ROCOR (V)

The official website is now found here.

Declaration of the ROCOR Synod Of Bishops Of 26 October / 8 November 2001

The Synod Of Bishops Of the Russian Orthodox Church In Exile, under the Presidency of His Eminence, the Most-Eminent Metropolitan Vitaly, the First-Hierarch of ROCOR, hereby declares:

1. That it has no canonical or eucharistic communion with the Moscow Patriarchate – a non-ecclesial organization;

2. That (in accordance with the resolution of the ROCOR Bishops’ Sobor of 1974) it refrains and desists from the hastily and rashly established eucharistic communion with the Synod of the Resisters, presided over by Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili, which was inaugurated by the ROCOR Sobor in 1994, on account of [Cyprian’s] unorthodox teaching about the Church (concerning ailing and healthy members of the Church, in the realm of "a correct understanding of the faith") and his recognition of the Mysteries of the new-calendarists, as being valid (see Metr. Cyprian "Ecclesiological Theses," pp. 2 and 5);

3 That it confirms the anathemas promulgated against the heresy of ecumenism by the ROCOR Sobors of 1983 and 1998;

4. That it has no eucharistic communion with the Serbian Church, which participates in the ecumenical movement.

The Synod Of Bishops Of ROCOR (under the omofor of Metropolitan Vitaly) brings to the attention of the God-beloved pastors and flock of Christ’s Church that it is not in communion with the present synod [of ROCOR], headed by archbishop Lavr [Laurus] (Shkurla) – not so much on account of said synod’s desire "to unite with the Moscow Patriarchate" (although the very "desire to commit a transgression" in the spiritual life is a sin) as by reason of an open confession by the adherents of this synod concerning their eucharistic communion with the Serbian church, which is a participant in the ecumenical movement and is in liturgical communion with the Moscow Patriarchate (this places them under their own conciliar anathemas of 1983 and 1998) and the recognition, by archbp. Lavr’s synod of the so-called "glorification of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia" by a pseudo-church (MP), whereby not only is a non-church elevated to the status and dignity of a Church of Christ, but an absolute falsehood is also propounded, inasmuch as Hieromartyr Metropolitan Iosif [Joseph] of Petrograd was not glorified [by the MP].

The genuine and perfect glorification of Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia was carried out by [our] Holy Church in 1981.


+Metropolitan Vitaly
{signature}

+Archbishop Varanava [Barnabas]
{signature of Bp. Sergii – who, with Archbp. Varnava’s permission, signed on his behalf}

+Bishop Sergii
{signature}

+Bishop Vladimir
{signature}