His Holiness Patriarch Alexy Shares His Thoughts on the Relations with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH ALEXY SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON THE RELATIONS WITH THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OUTSIDE OF RUSSIA

The journalists asked His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia, who is paying his Primatial visit to Estonia, to give his comments on the recent meeting of the President of Russia Vladimir V.Putin with the Chairman of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) Metropolitan Laurus. His Holiness underlined that the restoration of communion between the divided parts of the Russian Church is ‘an ecclesiastical matter’ and added: ‘For the last twelve years we have repeatedly addressed the Church Outside of Russia, trying to convince them that it was time to come back and unite, that all those grounds, which have not allowed the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia to unite disappeared completely’. His Holiness reminded the journalists that when the Synod of the ROCOR was founded, it was stated that it was set up as a provisional institution and when Russia will have the freedom of belief, it will present an account of its activities to the judgement of the Church in the Fatherland. We do not demand any account, – said Patriarch Alexy, – but there is no doubt that the division must be overcome’.