Pre-Council Committee Teleconference 22 July 2018
Attendees: Archbishop Andronik, Archbishop Sofroniy, Bishop Iriney, Bishop Andrey, Archpriest Sergey Klestov, Archpriest Sergey Kondakov, Archpriest Nikita Grigoriev, George Lukin, Aleksey Klestov.
Also attending: Archimandrite Ilya (Empulev), Archpriest Mikhail Karpeev, Priest Aleksandr Malykh.
Absent: Bishop Stefan, Hegumen Ignatiy (Krutkov), Archpriest Georgiy Titov, Priest John Trepatschko, Priest Sergey Televinov, Priest Kirill Ignatiev, Mark Kotlaroff, Dimitri Gontscharow.
The teleconference began at 9:00 PM New York time with the prayer “O Heavenly King.”
Agenda for the 22 July 2018 Teleconference
- Administrative status of our dioceses in Russia
- Status of the Omsk group
- Appeal to the First Hierarchs of other church groups
- Statement of the Pre-Council Committee on the teachings of Metropolitan Cyprian (Kutsumbas)
1. Administrative Status of our dioceses in Russia
A discussion was held on the possible creation of the Russian District, which currently would consist of the two dioceses of Abp. Sofroniy and Bp. Iriney. Each bishop retains full hierarchical authority in his diocese and the district would address questions that go beyond the boundaries of a single diocese, such as, for example, the consecration of a new bishop.
For this reason, and to further the successful development of church life in our dioceses in Russia, it is necessary for the Russian hierarchs to create a unified ecclesiastical administration. This would be in accordance with the canons and with Patriarch Tikhon’s Decree No. 362.
When the Diaspora District was organized in September 2017 it was unanimously decided that our diaspora and Russian bishops would form two ecclesiastical districts that would be in eucharistic unity but would remain administratively independent of each other.
Participants in the teleconference touched upon the question of how to name this newly formed church administrative structure. On the one hand, the word “Abroad” would be inappropriate in the name of the Russian District, but on the other hand, for many, the name “The Church Abroad” is a symbol that is difficult to abandon.
The word “District” in the name of our church group arises from Decree No. 362. This word, first, denotes our canonical foundation, that is Pat. Tikhon’s Decree, and second, demonstrates that we do not presume to be exclusive; we are only one of the Districts of the Russian Church. Of course, another name can be chosen, such as, for example, the Assembly of Bishops.
The decision to create the District must be made in a conciliar fashion. It is thus necessary to begin discussing this issue in writing, so that a carefully considered decision can be made at the general session.
Decided: Invite the priests of both Russian dioceses to express their thoughts in writing about the formation of a Russian church administrative structure. Place the question of the formation of the Russian District on the agenda of the unified diocesan congress in Russia.
2. Status of the Omsk group
The priests of the Omsk group are subordinate to Bp. Stefan. Unfortunately, they keep their distance from our Russian hierarchs and have been unwilling to participate in common church affairs. This is a great loss for our Church, both in Russia and abroad. We are of the view that such isolation is not spiritually helpful for these priests themselves.
Decided: With the blessing of Bp. Stefan, invite these priests to participate in the Pre-Council Committee.
3. Appeal to the First Hierarchs of other church groups
The letters to be sent from the Pre-Council Committee to the first hierarchs of several of the other church groups were discussed. Once these letters are finalized, they will be sent to the addressees from the email address of Abp. Andronik, in his capacity as the chairman of the Committee.
4. Statement of the Pre-Council Committee on the teachings of Metropolitan Cyprian (Kutsumbas)
This topic provoked lively discussion. Our priests in Russia disagree with the proposal to publish a statement from the Pre-Council Committee on the teachings of Met. Cyprian. As became evident during the discussion, the reason for this disagreement is not that the Russian priests are followers of Met. Cyprian, but rather that they fear that criticism of his doctrine could lead us to another extreme, that of zealotry.
Other participants assured them that such fears were groundless. The Church Abroad has its own ecclesiology to which we adhere. The position of the ROCA in relation to the churches of World Orthodoxy was moderate if compared to that of the Greek Old Calendar synods, but it did not align with the concepts of Met. Cyprian.
The question of our views on Met. Cyprian’s teachings will inevitably arise in discussions with other groups, inasmuch as other than Met. Agafangel’s group, all of the other groups have already issued statements on this subject. In the same vein, ill-intentioned individuals accuse us of the heresy of “Cyprianism,” and thus it is necessary to clarify our position.
Not a single church group currently adheres to the teachings of Met. Cyprian and as a result this issue is no longer relevant. There is no need to discuss it at the All-Diaspora Council. It would be sufficient to make a statement from all of our bishops on the teachings of Met. Cyprian and to bring an end to this topic.
Decided: Compose a statement declaring that we adhere to the traditional ecclesiology of the Church Abroad which avoids either extreme; and, that for the Church Abroad, the doctrine of Met. Cyprian was never determinative. We do not recognize these teachings and we are not governed by them. This statement must be signed by all our bishops.
The next teleconference is designated for Tuesday, 7 August 2018, at 9:00 PM New York time.
Members of the Committee are asked to forward any questions that they would like discussed at the next teleconference.
The teleconference was concluded at 11:45 AM with the prayer “It is truly meet.”