Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia to join Moscow Patriarchate


Notes:

It's a goal that has eluded Christianity for nearly 1,000 years: mending the rifts between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. Pope Benedict XVI has already declared a "fundamental commitment" to heal the divide, and this week will engage in an indirect round of talks with Russian Orthodox churchmen.

In spiritual terms, it's an epic invitation to repair the broken foundation of the faith, at a time when the European Union is erasing the last Cold War separations and some Christian leaders appeal for greater cooperation to challenge the rise of militant Islam.
http://washtimes.com/world/20050611-112100-9508r.htm

Now that John Paul II has been buried, Catholic voices, lead by Benedict, are sounding the alarm about the coming Islamicization of Europe.
#msg-6089283

To this end Pope Benedict XVI reiterates his skepticism on Muslim Turkey's European Union membership in his first book published since his inauguration. "Turkey is a state affected by Islamic culture, and it lacks Christian roots."
#msg-6775311

Another very important aspect of this unification movement which has been left out of the Washington Times article is that Putin is consolidating the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia with the Moscow Patriarchate.

The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) is set to join the Moscow Patriarchate as a self-governed branch, similar to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

This looks to be an attempted unification of an unprecedented nature of Christians set against Muslims.

-Am


Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia to join Moscow Patriarchate
12:59


MOSCOW, June 21 (RIA Novosti, Olga Lipich) - The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) is set to join the Moscow Patriarchate as a self-governed branch, similar to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The union was envisaged by a draft act on canonical communication, which was published Tuesday on the official Web sites of the foreign ties department of the Moscow Patriarchate and ROCOR, along with other documents adopted by the cross commissions for the bilateral dialogue.

"These documents cover the key issues that ROCOR considered to be major obstacles on the way to a full dialogue," said Protopope Nikolai Balashov, the secretary for Orthodox ties of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Under the draft act, ROCOR will retain independence in terms of organization, but will still become part of the Moscow Partriarchate. By way of example, he cited the Ukrainian, Latvian, Moldovan and Estonian Orthodox Churches, all branches of the Moscow Patriarchate.

According to the draft act, "ROCOR is independent in terms of pastoral, enlightening, administrative, economic, property and secular issues."

The document also states that ROCOR bishops are members of the Local and Bishop Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, and can participate in the Holy Synod sessions. ROCOR will also receive its holy oil from the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The cross commissions for dialogue between the Moscow Patriarchate and ROCOR were established in December 2003. Metropolitan Laurus, the ROCOR Protohierarch, visited Russia in May 2004. Then the sides decided to begin the work of the commissions, and determined the range of issues to be discussed.

Since then, four joint sessions have been held.

"We are hopeful that the commissions will finish their work before the all-Foreign Council next May," Balashov said.




http://en.rian.ru/society/20050621/40555919.html