The Russian Church asks the Romanian Church to explain why its hierarch communes with Greek-Catholics

[Chellow]

Moscow, June 6, Interfax - Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Kirill addressed the head of the Romanian Patriarchate Sector for External Church Relations Bishop Cyprian to clear up the information about Romanian hierarch communing at theCatholic mess.

In his letter, Metropolitan Kirill asks bishop Cyprian “to clear out if indeed a prominent Romanian Orthodox hierarch communed with those who don’t belong to the Orthodox Church,” the Moscow Patriarchate official website has reported on Friday.

The letter also asks “Patriarch Daniel of Romania and the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church express their attitude to this event.”

As Interfax-Religion has reported earlier, Metropolitan Nicolae of Banat communed at a liturgy in the Greek-Catholic Church in Timisoara in presence of the apostolic nuncio to Romania Archbishop Francisco Javier Lozano.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Moscow, June 6, Interfax - Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Kirill addressed the head of the Romanian Patriarchate Sector for External Church Relations Bishop Cyprian to clear up the information about Romanian hierarch communing at theCatholic mess.

In his letter, Metropolitan Kirill asks bishop Cyprian “to clear out if indeed a prominent Romanian Orthodox hierarch communed with those who don’t belong to the Orthodox Church,” the Moscow Patriarchate official website has reported on Friday.

The letter also asks “Patriarch Daniel of Romania and the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church express their attitude to this event.”

As Interfax-Religion has reported earlier, Metropolitan Nicolae of Banat communed at a liturgy in the Greek-Catholic Church in Timisoara in presence of the apostolic nuncio to Romania Archbishop Francisco Javier Lozano.

I think I understand the nature of the objection. What I don’t understand is how Metropolitan Kirill has the authority to challenge bishop Cyprian about anything at all. The ROC does sometimes seem to me to have ambitions that are, well, Papal.

 

[NReily]

I wouldn’t call it Papal desires, but the ROC simply denies the canonical status of the Romanian Orthodox Church and I think any of other non-Russian orthodox Churches in former Soviet Republics.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I wouldn’t call it Papal desires, but the ROC simply denies the canonical status of the Romanian Orthodox Church and I think any of other non-Russian orthodox Churches in former Soviet Republics.

Perhaps this makes sense in some way that I just don’t understand. Romania was never part of the Soviet Union. It was never part of “old Russia”. It isn’t even Slavic. Why does the ROC think it should have any authority to deny the canonical status of this Orthodox Church or that Orthodox Church anywhere, particularly when the old “territorial” basis of the ROC’s claim of jurisdiction has no basis for claiming Romania.

If you could explain this, I truly would be appreciative. It just does not make immediate sense to me.

 

[NReily]

It does not make any sense to me either. But to answer that, I need to get the answer from and Orthodox person as to why Church A recognizes Church B and Church B recognizes Church C, but Church A does not recognize Church C.

That in a nutshell was why I couldn’t become Orthodox over Catholic, where in the world would I go? Greek, Russian, the Orthodox Church USA, which almost no other Orthodox Churches accept as Canonical.

 

[nobeerinheaven]

“The Catholic mess”?

 

[grandfather]

Moscow, June 6, Interfax - Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Kirill addressed the head of the Romanian Patriarchate Sector for External Church Relations Bishop Cyprian to clear up the information about Romanian hierarch communing at theCatholic mess…

Pray for unity. The unity of Orthodoxy is shakey. there always seems to be some kind of ongoing power struggle between the self heading groups. The mess between the monks and patriarch pointed out how fragile Orthodoxy is. There are bishops who desire unity with Catholics, intercommunion, and there are some who hate Catholicism. Momentum could build towards reunification and the bishops would make up their own minds individually. There is nothing stopping any of them from performing this public sign of unity, intercommunion. While Moscow publicly complains there are some silent sympathizers.