26 June/ 9 July 2005
The Appearance of the «Tikhvin» Icon of the Mother of God
A Sorrowful Epistle of the Synod of Bishops to all
The Faithful Sons and Daughters of
The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
It is with a heavy heart that we have become
acquainted with the (hitherto unproclaimed)
«jointly agreed upon documents of the Commission
on dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church
Abroad and the Russian Orthodox Church of the
Moscow Patriarchate». If, previously, there was
some sort of hope that the episcopate headed by
Metropolitan Laurus would come to their senses,
then now this hope has vanished.
What has now occurred is not only a change in the
canonical position of the Russian Orthodox Church
Abroad, but also a consummation of spiritual
betrayal by Her supposed representatives, who
accepted all the conditions imposed by the head
of the Moscow Patriarchate and cast aside their
own conditions, expressed last time in the
«Appeal of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian
Orthodox Church Abroad to the Russian Orthodox
People» dated 18 February/2 March 2000.
Being firmly convinced of the fact that many
continue to follow their hierarchy due to an
insufficient understanding of what is
transpiring, we, the members of the Synod of the
Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, again lovingly
call upon all pastors and laity to recall Canon
15 of the First-Second Council of Constantinople,
which absolves every Orthodox Christian from
submission to an unfaithful episcopate.
Today, all believers who find themselves under
the omofor of Metropolitan Laurus must choose
whether to go under the omofor of the
pseudo-church known as the MP or, attending to
the voice of their conscience, to remain in the
Russian Church Abroad, which is unfailingly headed by Metropolitan Vitaly.
- Metropolitan Vitaly
- Bishop Sergii
- Bishop Vladimir
- Bishop Bartholomew
- Bishop Antony (L.A. & S.A.)
Secretary: Mitred Protopriest Benjamin Zhoukoff
Note. From Canon 15 of the First-Second Council of Constantinople:
«...But as for those who ... sever themselves
from communion with their president, that is,
because he publicly preaches heresy and with
bared head teaches it in the Church, such persons
are not only not subject to canonical penalty...,
but are worthy of due honor among the Orthodox.
For not bishops, but false bishops and false
teachers have they condemned, and they have not
fragmented the Church's unity with schism, but
from schisms and divisions have they earnestly sought to deliver the Church».
