Encyclical Epistle from His Eminence Metropolitan Vitaly
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
Venerable Archpastors,
Beloved Fathers, Brothers and Sisters,
It is with the aim of preserving peace and unity among us that I address myself to you once again as the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. I believe that it is my duty to voice my opinion about the situation that has arisen since the meeting of the Council of Bishops which took place in October of 2000.
While I recognize the Council of Bishops as the supreme governing body of our Church, to which I, as the First Hierarch, am also subordinate, I wish to remind you that no Church authority can lay claim to infallibility in questions of the Truth. History is replete with examples of entire Local Churches being infected with heresies and other spiritual ailments for very long periods of time, and of this being reflected in conciliar decisions. In such cases subsequent councils had to revoke the incorrect decisions of preceding councils.
It is with great sadness that we now see the turmoil and temptation among our clergy and laity that have been caused by the Epistle and decisions of the Council of Bishops of the ROCA.
It is also with much regret that we have to admit that some of our brother bishops now have taken upon themselves to embark upon a new course for our Church and that this new course is at odds with the one which was handed down to us by our predecessors.
While I cannot by my own authority correct that which was done, neither can I further remain silent when I see how the consequences of our mistakes are disturbing the spiritual life of our flock and causing unrest. I find it imperative to convene a new Council as soon as possible which will have to critically assess the main decisions and documents which were adopted and which will have the legal right to annul some of our decisions.
After much consideration we have concluded that some of the decisions of our Council were mistaken – in particular those which reflected an attempt to come closer together with the world ecumenist community in general and to engage in unwarranted contacts with the Moscow Patriarchate in particular. This was reflected in the following documents and statements of the Council:
1. The so-called "Social Doctrine" of the Moscow Patriarchate is a purely Roman Catholic concept which is foreign to the Orthodox Church and which, regardless of its possibly well-meaning intentions, holds nothing profitable for the Orthodox Christian. This Doctrine does not reflect any repentance for the past mistakes and in no manner can it cross out the treacherous Declaration of 1927.
2. The "Glorification" of the Holy New Martyrs by the Moscow Patriarchate, which was undertaken in response to pressure from believing people, was accompanied by numerous humiliating disclaimers, which completely deny the eschatological significance of the slaying of the Tsar, and cannot be a cause of joy or consolation for us. We all know that the Holy Royal Martyrs suffered precisely because of their Royal ministry. Their slaying was a part of a wider plan intentionally directed towards destroying the divinely established Orthodox State. With its compromises and lies about the Royal Martyrs and with its refusal to recognize the spiritual feats of the Tsar’s servants, the Moscow Patriarchate deliberately draws its flock away from a correct spiritual understanding of the crime that was committed. The Moscow Patriarchate, which participated in the persecution of the confessors, now, without any repentance, glorifies them! It is impossible to qualify this in any other way than as "spiritual cynicism" – something which is completely unacceptable in the Church. We must also note that this same seal of deception lies upon the "glorification" of the New Martyrs, in which the Patriarchate shamefully ignored the martyrdom of Metropolitan Joseph of Petrograd.
3. We do not share the belief of some of our brothers about the "spiritual revival" which allegedly is taking place in Russia. According to the information we are receiving, what is happening in Russia is not a "spiritual revival" but only a "gliding of the cupolas" of the churches that, according to Saint Amvrosii of Optina, it will be impermissible to attend. In this context, we support, pray for and endeavor to strengthen spiritually those of our small communities that, regardless of the corrupt laws of the post-Soviet period and of the numerous difficulties they must face, remain steadfastly in our Church.
4. We must unequivocally admit that the establishment of a Commission "on unity" with the Moscow Patriarchate was a mistake on the part of the Council of Bishops. There can be no such Commission as there is no object for its work.
5. The Serbian Patriarchate received us as homeless exiles in 1920 while preserving our canonical status as the Russian Church in accordance with the 39th Apostolic Canon. For this we will always remain deeply thankful and in debt to her. But following the Second World War, the Church that continued to exist under the Communist rule of Tito could no longer be considered to be the same Church as the Church of his Holiness Patriarch Varnava that had offered sanctuary to the Russian exiles in the past. Her submission to the worldly rulers and her participation in the interfaith ecumenical movement do not allow us to ask for a eucharistic union with the Serbian Patriarchate headed by Patriarch Pavle.
It saddens us to recognize that in our times, when the processes of apostasy have reached new destructive heights, the Council’s Epistle did not call upon the faithful to triple their vigilance towards this apostasy. We are also pained to admit that recent new appointments to the sees of the Diocese of Western Europe and in Russia have resulted in so much distress and troubles.
Our pastors and our pious flock have always stood side by side with their bishops. This was the strength of the Russian Orthodox Church. Pastors are not simply called upon to implement of the orders of the higher Church authorities without personal responsibility, but they are in the first ranks of the servants of Christ and His children. They are not bureaucrats who can be directed only by orders and who can be held in submission with threats. They are servants of our Lord, as we all are. They are our life-force and we must protect them as the apple of our eye and never let them fall into despair and depart into schisms, lest we share with them the terrible responsibility for such a thing.
I, as the fourth primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, am following unswervingly in the footsteps of their Beatitudes Metropolitans Anthony and Anastassy and of my most blessed predecessor, Metropolitan Philaret, whoserelics were found to be incorrupt in 1998, which is a sign from above of the truthfulness of the path he followed all his life. I therefore appeal to you all to remain patient and to avoid any hasty conclusions or actions. We are living in difficult times. And the Enemy of our salvation is always ready to catch us in his nets. I therefore appeal once again to you "Fear not little flock (Luke 12:32) the Lord is with us! And if the Lord is with us, who shall be against us? Do not forget that the most terrible thing for us is to depart from the Truth – which is to say, from Christ Himself."
9 / 22 June 2001
Saint Kirill, Bishop of Antioch
+Metropolitan Vitaly
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
(I ask all priests to read this Epistle from the ambon. It would also be good to make copies to distribute among the parishioners)
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