When Bishops Theodore and Agathangelus arrived in New
York, they were listened to and on the next day, in Bishop
Agathangelus’ words, "we were handed a ‘Decree of the Hierarchical Synod
of the Synod of the ROCA’, in which their Graces Lazarus and Valentine,
and also Bishops Theodore, Seraphim and I, were declared to be banned
from serving. For Vladyka Theodore and me this was like a bolt from
the blue… We were told that the reason for this decision was our
supposed non-fulfilment of the conciliar Act, which had been signed by,
among the other Hierarchs, their Graces Lazarus and Valentine. The point
was that the conference of Russian Bishops which had been formed in
agreement with this same Act had asked for several formulations in the
Act to be changed, so as not to introduce disturbance into the ranks of
the believers by the categorical nature of certain points. This was a
request, not a demand. But, however hard we tried, we could not convince
the Synod that none of the Russian Bishops was insisting and that we
were all ready to accept the Act in the form in which it had been
composed. We met with no understanding on the part of the members of the
Synod. Vladyka Theodore and I affirmed in writing that we accepted the
text of the Act in the form in which it had been composed and asked for a
postponement in the carrying out of the ‘Decree’ until the position of
all the absent Russian Bishops on this question could be clarified. In
general we agreed to make any compromises if only the ‘Decree’ were not
put into effect, because in essence it meant only one thing – the final
break between the Russian parishes and the ROCA.
"We gradually came to understand that it was not any
canonical transgression of the Russian Bishops (there was none), nor
any disagreement with the text of the conciliar Act, nor, still less,
any mythical ‘avaricious aims’ that was the reason for the composition
of this document, which, without any trial or investigation, banned the
five Hierarchs from serving. It was the Hierarchical Conference of the
Russian Bishops, which had been established by the Council that took
place in Lesna monastery, that was the real reason giving birth to the
‘Decree’. The Sobor of Hierarchs, moved in those days by ‘Paschal joy’
(as Metropolitan Vitaly repeated several times), finally came to create
an organ of administration in Russia which, if not independent, but
subject to the Synod, was nevertheless an organ of administration. When
the ‘Paschal joy’ had passed, the Synodal Bishops suddenly realized:
they had themselves reduced their own power, insofar as, with their
agreement, Hierarchs could meet in vast Russia and discuss vital
problems. Before that, the Church Abroad had not allowed itself to
behave like that. And it was this, unfortunately, that the foreign
Archpastors could not bear. On receiving for confirmation the protocols
of the first session of the Hierarchical Conference with concrete
proposals to improve Church life in Russia, the foreign Bishops were
completely nonplussed. Therefore a reason that did not in fact exist was
thought up – the supposed non-fulfilment of the Act.
"The members of the Synod, exceeding their
authority, since such decisions are in the competence of the Sobor,
decided, by means of canonical bans, to confirm their sole authority
over the whole of Russia – both historical Russia and Russia abroad. The
very foundations of the Church Abroad as a part of the Russian Church
living abroad were trampled on, and the Synod on its own initiative
ascribed to itself the rights and prerogatives of the Local Russian
Church.
"It did not even ponder the fact that, in banning at
one time five Hierarchs, it was depriving more than 150 parishes – that
is many thousands of Orthodox people – of archpastoral care. Cancelling
the labour of many years of Hierarchs, priests and conscious, pious
laymen in our Fatherland.
"In Russia a very real war is now being waged for
human souls; every day is full of work. Depriving Orthodox Christians of
their pastors without any objective reason witnesses to the haughtiness
and lack of love towards our country and its people on the part of the
members of the Synod Abroad. We, the Orthodox from Russia, are called
‘common people’ by Metropolitan Vitaly (thank you, Vladyko
Metropolitan!).
On February 27 / March 12, 1995 Archbishops Lazarus and Valentine and Bishops Theodore, Seraphim and Agathangelus met in Suzdal and re-established the THCA which had been created on March 5/18, 1994. Then they decided: "To qualify the Decree of the Hierarchical Sobor [sic – Synod would have been more accurate] of the ROCA of February 9/22 and the claims contained in it to leadership of the whole Russian Church by the Hierarchical Synod and the First-Hierarch of the ROCA as exceeding their authority and a transgression of the Holy Canons and the Statute of the ROCA. In particular, the 8th Canon of the Third Ecumenical Council has been transgressed, which declares: ‘May the haughtiness of secular power not creep in under the guise of sacred acts; and may we not lose, little by little and without it being noticed, the freedom which our Lord Jesus Christ, the Liberator of all men, has given us through His Blood. And so it is pleasing to the Holy and Ecumenical Council that every Diocese should preserve in purity and without oppression the rights that belonged to it from the beginning… And if anyone should propose any resolution contrary to this, let it be invalid.’"
Almost immediately after the events of February, 1995, frightened by the threat of defrocking by the ROCA Synod, Archbishop Lazarus and his vicar, Bishop Agathangelus, left the FROC and returned, "repenting", to the ROCA. But what has always, since 1990, been the core of the ROCA-FROC inside Russia, the Suzdal diocese, has remained firm, and has in fact increased in strength.
From "THE FREE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH: A Short History" by Vladimir Moss, Found Here
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