The Moscow Patriarchate: Testimony of Orthodox Bishops

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"The defenders of Sergianism say that the canons allow one to separete from a bishop only for a heresy which has been condemned by a council. Against this one may reply that the deeds of Metropolitan Sergius may be sufficiently placed in this category as well, if one has in view such a open violation by him of the freedom and dignity of the Church, One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic". - St. Joseph, Metropolitan of Petrograd, Letter to an Archimandrite of Petrograd, 1928

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"If you are helpless to defende the Church, step aside; clear the space for someone stronger than you." - St. Peter Metropolitan de Krutotsk (1936) (Locum Tennes of the Patriarchate), Letter to Metropolitan Sergei, 1930

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"You are nothing than a continuation of the so-called 'Renovationist' (Living Church) movement, only in a more refined and very dangerous form... All this imperatively compels us to boldly raise our voice and cease our now already criminal silence over your mistakes and incorretct actions and, with the blessing of Dimitry, Bishop of Gdov, to disassociate ourselves from you and those who surround you. Leaving you, we do not depart from the lawful Locum Tenes, Metropolitan Peter, and we shall give ourselves over the judgment of a future council." Letter of the Clergy and Laity of Serpukhov to Metropolitan Sergei, 1927 (Possibky written by St. Maxim, Bishop of Serpukhov d. 1931).

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"As for me, acknowledging my responsibility before God for the flock entrusted to me, I have declared on January 10/23 of this year to Bishop Sophronius, who has been assgned to the See ofg Great Ustiug by [Sergius] Synod that my flock and the clergy of Nikolsk - excepet for the cathedral clergy, who have been rejected by the people - cannot acept him because we have separeted from Sergius and his Synod. And on the other hand I have informed Metropolitan Joseph that I canonically join to him the clergy and laity of the Diocese of Great Ustiug, in accordance with the blessing of Vladika Irinarch, whose lawful Substitute I am at the present time for the whole Diocese of Great Ustiug. (...) I propose that my epistle be read and considered at assemblies of the faithful, so that all might know the way the matter stands and freely enter into unity with me, remaing faithful to the Locum Tenes of the Patriarchal See, Metropolitan Peter, and to entire Orthodox Russian Church; concernig which I request you to send me a writtten statement. Only the clergy of the Cathedral of the Lord's meeting in Nikolsk... are in a state of excommunication form me until they shall show sincere repentance in the form established for Renovationists, or until a complete council of bishops shall judge the case of Metropolitan Sergius and those who are with him (10th Canon of the Holy Apostles). I Place before you these hirelings, who see the wolf approach and flee; do not follow them, my brethren and children..." - St. Hierotheus, Bishop of Nikolsk (d. 1928) Letter to the clergy and laity of the Diocese of Great Ustiug, 1928

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"After the historic Petrograd Delegation Metropolitan Joseph, then already banished, raised Bp. Dimitry to the rank of Archbishop and temporary head of the Petrograd Diocese. Metropolitan Sergius thereupon placed Archbishop Dimitry under interdict... Archbishop Dimitry, fearlessly following in the footstepes of Metropolitan Joseph, refused to accept this or ay other decress coming from Metropolitan Segius, recognizing that by his 'adaptation to atheism' he had placed himself in schism from the Russian Church." - I.M Andreyev on St. Dimitry, Archbishop of Gdov (d. 1938)

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"I agree accept you into communion in prayer with myself and under my archpastoral leadership... until such time as a complete Local Council of the Russian Church, at which there will be represented the entire active episcopate - i.e., the present exiles-confessors - shall justify by its conciliar authority our way of acting, or until such time as Metropolitan Sergius will come to himself and repent of his sins not only against the canonical order of the Church, but also dogmatically against her person...." St. Dmitri, Archbishop of Gdov (d. 1938)Letter to priests of the Petrograd Diocese, 1928