The Shepherd, June 2008
NEWS SECTION
INTERCOMMUNION OF A NEW CALENDARIST
ORTHODOX HIERARCH & ROMAN CATHOLICS
IN ROMANIA
THE TWO websites below, unfortunately in Romanian but with pictures which clearly show what is happening, report the open communion of Metropolitan Nicolae of Banat, a Bishop of the New Calendar Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate and spiritual Father of the new Patriarch of Romania, with Greek Catholics in a Uniat Liturgy on 25th May, 2008, in Timisoara, Romania. According to eyewitnesses, in the course of the Holy Liturgy, at the time of communion, His Eminence, Nicolae Corneanu left the congregation and entered the altar, where he requested permission to commune. In response, His Excellency, Monsignor Francisco Javier Lozano, Papal Nuncio in Romania, “in keeping with tradition, put the Holy Body into the hand of His Eminence, Nicolae, after which he was handed the Chalice with the Blood of the Lord, from which His Eminence, Nicolae partook on his own.” In one of the articles, the Metropolitan is quoted as saying that Romania will eventually recognize the Pope as the head of the Church and states that the Uniat movement in Romania has played an important historical rôle to this end.
http://www.razbointrucuvant.ro/2008/05/27/mitropolitul-corneanu-si-a-desavarsit-apostazia/#more-3283
http://www.greco-catolica.org:80/print.aspx?s=2&id=357
Even the “Catholic World News” registered surprise at the incident and commented: “Although Orthodox and Catholic bishops often join in ecumenical services, and occasionally participate in each other’s liturgical ceremonies, they do not share Communion -- an indication of the breach in ecclesial communion between the Orthodox churches and the Holy See. In Romania, tensions between the Orthodox Church and the Eastern-rite Romanian Catholic Church have been pronounced, adding to the surprise created by Metropolitan Corneanu’s action. With some Orthodox believers outraged by the metropolitan’s sharing Communion with Catholic bishops, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Romania issued a statement saying that at the next meeting of the Orthodox synod, in July, Metropolitan Corneanu “may be asked to give an appropriate explanation” for his action. The statement from the Orthodox patriarchate went on to say that ecumenical relations with the Catholic Church, “already quite fragile, cannot be helped, but are rather complicated,” by sharing in Communion. Metropolitan Corneanu-- who was one of the first Orthodox bishops to admit that he had cooperated with the secret police under the Communist regime -- has a record of friendship with Romanian Catholics. He was among the few Orthodox leaders prepared to return church properties that had been seized by the Communist government from Catholic ownership in 1948 and handed over to Orthodox control.”
It is good to see that the Patriarchate will look into this matter, but indicative of their position that they see Metropolitan Nicolae’s deplorable action not as endangering their Orthodox confession of Faith and leading the faithful astray, but as endangering ecumenical relations with the Roman Catholics. In the meantime, it is clearly evident that Metropolitan Nicolae is in need of much prayer.
NEW HIERARCH FOR RUSSIAN CHURCH ABROAD CONSECRATED
HIS GRACE, Bishop Agafangel of Odessa recently visited parishes of the (continuing) Russian Church Abroad in the United States. While in the States he visited the ailing Bishop Pavlos, of the Greek Old Calendarist Synod under the presidency of Archbishop Chrysostomos II, who is in hospital. Bishop Pavlos told him that their Synod intends to continue its dialogue with our own Synod (the Synod in Resistance of the Greek Orthodox Church), with which Bishop Agafangel’s Synod is in full communion. After a session of the Provisional Supreme Ecclesiastical Authority of the Church at the office of Bishop Andronik, on 4th / 17th May at the Saint Sergius Church at Tolstoy Farm, Valley Cottage, New York, Bishops Agafangel, Andronik and Sophronii nominated Hegoumen George (Kravchenko) for consecration to the episcopate. The consecration itself was celebrated the following day, as is customary, in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Astoria, New York, with the three hierarchs participating as consecrators of the new bishop. Bishop George has the title of Bolgrad, a city in the Ukraine, near both the Romanian and Moldovan borders. His Grace will be a vicar (suffragan) bishop to Bishop Agafangel. On the feast of Mid-Pentecost, the Bishops and several of the clergy with them celebrated at the Parish of the Ascension of the Lord in Washington.
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