« His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh took part in a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church »

On October 7, 2019, His Grace Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, temporary Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA and Canada, took part in the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was chaired by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in the Patriarchal and held at the  chambers of Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra.

At the meeting, the Holy Synod has accepted the Archbishopric of Western European parishes of the Russian tradition as part of the Moscow Patriarchate.

“Today, the Holy Synod made a historic decision,” said the Patriarch. - "The Archbishopric of the parishes of the Russian tradition, with its center in Paris, which until recently was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, became part of the Russian Orthodox Church”.

“The Archbishopric was the parts of the Russian Orthodox  emigration which emerged as a result of the revolution and civil war.  “Parisian” church emigration has gone a very difficult way - from confrontation with the Russian Church due to political circumstances, to the decision to join the Moscow Patriarchate", continued the Primate.  “But we have also went through the same way, and the reunification became possible not only because much has changed in Western Europe, but also because much has changed in the life of our country and our Church.”

“First of all, I would like to congratulate our brothers and sisters in Western Europe, and indeed all of us, with the reunification of the part of the Russian Church, which was separate until recently, with its Mother,” concluded His Holiness the Patriarch.

“Obviously, over the years, the Archbishopric has developed its own liturgical, pastoral and calendar traditions - and they all have been taken into account in this decision, and all the traditions of the Archbishopric, that are important for its pastors and parishioners, have been preserved,”  noted Vladimir Legoyda, Chairman of the Synodal Department for relations of the Church with society and mass media, at the briefing held after the meeting.

The Synod’s decree also states that “the Archbishopric preserves its financial autonomy and manages its current and fixed assets in accordance  with existing legal form of existence and in accordance with legislation of the countries in which it operates.”

 

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