News

Moscow - 2008-01-29 - In connection with the decision made by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Patriarchate on October 22, 2007, to open three dioceses of the so-called Metropolia of Bessarabia in the territories of Moldavia and Ukraine, the Russian Orthodox Church Holy Synod expressed its protest in a statement made on November 7, 2007. The text of this statement together with a letter from Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia has been sent out to Primates of all the Local Orthodox Churches.

In his reply to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem stated that the issue of opening dioceses of ‘the Metropolia of Bessarabia’ concerns not only the Russian and Romanian Sister Churches, but also the whole Orthodox world’. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem considered all the details and aspects of this problem, believing that in solving it, it is necessary to observe the established ‘canonical system of government regulating jurisdictional boundaries of the Local Orthodox Churches’.

Earlier, responses on this issue were sent to Patriarch Alexy by Primates of the Serbian and Polish Churches and the Local Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.

DECR Communication Service

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