ROCOR V/A: Hierarchical Synod, New Bishop-Elect, Reorganization

(Sources: Mech-I-Trost, roca-sobor.org) The Synod of Bishops of the ROCOR under Bishops Vladimir and Anastassy was radically reorganized last week back into something closer to the original form of the Sobor– before 2006. Until then, the Synod– consisting for most of that time of two Bishops– had been organized into an American and Eurasian district, since most of the dioceses had been effectively widowed through either death or the formation of other jurisdictions.

This changed last week with the meetings of the Hierarchical Synod of the ROCOR-VL (which appears to be the Russian usage now that Bishop Vladimir has been elevated to the Rank of Archbishop and is considered the primate of the Synod). Now consisting of four Bishops and a candidate for the vicariate of Moldova, the usage of ecclesiastical districts was officially abolished. Two more priests were nominated for the Episcopate, to be considered at the next meeting of the Synod (Oct 7 NS).

Two days before the Synod officially reported that the severance of their communion with the Synod in Resistance of Metropolitan Cyprian had officially been acknowledged and read at their Synodal meeting of September 29, NS, having received notification of Bp Ambrose of Methone of same (Oct 5 NS).

The Synod also banned Bishop Anthony (Rudey) of Moldova, who had left the Synod a few years earlier and single-handedly consecrated three Bishops, from serving, as well as censuring Hieromonk Tikhon (Kozushin) for controversial statements on the Internet. NFTU