CONSTANTINOPLE EXPLAINS ABOLITION OF "RUSSIAN EXARCHATE" OF EUROPE AS DESIRE TO STRENGTHEN TIES WITH RUSSIAN ORTHODOXY
Interfax-Religiia, 28 November 2018
The decision of the patriarchate of Constantinople to abolish the archdiocese of Russian parishes in western Europe is connected with its intention to strengthen ties with them, Constantinople explains.
"Today's decision is aimed at the further strengthening of ties of parishes of the Russian tradition with the Mother-Church of the Constantinople patriarchate," says the communiqué of the Synod now underway in Istanbul, the text of which reached Interfax on Wednesday.
The document notes that each of the parishes possesses a spiritual heritage that was formed as the result of a dramatic history marked by persecutions and exile.
"It is thanks to the theologians, philosophers, and artists who came from the Russian emigration that the Orthodox faith shone forth in western Europe and beyond its borders," the Constantinople Synod emphasizes.
At the same time, Constantinople assures that its decision to more closely integrate Russian parishes of western Europe was made "specifically due to pastoral concern."
"This decision responds to the pastoral and spiritual demands of our time with full respect to canon law and the spiritual responsibility that lies upon us," the Synod notes.
The hierarchs of Constantinople pay tribute to the "untiring courage" that Russian parishes of Europe have displayed in the past 100 years, "preserving the rich spiritual tradition coming from Russia after the bloody persecutions committed by the new atheist regime."
The Synod expresses the hope that parishes of the abolished "Russian exarchate" will "remain true to the ecumenical patriarchate," as the "Constantinople mother" that is devoted to them. (tr. by PDS, posted 28 November 2018)
ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE ABOLISHES EXARCHATE OF RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCHES IN WESTERN EUROPE
Religiia v Ukraine, 28 November 2018
The Synod of the ecumenical patriarchate, which is conducting on 27-29 November a regular session in Istanbul (Constantinople), decided to revoke the status of exarchate that the archdiocese of Russian Orthodox churches in western Europe (a part of the structure of the Constantinople patriarchate) had, Religiia v Ukraine reports with reference to Orthodoxie.com and Exarchat.eu.
The corresponding decision was made at the Synod's session on 27 November. The Synod rescinded the patriarchal tomos of 1999, which gave the Russian Orthodox churches in western Europe the status of exarchate.
The archdiocese of Russian Orthodox churches in western Europe, with its center in Paris, was created on the foundation of parishes of Russian emigrants after the 1917 revolution. In 1999, Patriarch Bartholomew confirmed that the archdiocese is under the control of Constantinople. The exarchate has 65 parishes, 11 active churches, and two monasteries. The bulk of its parishioners is concentrated in France, Nv.ua writes. (tr. by PDS, posted 28 November 2018)
RPTs REMINDS RUSSIAN PARISHES OF CONSTANTINOPLE IN WESTERN EUROPE OF THE IDEA OF TRANSFER INTO MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE
Interfax-Religiia, 28 November 2018
In connection with the decision of the Constantinople church to dissolve the exarchate of Russian parishes of western Europe, which is a part of it, the Moscow patriarchate recalled the old suggestion for these parishes to transfer into the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church (RPTs).
"Fifteen years ago, in the spring of 2003, the late Patriarch Alexis II sent to all bishops and Orthodox parishes of the Russian tradition in western Europe a suggestion to join the self-governing metropolitan district of the Russian church. Possibly the time has come to consider again this call that not all heard then," the vice-chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, told Interfax on Wednesday.
"Judging by the recent decision of the Russian parish in Florence, the time for this is ripe," he added, having in mind the recent transfer of the parish, led by its rector, of the Florentine church of the Nativity of Christ and St. Nicholas into the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). The reason for the transfer was the disagreement of the parish with the action of Constantinople in Ukraine.
The decision to abolish the so-called "Russian exarchate" of western Europe was made by the Synod in Istanbul at its session on Tuesday. This decision was not unexpected for the Moscow patriarchate.
"I do not see special reasons to be surprised. We saw that neither the episcopate, nor clergy, nor monks, nor laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church were asked by Istanbul whether they wanted to return to the structure of the Constantinople patriarchate but it was simply announced that 300 years of their history was abolished and they were again under the jurisdiction of the ecumenical patriarch, although they would soon receive autocephaly. That they did not ask for this and that they do not need autocephaly was also not of interest to anybody," the representative of the synodal department noted.
In the same way, Father Nikolai continued, without asking either the bishop or clergy or believers, the Paris exarchate was abolished. "What a way to treat subordinates! And their tomos was only 18 years old. The ink was hardly dry and they revoke such papers," the news agency's interlocutor said.
At the same time he recalled that in his time, Metropolitan Evlogy, who headed the Russian parishes in western Europe, was received by Patriarch of Constantinople Photius into his jurisdiction temporarily and only by reason of the disasters the Orthodox Church in the U.S.S.R. was experiencing. Under it the "Temporary Exarchate of the Holy Apostolic and Patriarchal Throne of Constantinople in Western Europe" was formed.
"This transfer occurred without any dismissal documents from the Russian church, which always considered it canonically illegal. To be sure, both Patriarch Photius and Metropolitan Evlogy at the time emphasized in every way the temporary character of the situation that was created," the priest noted.
The Russian exarchate traces its history to 1921 when Patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus Tikhon appointed Metropolitan Evlogy as official representative of the Russian church in western Europe, who was located in Paris. In 1927 the Karlovac Synod of ROCOR inhibited Vladyka Evlogy from ministry and broke liturgical communion with him, which provoked a schism among Russian emigrants into those loyal to the Synod and those loyal to the Moscow patriarchate.
In 1931, Metropolitan Evlogy, wishing to avoid pressure from soviet authorities which was manifested in demands for a "loyalty signature," temporarily transferred to the jurisdiction of the Constantinople patriarchate, although less than a year before his death he again was accepted into the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church by Patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus Alexis I. Nevertheless the majority of clergy and laity, led by the new metropolitan, decided to remain within the jurisdiction of Constantinople.
At the present time the exarchate has 65 parishes, 11 active churches, two monasteries, and seven sketes in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, and Spain and its clergy number more than 100 priests and 30 deacons. (tr. by PDS, posted 28 November 2018)
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