The First–Hierarch of the Russian True–Orthodox Church Archbishop Lazar (Zhurbenko) Reposed in the Lord
Archbishop Lazar (Zhurbenko) of Odessa and Tambov, the First–Hierarch of the Russian True–Orthodox Church, reposed in the Lord on June 30, "Portal–Credo.Ru" reports. Archbishop Benjamin (Rusalenko) of Black Sea and Kuban has become the locum tenens of the church.
Archbishop Lazar (in the world Theodore Iosifovich Zhurbenko) was one of the mopst famus and respected hierarchs of "alternative Orthodoxy" in Russia. He was born in 1931 and raised in the Catacomb Church. In 1947 he was tonsured to monasticism with the name Theodosy by Holy Catacomb Elder Theodosy of Caucasus (Kashin). In 1950 he was arrested and released in 1995 after the death of Stalin.
In 1971 with the blessing of ROCOR Bishop Leonly (Fillipovich) of Chili he was tonsured by the bishop of Moscow Patriarchate Benjamin (Novitsky) as a priest for the Catacomb Church. In 1971 he was made a bishop a secret hierarch by Bishop Barnaba (Prokofjev).
In 2000 he became the head of ROCOR(V) parishes in Russia. In 2002 with the blessing of the Head of ROCOR(V) Metropolitan Vitaly Archbishop Lazar and Bishop Benjamin formed the independent Synod of the Russian True–Orthodox Church.