London, September 25, 2018
Photo: synod.com The Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) held its latest regular meeting in London on September 20, which concluded with the consecration of the new Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God in London.
Participating in the meeting were His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany, His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America, His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada, His Eminence Archbishop Peter of Chicago and Mid-America, His Grace Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan, and His Grace Bishop Irenei of Sacramento, reports the official ROCOR site.
During its session, the Synod released a decree in agreement with that of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church from September 14 and appointed a permanent bishop to serve in Western Europe.
As a result of the Ecumenical Patriarch’s appointment of two exarch bishops in Ukraine without any blessing from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church resolved at its extraordinary session on September 14 that His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia would cease commemorating His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople during the Divine Liturgy, that hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church would not concelebrate with those of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and that hierarchs of the Russian Church would not participate in any structure chaired or co-chaired by representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Accordingly, the ROCOR Synod decreed: “Following the decision of the Hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, to cease concelebration on the hierarchical level with the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, and suspend the participation of the Russian Church Abroad in the work of all episcopal assemblies, for which to issue a corresponding ukase.”
Regarding the status of the parishes of Great Britain and Western Europe, the Synod resolved to release His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, the First Hierarch of ROCOR, from his duties as administrator of the parishes and to release His Grace Bishop Irinei from administering the Sacramento Vicariate in order to appoint him as the Bishop of Richmond and Western Europe, with a residence in London. Bp. Irinei’s name is to be commemorated at the Divine services in the parishes of Great Britain, Ireland, and the nations of Western Europe under his omophorion.
Bp. Irinei was elected as the Bishop of Sacramento on July 6, 2016, and consecrated on November 6, 2016.
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