Archbishop of Western Europe decides to elect bishops without ROC's approval

Met. John with Pat. Kirill at the Archdiocese’s reunion with the Moscow Patriarchate in 2019. Photo: Foma.ru

The Archdiocese of Orthodox Churches of the Russian Tradition in Western Europe has launched the procedure for electing auxiliary bishops without waiting for an official response from the Moscow Patriarchate, reports OrthoChristian.

The Council of the Archdiocese concluded that Moscow's three-year silence regarding the proposed candidates violates the terms of the 2019 Tomos of Reunion. The head of the Archdiocese, His Eminence Metropolitan John of Dubna, has circulated a letter to the clergy and laity of the Archdiocese, in which he described the situation as "extremely precarious from a pastoral standpoint."

Of the three candidates presented back in 2023, the Russian Orthodox Church approved only one — Bishop Augustine (Macbeth). The fate of the other two candidates, Archimandrite Victor (Crețu) and Protopriest Anatoly Negruta, remains unresolved, despite three official reminder letters addressed to Patriarch Kirill.

His Eminence Metropolitan John explained that his age and the health condition of other hierarchs do not allow for the full administration of the growing number of communities in France, Germany, and Italy. As an example of successful independent action while maintaining canonical communion, the Archdiocese cited the Latvian Orthodox Church, which in 2023 elected a bishop without patriarchal approval.

At the same time, the upcoming General Assembly of the Archdiocese of 2026, at which the question of elections was planned to be considered, has been officially postponed until after the end of summer. This decision was made by the Diocesan Administration under the chairmanship of Metropolitan John due to the abnormal heat that has set in across France.

French authorities and transport companies recommended cancelling all travel and mass gatherings for safety reasons. Delegates who had already booked tickets and hotels were advised to arrange refunds, and in cases where this is not possible — to apply for reimbursement of expenses from Treasurer Nikolai Lopukhin. The administration will announce new dates for the assembly at a later time.

As the UOJ reported, the Archdiocese of Western Europe expressed its support for the Lavra.

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