Epistle of the Bishops' Council 26 September/9 October 2009

 to our clergy and flock

 

Beloved in Christ fathers, brothers and sisters in the homeland and in the diaspora!

 

            We, the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, having gathered in Montreal (Canada) for the regular Bishops' Council after the glorification among the saints of Hierarch Philaret the Confessor, inform you of a trial that has befallen our Church.  A fire that occurred in the Saint Seraphim Church in Montreal created a significant loss to the Montreal parish and our Church.

            First of all we would like to express a word of sympathy and support to the parish of Venerable Seraphim of Sarov.  The Lord allowed this fiery trial not only to the Montreal parish but to all of us, especially the hierarchy and the clergy, on the eve of the Council which is a work not only of the bishops but is an event for the whole Church.  Because "if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it" (1 Cor. 12, 26).

            If the three holy youths, Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael, when they were thrown into the superheated furnace, but remained unharmed as they sang there: "We have sinned, we have done unlawful things, we have lied before You and truly we are punished for our deeds!", so does it not behoove us, all the more, to ask the Lord to forgive us sinners for our sins before the Lord, the Holy Church and before our flock? As the beloved disciple of Christ, St. John the Theologian, teaches: "if we say that we have no sins, we delude ourselves and there is no truth in us." (1 John 1, 8).

            The word "punishment" in the Holy Scriptures, in the majority of cases, signifies a teaching, an admonition.  And as in studies, the root is bitter but the fruit is sweet so a punishment is not to be applied for distress, since the Lord is unchanging and always the same, He is Kind and the Lover of Mankind, but to direct us on the road of repentance, Truth and salvation.

            The Lord never sends a punishment beyond one's means, to which the Holy Apostle Paul attests: "There hath no temptation taken you, he writes to the Corinthians, but such as is common  to a man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will, with the temptation, also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10, 13).

            If we will accept God's punishment with humility and patience and do not stop to love God and our fellow man, fully trusting the Lord and relying in everything on his All-Holy will and His Holy Providence, then we will not suffer any harm neither now nor in the future but we will, from the woes that have befallen us, acquire only spiritual benefit.

            The common obedience for all the children of our Church Abroad, both pastors and flock, is not to place oneself above any other interests or aspirations except to serve God and His Holy Church thus saving our souls and participating in the saving of souls of all Orthodox Christians that are in exile and the diaspora.  Our salvation must be accomplished based on mutual trust.  Because, where there is no trust there is no love.

            Seeing in this occurrence a providential action of God and acknowledging our responsibility before the Lord and you, our flock, and moved by the sincere wish to bring to our Church life a peaceful and prosperous condition, we adopted a "Temporary Regulations in the order of the Church Administration of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad".

            The meaning of this "Regulation" is that, in the conditions that arose in recent years following the discord, violation of collegiality (sobornost) and the significant reduction in the number of our bishops, when it is impossible to select a First Hierarch with the title of Metropolitan as is required by the rules of our Church Abroad, we need to organize on a canonical basis the direction of church affairs to bring our church life "to a quiet and peaceful life with piety and honesty" (1 Tim. 2, 2).

            Being governed by the "Temporary Regulations in the order of the Church Administration" we have selected a Bishops' Synod consisting of:  Bishops' Council Chairman-Archbishop Vladimir of San Francisco and Western America, Bishops' Council Vice Chairman-Bishop Anastassy of Vladivostok and the Far East and Bishops' Council Secretary-Bishop Victor of Paris and Western Europe.

            The council eliminated the American and Eurasian Church Regions which were temporarily created, under extreme church conditions, and temporarily appointed bishops to the widowed dioceses.

            Several other decisions were taken in order to improve the governing of the church organization.

            The purpose of our church work must be the reconstruction of a violated collegiality (sobornost).  At the basis of Church collegiality lies the spirit of free association. "Where two or three are gathered in my name", says the Lord, "there I am among them" (Matt. 18, 20)

            The spirit of collegiality unites all of us to resolve those tasks and problems which require a joint discussion, participation in common prayer, repentance, thanksgiving and love at the Divine Eucharist and the common will in making decisions.

            The true association in Christ demands self-limitations and abstentions, patience and humility, attention to oneself and to others-your fellow man, mutual respect, forgiveness and trust.

            Therefore, we call upon all of you to approach this conciliar effort for the sake of the higher goal of Christian life which is love.  Since "he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God and God in him" (1 John 4, 16).

            We pray to the Lord and ask for the holy prayers of all the clergy and our flock of the Church Abroad so that not only the outward aspect of our Church life be improved, but even more so, our internal spiritual well-being.

            We, Orthodox Christians, are called not to become too attached to this temporary earthly life and to search not so much the temporary, as much as the eternal, and strive to receive in our possession not earthly but heavenly rewards.

The highest and dearest of all things must be God's Kingdom, which we are all preordained to inherit and His Truth, that is the fulfilling of God's laws, as the laws of this Kingdom, love of God and a zeal for Him and His Holy Truth.

            If we place the service to God and His Truth as the main purpose of our life, then the Lord God promises to give us everything that we need in this temporary earthly life-those material benefits without which we, as physical and mortal people, cannot survive.

            "First seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" says the Lord Himself, "and all things" i.e. essential earthly benefits, "shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6, 33).

 

+ Archbishop Vladimir of San Francisco and Western America

 

+ Bishop Anastassy of Vladivostok and the Far East

 

+ Bishop Victor of Paris and Western Europe

 

+ Bishop Alexei of Soltanova and Moldova