue 1 February 2005 1:55 am

Can someone can show me another source for Met. Laurus saying that ROCOR would "solve the key issues of its 'reunification' with MP during the All-Diaspora Sobor in first half of 2006"?

尼古拉前执事 · Tue 1 February 2005 2:01 am

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Tue 1 February 2005 2:07 am

That's the same source, is it not?

And, I don't speak Russian and the Religion section doesn't seem to be available in English.

Liudmilla · Post by **Liudmilla** » Tue 1 February 2005 6:02 am

ROCOR's "official" version:

Regular Session of the Synod of Bishops Held

On January 27, the winter session of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia concluded, taking place at the Synodal building in New York under the presidency of His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus. Participating were: His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin, Germany and the United Kingdom; His Eminence Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand; His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America; His Grace Bishop Ambroise of Vevey, Administrator of the Geneva and Western European Diocese; and His Grace Bishop Gabriel of Manhattan.

Opening the session, His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus greeted the archpastors on the recent holidays of the Nativity of the Lord and the Theophany and wished everyone good health and God's help in serving the Church and the flock abroad in the New Year. Then,

His Eminence reported on his recent trip to the parishes of South America, where he was able to conduct services in all the countries where parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia exist with the exception of Venezuela. For this reason, His Eminence intends to visit Venezuela in April to conduct services in those parishes on the Annunciation and on the following Sunday.

Hearing the report of the Secretary of the Committee on discussions with the Moscow Patriarchate, Protopriest Alexander Lebedeff, the Synod of Bishops considered and approved the documents adopted during the 3rd joint meeting of the church committees in November of last year, and expressed the hope that in the near future, with the consent of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy and the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate, certain materials will be published which have already been studied and approved by the hierarchies of both branches of the Russian Church.

Then, the Synod of Bishops decided to convene the 4th All-Diaspora Council with the participation of the clergy and laity, tentatively scheduled for the first half of next year at the Cathedral of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" in San Francisco, where the incorruptible relics of St John (Maximovich, +1966) of Shanghai and San Francisco reside; he was a participant of the 2nd All-Diaspora Council. The reliquary containing the miracle-working remains of the saint, known as the" speedy intercessor," is one of the main holy relics of the Russian diaspora. The participants of the coming Council will unite in prayer around him as well as the Miracle-working Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God, the Protectress, in the presence of which the saint himself died.

Archbishop Hilarion of Sydney, Australia and New Zealand was appointed president of the Council's Organizing Committee, the first meeting of which will be held on February 8 in San Francisco.

Because of the scheduled consecration of the St Nicholas Chapel at the Cathedral in Munich, the next session of the Synod of Bishops will be held at St Job of Pochaev Monastery in that city in May of this year, while the autumn session will be held at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville during the celebration of its 75th anniversary, which the Blessed Metropolitan Anastassy (Gribanovsky, +1965) called the "Lavra of the Diaspora" and "our spiritual fortress."