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Situation in the Diocese of Sourozh

25.05.2006 · Архив 2005-2009, События  

Archbishop Innokenty of Korsun appointed temporary administrator of the Diocese of Sourozh by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and all Russia’s decree of 9 May 2006, celebrated a Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of the Dormition and All Saints in London on 14 May 2006. Archbishop Anatoly of Kerch was concelebrating him and Bishop Basil Osborn, sent into retirement by a patriarchal decree of 9 May 2006 was attending the service.

After the liturgy Archbishop Innokenty read the decrees of His Holiness ordering the appointment of a temporary administrator and on sending Bishop Basil into retirement. In his address Archbishop Innokenty called on the believers to settle all problems in the spirit of prayer and love.

‘I would like that with God’s help we could get out of the present troublesome position, that the spirit of love might be there among us. I realize my mission is not easy but rather hard. I appeal to all of you asking to preserve peace and unity during the time the commission will be working in order to honour the memory of Metropolitan Anthony who was a great advocate of the unity of the Russian Church, a great spiritual father, a great hierarch. Now we are facing a great task to preserve peace and unity of the Church. I believe, dear brothers and sisters, in your help of prayer. Together we should trust in help, mercy, gracious support and admonition of our one God and Saviour Jesus Christ’, the archbishop said.

Bishop Basil added a few words saying the Patriarch’s decree had not been based upon study of all facts. He said he was to appeal to His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

After that Archbishop Innokenty urged Bishop Basil to prayer and reminded him of Bishop Benjamin Fedchenkov who lived in Paris in 1920-s. During the times of trouble in Church, he prayed warmly, celebrated forty liturgies, and only after that decided in which jurisdiction he would stay.

On 15 May 2006 Archbishop Innokenty of Korsun issued and address to the diocese informing he started to act as an administrator.

‘Dear Fathers, brothers and sisters in the Lord! For the Diocese of Sourozh this is an exceptionally difficult time, a time of testing and of temptation, a time for great responsibility, for fervent prayer and for repentance. The hearts of many of you are greatly troubled. Sometimes emotions get the better of reason. There is a real danger of making unreliable judgements and of taking decisions that have not been thought through, decisions which could result in the tragedy of division in the Church.

Today, as never before, we ought to pray fervently to God and to place all our hope in Him. Only after deep prayer, with that peace and stillness in our hearts which comes from the Lord, can we make sober judgements and take correct decisions.

We ought to give the special Patriarchal Commission the possibility of carefully analysing the causes of the severe crisis in the Diocese of Sourozh.

Beloved! I urge all of you to brotherly love, to peace and to mutual respect. We must preserve the unity of the Church, we must remain faithful to the Mother Russian Orthodox Church and to His Holiness, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

This is precisely what the ever-memorable Metropolitan Anthony did all his life. The spiritual accomplishment of his service remains for us a shining example. We must take great care to preserve this his spiritual legacy’, he said.

On 20, 21 and 22 May Archbishop Innokenty was celebrating in the Diocese of Sourozh’s cathedral, meeting and talking with clergy and people.

On 22 May Archbishop Innokenty issued a letter to the diocese’s clergy commenting Bishop Basil’s letters of 11 May he sent to all clergy of the diocese giving them a release to move to any other diocese. Archbishop Innokenty urged all of them not to let themselves be disturbed by this but to carry on, as before, their work in the parishes which have been entrusted to them, because a decree sent out by a bishop after his administrative authority had been ended had neither canonical nor juridical force. Archbishop Innokenty said that if any of the clergy of the Diocese of Sourozh, for one reason or another, really did require letters dismissorial in order to transfer to another diocese, then they could apply to the temporary administrator of the Diocese of Sourozh: each case will be reviewed individually.

However Archbishop Innokenty said it wasdesirable that the corresponding decisions should be taken only after the commission appointed by His Holiness Alexy, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to investigate the situation in the Diocese of Sourozh, had finished its work. The commission consists of Archbishop Innokenty (chairman), Archbishop Mark of Berlin, Germany and Great Britain (Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia; with the permission of Metropolitan Laurus of Eastern America and New York), the DECR MP secretary for inter-Orthodox relations the Very Revd. Nikolay Balashov, the the DECR MP secretary for Church and Society the Revd. Mikhail Dudko.

All commission members arrive in the UK and start working on 26 May 2006.