ROAC: Have the African Churches also left Ab. Gregory of Colorado?

Greece? Cyprus? Africa? The silence of Ab. Gregory of Colorado is deafening. Bp Andrei took in Gregory's priest in Italy, claiming it was a coup from the Milan Synod (he had been with Gregory for four years). In response, Gregory said nothing, but left Fr Ambrogio on the "roster". Is it possible that Bp Andrei has taken in the Africans now as well? Stranger still, if Andrei has friendly relations with the Lamians, what Greek communities are applying to ROAC?

(rpac.ru) His Grace Bishop Andrew of Pavlovskoe, administrator of the ROAC parishes in America, officially adopted into ROAC orthodox African communities in the Congo. Previously, these communities were in the jurisdiction of the Greek Synod in Resistance of Metropolitan Cyprian (Koutsumbas), and later under the omophorion Bishop Gregory of Denver (Abu Assaly). According to some reports the number taken in by bishop Andrei reaches more than 10 thousand people, which spiritual fatherhood of more than a dozen priests.

Currently, B. Andrew is taking an archpastoral visit to Greece and Cyprus, where several communities have requested the adoption of the jurisdiction of the ROAC.

ROCOR-A׃ Minutes of Day 3 of Synod Meeting; Dialogue proposed with ROAC, ROCA(V), and RTOC

Minutes: Meeting of the Synod of Bishops
Wednesday, October 15\28, 2009
Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica
Bronx, NY

The meeting began at 8:45 AM with the prayer “O Heavenly King.”

Attendees: Synod of Bishops Chairman, the Most Reverend Agafangel, Metropolitan of Eastern-America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and Archbishop of Taurida and Odessa.

Their Eminences: Vice- Chairman of the Synod of Bishops, Archbishop Andronik of Ottawa and North America, Archbishop Sofroniy of St. Petersburg and Northern Russia, Synod of Bishops Secretary Bishop Georgiy of Bolgrad and Belgorod-Dnestrovsk, and Bishop Joseph of Washington, DC, Vicar of the New York diocese.

Agenda
1 Current status of all the dioceses.
2 Discuss the registration of the Church Administration.
3 Discuss the preparation of chrism.
4 Conduct a discussion regarding those who left the ROCA Synod before May 17, 2007.
5 Discuss the veneration of saints on the local level.
6 Conduct a discussion regarding materials printed by the Church.
7 Discuss the work of the Synod Chancery.
8 Conduct a discussion regarding additional bishops.
9 Conduct a discussion regarding the Holy Land.
10 Discuss plans to convene a Bishops’ Council.
11 Conduct a discussion regarding the Council of Eminences in Russia.
12 Other.


Discussed: Synod of Bishops Chairman Metropolitan Agafangel spoke of the need to register the ROCA Synod, that a residence must be found for the Synod, and a fund established to gather donations for this cause. Metropolitan Agafangel noted that life in the church has stabilized.

The Synod of Bishops Chairman spoke of his trip to Greece to attend the patronal feast of the Monastery of St. Cyprian and Martyr Juliana of the Greek Synod of Resistance, and noted that a consensus of opinion exists between the Sister Churches.

Metropolitan Agafangel spoke of life in the Odessa diocese, of the construction of a diocesan center in Odessa, and the construction of a church in the convent of the town of Egorovka.

Decided: To accept Metropolitan Agafangel’s report.

Discussed: Archbishop Andronik spoke of matters in his diocese; that the Canadian diocese is doing well, and life throughout the parishes is stabile. He also spoke of m. Agapia’s efforts to find property for a convent, and of the parish school at the Tolstoy Foundation, which is growing bigger all the time.

Decided: To accept Archbishop Andronik’s report.

Discussed: Bishop Georgiy spoke of the construction of a church in the Bolgrad diocese, which the ROCA Assistance Fund helped to finance partially. Bishop Georgiy said all the parishes are doing well.

Decided: To accept Bishop Georgiy’s report.

Discussed: Archbishop Sofroniy spoke of matters in the St. Petersburg diocese and that all is well. Archbishop Sofroniy spoke of the establishment of a monastery and other parishes in his diocese.

Archbishop Sofroniy also told of life in the Ishimsk-Siberian diocese and the efforts of Hieromonk Nikon, who is gathering the scattered flock, organizing parish life, and starting parish schools. Archbishop Sofroniy also related his trip to a parish in the city of Kustany in Kazakhstan and the formation of a deanery there.



Decided: To accept Archbishop Sofroniy’s report.

Discussed: Bishop Joseph spoke of matters in his diocese, and how a property has been found for the parish there after three years of looking. Half of the parishioners speak only English. Bishop Joseph related how they started services at the homes of the parishioners, and now that they have a permanent place, the parish is growing.

Decided: To accept Bishop Joseph’s report.

Discussed: Regarding the second agenda item, the Chairman spoke of the absolute necessity to register the central Church administration. Since a Synod now exists, it must be registered.

The Chairman proposed to dissolve the North American Administrative District and to carry over its legal status to the ROCA Synod. The Chairman also proposed to restore the former dioceses.

Archbishop Andronik read a draft of the Synod by-laws.

A general discussion followed.

Decided:
1 To dissolve the North American Administrative District and restore the Canadian and Eastern-American dioceses. The Eastern-American diocese includes all the former dioceses of the ROCA in the USA. The ruling bishop is Metropolitan Agafangel.
2 To register the finished version of the Synod by-laws, including all revisions.
3 To create a Syracuse diocese within the Eastern-American diocese and name Archbishop Andronik to be its ruling bishop, with the title “of Syracuse and Nichols.”
4 As ruling bishop of the Canadian diocese, Archbishop Andronik’s title will change to “of Ottawa and Canada.”
5 To leave the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Valley Cottage, NY, under Archbishop Andronik’s authority.

Discussed: The Chairman spoke of the preparation of chrism.

Decided: To begin readying for the preparation of chrism and obtain all the necessary materials.

Discussed: The Chairman spoke on the fourth agenda item, about those who left the ROCA Synod before May 17, 2007.

A general discussion followed.

Decided: As Chairman of the Ecclesiastical Committee, Bishop Georgiy will meet with representatives of ROAC, ROCA(V), and RTOC to explore their differences.

Discussed: Bishop Georgiy proposed making a statement from the Synod of Bishops regarding matters in Suzdal. Bishop Georgiy read a proposed draft. A general discussion followed.

Decided: To draft a statement from the Synod of Bishops regarding recent events in the religious life in Russia.

Discussed: The Chairman spoke on the fifth agenda item. He noted the importance of overseeing how saints are venerated in various areas and the proper notation of saints in our calendar. The Chairman proposed to use the “Guideline for Canonizing Saints and their Veneration,” issued by the Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 21\September 3, 1918, as well as decisions issued by the Synod and Council of our Church and not make any new changes, which may lead to temptation.

Decided: To adhere strictly to the “Guideline for Canonizing Saints and their Veneration,” issued by the Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 21\September 3, 1918, as well as decisions issued by the Synod and Council of our Church. To base the calendar on the one issued in New York City, when Met. Philaret was First Hierarch.

The meeting adjourned at 12:40 PM for lunch.

The meeting resumed at 1:35 PM.

Discussed: The Chairman spoke of the need to resume the printing of the official Synod publication, “Church Life.” Metropolitan Agafangel proposed publishing calendars approved by the Synod and will also print certificates of merit issued by the Synod.

Decided:
1 With the Synod’s blessing, print calendars that include the typicon, and those that do not, and also print certificates of merit issued by the Synod.
2 Have the Synod Secretary, Bishop Georgiy, resume publishing the official Synod publication, “Church Life.”

Discussed: Regarding the seventh agenda item, Bishop Georgiy proposed naming Dimitri Gontscharow as the Synod Secretary’s assistant.

Decided: To name Dimitri Gontscharow as the Synod Secretary’s assistant.

Discussed: Archbishop Sofroniy’s recommendation that the Synod’s agenda should be posted in a timely manner before the meeting.

Decided: To post the agenda two or three weeks before the meeting.

Discussed: The Chairman’s proposal to name additional bishops.

A general discussion followed.

Decided:
1 After he becomes a monk and the matter of his living apart from his matushka is resolved, to make a decision on the date of consecration of Archpriest Valeriy Kravets as a bishop, as it was previously decided.
2 To invite Hieromonk Nikon (Yost) to the Bishops’ Council to discuss the possibility of his consecration as bishop.

Discussed: The Chairman spoke of the consecration of the Bishop of South America, Hieromonk Gregory Petrenko, which was approved by the other bishops and was conducted by Metropolitan Agafangel, Abp. Sofroniy, and B. Ambrose of Methone (Greek Old Calendar Church).

Decided: To name Bishop Gregory the ruling bishop for South America with the title “of SaoPaulo and Brazil.”

Discussed: The Chairman discussed matters in the Holy Land. Metropolitan Agafangel said that a nun has purchased a house there, in the hope of making it a place for pilgrims and is asking that this proposal be approved.

Decided: To bless the establishment of a pilgrimage center in the Holy Land and to have Abp. Andronik responsible for it.

Discussed: Abp. Sofroniy related the outcome of the Council of Eminences in Russia, which took place this year in Bolgrad on the feast day of the Elevation of the Cross. Abp. Sofroniy was chosen the Chairman of the Council at this meeting.

Decided: To approve Abp. Sofroniy as the Chairman of the Council and to schedule the next meeting of the Council on November 17, 2009, in Odessa.

Discussed: The convening of the ROCA Bishops’ Council.

Decided: To hold the ROCA Bishops’ Council during the fourth week of Great Lent, from April 13\26 to April 16\29, 2010, in Odessa.

Discussed: Abp. Sofroniy spoke of his recommendation to award the wearing of a gold cross to Fr. Gennadiy Subotin and Hieromonk Nikon (Yost).

Decided: To award the wearing of a gold cross to Fr. Gennadiy Subotin and Hieromonk Nikon (Yost).

Discussed: Archpriest Valeriy Alekseyev’s appeal to the Synod.

Decided: To consider the appeal presented.

Discussed: The draft of an appeal from the ROCA Synod of Bishops regarding current events in the religious life of Russia.

Decided: To approve the draft of an appeal from the ROCA Synod of Bishops regarding current events in the religious life of Russia.

The Synod of Bishops meeting concluded at 5:00 PM with the prayer, “It is Truly Meet…”


Synod Chairman
+Metropolitan Agafangel

+Archbishop Andronik
+Archbishop Sofroniy
+Bishop Georgiy
+ Bishop Joseph

To the ROCA Synod of Bishops

Bishop Georgiy
of Bolgrad and Belgorod-Dnestrovsk

REPORT

I initiated a private meeting with Bishop Andrew (Maklakov) of the ROAC on October 23, 2009. Our conversation included a discussion of the reasons for our separation. Both of us expressed a concern for our continuing separation and spoke of a personal desire to establish talks between our bishops to consider and resolve our points of disagreement.

+ Bishop Georgiy

Appeal
Synod of Bishops
Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
October 15/28, 2009

The Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad expresses its concern over the resumption of persecution of the faithful in the Russian Federation. Those persecuted by the administration the most, are those who do not support the newly-elected MP Patriarch, who cooperated closely with the atheistic communist regime in the USSR and continues to be “imbedded in the government” of the current Russian Federation. We call the unrepentant cooperation with the enemies of the church “sergianism,” and believe that the policy of conscious cooperation of the faithful with an atheistic government, as described in the Declaration of Metropolitan Sergius in 1927, places them outside of the Orthodox Church and the pursuit of this course of action to be destructive and political, but not religious. We do not consider Patriarch Kirill to be the lawful, canonical Primate of the entire Russian Orthodox Church, just as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad never recognized any of the patriarchs of the Moscow Patriarchate, beginning with Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodskiy). We also do not consider it permissible for a Church, founded by Christ, to immerse itself in globalism and ecumenism, and lead mankind, in our opinion, to complete ruin and catastrophe on a worldwide scale. The resumption of persecution of the faithful in the Russian Federation is one of the signs of the return of this government to the totalitarian period of the USSR and is vivid proof of the lack of repentance of a large part of the people of the ruinous actions of the global communist system. At the same time, we know that the administration of the Moscow Patriarchate is the sole instigator of the persecution of thousands of Orthodox Christians, which, unfortunately, causes this administration to resemble an apocalyptical church-harlot.

We call upon our faithful flock to pray fervently to our Lord, Jesus Christ, His Immaculate Mother and all the saints, so that they may keep our souls unharmed from the destructive influences of globalism, ecumenism, and sergianism, and give all of us the strength to endure the latest onset of persecution of the Church of Christ.

+Metropolitan Agafangel
+Archbishop Andronik
+Archbishop Sofroniy
+Bishop Georgiy
+ Bishop Joseph

Open Letter of Abbess of Novi Stienik and Vladimir Moss to Abp Chrysostomos of Athens

ROCOR-A׃ Diocesan Conference Minutes; New Diocesan Center Approved, RTOC Discussion Considered

Hat tip to R.D.

October 26\13, 2009. Martyrs Carpus, Papylus, Agathadorus, and Agathonica. The “Iveron” icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The meeting was held on the grounds of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Valley Cottage, New York. The first day of the conference.

The conference of the ROCA North American Administrative District under the chairmanship of the Most Reverend Metropolitan Agafangel, Chairman and First Hierarch of the ROCA, was attended by: Abp. Andronik, ROCA Synod Secretary B. Georgiy, B. Joseph, Mitred Archpriest Gregory Kotlaroff, Archpriest Vsevolod Dutikow, Archpriest Oleg Mironov, Archpriest Daniel Meschter, North American Administrative District Secretary Fr. Victor Dobroff, Protodeacon Job Chemerov, Deacon Dimitri Dobronravov, Deacon Michael Foster, Mother Agapia (Stephanopoulos), District Treasurer Mark Kotlaroff, John Herbst, Dimitri Gontscharow, Evgeniy Vernikovskiy, and Alla Adrianova-Ivask.

Fr. Nicholas Chernjavsky and Hieromonk Andrew (Erastov) were also present at the conference.

The conference began with a moleben to the Most Holy Theotokos.

At 1400, the following agenda was approved unanimously:

1. Mother Agapia’s report on finding property for a monastery.
2. Establish the Eastern-American and Canadian dioceses and list their respective parishes.
Elect a secretary and a treasurer for each diocese.
3. Discuss attempts to establish relations with the other “fragments” of the ROCA.
4. Discuss the parish by laws of the ROCA.
5. Confirm the monthly tithing amount sent to a diocesan account.
6. Discuss the procedural work performed by the synodal and diocese administrative offices.
7. General discussion of how to improve the overall life of our church – hold choral conferences,
youth conferences, support parish schools, publish books, create websites, conferences,
pilgrimages, etc.

1. Regarding the first item on the agenda, Mother Agapia told of her efforts to obtain land in New York State to establish a monastery to honor St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra.

Protodeacon Job Chemerov proposed to manage the property of the monastery.

Fr. Victor Dobroff suggested having an icon painted identical to the wonder-working icon of St.Nicholas that is in the care of Fr. Elias Warnke to bless this undertaking. He also noted that according to the opinion of Pyotr Nikolayevich Koltypin and several others, the proposed location of the monastery in upstate New York is inconvenient, especially if a cemetery is established there as planned. Also, that it would be good to have youth camps there during the summers.

Metropolitan Agafangel reminded everyone, that given current market conditions and the global economic crisis, it may be better not to rush into the purchase of property for a monastery. He believes there will be excellent opportunities for buying real estate soon.

B. Joseph noted that the property in the vicinity of Utica intended for the monastery is not as far away as it may seem to those people mentioned by Fr. Victor Dobroff.

Archpriest Vsevolod Dutikow, Archpriest Gregory Kotlaroff, and Evgeniy Vernikovskiy agreed with B. Joseph, that its distance from New York is not a limiting factor.

Decided: Accept m. Agapia’s report and to call upon the flocks of the Eastern-American and Canadian dioceses to wholeheartedly support this project.

2. Metropolitan Agafangel’s views on the second item were heard. He proposed to change the structure of the North American Administrative District, which was a temporary body, and establish a separate Eastern-American and Canadian diocese. All participants supported the proposal unanimously.

Decided: To ask the ROCA Synod to dissolve the ROCA North American Administrative District. Abp. Andronik proposed to name Archpriest Oleg Mironov as the Secretary of the Canadian diocese, Phillip Nichols as Treasurer, and Archpriest Andrew Kencis, Alla Adrianova-Ivask, Anna Sauer, Nicholas Timtsenko, and Vladimir Skok as members of the Diocesan Council.

B. Joseph proposed leaving the current administration of the North American District as the administration of the Eastern-American diocese.

Fr. Victor Dobroff did not agree and proposed to elect new officers for the ROCA Eastern-American diocese.

Archpriest Vsevolod Dutikow nominated Dimitri Gontscharow as Secretary of the Eastern-American diocese and Mark Kotlaroff as Treasurer. All participants supported the proposal unanimously and also all agreed to add B. Joseph, Archpriest Vsevolod Dutikow, Fr. Victor Dobroff and Evgeniy Vernikovskiy as members of the Diocesan Council of the Eastern-American diocese.

The conferees also asked the ROCA Synod to consider the establishment of the ROCA Diocese of Syracuse.

B. Joseph was named Chairman of the Ecclesiastical Court of the Eastern-American diocese, which will also include Archpriest Vsevolod Dutikow and Fr. Daniel Meschter.

Abp. Andronik was named Chairman of the Ecclesiastical Court of the Canadian diocese, which will also include Archpriest Oleg Mironov and Fr. Andrew Kencis.

Abp. Andronik was also named Chairman of the Ecclesiastical Court of the Syracuse diocese, which will also include Archpriest Gregory Kotlaroff and Fr. Nikita Grigoriev.

3. Metropolitan Agafangel’s views on the third item were heard. He underlined the necessity of finding a way to unite the “fragments,” while staying the traditional course of the ROCA.

Archpriest Oleg Mironov expressed the view that direct contact should be established between the episcopates of the ROCA and the “fragments.”

B. Joseph said he believes that the “fragments” resulted from the planned and coordinated actions of hidden elements of ROCA’s enemies, and because of this, as much ekonomia as necessary should be used when dealing with the “fragments.”

Fr. Victor Dobroff said uniting the “fragments” of the once-whole Church Abroad, to include the RTOC, is a very important task for the ROCA Synod, though it must remain vigilant to not lose its canonicity.

Archpriest Vsevolod Dutikow supported Fr. Victor’s opinion completely.

Evgeniy Vernikovskiy said he does not understand all the nuances of matters relating to the canons, but that it was still clear to him which was the real ROCA.

Metropolitan Agafangel thanked everyone for their opinions regarding the unification of the “fragments,” which will be discussed further on the Synod session to follow.

The first day session of the ROCA North American District Conference was concluded at 6 PM with a prayer.

October 27\14, 2009. Martyrs Nazarius, Gervase, Protase, and Celsus. The meeting was held on the grounds of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Valley Cottage, New York. The second day of the conference.

The conference of the ROCA North American Administrative District under the chairmanship of the Most Reverend Metropolitan Agafangel, Chairman and First Hierarch of the ROCA, was attended by: Abp. Andronik, Abp. Sofroniy, ROCA Synod Secretary B. Georgiy, B. Joseph, Mitred Archpriest Gregory Kotlaroff, Archpriest Vsevolod Dutikow, Archpriest Oleg Mironov, Archpriest Daniel Meschter, Archpriest Nikita Grigoriev, North American Administrative District Secretary Fr. Victor Dobroff, Protodeacon Job Chemerov, Deacon Dimitri Dobronravov, Deacon Michael Foster, John Herbst, Dimitri Gontscharow, Evgeniy Vernikovskiy, and Alla Adrianova-Ivask.

The conference opened at 9:00 with a prayer.

Metropolitan Agafangel summed up the discussions on the third item the day before and stressed that the unification of ROCA should continue, and when arranging talks to determine ways to unite the divided parts of the Church, the opinions and wishes expressed at the conference should be taken into account. Metropolitan Agafangel believes the process should begin with ROAC, RTOC, and ROCA(V), and an ecclesiastical committee should be formed to meet with representatives of the “fragments.”

Archpriest Nikita Grigoriev noted that in uniting ROCA, the circumstances which caused many to leave ROCOR prematurely, when it united with MP, should be considered.

Archpriest Oleg Mironov felt that it is possible for two parallel church administrations to exist in the same canonical territory.

Bishop Georgiy noted the value of personal contacts between the ROCA episcopate and the other episcopates.

Decided: To bear in mind the comments made by Metropolitan Agafangel and to express the wishes of all present to the ROCA Synod, that further attempts be made for dialogue with the divided parts of the original ROCA.


Metropolitan Agafangel asked the District Secretary, Fr. Victor Dobroff, to read the minutes of the first day of the conference.

After some corrections, the conferees accepted the minutes of the first day without any changes.

The Secretary of the Conference, Fr. Victor Dobroff, proposed to approve the agenda of the second day of the conference, which included items not discussed on the first day:

1. Discuss the parish by laws of the ROCA.

2. Confirm the monthly tithing amount sent to a diocesan account.

3. Discuss the procedural work performed by the synodal and diocese administrative offices.

4. General discussion on how to improve the overall life of our church – hold choral conferences,

youth conferences, support parish schools, publish books, create websites, conferences,

pilgrimages, etc.

The conferees approved the proposed agenda.

1. Metropolitan Agafangel’s views on the first item were heard. Metropolitan Agafangel believes it is important that parish assets belong to the ROCA Synod, but several clarifications should be made in the legal documents, so that if a parish joins a different jurisdiction, the parishioners who do not want to change, can keep their share of the parish assets. If a parish is closed, the assets would be transferred to the Synod.

Archpriest Vsevolod Dutikow proposed not changing anything in the Parish By-laws.

Archpriest Oleg Mironov proposed decentralizing the arrangement, so that parish assets are managed solely by the parish.

B. Joseph proposed to add bishops to the list of parish trustees.

Archpriest Vsevolod Dutikow reminded everyone what had transpired with the ROCOR parish on 108th Street in New York City.

Archpriest Nikita Grigoriev gave his views on the subject from a religious perspective.

Fr. Victor Dobroff seconded the views of B. Joseph.

B.Joseph said that he agrees with Fr. Nikita, that the religious perspective in this matter is more important than the legal.

Archpriest Oleg Mironov suggested that the example of the St. Xenia of St. Petersburg parish in Ottawa be used in the matter of registering the assets of a parish.

Alla Adrianova-Ivask explained how the St. Xenia of St. Petersburg parish in Ottawa was set up legally and how this protected the parish during a crisis.

At the suggestion of Dimitri Gontscharow, Metropolitan Agafangel proposed to establish a committee to consider the registration of parishes, and this committee would then submit their proposals to the ROCA Synod. B. Joseph, Archpriest Oleg Mironov, Archpriest Nikita Grigoriev, Dimitri Gontscharow, and Alla Adrianova-Ivask were proposed for this committee.

Evgeniy Vernikovskiy proposed to keep copies of the parish registrations in the Synod Chancery.

Metropolitan Agafangel seconded Evgeniy Vernikovskiy proposal.

Decided: To establish a committee to consider the registration of parishes and submit their proposals to the ROCA Synod. It will include B. Joseph, Archpriest Oleg Mironov, Archpriest Nikita Grigoriev, Dimitri Gontscharow, and Alla Adrianova-Ivask. To keep copies of the parish registrations with the Synod Chancery.


2. Metropolitan Agafangel spoke of the monthly tithes to the diocesan treasury. He called upon the conferees to improve the system of tithing.

Archpriest Gregory Kotlaroff proposed plate collections twice monthly for the good of the diocese.

Archpriest Vsevolod Dutikow proposed leaving the current system of a 9% tithe, but that it should be no less than $100 a month.

Dimitri Gontscharow proposed a 10% tithe for the good of the diocese.

Metropolitan Agafangel proposed turning to the parishioners to help support the dioceses and the ROCA Synod through their donations.

Archpriest Nikita Grigoriev explained his parish was experiencing financial difficulties, and at this time, he can only provide a small tithe.

Evgeniy Vernikovskiy explained his parish was experiencing similar difficulties and that they would only be able to make a tithe when possible.

Decided: Along with plate collections every 3 months for the good of the diocese, to establish a mandatory 10% tithe from the parishes, based on profits from the sale of candles, prosfora, and parish stores, and also to establish a collection box for the diocese in every parish. Having received these funds, the dioceses are required to make a monthly 10% tithe to the ROCA Synod. Parishioners are also asked to remember the dioceses and the Synod in their wills.


3. Archpriest Oleg Mironov gave his views on the work performed by the synod and diocese chanceries. He feels that after union with the MP, the procedural work was inadequate, and that in his opinion, it was because everyone had to start from the beginning again.

Bishop Georgiy noted that part of the problem was that the dioceses are so far away from the Synod, and asked that the Eastern-American diocese Secretary be named as an assistant to provide English translations.

Abp. Sofroniy said he is happy with how his Chancery is performing.

Decided: The diocese secretaries must improve the functioning of their chanceries. Name Dimitri Gontscharow to help the Synod Secretary with translating Synod documents into English.

4. Regarding improving the life of the church within ROCA, Metropolitan Agafangel said he believes it can become fuller by staging choral conferences, youth conferences, pilgrimages, and various events held by one or more dioceses.

Archpriest Nikita Grigoriev said, if time allows, his matushka, who is a professional singer, can help by providing instructional courses in choral singing.

Archpriest Oleg Mironov said his parish has three good choir directors, and the idea to hold choral conferences has already been discussed. They hope to have such a conference in December of this year in Ottawa, Canada.

Metropolitan Agafangel asked that parishes order and distribute more materials printed by ROCA printing presses.

Archpriest Gregory Kotlaroff asked that the books by Bishop Averkiy (Taushev) be reprinted and distributed widely.

Dimitri Gontscharow reminded everyone how important it is to support the printing done by Fr. Gregory Williams.

Archpriest Gregory Kotlaroff said that by the Grace of God and the prayers of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the parish school in Valley Cottage was opened and is doing very well.

Abp. Andronik offered to organize a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for clergy and laypeople.

Archpriest Oleg Mironov offered to organize a pilgrimage to Mt. Athos for men.

Evgeniy Vernikovskiy spoke of how the enemies of ROCA keep changing their harassment tactics on the Internet.

Decided: Have Archpriest Oleg Mironov hold a choral conference on December 24-27, 2009, at the Blessed St. Xenia parish in Ottawa, Canada. Have Dimitri Gontscharow and Olga Sauer organize a youth conference some time next year. Ask the rectors to better promote the printed materials produced within ROCA. Have Evgeniy Vernikovskiy put together a catalog of all printed materials produced within ROCA and send it out to all the parishes. Issue a statement of gratitude from the conferees to G. Lukin and all the teachers of the parish school attached to the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Ask Archpriest Nikita Grigoriev, Archpriest Oleg Mironov, and Evgeniy Vernikovskiy to author a short history of ROCA after May 17, 2007, and distribute it to the parishes and the Internet. Have Evgeniy Vernikovskiy make the video from the Vth All-Diaspora Council available to Metropolitan Agafangel and Abp. Sofroniy. They will decide which parts to include in a short film of the event.

As each item was discussed and decided during the conference, Fr. Victor Dobroff read the minutes, which were approved unanimously by the conferees.

This Conference of the ROCA North American Administrative District was concluded with a prayer at 2:35 PM.

Approved

+ Metropolitan Agafangel
Bishop of the Eastern-American and New York Diocese

Fr. Victor Dobroff
ROCA North American Administrative District Secretary

World Orthodoxy: 62% of American Orthodox are pro-abortion

As Orthodox Christians in the United States seek a new unity out of ethnic fragmentation, they must grapple with the fact that many who say they cherish the faith nevertheless ignore its teachings and practices.

"They see the Orthodox Church in an unorthodox way," said Alexei Krindatch, research director of the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute at the University of California-Berkeley, who conducted an in-depth study of Orthodox Christians in the United States.

He spoke in Ligonier at a national conference of Orthodox Christian Laity, church activists from across all ethnic jurisdictions. They welcomed this year's call from the patriarchs of all of the Eastern European and Middle Eastern Orthodox churches to begin forming united Orthodox churches in places such as North America and Australia. The patriarchs instructed all Orthodox bishops in North America to begin meeting together to deal with the issues of their own regions. Groups such as Orthodox Christian Laity want to help the bishops along that path.

Orthodox Christians have a high sense of identification with their faith, Mr. Krindatch said. Eighty-seven percent said they couldn't imagine being anything but Orthodox, compared to 70 percent of Catholics who felt the same way about their church. But although more than 70 percent of Orthodox identify themselves as conservative or traditional -- wanting no or slow change -- many also consider key teachings of the faith optional.

Mr. Krindatch found that 60 percent believed they could be good Orthodox Christians without going to church every Sunday -- and they attended less frequently than Catholics or evangelical Protestants.

More than a quarter believed it was unnecessary to give time and money to either the church or to help the poor. Another study found that 62 percent of Orthodox Christians believed abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Metropolitan Jonah, national leader of the Russian-rooted Orthodox Church in America, reacted strongly to the abortion findings, telling the assembly, "If 60 percent of our people support abortion, then we have failed miserably in our teaching."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09303/1009395-455.stm#ixzz0VwSm5BSs

ROCOR-A׃ Appeal Concerning the Church Situation in the Russian Federation

The Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad expresses its concern over the resumption of persecution of the faithful in the Russian Federation. Those persecuted by the administration the most, are those who do not support the newly-elected MP Patriarch, who cooperated closely with the atheistic communist regime in the USSR and continues to be “imbedded in the government” of the current Russian Federation. We call the unrepentant cooperation with the enemies of the church “sergianism,” and believe that the policy of conscious cooperation of the faithful with an atheistic government, as described in the Declaration of Metropolitan Sergius in 1927, places them outside of the Orthodox Church and the pursuit of this course of action to be destructive and political, but not religious. We do not consider Patriarch Kirill to be the lawful, canonical Primate of the entire Russian Orthodox Church, just as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad never recognized any of the patriarchs of the Moscow Patriarchate, beginning with Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodskiy). We also do not consider it permissible for a Church, founded by Christ, to immerse itself in globalism and ecumenism, and lead mankind, in our opinion, to complete ruin and catastrophe on a worldwide scale. The resumption of persecution of the faithful in the Russian Federation is one of the signs of the return of this government to the totalitarian period of the USSR and is vivid proof of the lack of repentance of a large part of the people of the ruinous actions of the global communist system. At the same time, we know that the administration of the Moscow Patriarchate is the sole instigator of the persecution of thousands of Orthodox Christians, which, unfortunately, causes this administration to resemble an apocalyptical church-harlot.

We call upon our faithful flock to pray fervently to our Lord, Jesus Christ, His Immaculate Mother and all the saints, so that they may keep our souls unharmed from the destructive influences of globalism, ecumenism, and sergianism, and give all of us the strength to endure the latest onset of persecution of the Church of Christ.

U.S. State Dept. Backs Moscow Patriarchate

We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation, or a Muslim nation, but rather, a nation of citizens who are, uh, bound by a set of values. Barack Obama

Hat tip to R.D. So now our beloved U.S., which now has become a friend to socialists the world over, has decided to defend the last arm of the old Soviet regime....

(Interfax) - The U.S. Department of State's annual reports on international religious freedom are becoming more balanced and impartial from year to year when the matter concerns Russia, in the view of a Moscow Patriarchate spokesman.

"The Department of State's reports have seen progress in terms of correctness of descriptions of Russian legal and social realities over the past several years," Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, the head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for Church and Society Relations, said to Interfax-Religion.

In commenting on the section of the Department of State's 2009 Report on International Religious Freedom dealing with Russia, Father Vsevolod said the document "quite accurately describes the legal system of relations between the state and religious organizations that has taken shape in Russia and the structures existing for dialogue between the state and religious communities."

At the same time, Father Vsevolod disagreed with a number of provisions in the report, such as its criticism of protests against some religious groups and the establishment of a department for spiritual security and assistance to victims of destructive cults and sectarian extremism in one of the Russian Orthodox Church's dioceses.

"I am sure that believers are fully entitled to criticize views of people from other religious groups, especially when these religious groups have a destructive effect on the lives of families, society, and religious communities that the protesters represent. This is a natural manifestation of freedom of speech, which implies the possibility of religious polemics," he said.

The report mentions without criticism the fact that the Russian Church has more active ties with the state than other religious groups, Father Vsevolod said.

"I view this as natural and normal, because this is the church of a majority having the best opportunities for social, educational, and other socially helpful activities. At the same time, it is evident that our state actively interacts with other religious communities proportionally to their real presence in society, which the report mentions as well," he said.

ST NICHOLAS CONVENT/ROCA DIOCESAN CENTER 2nd FUNDRAISING APPEAL!

"Anglican Diocese" of the OCA?!?!?

We can't really be reading this. More Angliochians? More semi-convert Anglican parishes? More people who have no clue as to what Western Orthodoxy is taken in to the OCA? More "Liturgy Of St Tikhon" (Or "LOST" for short) parishes?

The whole post can be found linked to the title but if this really came from St Mark's Angliochian Parish in Denver, then we can be sure this may well be happening. Click the story below to see it....

Greetings in Christ.

Milan Synod: Pastoral Visit of Abp John to Florida

Archbishop John of New York and New Jersey (Milan Synod) made a second pastoral visit to Florida this year, holding services for the people of the Protection of the Theotokos Church in the Orlando area and conducting ordinations. Archbishop John elevated Archimandrite Michael of the Holy Royal Martyrs Skete to the great schema, also elevating Hierodeacon Nectarios to the Priesthood.

The Archbishop noticed the piety and vitality of those present at the services. The Holy Royal Martyrs Skete is located near the Protection Church and was recieved into the Synod earlier this year.

Cyprus: New Calendar Archbishop Bans Protesting Monks from Communion

Ah, fighting from within. This article is instructive. We've noted, for a long time, that "fighting from within" the official Church is illusory. If you are truly fighting from within, then you shall shortly be fighting from without. When you finally realize that mealy-mouthed statements and half-hearted attempts don't work and you have to take concrete action, you are faced with, well, this. As a side note, isn't the state Church of Cyprus the one that recognizes "Anglican orders"? So much for "putting your opinions above that of the Synods". NFTU

Holy protestors force cancellation of Catholic Wedding: Charles Charalambous

(cyprus mail) BANNER-WAVING Orthodox protestors yesterday put a stop to a Catholic wedding ceremony at Ayios Yiorgios church in Chlorakas after shouting a string of abuse at the priest and others in the church.

The protestors had gathered for the second day outside a conference of the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

The small church is opposite the venue.

Protestors were incensed when the Catholic priest, who has permission from the Church of Cyprus to hold ceremonies, asked them to leave. Instead they heckled him to leave. “We peacefully call on you to leave and to have the wedding in a Catholic Church,” said one of the protestors.

When the priest told them he had permission, another said: “We are Orthodox Christians. It’s our church and you have no place here.”

The incident was caught on camera by Antenna television.

Another protestor outside the church said the Catholic priest had shown up with a key, entered the church and began moving things around “as if he was in a warehouse”.

“Some heretic....a Latin heretic...came and told us to go outside because there was a wedding, a papal wedding,” said the protestor.

He claimed it was all a plot to distort the history of Cyprus because the church in question was historically important in terms of the EOKA struggle when it was used as a drop-off point for weapons.

“They (Catholics) are not allowed to enter our church,” said the first protestor. “Aren’t you ashamed. You came to throw us out,” he said to the priest.

The Catholic priest then walked away, saying the wedding was cancelled.

The protestors who began demonstrating on Saturday oppose dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, and claim that the aim of the dialogue between the two churches is the submission of the Orthodox Church to the Pope.

Archbishop Chrysostomos expressed his displeasure about the Saturday protest in scathing terms.

“The Church is certainly a place for healing, and people turn to it in order to be healed. But it is not an asylum, nor shall we allow it to become a home for the mentally-ill. The Church cannot be turned into a lunatic asylum” he said.

“For someone – whether a lay or clerical person – to place his opinion above the opinion and decisions of the local synods of the whole of the Orthodox faith amounts to vanity, and indeed satanic vanity.”

Inviting the protestors to “get their feet back on the ground and gain some redemptive humility”, he declared that all clerics and monks who took part in the protest would be punished, and told the participants to visit him in his office yesterday.

The Archbishop said that the clerics would face suspension and loss of pay, and the monks would be deprived of Holy Communion “for several weeks”.

“If they don’t like it, they should take off their robes and leave the formal Church. Let them go and set up their own church. This is why I will be very strict.”

The protestors responded by saying that instead of “convincing with theological arguments as a pastor”, the Archbishop was “using the powers of his office to issue threats” of disciplinary action against clerics involved in the protest.

Lavrentios de Giorgio, President of the Saint Kosmas Aitolos Orthodox Union, speaking for the protestors argued yesterday that the Archbishop did not have the authority to impose punishments on clergy belonging to the Kitium diocese, describing such actions as “a coup” by the Church leader.

In response, Paphos Bishop Georgios – who is in charge of the inter-faith dialogue – said that the protestors were “ultra-orthodox” people.

“Neither I nor the Synod nor anyone else is less Orthodox than them,” he said.

“People need to understand that we are all in dialogue with our fellow-man and we will not betray our faith or our values.”

The conference takes place every two years, and will end on Friday.

Fr Chad Responds: The Mystery Deepens

NFTU has received a polite response from Fr Chad Hatfield, the chancellor of St Vladimir's Seminary concerning the contents of the Nashotah House meeting. While we have no reason to question the integrity of the response, the response has left us scratching our heads. Apparently the "Covenant Partnership" (which Fr Chad refers to as a concordat) has something to do with the old "Fellowship of Sts Alban and Sergius", an early ecumenical organization between Orthodox and Anglicans. What that something is, however, we don't know. As always, we'll keep our readers posted.

Father Chad's response to NFTU was as follows.

Dear Subdeacon Joseph,

Blessings. I am familiar with NFTU. Thank you for your interest in the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Glorification of St. Tikhon Conference that was held recently at Nashotah House.

Archdeacon Kirill was in the Georgian delegation with His Beatitude, Jonah, and since he is our IT Director at SVS are running a bit slow in getting our website updated. I would like for the concordat between the two seminaries, pledging to record the history of the Anglican/Orthodox Dialogue since 1862 [edited: Fr Chad indicated he meant 1862, not 1962 as originally written] on Fellowship of Ss. Alban and Sergius model, to first be posted on our own site. Hopefully it will be up in a couple of days on the Archdeacon is caught up from his trip to Georgia.

In Christ,

Archpriest Chad

We've responded with the following:

Dear Father Chad:

Thank you very much for your kind and prompt response. I will put it online shortly. As well, I am also grateful for the additional information given concerning the contents of the document. Since we are waiting on Archdeacon Kirill, I assume this will be at least a couple of days.

I am a little confused by what you mean by recording "the history of the Anglican/Orthodox Dialogue since 1862 on Fellowship of Ss. Alban and Sergius model". I personally know little of this community but have read a bit. For a traditionalist, looking at their current website is extremely disheartening. In the Fellowship's current (as of 10/19 New Style) "About Us" page, we find the following (I really do have a question, which will follow the quote):

"The conferences at St Albans broke ground in a number of areas. First, they provided an opportunity for informal contact and the fostering of friendships between Christians of different traditions. Secondly, an opportunity was found for common worship, something not experienced previously, and in fact regarded with great suspicion by many Orthodox mindful of their canons prohibiting 'prayer with heretics and schismatics'. The daring decision was made to hold a daily celebration of the Eucharist, alternating between Orthodox and Anglican rites. There was no intercommunion, but the liturgy was offered each day on the same altar, and this was seen to provide a symbolic focus for the hope of future full eucharistic unity.In this light, the conferences of 1927 and 1928 can be considered ground-breaking for their time. Both annual conferences and alternating Orthodox and Western celebrations of the Eucharist have remained features of the life of the Fellowship up to the present day....In the years following World War Two, a house was acquired in Ladbroke Grove, London W11 to serve as a permanent base and headquarters. A library was established for the use of Fellowship members, and an Orthodox chapel was opened in the house, dedicated, like the house, to St Basil the Great. The chapel, opened by Metropolitan Germanos of Thyateira, was to serve as the spiritual centre of the Fellowship for the next forty-five years. Uniquely for an Orthodox place of worship, the chapel contained an Anglican altar, outside the Orthodox sanctuary, so that both Anglican and Orthodox eucahristic celebrations might be possible there....The question of involvement of the various denominations within Christianity in ecumenical work is, itself, not an easy one. Officially, until relatively recently, Roman Catholics were forbidden to take part in acts of worship with non-Catholic groups. Similarly, Orthodox canon law forbids 'prayer with heretics and schismatics'. One might, of course, argue what constitutes a heretic or a schismatic, but one might also have the boldness to say that, like other canons, this one has outlived its purpose in a world where common prayer and unity as Christians are of paramount importance. It is no longer really possible to pretend that we, in the western world, live in Christian societies."

Does this mean the concordat (to use your words) is simply the creation of a document for a historical register? Or that the dialogue between the seminaries of the ACNA and the OCA shall follow the Fellowship's model?

In Christ,
Subdeacon Joseph Suaiden
St Eulalia Orthodox Mission, Bronx NY

Metr John (Zizoulas): Fight... For Ecumenism!

This article is so eye-opening you have to read it in full. For those convinced that ecumenism is just some isolated view of some ecumenists in official Orthodoxy, we submit the following for your consideration.

Metr John's quite angry about the protests that shut down the Cyprus meeting yesterday. We'll italicize how many times he says "infallible". About the only person who he hasn't mentioned isn't infallible appears to be the Pope in his defense of the Ravenna document of 2007...

...Returning to the interview, Zizoulas immediately clarified that "the decision to participate in dialogue with the Catholic Church was 'unanimously’ made by all Orthodox churches. Therefore inveighing against dialogue, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and my person is unfair. All Orthodox churches were in agreement on the importance of dialogue and the fact that it must continue".

"The Ecumenical Patriarchate – he continues - as in all other Orthodox matters, has only a coordinating role and we, like the other members of the Commission, are the engaged executors, according to our own conscience, of the mandate that was assigned to us. We are open to criticism because we are not infallible, just as our critics are not infallible. Those who do not want dialogue, are opposed to the common will of all Orthodox Churches.... "

Regarding the positions of the monks of Mount Athos – staunchly opposed to dialogue - the Metropolitan of Pergamon is explicit: "I respect their opinion and their feelings on matters of faith. But why should they have the monopoly of truth on matters of faith? Are the other leaders of the churches perhaps lacking this sensitivity? All the faithful of the Church have the right to express their thoughts. But all opinions should be subject to scrutiny of the synods. If the great Father of the Church St. Basil put his opinion to the judgment of synods, we can do no less!"

The monks of Mount Athos and some conservative sectors of the Orthodox world accuse the Ecumenical Patriarchate of yielding to Rome on the question of Petrine primacy. Called upon to answer this question, Zizoulas says, "to the monks, whom I consider no less infallible than my own modest self, I would like to reply that the question of primacy is an ecclesiological one. And ecclesiology as we know, is part of dogma, part of faith. When we dialogue on this issue, we look at our own dogmatic divergence. There is no intention of neglecting other matters of dogma ... Quite simply, our experience has shown us that we must first agree on basic issues of' ecclesiology, because the question of primacy has been fatal and tragic in relations between the Catholic and Orthodox world. "

The Ravenna document that Metropolitan John is speaking about is here and says the following about Rome's role:

It remains for the question of the role of the bishop of Rome in the communion of all the Churches to be studied in greater depth. What is the specific function of the bishop of the “first see” in an ecclesiology of koinonia and in view of what we have said on conciliarity and authority in the present text? How should the teaching of the first and second Vatican councils on the universal primacy be understood and lived in the light of the ecclesial practice of the first millennium? These are crucial questions for our dialogue and for our hopes of restoring full communion between us.

And as we know... the first Vatican Council taught the following about Rome:

We teach and define that it is a dogma Divinely revealed that the Roman pontiff when he speaks ex cathedra, that is when in discharge of the office of pastor and doctor of all Christians, by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine regarding faith or morals to be held by the universal Church, by the Divine assistance promised to him in Blessed Peter, is possessed of that infallibility with which the Divine Redeemer willed that his Church should be endowed in defining doctrine regarding faith or morals, and that therefore such definitions of the Roman pontiff are of themselves and not from the consent of the Church irreformable.

So then, should anyone, which God forbid, have the temerity to reject this definition of ours: let him be anathema.

This is what Metr John is defending, folks-- a future reinterpretation of Vatican I at a future "Synod of the Orthodox." (A Pan-Orthodox Synod, perhaps?)

ROAC: The Churches of Suzdal Before... and After....

We have included a link to this moving pictorial (translated into English on the roacusa.org site) and invite everyone to take a look. After the Soviet period, ROAC restored abandoned Churches in Suzdal for people to worship. For those who think that the MP is simply "taking back her churches", we invite you to look at the condition the Churches were in back when the MP wasn't interested in them. You can spread propaganda or fight it. The pictures don't lie.

ROCOR-A: Met Agafangel in Greece

Source: Synodinresistance.org/

An Open Request for Information from Fr Chad Hatfield

Dear Father Chad,

Greetings in Christ! I hope your travels have gone well. My name is Joseph Suaiden, and I am in a Traditionalist Orthodox jurisdiction. I have a question of some importance. I have been following your new Metropolitan's (and your own) interest in the conservative Anglican Churches and ecumenical dialogue with them, et cetera. I also run a news website that goes to a few thousand readers each month. The reason I am writing, as you can probably guess, is related to the Nashotah house meeting of the past few days. (I realize it's been a whirlwind in terms of travel these days-- did you go with Metropolitan Jonah to Georgia?) In any case our opinion of this meeting, like any number of like opinions in the state Church, is resoundingly negative, but for some reason someone on our Twitter log is absolutely certain that you'd gladly reveal the contents of the "Covenant Partnership" that SVS and Nashotah House signed. I am not so convinced.

Now, we've gotten a descriptive sentence here or there, but we, in the interests of open information, would like to know the actual contents of the letter so we can put them up. After all, if it's nothing, it's nothing. And we've heard it's nothing, but we are pretty sure your leaders didn't sign a blank page, so a lot of people throughout Orthodoxy would love to know what's on that paper.

Is there any chance you can help us? If this is really nothing, we'd love to see it and be the first to calm down the many Orthodox in canonical jurisdictions that are truly scandalized. After all, for those of us outside the fray, this sort of dialogue is bad by its nature, regardless of what's on the paper. My personal belief is that we don't need it. But people want to know!

Anything that you can do to help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance for your time!

In Christ,
Subdeacon Joseph Suaiden
General Editor, NFTU

ROCOR V/A: Hierarchical Synod, New Bishop-Elect, Reorganization

(Sources: Mech-I-Trost, roca-sobor.org) The Synod of Bishops of the ROCOR under Bishops Vladimir and Anastassy was radically reorganized last week back into something closer to the original form of the Sobor-- before 2006. Until then, the Synod-- consisting for most of that time of two Bishops-- had been organized into an American and Eurasian district, since most of the dioceses had been effectively widowed through either death or the formation of other jurisdictions.

This changed last week with the meetings of the Hierarchical Synod of the ROCOR-VL (which appears to be the Russian usage now that Bishop Vladimir has been elevated to the Rank of Archbishop and is considered the primate of the Synod). Now consisting of four Bishops and a candidate for the vicariate of Moldova, the usage of ecclesiastical districts was officially abolished. Two more priests were nominated for the Episcopate, to be considered at the next meeting of the Synod (Oct 7 NS).

Two days before the Synod officially reported that the severance of their communion with the Synod in Resistance of Metropolitan Cyprian had officially been acknowledged and read at their Synodal meeting of September 29, NS, having received notification of Bp Ambrose of Methone of same (Oct 5 NS).

The Synod also banned Bishop Anthony (Rudey) of Moldova, who had left the Synod a few years earlier and single-handedly consecrated three Bishops, from serving, as well as censuring Hieromonk Tikhon (Kozushin) for controversial statements on the Internet. NFTU

Russia: Tobacco Patriarch Reaches out to Cossacks; Some Cossacks form Separatist Republic

From "Mech-I-Trost": On the feast of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin (October 14, 2009) on the Don, the Cossacks held two important and mutually exclusive events: in Novocherkassk - the MP-Sponsored field meeting of the Presidential Council for the Cossacks, and in the village Starocherkasskaya - separatists held the 2nd ( after the 1st in 1918) National People's Congress of Cossacks. As it should be at the events of diametrically opposite political parties, movements, organizations, their ideas, solutions become, so to say, ideologically aggressive. At the Council meeting Moscow Patriarch Cyril Gundyaev, also known by the nickname Kuriles and the old KGB secret informer nicknamed "Mikhailov, the threat of the Don Cossacks, not wishing to merge with his" church "and the ruling regime. Meanwhile, Cossack nationalists, in their separatist Congress proclaimed the "restoration" of the Cossack republic. [Read Full article in Russian Here]