The Shepherd, November 2007
MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE’S
INTER-CHURCH ACTIVITIES
A RUSSIAN News Agency, “Perviy Novostnoy Videoportal” published on 3rd October a video clip of the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Aleksii II of Moscow to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The Patriarch attended and prayed at a Roman Catholic service before the purported Crown of Thorns and, during this service, venerated the relic. He and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Paris are seen giving a blessing to the congregation together, and the Patriarch then made an address. The news clip reports that this is the first instance of the Patriarch publicly joining in prayer with Roman Catholics, but it states that it was not an “ecumenical service” (in that they did not concelebrate) as is indeed apparent from the video coverage, and as was emphasized by a later release from the Patriarchate itself. However, the sacred canons forbid even joint prayers with the heterodox, so this is something of a small fig leaf to cover the shame.
However, on 9th October the delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate left the meeting of the Mixed Commission for Orthodox-Catholic Theologian (sic) Dialogue in Ravenna, Italy. The delegation, headed by Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria, learned that representatives of the Estonian Apostolic Church, formed in 1996 by the Œcumenical Patriarchate had been entered on the list of delegates. The MP believes that this Church has been uncanonically established on its “canonical territory,” and negotiations were held to resolve the impasse but ended in failure. Before leaving the meeting, Bishop Hilarion addressed members of the Mixed Commission to explain his position. He also underlined that the Moscow Patriarchate attaches great importance to the dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church, and expressed his regret at the fact that the unilateral action of the Patriarchate of Constantinople made it impossible for the Moscow Patriarchate’s delegation to participate in the meeting. On 12th October the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate approved the position of its delegation. It is sad that the MP is seen to employ such strictness with regard to the question of “canonical territory,” but is unabashed by its Primate joining in prayer with the heterodox at a public service.
HAWAII ROCOR PARISH REPORTS
TWO MYRON-STREAMING ICONS
AT THE END of October it was reported by Reader Nectarios Yangson of the ROCOR parish in Hawaii that two icons in their church had begun to exude fragrant myron. One of the icons is a copy of the Lost Myron-Streaming Icon of Montreal, and the other is a hand-painted Cross from Athos. Apparently the myron streaming is not continuous, but both icons are also fragrant and the fragrance is ever-present. At the time of our going to press, Reader Nectarios reports that the parish was awaiting instruction from Achbishop Kyrill of San Francisco regarding this phenomenon.
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