POSSIBLE SCHISM IN ROCiE

[Priest Siluan]

It seem Bishop Antony of Beltsk and Moldova did "one-handed consecrations" with "the consent of Bishop Bartholomew of Edmonton and Western Canada", who is very ill and retired for illness. The new-consagrated bishops are Archimandrite Seraphim (Skuratov) as Bishop of Birmingham (UK) and Hieromonk Roman (former Protopresbyter Radu Apostolescu from France) as Bishop of Brussels. Bishop Antony broke communion with his old fellow bishops of ROCOR-V, Bishops Vladimir of San Francisco and Western America and Anastasy of Vladivostok and the Far East.

[GOCTheophan]

It seem Bishop Antony of Beltsk and Moldova did "one-handed consecrations" with "the consent of Bishop Bartholomew of Edmonton and Western Canada", who is very ill and retired for illness. The new-consagrated bishops are Archimandrite Seraphim (Skuratov) as Bishop of Birmingham (UK) and Hieromonk Roman (former Protopresbyter Roman Apostolescu from France) as Bishop of Brussels. Bishop Antony broke communion with his old fellow bishops of ROCOR-V, Bishops Vladimir of San Francisco and Western America and Anastasy of Vladivostok and the Far East.

Father Bless!

Lord have Mercy!

This should NOT have happened.

Anaxios! Anaxios! Anaxios!

If anyone needs further information about why this should not have happened(beyond the obvious) please contact me privately.

Theophan.

[Jean-Serge]

The information from portal-credo.ru is indeed true... The chirotonies happened secretely some months ago (maybe in November) without the synod knowing nothing. Moreover the authorization from Bishop Batholomew is dubious since he suffers Alzheimer... It looks like a "coup d'Etat".

[Jean-Serge]

A website http://langeron.livejournal.com/ has displayed further information about the recent event in ROCIE. We learn that the chirotonies were made the 14th and 15th of past November in Brussels.

It does not answer to the canonical questions :

1° lack of the agreement of all the members of the synod
2° secrecy of the act without any layman to say "axios" whereas Brussels is not a catacomb...
3° was Bishop Bartholomew really able to give his agreement due to his illness.

The question of the phone call remembers me Gregory of Colorado who claims having received a similar agreement from Archbishop Macarius to chirotonise his "vagant bishop". Maybe the phone is now becoming the new way for making bishops. Why not the Internet chat?

This is the whole text in English :

ANSWER TO THOSE WHO ARE PUZZLED

During a telephone conversation on 18th September 2007, His Grace Bartholomew, Bishop of Edmonton and Western Canada, member of the Synod of Bishops, has given his agreement for His Grace Antony, Bishop of Beltsk and Moldavia, to go ahead with two consecrations of Bishops, given the physical impossibility for His Grace Bartholomew to travel.

Despite his weakness, due to his illness, His Grace Bartholomew was in sharp mind. After recalling the critical situation of the ROCOR(V), to the question : does he give his agreement for the consecrations, he replied with a firm voice, and with assurance :
“YES, so that there come some progress, so that the situation does not deteriorate”. He also said that for the time being, it should be kept secret.

So, on 1/14 November 2007, in the church of the Holy New Russian Martyrs and Confessors in Brussels, His Grace Bishop Antony has consecrated Archmandrite Seraphim (Skouratov) as vicarial Bishop of Birmingham and he proceeded with the monastic tonsure of Archpriest Radu (Apostolescu), widower, under the name : Roman.
The next day, 2/15 November, in the same church, the consecration of hieromonk Roman as vicarial Bishop of Brussels was celebrated by their Graces Bishops Antony and Seraphim.

3/16 January 2008 + Bishop Antony
Eve of Theophany of Beltsk and Moldavia

[spiridon]

why didnt antony come to alaska instead?

[Jean-Serge]

Bishops Wladmir and Anastasy from ROCIE haves issued a joint declaration available in Russian here: according to what I was able to understand with the automatic translator, the condemn the behavior of Bishop Anthony of Moldova and invite him to repentance...

[Jean-Serge]

It seems that ROCIE-Wladimir has just finished its meeting in Canada.
Does someone have news?

The only things I could find are here.