Minutes of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia 31 August / 13 September 2021

PROTOCOL NO. 1 of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

31 August / 13 September 2021

Malaya Soltanovka village, Vasylkivskyi district, Kyiv region, Ukraine

St. Zacharias and St. Elizabeth's Skete

The first meeting of the Council began at St. Zacharias and St. Elizabeth's Skete of the St. John's Monastery located at Malaya Soltanovka village, Vasylkivskyi district, Kyiv region, Ukraine, 12 Popovych street at 5:00 PM by the singing of the prayers: "Today the Grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us..." and "Heavenly King...". The Chairman of the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR, Archbishop Vladimir and Bishop Victor are participating by means of modern communications (Skype).

Present:

The Most Reverend Vladimir, Archbishop of San-Francisco and Western America, Chairman of the Council

The Most Reverend Victor, Bishop of St. Petersburg and Northern Russia

The Most Reverend Alexiy, Bishop of Soltanov and Lesser Russia

The Most Reverend Tikhon, Bishop of Vasilkovsk, Secretary of the Council

The Most Reverend Herman, Bishop of Kharkov

Agenda of the meetings of the Bishops' Council

1. Opening address by the Chairman of the Council of the ROCA Synod of Bishops.

2. The Council's condemnation of the false teaching that "the Blessed Virgin Mary could not enter the Holy of Holies".

3. Reports by the bishops on their dioceses.

4. Resolution regarding the Diocese of Canada and change of title of the Chairman of the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR, Archbishop Vladimir.

5. Report of Archbishop Vladimir on the Laurojudas.

6. Report of Archbishop Vladimir on the Masoretic Text.

7. Various subjects

8. The Epistle from the Council of Bishops.

9. Regarding the date and place of the next Council of Bishops.

MOTION: CARRIED unanimously.

1. Opening address by the Chairman of the Council of the ROCA Synod of Bishops.

The bishops heard the opening statement of the Chairman of the Synod of Bishops, who called on people not to succumb to a spirit of despondency in connection with the new trials that have befallen the Church and its children in the recent time, and to endure with patience the sorrows sent for the salvation of the soul; to strive to pay greater attention to our spiritual life.

2. On the second question, the Council of Bishops condemned and anathematised the false teaching that "the Blessed Virgin Mary could not enter the Holy of Holies", which has been thoroughly studied at past meetings of the Council of Bishops and the Synod.

3. On the third question, the bishops briefly reported on the state of affairs in their dioceses.

4. Resolution regarding the Diocese of Canada and the change of title of the Chairman of the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR, Archbishop Vladimir.

HEARD: Archbishop Vladimir reported that the situation in his dioceses has changed recently, with him spending most of his time in Montreal, Canada. Given that there had previously been a Canadian diocese of ROCOR, he proposed to unite the Eastern Canadian and the Western Canadian Dioceses into one, as was the case previously. In this regard, his title should also be changed accordingly to reference both, Montreal and Canada.

MOTION CARRIED: to unite the Eastern and the Western Canadian Dioceses into one Canadian Diocese, and to change the title of the Chairman of the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR, Archbishop Vladimir, to Archbishop of Montreal and Canada. Make appropriate changes in the commemorations at the Divine Liturgy, and communicate the change to the clergy and the flock.

The Western American Diocese is to remain under the interim administration of Archbishop Vladimir.

5. Report of Archbishop Vladimir on the Laurojudas.

HEARD: The Council of Bishops has studied the Report of the President of the Synod of Bishops, Archbishop Vladimir, "On the Laurojudas". Considering the moral damage, oppression and even persecution inflicted on the Church; and the temptation and confusion sown for decades among the foreign flock by the persecutors, apostates and traitors of our Church Abroad: Laurus Shkurla, Mark Arndt, Hilarion Kapral, Kyrill Dmitrieff, bishop Evtykhiy Kurochkin, the Council of Bishops decided to anathematize them, as well as all those in prayerful and liturgical communion with them.

MOTION: CARRIED unanimously.

6. Report of Archbishop Vladimir on the Masoretic Text.

HEARD: The Council of Bishops listened with interest and took note of the report of Archbishop Vladimir on the Masoretic text.

6. HEARD: Bishop Alexiy asked the Council of Bishops to bless the collection of documents for the glorification of Priest Nikita Lekhan, a well-known catacomb priest buried near Kharkov, as a locally revered saint.

MOTION CARRIED: That Bishop Herman of Kharkov be blessed to collect and prepare documents for the glorification of Priest Nikita Lekhan.

HEARD: An appeal from the Western European Diocese concerning the so-called "world pandemic of Covid" and the vaccination associated with it.

MOTION CARRIED: The question of vaccination is not of a doctrinal or confessional nature. All confusion on this subject must be resolved individually with the ruling bishop. The application of ecclesiastical injunctions to those who have been vaccinated, or to those who refuse to be vaccinated, is inadmissible.

8. The Council of Bishops heard and approved the draft of the 2021 Epistle of the ROCA Council of Bishops.

9. In view of the current situation of restrictions on free movement from country to country, the date and place of the next Council of Bishops of ROCA will be determined by the Synod of Bishops which will be held as necessary, including through the use of modern communications.

Determined the following timetable for the temporary members of the Synod of Bishops:

Bishop Alexiy: September 7/20 2021 to September 7/20 2022

Bishop Herman: September 8/21 2022 to September 8/21 2023

MOTION: CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

The meeting ended at 6:45PM with the singing of the prayer: " Dostoino est’” (“It is worthy..”).

CHAIRMAN OF THE SYNOD:

+ Archbishop of Montreal and Canada Vladimir

SECRETARY OF THE COUNCIL

+ Tikhon, Bishop of Vasilkovsk,

MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL:

+ Victor, Bishop of St. Petersburg and Northern Russia

+ Alexiy, Bishop of Soltanov and Lesser Russia

+ Herman, Bishop of Kharkov

PROTOCOL

Of the Meeting of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

HEARD: Determination of Archbishop Vladimir on the removal of priestly ministry of Priest Dimitry Mercoushev for non-Orthodox confession of the Orthodox Faith and for committing schismatic actions.

By his Ruling Hierarch, Archbishop Vladimir of San Francisco and Western America, the Interim Administrator of the Eastern Canadian Diocese, Father Dimitry Mercoushev was banned from priestly service in June 2020 for his non-Orthodox fabrication that “the Blessed Virgin Mary could not enter the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple”. In other words, Priest Dimitry was in fact a follower of Bishop Amvrosy (Dvornichenko) who was banned by the Council of Bishops, and was then deprived of his Episcopal ministry by the Synod of Bishops, and who professed this heretical false teaching. In addition, Priest Dimitry Mercoushev not only did not repent of his non-Orthodox delusion, but also began to persist in tempting the flock of Christ, and then even turned to schism.

By his non-Orthodox actions, Priest Dimitry Mercoushev is subject to the following Canons:

- And every heresy shall be anathematized (Second Ecumenical Council, Rule 1);

- Let Presbyters and Deacons do nothing without the consent of the Bishop (Canons of Apostles, Rule 39)

- Let the clergy that does not teach laity to be subordinate to their bishop be excommunicated (Canons of Apostles, Rule 36)

- If any Clergyman should insult the Bishop, let him be deposed from office. For "thou shall not speak ill of thy people’s ruler." (Canons of Apostles, Rule 55; Fourth Ecumenical Council, Rule 18; Sixth Ecumenical Council, Rule 34)

- If any presbyter, inflated against his bishop, makes a schism, let him be anathematized (Council of Carthage, Rules 10 and 11)

Canon 13 of the Second Council of Constantinople: “if any Presbyter or Deacon, on the alleged ground that his own bishop has been condemned for certain crimes, before a conciliar or synodal hearing and investigation has been made, should dare to secede from his communion, and fail to mention his name in the sacred prayers of the liturgical services in accordance with the custom handed down in the Church, he shall be subject to prompt deposition from office and shall be stripped of every prelatic honor... Those, on the other hand, who go along with him, in case any of them should be among those in holy orders, they too shall forfeit their own rights to honor, or, in case they should be monks or laymen, let them be utterly excommunicated from the Church...”

Canon 14 of the Second Council of Constantinople: “If any Bishop, on the allegation that charges of crime lie against his own Metropolitan, shall secede or apostatize from him before a conciliar or synodal verdict has been issued against him, and shall abstain from communion with him, and fail to mention his name, in accordance with consuetude, in the course of the divine mystagogy (i.e., litrugical celebration of the Eucharistic mystery), the holy Council has decreed that he shall be deposed from office, if merely by seceding from his own Metropolitan he shall create a schism. For everyone ought to know his own bounds, and neither ought a presbyter treat his own bishop scornfully or contemptuously, nor ought a bishop to treat his own Metropolitan so.” (Also refer to Canon 15 of the same Council; Fourth Ecumenical Council, Rule 18; Canons of Apostles, Rule 31st).

Canon 18 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council: “The crime of conspiracy, or of faction (i.e., of factious partisanship), already prohibited by secular laws, ought still more to be forbidden to obtain in the Church of God. If, therefore, there be found any Clergymen, or Monastics, to be conspiring or to be engaged in factiousness of any kind, or hatching plots against Bishops or Fellow Clergymen they shall forfeit their own rank altogether”.

MOTION CARRIED: to strip priest Dimitry Mercoushev of his priesthood on the basis of the above-mentioned rules.

HEARD: Determination of Archbishop Vladimir on the deprivation of the rank of reader Oleg Kotyarov for his non-Orthodox confession that “the Blessed Virgin Mary could not enter the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple”, for participating in schismatic activities and for disobeying and deceiving his Ruling Hierarch.

MOTION CARRIED: On the grounds of the blasphemous heretical teaching that he professes, and for the participation in schismatic activities, to deprive of the Rank of Reader Oleg Kotyarov, who falls under the ban of the following Canons: Second Ecumenical Council: Rule 1; Canons of Apostles: Rules 31 and Rule 55; Fourth Ecumenical Council: Rule 18 and Sixth Ecumenical Council: Rule 34.

HEARD: Determination of Bishop Tikhon on the removal of Priestly Ministry of Priest Vladimir Pankovets. By the decree of his ruling bishop No. 1-17 of March 2/15, 2017, Priest Vladimir Pankovets was banned from priestly service, until repentance, for unauthorized speeches published on the internet. Having been banned from Priestly Service, contrary to the Canons of the Church, Priest Vladimir had the audacity to continue those, which he did not deny in a personal conversation.

Previously, similar information has been received from various individuals and sources.

By his actions, Priest Vladimir Pankovets is subject to the following canons: Canons of Apostles, Rule 28: “If any Bishop, or Presbyter, or Deacon, who has been justly deposed from office for proven crimes, should dare to touch the liturgy which had once been put in his hands, let him be cut off from the Church altogether.

Synod of Antioch, Canon 4: “If any bishop who has been deposed by a synod, or any presbyter or deacon who has been deposed by his bishop shall presume to execute any part of the ministry, whether it be a bishop according to his former custom, or a presbyter, or a deacon, he shall no longer have any prospect of restoration in another Synod; nor any opportunity of making his defense; but they who communicate with him shall all be cast out of the Church, and particularly if they have presumed to communicate with the persons aforementioned, knowing the sentence pronounced against them.

 “… until all the particulars have been examined with care and fidelity, he who is excluded from communion ought not to demand communion in advance of the decision of his case.” (Sardicia Council: Canon 14; Council of Carthage: Canon 38; St. Basil the Great: Rule 88).

MOTION CARRIED: to strip priest Vladimir Pankovets of his Priesthood on the basis of the above-mentioned rules.

CHAIRMAN OF THE SYNOD:

+ Archbishop of Montreal and Canada Vladimir

SECRETARY OF THE COUNCIL

+ Tikhon, Bishop of Vasilkovsk

MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL:

+ Victor, Bishop of St. Petersburg and Northern Russia

+ Herman, Bishop of Kharkov