8 September 2019
by Orthodoxie.com
We present below the point of view of a cleric of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate in Crete, Archimandrite Romanos Anastasiadis, on the
situation of the former Exarchate-Archbishopric of Russian Orthodox
churches in Western Europe. This text has been published by the site
"Ekklisia online" and translated from Greek for Orthodoxie.com.
HE Archbishop John had initially received the episcopal coronation as auxiliary bishop of the Ecumenical Patriarch and had been placed at the disposal of the then exarch, Archbishop Job of Telmessos, on the decision of the Holy See. Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Later, when Archbishop Job of Telmessos was transferred to another post on the decision of the Holy Synod, HE Archbishop John, on the proposal of the General Assembly of the Exarchate, was elected by the Holy -Synode as an Exarch and was elevated to the rank of Titular Archbishop of the Ecumenical Throne Charioupolis. Archbishop John was never a diocesan bishop, that is, he was not bishop of the place. He was only an exarch of the ecumenical patriarch, that is to say his representative, with the right to act only on behalf of and in the name of the ecumenical patriarch. Exarchate is not a diocese, but a grouping of patriarchal parishes in concrete geographical locations, where there are other local diocesan bishops. Therefore, the titular hierarch does not have a diocese. He has only a high title and can exercise liturgical and pastoral duties only by the attribution of the hierarch of the place. Archbishop John, as titular archbishop, has been entrusted with the concrete work of the administration of the ex-Exarchate of parishes of Russian tradition in Western Europe. However, from the moment of the dissolution of the ex-exarchate, Archbishop Jean no longer had any right of interference - administrative, pastoral and liturgical - over the parishes, the clergy and the faithful of the old exarchate. . However, without any warrant, he continued to perform his old duties, which is punished by the holy canons. Thus, the 35th canon of the holy apostles punishes the hierarch who performs ordinations in another diocese, without the canonical permission of the local bishop, as well as those ordained by him, of dismissal. In the same way, the 13th canon of the Council of Antioch prohibits, on pain of dismissal and invalidation of the act, the bishops from interfering in the ecclesiastical affairs of other dioceses without the permission of the local bishop . There are also other canons that prohibit similar actions, such as the 22nd of Antioch and the 25th of Sardis. The 18th canon of the Council of Antioch prohibits a bishop without a diocese from interfering in the ecclesiastical affairs of the place where he is allowed to celebrate. And the 3rd canon of the Council of Sardica forbids even the bishop to visit another diocese without the permission of the local bishop. HE Archbishop John was discharged as cleric of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the decision of the Holy Synod, the supreme legal organ of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Evidently, the canonical leave was given instead of the canonical sanction that should be applied to it. And from the moment the Archbishop was discharged, HE Archbishop Jean no longer has the right to bear the title of Charioupolis (but he is now called ex- (Archbishop) of Charioupolis), because he does not belongs more to the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and can not bear the title of its jurisdiction. The statutes of the former exarchate state that the religious association is subject to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. That is to say, its supreme power is the ecumenical throne. The statutes also have, among other things, that the exarchate is governed by the holy canons, which have priority over the statutes. Moreover, the mode of appointment, as provided by the canons, occurs in the last stage with the election by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The axiom of law is that the authority that appoints someone can remove from its place the one it has appointed. In the same way, for example, the former exarch was transferred from his position in the ex-exarchate to another position in the Ecumenical Patriarchate, without any prior request from him or from the exarchate. In addition, Archbishop John repeatedly, in front of witnesses and in various ways on different occasions, expressed his express wish to leave the jurisdiction of the patriarchal throne and to enter the Church of Russia, which was also mentioned by His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch in his canonical dismissal letter which characteristically mentions: "By this patriarchal letter, in recognition of your deep desire to place you under the omophor of His Beatitude the Patriarch of Moscow and from all over Russia, as you have said many times in word and deed, we are liberating you, in a purely personal capacity, from our most holy ecumenical, apostolic and patriarchal throne ... "Finally, on the basis of the same statutes former exarchate, which are recognized by the French State, HE Archbishop Jean no longer has any right to interfere in the affairs of the ex-exarchate, which has was expressly mentioned in the above-mentioned patriarchal letter: "This means that your Excellency is no longer responsible in any way whatsoever for the affairs of the parishes of Russian tradition in Western Europe". HE the Metropolitan of France Mgr Emmanuel, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was appointed, on September 2, 2019, locum tenens of the organization "Union of the Russian Orthodox Associations" (ex-exarchate), in order to take charge of all the questions concerning him. That is to say, the statement that the ex-exarchate now operates not according to the holy canons, but according to the statutes, is not admissible, because the same statutes provide that they must be governed by the holy canons, which are above the said statutes. There is still the assertion that the former Exarchate is supposedly functioning now, on the basis of the laws of 1901 and 1905 of the French State. This assertion can not be held because laws simply concern secular and non-spiritual administration. That is to say, the ex-exarchate is directed by the Divine Grace that springs from the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the basis of the holy canons and not the state on the basis of the laws. The ecclesiastical existence of association comes from the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the basis of the holy canons, and not from the laws of any state. Therefore, based on the holy canonsand statutes, which are recognized on the basis of the aforementioned laws by the French State, the only canonical and legitimate leader of the parishes of the ex-exarchate who are in France is HE the Metropolitan of France Mgr Emmanuel. The parishes of the ex-exarchate which are outside France can not naturally be administered according to the laws of French law. The general assembly that Archbishop John planned was canonically and legally illegal and void. We hope that HE Archbishop John, the clergy and faithful of the ex-exarchate will understand the gravity of the situation. "
Source (from the photograph): Ekklisia online
HE Archbishop John had initially received the episcopal coronation as auxiliary bishop of the Ecumenical Patriarch and had been placed at the disposal of the then exarch, Archbishop Job of Telmessos, on the decision of the Holy See. Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Later, when Archbishop Job of Telmessos was transferred to another post on the decision of the Holy Synod, HE Archbishop John, on the proposal of the General Assembly of the Exarchate, was elected by the Holy -Synode as an Exarch and was elevated to the rank of Titular Archbishop of the Ecumenical Throne Charioupolis. Archbishop John was never a diocesan bishop, that is, he was not bishop of the place. He was only an exarch of the ecumenical patriarch, that is to say his representative, with the right to act only on behalf of and in the name of the ecumenical patriarch. Exarchate is not a diocese, but a grouping of patriarchal parishes in concrete geographical locations, where there are other local diocesan bishops. Therefore, the titular hierarch does not have a diocese. He has only a high title and can exercise liturgical and pastoral duties only by the attribution of the hierarch of the place. Archbishop John, as titular archbishop, has been entrusted with the concrete work of the administration of the ex-Exarchate of parishes of Russian tradition in Western Europe. However, from the moment of the dissolution of the ex-exarchate, Archbishop Jean no longer had any right of interference - administrative, pastoral and liturgical - over the parishes, the clergy and the faithful of the old exarchate. . However, without any warrant, he continued to perform his old duties, which is punished by the holy canons. Thus, the 35th canon of the holy apostles punishes the hierarch who performs ordinations in another diocese, without the canonical permission of the local bishop, as well as those ordained by him, of dismissal. In the same way, the 13th canon of the Council of Antioch prohibits, on pain of dismissal and invalidation of the act, the bishops from interfering in the ecclesiastical affairs of other dioceses without the permission of the local bishop . There are also other canons that prohibit similar actions, such as the 22nd of Antioch and the 25th of Sardis. The 18th canon of the Council of Antioch prohibits a bishop without a diocese from interfering in the ecclesiastical affairs of the place where he is allowed to celebrate. And the 3rd canon of the Council of Sardica forbids even the bishop to visit another diocese without the permission of the local bishop. HE Archbishop John was discharged as cleric of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the decision of the Holy Synod, the supreme legal organ of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Evidently, the canonical leave was given instead of the canonical sanction that should be applied to it. And from the moment the Archbishop was discharged, HE Archbishop Jean no longer has the right to bear the title of Charioupolis (but he is now called ex- (Archbishop) of Charioupolis), because he does not belongs more to the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and can not bear the title of its jurisdiction. The statutes of the former exarchate state that the religious association is subject to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. That is to say, its supreme power is the ecumenical throne. The statutes also have, among other things, that the exarchate is governed by the holy canons, which have priority over the statutes. Moreover, the mode of appointment, as provided by the canons, occurs in the last stage with the election by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The axiom of law is that the authority that appoints someone can remove from its place the one it has appointed. In the same way, for example, the former exarch was transferred from his position in the ex-exarchate to another position in the Ecumenical Patriarchate, without any prior request from him or from the exarchate. In addition, Archbishop John repeatedly, in front of witnesses and in various ways on different occasions, expressed his express wish to leave the jurisdiction of the patriarchal throne and to enter the Church of Russia, which was also mentioned by His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch in his canonical dismissal letter which characteristically mentions: "By this patriarchal letter, in recognition of your deep desire to place you under the omophor of His Beatitude the Patriarch of Moscow and from all over Russia, as you have said many times in word and deed, we are liberating you, in a purely personal capacity, from our most holy ecumenical, apostolic and patriarchal throne ... "Finally, on the basis of the same statutes former exarchate, which are recognized by the French State, HE Archbishop Jean no longer has any right to interfere in the affairs of the ex-exarchate, which has was expressly mentioned in the above-mentioned patriarchal letter: "This means that your Excellency is no longer responsible in any way whatsoever for the affairs of the parishes of Russian tradition in Western Europe". HE the Metropolitan of France Mgr Emmanuel, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was appointed, on September 2, 2019, locum tenens of the organization "Union of the Russian Orthodox Associations" (ex-exarchate), in order to take charge of all the questions concerning him. That is to say, the statement that the ex-exarchate now operates not according to the holy canons, but according to the statutes, is not admissible, because the same statutes provide that they must be governed by the holy canons, which are above the said statutes. There is still the assertion that the former Exarchate is supposedly functioning now, on the basis of the laws of 1901 and 1905 of the French State. This assertion can not be held because laws simply concern secular and non-spiritual administration. That is to say, the ex-exarchate is directed by the Divine Grace that springs from the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the basis of the holy canons and not the state on the basis of the laws. The ecclesiastical existence of association comes from the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the basis of the holy canons, and not from the laws of any state. Therefore, based on the holy canonsand statutes, which are recognized on the basis of the aforementioned laws by the French State, the only canonical and legitimate leader of the parishes of the ex-exarchate who are in France is HE the Metropolitan of France Mgr Emmanuel. The parishes of the ex-exarchate which are outside France can not naturally be administered according to the laws of French law. The general assembly that Archbishop John planned was canonically and legally illegal and void. We hope that HE Archbishop John, the clergy and faithful of the ex-exarchate will understand the gravity of the situation. "
Source (from the photograph): Ekklisia online