If the MP's got grace and it's the mother church why's ROCOR building churches in Russia near MP churches?
Question for ROCORites
Moderator: Mark Templet
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Justin Kissel
I'll try to expand a bit. ROCOR sees itself as part of the Russian Church. Just like it didn't see any canonical violation or unorthodox by a catacomb Church being in the same area as a MP Church during the early to mid 20th century, so to it does not now see any canonical violation in it's setting up Churches there to minister to it's flock. (in fact, I've seen quotes from clergy in the catacomb Church that basically said this: we don't see that either the MP or us are uncanonical or necessarily without grace). Setting up a Church in another local Church's area does not, of necessity, signify that you believe a group is without grace (cf the presence of ROCOR in Israel). We don't deny that the MP has grace, but we aren't communion with her either. The MP hierarchy is not the "Mother Church," the Church of Russia as a whole is the "Mother Church" to which ROCOR will eventually return at an all-Russian synod. The confusing part for some is the fact that the majority of people who will be in that unified Church now are in Russia, and so there is talk about "unification with Russia," which people (wrongly) assume means "unification with a corrupt Moscow Patriarchate," whereas the MP is just one of the participants. You yourself Julianna have argued that heretics are invited to councils (not that I believe your assertion, but I'm merely pointing out that from your perspective one cannot assume that being in a council where the MP is a participant is, in itself, a betrayal).
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Justin Kissel