ROCOR & Moscow: Some blunt words...

The Canonical Consequences of Rejecting the Act of Canonical Communion

The rejection of the Act under the present historical opportunities would mean the total break of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia with all the Local Orthodox Churches, which will then have every reason to deem us schismatic.

The Serbian Orthodox Church, our last link with the fullness of canonical Orthodoxy, will doubtless refuse communion with us.

The rejection of the Act may in a very real sense persuade the Church of Jerusalem to deem us schismatic, withdraw the existing blessing for our bishops and priests to serve in the Holy Land, and retrieve the antimensia upon which we now serve. It threatens the total loss of our Holy Sites.

Rejecting the Act would make us, in the eyes of the Russian Orthodox Church, schismatics, like the followers of Valentin Rusantsov, and will exclude the possibility of participating in the church life of our homeland. At present, our voice is being heard, and we are invited to participate in ecclesiastical and historical conferences. Rejecting the Act would end such activity.

Regarding the possible timeline of adopting the Act, that is, of reestablishing unity, as a participant of the negotiating process, I can say the following:

If the Act is not signed, the opportunity we have been given would quickly disappear. Not only the Moscow Patriarchate, but the entire Orthodox world would thereby be convinced that cannot be dealt with seriously, that we ourselves prefer to be essentially sectarians, torn from the fullness of universal Orthodoxy, and do not wish to be united with our much-suffering Church in the Fatherland and with canonical Orthodoxy.

If this occurs, and if once again we were to desire to hold talks with the Russian Church in the Fatherland, then—even if they agree to speak to us—it would be an entirely different conversation. We will never again be given the opportunity to preserve the entire Church Abroad as a completely self-governing Church. The best we could hope for would be that the unconditional demand is made that we merge into the Moscow Patriarchate, which will then indeed fully control our church matters—they will appoint and transfer bishops and clergymen, etc.

-Archpriest Alexander Lebedeff (ROCOR)

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