NFTU NEWS

On this past Sunday, July 23, Moscow Patriarchate Protopresbyter Artemia Skripkina, of the Tikhvin Diocese, announced that, after repeated attempts to get a clear answers from Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, Bishop Mistislave of Tikhvin [his own Bishop], and from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, in relation to issues relating to the heresy of ecumenism, with no response whatsoever, he was invoking Canon 15 of the First-Second Synod.  Fr. Artemia posted the contents of his letter on the Russian social media site he uses, and it was picked up by other Russian language sites [such as the prominent non-commemorator MP site supporting Bp. Longinus].

Fr. Artemia and family. Fr. Artemia will become an outcast, so will his family, and loose what little living they have from the MP, in order to follow conscience. A lesson to many.

He announced that he not only was ceasing commemoration of Patriarch Kirill, but of Metropolitan Varsanofia of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, and Bishop Mistislav of Tikhvin (his own Bishop), as well as all Bishops in communion with them. The following is his public statement on the matter:

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To Metropolitan Varsanofia of St. Petersburg and Ladoga of the ROC MP,

On April 16th of this year, on the day of Pascha, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill of Moscow, made an important statement on the issue of the essence of God when visiting the Moscow City Council. In his scandalous speech, the First Hierarch of the ROC MP publicly, in the performance of his pastoral duties, recognized the unity of the Holy Trinity and the so-called ‘God’ of the Muslims, Allah, thereby subjecting the most important dogma of the Christian Faith, the Dogma of the Holy Trinity, to revision. Two months ago, I sent letters asking you to clarify the official theological position of the ROC MP on this issue to you, and to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, and to Bishop Mstislav of Tikhvin. Over the past two months, I have not received any answers and explanations. In connection with these circumstances, I do hereby notify you of the following:

1) Using the right given to me under Canon 15 of the First-Second Synod, I break canonical communion with the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill (Gundyaev), in connection with the grave canonical crimes committed by him: preaching the heresy of Magomethanism, condemned by Constantinople in 1180 [i.e. the heresy of identification of the Christian God with the Islamic deity]; as well as preaching the heresy of ecumenism, which was condemned by the Moscow Council of 1948; the preaching of the heresy of Latinism, which was condemned by a multitude of Synods and Fathers.

2) I also break canonical communion you [Metropolitan Varsanofia], as well as Bishop Mstislav, and the other bishops of the ROC MP, who support and share the above mentioned false teachings of the heretic and blasphemer V.M. Gundyaev, as partisans (free or unwilling) of his crimes against God and Holy Church.

3) The orders and reprimands of yours and the other above-mentioned bishops of the ROC MP are considered to be nothing from henceforth.

Remaining faithful to the vows I made before accepting Holy Baptism, and the oath given before mine ordination to the

Remaining faithful to the vows I made before the adoption of St. Baptism, and the oath given before the ordination to the holy dignity,

Protopresbyter Artemia Skripkin.