Russian Orthodox Patriarch, ROCOR Metropolitan Meet in Moscow

Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of Moscow and Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) of New York of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad have met during the latter's recent visit to Moscow to discuss the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church and the upcoming fifth anniversary of the reconciliation of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Synod Abroad. More here.

Kiev Patriarchate, UAOC Dialogue Committee Meets

The dialogue committee of the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) has met at St. Michael's Golden-domed Monastery in Kiev to discuss the reasons for the schism between the Kiev Patriarchate and the UAOC. Three hierarchs of the Kiev Patriarchate and five hierarchs of the UAOC participated in the meeting, which drafted an outline of the unification process discussed by the committee for submission to the hierarchies of the two churches. More (in Ukrainian) here.

Kiev Patriarchate Holy Synod Approves Unity Dialogue with UAOC, Appeals to Ukrainian Orthodox Church for Dialogue

The fall session of the Holy Synod of the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church has concluded in Kiev. Under the leadership of Patriarch Philaret (Denysenko) of Kiev the Holy Synod discussed recent political developments in Ukraine and approved an appeal to the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Ukraine's largest Orthodox Church and the only one recognized by the Local Orthodox Churches, to resume dialogue with the Kiev Patriarchate oriented towards the creation of a united, independent Church of Ukraine.

The Holy Synod also approved the resumption of the unity dialogue with the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, of which the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church was briefly a part prior to the rise of Patriarch Philaret to the leadership of the Kiev Patriarchate. The dialogue was recognized as the only potentially fruitful dialogue currently being engaged in by the Kiev Patriarchate.

Lastly, in addition to dealing with various pastoral matters the Holy Synod also approved the local glorification of St. Mercurius of Bryhyntsi, a confessor of the Soviet Yoke, by the Eparchy of Chernigov. More (in Ukrainian) on the recent session of the Holy Synod can be found here.

Service for Bulgarian Unity Held in Sofia

Patriarch Maxim (Minkov) of Sofia and ten of the ruling metropolitans of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church have concelebrated a supplication for the unity and peace of the Bulgarian nation in Sofia. The supplication is held as Bulgaria grows increasingly troubled by economic, ethnic, and security concerns, the most recent being anti-Roma protests organized by a Bulgarian ultranationalist party over national concerns over organized crime. An appeal from the Holy Synod for the unity of the nation was read following the supplication. More (in Bulgarian) here.

Kiev Patriarchate Appeals to Ukrainian Orthodox Church for Unity Dialogue

In an appeal to the hierarchy of the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church the Holy Synod of the Kiev Patriarchate has accused the Moscow Patriarchate of remaining a tool of state interests in the former USSR and called for the beginning of a serious dialogue aimed at the establishment of a united, independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church centered in Kiev. (The Kiev Patriarchate has apparently forgotten that its own patriarch was himself closely associated with the Soviet regime and was raised to his rank with the collusion of the post-Soviet Ukrainian government.) More here and (in Ukrainian) here.

Quote of the Day: Fr. Thomas Hopko

There was a whole thousand years when the Church had multiple rites of praise to God. In fact, the irony is, the time when there were the most multiple rituals for the sacraments and the services was the time there was the greatest unity in doctrine and spiritual life, evangelism, et cetera. In any case, the ritual is not of the essence of the Faith. Language isn’t, calendars are not…all those things are not part of the essence of the Faith. But unless we have the desire for unity, which then would lead us to feel that we have an absolute obligation from God to distinguish between what is really essential and what is not, we are never going to be united.

Muslims, Orthodox March in Tahrir Square

Thousands of protesters marched in Cairo's Tahrir Square yesterday to emphasize the unity of Egypt's Orthodox Christians and Muslims. The protests began with a Coptic Orthodox Divine Liturgy that was followed by Muslim Friday prayers. More here.

Romanian Orthodox Church in Jericho

In addition to its intrusions into the canonical territories of the Russian and Serbian Orthodox Churches the Romanian Orthodox Church has also violated the territory of the mother of Christianity, the Church of Jerusalem, by unilaterally building a Romanian Orthodox church in Jericho functioning as a regular parish of the Church of Romania and not as a representation to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The Church of Jerusalem is considering breaking communion with the Church of Romania should the latter refuse to resolve the issue of the Jericho parish. More here.

Milan Synod Begins Dialogue with Moscow Patriarchate

The Milan Synod has formally broken its ties with its sister Old Calendrist synods in Bulgaria, Greece, and North America as part of its dialogue with the Moscow Patriarchate concerning its reception into the Russian Orthodox Church. The communities of the Milan Synod have been directed to commemorate Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of Moscow and Metropolitan Vladimir (Cantarean) of Chisinau in all their divine services in addition to Metropolitan Evloghios of Milan, who remains first hierarch of the Milan Synod. More here.

Milan Synod in Europe Confirms Desire for Union with Russian Orthodox Church

Archbishop Abbondio of Como, an auxiliary to the First Hierarch of the Milan Synod in Western Europe, has confirmed that the Milan Synod is pursuing reception into the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church and does not have any ties with the various Old Calendrist and traditionalist movements in the former USSR. He noted in particular the Milan Synod's apparently close ties with Metropolitan Vladimir (Cantarean) of Chisinau. More here.

The day before Archbishop Abbondio's comments vis-a-vis the Milan Synod in Europe and the Moscow Patriarchate the Milan Synod's sister church in North America reaffirmed its opposition to communion with the mainstream Local Orthodox Churches. More on that here.

Pictured is Bishop Abbondio at a recent service in Milan, Italy.

Patriarch Theophilus Comments on Divisions in Ukrainian Orthodoxy

During his visit to Ukraine, Patriarch Theophilos III (Giannopoulos) of Jerusalem has stated that he does not believe that the Ukrainian Orthodox who reject the authority of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church should appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the resolution of their canonical status, saying that they should instead first "find a common language and a willingness to participate in the dialogue" amongst themselves. More here.

Sunday of Orthodoxy in Los Angeles

Some pictures from the hierarchical Sunday of Orthodoxy celebrations in Los Angeles have been posted here. It's interesting that although the website bills the concelebration as that of the "Canonical Bishops in the West[ern United States]" neither of the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad's Diocese of Western America were present at the services. Whether this is by a failure to invite them or their refusal to come is unknown to me, but it's disappointing nonetheless.

Canadian Conference of Orthodox Bishops Meets in Toronto

This past Monday the members of the Canadian Conference of Orthodox Bishops met in Toronto, Ontario, to discuss the life of the Local Orthodox Churches present in Canada and the status of the Canadian Orthodox appeal to have a separate Episcopal Assembly of Canada established as part of the Chambesy process. Hierarchs of the Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America (which has one mission in Canada), the American Orthodox Church (OCA), the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto, the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the Two Americas, the synodal Russian Orthodox Eparchy of Montreal, the patriarchal Russian Orthodox exarchate in Canada, the Serbian Orthodox Church in Canada, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada participated in the meeting. More here.

First Greek Orthodox Church in Alaska Built

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has built its first church in Alaska. The Alaskan Orthodox Church had generally been the one exception to the fractured nature of Orthodoxy in North America, remaining united under the American Orthodox Church (formerly the Russian Orthodox Metropolia). In recent decades, however, small Antiochian, Serbian, and Bulgarian (and now Greek) Orthodox communities have been established in the state, bringing the jurisdiction of Old World Orthodox Churches to the region. More on the new Greek Orthodox church in Anchorage can be found here.

Quote of the Day: Fr. Michael Pomazansky

The unity of the Church is not violated because of temporary divisions of a non-dogmatic nature. Differences between churches arise frequently out of insufficient or incorrect information. Also, sometimes a temporary breaking of communion is caused by the personal errors of individual hierarchs who stand at the head of one or another local church, or it is caused by their violation of the canons of the Church, or by the violation of the submission of one territorial ecclesiastical group to another in accordance with anciently established tradition. Moreover, life shows us the possibility of disturbances within a local church which hinder the normal communion of other churches with the given local church until the outward manifestation and triumph of the defenders of authentic Orthodox truth. Finally, the bond between churches can sometimes be violated for a long time by political conditions, as has often happened in history. In such cases, the division touches only outward relations, but does not touch or violate inward spiritual unity.

Ilia II Calls for Prayers for Submission of Abkhazia and South Ossetia

At the Sunday Liturgy this past weekend Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II (Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili) of Mtskheta called on the Georgian Orthodox faithful to pray for the reunion of the Abkhazian and Ossetian Orthodox Churches with the Church of Georgia, saying that God will forgive them for their separation from Georgia and that he plans to visit Abkhazia "soon." More here.

On Schisms and Unity

Recent conversations have reminded me of an important truth - that schisms are not always clear cut. Many of us Orthodox Christians in the world Orthodox Churches (the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Albanian Orthodox Church, et cetera) view schisms as very black and white. One side, the side our hierarchs are in communion with, is right and the other is wrong. And in some cases that is certainly correct. The baseless schism of former Bishop Basil (Osborne) of Sergievo is a good example of such a schism (one that was resolved with little time, thank God).

There are many situations, however, when the lines simply are not so clear. Who is at fault for the schism between the Orthodox Churches accepting Chalcedon and those who reject it? The Orthodox who upheld St. Cyril's Christology and preached against comprise with the Nestorians for the sake of keeping more of them in the Church or the Orthodox whose emperors used the sword to persecute those who disagreed with their political policies as implemented through the imperially-convened ecumenical councils? Or, to use a more recent example, was the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad wrong to break away from the Moscow Patriarchate because of the latter's obvious and decades-long manipulation by the Soviet regime? Prior to 2007 many world Orthodox used to preach virulently against the Synod Abroad while also openly venerating St. John the Wonderworker of San Francisco, a staunch member and long-time hierarch of the Synod Abroad.

We have so many sad, wrenching schisms dividing us today and we are right to be zealous in their resolution because they do hurt the Church and its God-given mission in the world. But zeal for healing schisms shouldn't be expressed in vitriol, in arguments about gracelessness and closed-door politics and whatever else. I certainly have my views on who is right and who is wrong in India and the Ukraine and elsewhere, but in the end we should be working for unity, not striving to prove ourselves right and the other side wrong.

I have sinned in the past in how I've portrayed various schisms and contentions within the Church. I ask you to join me in praying for the resolution of these schisms and disputes. God knows I still have my opinions on what should be done, but praying for God's will to be done and for unity to be restored amongst us is far more important than our petty human opinions and agendas. God help us all!

Lawsuits Against Malankara Church Should End

The first hierarch of the independent Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in India, Catholicos Mar Thoma Paulose II of the East, has stated that his church and the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church under the Patriarchate of Antioch should reunite, but that the latter should withdraw a recent lawsuit against the property of a church and seminary of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church's Diocese of Ankamali so that his church can know that its motives are pure. More here.

Quote of the Day: St. Athanasius the Great

Disputes merely about words must not be suffered to divide those who think alike.

OCA/ROCOR Joint Statement

The American Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad have finally released the November joint statement of their dialogue commissions. The statement reviews the long history of the OCA and the ROCOR both in North America and worldwide and commits both to working together for the sake of unity and Orthodoxy, confirming the restoration of full communion between the two churches as a result of the union of the Moscow Patriarchate and the ROCOR in 2007.

The commissions that drafted the statement were led by Bishops Tikhon (Mollard) of Philadelphia of the OCA and George (Schaefer) of Mayfield of the ROCOR (both converts to Orthodoxy interestingly enough), but the statement itself has been approved by both the Holy Synod of the OCA and the Synod Abroad of the ROCOR. The full statement can be found here.