It is now known how ROC will reunify with Archdiocese

Vicar of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus, Bishop Sava (Tutunov) of Zelenograd. Photo: YouTube

On October 8, 2019, a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church will be held, at which they will decide on the structure of the Western European Archdiocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Vicar of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus, Bishop Sava (Tutunov) of Zelenograd announced this on Spas TV channel.

“At the nearest Synod, which His Holiness (Patriarch Kirill of Moscow – Ed.) proposed to hold on October 8, in memory of St. Sergius of Radonezh, a decision will be made <...> which will shape the structure of this Archdiocese within the Russian Orthodox Church,” said Bishop Sava. “The structure, or rather, administrative rules that correspond to those by which they have lived all these years. It’s just that we are formalizing it now with an act of our Holy Synod.”

The Russian Orthodox Church’s hierarch noted that secessions in the overseas Church were caused by the October Revolution and the Civil War, but now these “separation wounds” are healed.

Vladyka Sava reminded that among the clergy and parishioners of the Western European Archdiocese there are not only Russians, but also local residents of Western Europe. According to him, this is why the Archdiocese is called the “Archbishopric of the parishes of the Russian tradition”, not the “Archbishopric of the Russian parishes”.

Bishop Sava also explained if the reunification took into account some discrepancies between the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Western European Archbishopric in terms of the language of worship, as well as the new and old style.

According to the Vicar of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus, nothing changes for the parishioners of the Archdiocese, and they will serve as they are used to.

His Grace also recalled that even among the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in Western Europe there exist such differences.

Recall that on September 14, 2019, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church resolved to accept Archbishop John (Renneteau), as well as all interested clergy and parishes of the Archbishopric of Orthodox Russian Churches in Western Europe under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church.

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