Moscow Patriarchate Draws Nearer to the ROCOR

[Justin Kissel]

Rather it has always been the case that ROCOR has been biding its time over the last ten years since the fall of Communism and the Soviet Union, waiting for the Moscow Patriarchate to dissolve and become once more the Russian Orthodox Church. It has been a long wait and we are still waiting.

This is stated perfectly! Or maybe I just think it does because it sums up my own view I know one thing, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall a little while ago when Patriarch Ignatius of Antioch visited the MP.

what is the problem with ROCOR and the OCA? Please forgive my ignorance.

Neither group officially recognizes the other. The OCA deems itself valid because it was granted autocephalous status by the Moscow Patriarchate (MP), and ROCOR deems itself valid because it was canonically formed and has continually fought against the MP. In other words, the Patriarchate that one group (OCA) views as a bestower of independence, the other group (ROCOR) views as un-Orthodox, and at times even heretical (E.g., affirming Sergianism). What we have here is more than a failure to communicate.

I agree with what Chrysostomos said though, relations between the two Churches in America, at the grass roots level, are not so tense as the online polemical literature might lead one to believe.

I believe Bishop Ware is from England and lately what he has been spouting concerns me.

Did you have anything in particular in mind? His changing position on birth control is a bit disheartening to me (especially since his books are normally seen as the authoritative introduction to Orthodoxy), but I hadn't noticed many other ... um... "concerns"

[尼古拉前执事]

Bishop Kallistos Ware is also in his latest revision of his books leaning towards woman's ordination and scaling down or removing the traditional iconstasis, among other things. Its really too bad.

[Xenia1]

Do you mean St. Xenia of St. Petersburg or the lady from Rome?

I think, for today, I will be an old calendarist.

-diane/xenia

[cparks]

Somehow, I don't think this will help.

Chrysostomos

[尼古拉前执事]

Xenia: First off, welcome to the board! We're glad to have you here. Yes, it is St. Xenia of Peterburg's Feast Day today, so let me wish you many years and a happy feast day!

Chrysostomos: Long time no see! Welcome back. Yes, I don't think many would be to excited about that news. One can only hope that the OCA made them repent of their heresies. (I recently heard from an OCA member that many of their churches no longer require refutation of heresies when they join the church by chrismation of confession.)

[Steve]

I got two crosses now!

<<<<over there!

Thanks for responses and answers to my questions. I'll have to admit it concerns me about the differences and I can't resolve it within myself being one who knows so little. I continue to solicite your prayers.

[cparks]

Chrysostomos: Long time no see! Welcome back. Yes, I don't think many would be to excited about that news. One can only hope that the OCA made them repent of their heresies. (I recently heard from an OCA member that many of their churches no longer require refutation of heresies when they join the church by chrismation of confession.)

Thanks, Nik. Somehow, I doubt they were made to do anything, given the published info, but I don't know. I think that this is not the end of the matter. What I do know is that at least one member of the Holy Synod who did not participate in the Lesser Synod is quite strongly opposed to this. For myself, I am waiting to see what, if anything, His Grace says or does before saying anything more myself. I did write some things in the thread on orthodoxchristianity.net (free for all) when the issue first came up.

I'll have to admit it concerns me about the differences and I can't resolve it within myself being one who knows so little.

Steve,

Some here may disagree, but I think it's difficult to get to the bottom of, partly because (especially for Protestant converts) there's a tendancy to wholly approve one and wholly condemn the other. I think the truth is somewhere in between. The real concern for me is what can happen to converts when they get overly zealous. Seraphim and I have discussed here the cases of people for whom even the ROCOR eventually becomes too soft.

Chrysostomos