Statement of His Grace, Gregory, Bishop of Denver Vicar of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church (ROAC) in America, Concerning the Recent actions of the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile (ROCE)

Recent events in the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA) and the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile (ROCE) necessitate a few words of clarification, because of the questions that have arisen among the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church in America.

It was laudable when the retired Metropolitan Vitaly separated himself from his former Synod of Bishops. Moreover, it was with great sorrow that we beheld the photographs of him being abused by these same bishops whom he himself had ordained. Besides their lack of Faith, does not their lack of love also demonstrate their lack of grace?

I, therefore, exhort all those who love Orthodoxy and find themselves in the ROCA synod of Metropolitan Laurus to reconsider their allegiance, because the Gospel of Christ, with all our sacred traditions, is being ignored, and the sacred testaments of St. Philaret and the other blessedly reposed First Hierarchs are being spurned in order to suit the interests of this world.

Recently, Metropolitan Vitaly and his bishops announced that they had at last broken ecclesiastical communion with the deposed heresiarch Cyprian of Fili and his "Synod of Resisters." The breaking of communion with this group was, and is, an encouraging sign that Metropolitan Vitaly is correcting his errors of the past seven years.

In making this statement, I presume that breaking communion with Cyprian of Fili also entails breaking communion with the "Resister" churches of Romania and Bulgaria, which are in communion with Cyprian and hold the same ecclesiology as his. The Russian Church Abroad under Metropolitan Vitaly entered into communion with them before they entered into union with Cyprian. If communion with these groups has also been severed, then Metropolitan Vitaly is to be commended.

We did not hesitate to warn and even criticize Metropolitan Vitaly when he embarked on his calamitous path. So now also, we do not hesitate to commend him for correcting his mistakes.

The acceptance of Cyprian's heretical ecclesiology was the first in a long series of canonical infractions perpetrated by the Russian Church Abroad since 1994. One cannot overemphasize the pain, sorrow, affliction, and expense that this lamentable union with Cyprian has caused those who were members of ROCA and who wished to remain pure in their Orthodoxy. They had to leave and seek bishops who would confess the Faith properly. At that time, the few clergymen who perceived the evil of this "Resister" doctrine of "holy heretics," warned Metropolitan Vitaly not to proceed with this denial of the Faith which destroyed the peace of the Church. Those who protested this union at that time included Metropolitan Valentine and the bishops with him in Russia. In this country, Bishop Gregory (Grabbe) and I wrote many private and open letters, but these produced no corrective response.

Yet now, at the eleventh hour, we are grateful that a proper understanding at last has become manifest. Thus far, Metropolitan Vitaly has revoked his signatures to the statements that he was in communion with the Serbian Patriarchate and was approaching the Moscow Patriarchate for dialogue which would have ultimately lead to a union. He also has broken communion with the heretical group of "Resisters" in Greece and, we presume, Romania and Bulgaria as well.

With the removal of these obstacles, Metropolitan Vitaly has brought his church closer to the steadfast declaration of the Faith of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church, which has never compromised the truth, and which therefore is the canonical continuation of the Church of Metropolitans Anthony and Anastassy and Saint Philaret.

All that remains for Metropolitan Vitaly is the solemn act of reconciliation and return to those who have remained pure in their Orthodoxy, namely, Metropolitan Valentine and the ROAC. This action would effect the correction of the remaining canonical violations of the ROCE, and would strengthen the voice of the True Orthodox Church both in North America and in Russia.

+Bishop Gregory of Denver

Vicar of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church in America

January 5/18, 2002 - Eve of Theophany