ROC structures and Phanar in Europe agree on fraternal coexistence

The signing of an agreement on fraternal coexistence between the Archdiocese of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Metropolitanate of Gaul. Photo: exarchat.eu

On December 4, 2020, on the feast of the Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of the Western European parishes of the Russian tradition, Metropolitan John (Renneteau) of Dubna, and the representative of the Metropolitanate of Gallic Patriarchate of Constantinople signed an agreement in Paris on fraternal coexistence of “communities of different metropolises in Europe”. This was reported by the press service of the Archdiocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The agreement notes that "the parties have no claims to each other, either legal or material", related to the distribution of churches that were previously part of a single Archdiocese, and "each of the communities of the former exarchate independently made a decision to belong to the Archdiocese (which retained its legal status despite the change of patriarchy) or to the Metropolitanate of Gaul."

“The name of the Church is not the name of division but of unity,” the document emphasizes.

The purpose of the signed joint agreement was the desire to "pacify relations between the two parties" and "to guarantee fraternal ecclesiastical coexistence of the communities of different metropolises in Europe."

“This is what the Gospel demands from us: forgive each other ... and be united ... may the world believe,” the message of the Archdiocese of the Russian Orthodox Church says.

As the UOJ reported, earlier, Metropolitan John of Dubna (Renneteau) told why he could not accept the fact of dissolution of the Western European Exarchate by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

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