Russian Orthodox churches may unite soon

[Waldemar]

Heads of separated parts of Russian Church say want end to rift.

MOSCOW, May 27 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Patriarch Alexy II hopes for successful completion of rapprochement of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Church Abroad.

He and Metropolitan Laurus, first hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA), met President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

The hierarchs said they strove to put an end to a schism of the two parts of the Orthodox Church.

Alexy II said the visit of a ROCA delegation to Russia “went in the spirit of openness, benevolence, understanding and in the spirit of the wish to make our positions closer and find solutions to existing problems”.

“We stressed in the documents that the Church is single, and only circumstances separated us. We will take it as temporary,” the patriarch said.

“I have met with the whole delegation, with the pilgrims – all of them are in a cheerful mood. They were struck everywhere by piety of the people and the revival of the spiritual life,” Alexy II said.

Metropolitan Laurus in turn said the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad would take every effort for rapid completion of the reunification of the two parts of the Orthodox Church.

The metropolitan thanked Putin for his providing the possibility of the visit to Russia.

The ROCA delegation has toured several cities and visited church services.

“We have got very good impressions, churches are being restored and services are conducted. All this is reviving and is being materially enriched, a spiritual wealth is being created,” he added.

[OrthodoxyOrDeath]

the revival of the spiritual life

a spiritual wealth is being created,

When considered with the faith the MP confesses, this cannot change a thing, being limited ourselves in what the church instructs us to do.

There is a great "spiritual revival" among the unia too, but because of their un-orthodox confession of faith it is meaningless.

[Waldemar]

Elder Nectarius of Optina in the 1920’s prophesied: “Russia will arise, and materially it will not be wealthy. But in spirit it will be wealthy, and in Optina there will yet be seven luminaries, seven pillars” [I.M. Kontzevich, Optina Monastery and its Epoch, Jordanville, 1973, p.538].

[OrthodoxyOrDeath]

dare I suggest that Russia already did rise, and while people did not have material possesions, they were rich in spirit in the catacomb church. Persecution always brings a certain spritual richness.

What we see today is something different.

[bogoliubtsy]

OOD,

It's interesting that you understand St. Nektary's prophecy to pertain solely to the Catacomb Church, when in fact St. Nektary of Optina commemorated Metropolitan Sergius until the saint's repose in 1928.

[OrthodoxyOrDeath]

I do not pretend to know how to interpret what the Saint wrote, I simply offered my view.

As for his view on the MP, I believe your sources are in error.

Priest Dimitry Ivanov - "As regards the priest, Father Dimitry Ivanov, the latter had declared our Moscow Patriarchate church to be without grace, its mysteries invalid. And it was even forbidden to pray while passing by our churches. This strong view held by him was apparently based on the opinions on this very question by the Optina Elder, Father Nektary, who is now departed." Two documents. (Orthodox Russia, no. 18, 1994).

http://www.monasterypress.com/martyropinions.html

[bogoliubtsy]

Interesting.
St. Nektary's biography published by St. Herman Press says quite the opposite. This piece of information was provided by the Optina Brotherhood itself. The biography states that although St. Nektary was opposed to Sergius' actions, he commemorated out of obedience. The biography also says that the Optina brotherhood followed in St. Nektary's footsteps and continued to do the same.