What would you do if ROCOR and the MP united tomorrow?

[尼古拉前执事]

Let us pretend that tomorrow you wake up to the radio announcing that ROCOR has agreed to merge itself into the MP. You check online and the newspaper as well as the TV, and it is an undeniable fact. What would your reaction be?

[bogoliubtsy]

I'm having a hard time finding a way to vote...
But I'd say CELEBRATE! For two reasons.....
1.) I have full faith in the bishops of ROCOR. Have they ever strayed from the royal path? What would make this decision any different? Also, as we all know, ROCOR was meant to serve as a temporary body.

2.)ROCOR, by being more "integrated", has so much to offer Orthodoxy worlwide...but especially in America.

[Justin Kissel]

While I would be very eager to hear how certain "issues" (that were previously causing stumbling blocks) were resolved, I would of course follow my bishops. There is no doubt in my mind that 1) the MP, at least in some of her bishops and priests, always had grace and was Orthodox, and 2) her faith is essentially the same as ours, except on a few important points (in other words, it's not like the Catholics, where there the visible differences signal much more foundational/important differences "deep down"). I thought the statement of ecclesiology released by the MP a while back, for instance, was orthodox, except for what I perceived to be a hostile jab at traditionalists such as ROCOR.

I honestly don't think we'd be rejoining any time soon, though. Neither side is really ready (the MP for more doctrinal reasons, we for more practical ones).

[Justin Kissel]

I wonder: how many of those who voted for option 3 are ROCOR at the moment?

[bogoliubtsy]

I'm curious too....I'm also curious to know what must happen for the re-union to take place and NOT have ROCOR members going to other jurisdictions because of it.

-Communism has fallen

-The New/Royal Martyrs have been glorified

-Patriarch Alexei II has openly repented in letters of some of the mistakes of the MP

-As far as ecumenism goes, the Russian Church is nowhere near celebrating of service with Roman Catholics or Protestants, but does remain involved with simple dialogue.(which is often less than friendly)

-The prophesied Russian revival IS taking place and as Fr.Roman Lukianov told me...IT IS PATRISTIC. It's not based on the teachings of modern "fathers" and scholars, but sound patristic, traditional Orthodoxy.

-A substantial number of MP bishops were put in place after the fall of communism.

What has to happen next in order to make this reunion a reality?

From a recent posting on the Synod wepbage delivered by Archbishop Anthony :"If the godless regime ends, if the persecutions of the faithful in the homeland cease, if religious freedom is restored, then the Russian Church abroad will cease to exist, uniting with the Mother Church."

He was speaking this in 1974.

[Bethany]

A few reasons that a re-union with Moscow would not take place soon-

-The MP has not acknowledged the "mistake" of Sergianism

-The MP is part of the WCC and is in communion with people who are even more of a part of the WCC than the MP

I think that a lot of things have happened that are good signs that the MP is getting 'back on track,' but I think there are just some things that ROCOR is still unsure of and wants to secure before they make any moves. Also, I have heard some say that the MP is not sure how they would receive ROCOR if we tried to reunite. Who's to say that they would readily welcome us? Just some thoughts.. I'm still trying to figure all this out and figure out what my opinion is...

[尼古拉前执事]

Interesting numbers so far. I thought like most polls around here, we would be in a dead heat for a few days!

I wonder: how many of those who voted for option 3 are ROCOR at the moment?

Without revealing who voted for what, as the admin, I can tell you that at least 2 that voted for the 3rd option are definitely ROCOR. I do not know the affiliation of the others for sure.