First Services Held at New Russian Orthodox Church in Lisbon

Bishop Nestor (Sirotenko) of Korsun has led the first services to be celebrated at the new Russian Orthodox Church of St. Felix in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. The church was transferred to the Eparchy of Korsun, which cares for the communities of the patriarchal Russian Orthodox Church in Western and Southern Europe, from the Roman Catholic Patriarchate of Lisbon.

Following the services Bishop Nestor met with all the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church in Portugal to discuss the possibilities for the future development of the Church in the country. More here.

French Court in Nice Orders Transfer of Cathedral Keys

A French court in Nice has ordered the city's parish of the Russian Orthodox Exarchate of Western Europe to hand over the keys of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas to the parish established under the Moscow Patriarchate's Diocese of Korsun following the cathedral's transfer to the ownership of the Russian government. The parish has been given 7 days to turn over the keys, with fines of €6,000 to be levied for each additional day taken. More here.

Russian Orthodox Exarchate Maintains Parish Occupation of Cathedral in Nice

The Russian Orthodox Exarchate of Western Europe is appealing the efforts of the Russian Orthodox Eparchy of Korsun to expel its parish in Nice on the grounds that the change in ownership of St. Nicholas' Cathedral in Nice should not mandate a change in the jurisdictional affiliation of the parish. More here.

Paris Exarchate Rejects Attempts to Change Nice Parish Affiliation

The Russian Orthodox Exarchate of Western Europe has released a French-language response to the efforts of the Russian government to have of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Nice, France, transferred to the care of the patriarchal Russian Orthodox diocese in France, the Eparchy of Korsun. The response notes in part the long association of the parish in Nice with the Exarchate and rejects the right of the Russian government, which now owns the cathedral, to expel the Exarchate's parish association. The full release (in French) can be found here.

Interestingly enough, when the Exarchate was first organized by Patriarch Photius II of Constantinople it was established as a "provisional exarchate" to provide a "provisional canonical settlement" for the Russian Orthodox parishes in Western Europe led by Metropolitan Eulogius of Paris, with a reference at the close of its organizing tomos to Patriarch Photius' hope for an end to the disunity of the Russian Orthodox Church, presumably so that the provisional arrangements that had been made would be just that.

Nice Cathedral Remains Independent of Moscow Patriarchate

Controversy continues to surround the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Nice, France, where the former parish association of the Russian Orthodox Exarchate of Western Europe continues to refuse to transfer de facto control over the cathedral to its legal owner, the Russian Orthodox Church. The Russian Orthodox Diocese of Korsun, which has care of the cathedral, has already appointed new clergy to serve the Nice cathedral and ordered that the entrance fees previously charged on visitors to the cathedral be abolished. More here.

Russian Orthodox Exarchate, Korsun Diocese Discuss Relations

At the recent meeting of the archdiocesan council of the Russian Orthodox Exarchate of Western Europe, Bishop Nestor (Sirotenko) of Korsun participated as an observer at the invitation of Archbishop Gabriel (de Vylder) of Comana. During the meeting relations between the Exarchate and the Diocese of Korsun were discussed, apparently to the benefit of both as the upcoming All-Diaspora Youth Conference will now include members of Exarchate parishes. More here.