"To those who attack the Church of Christ by teaching that Christ's Church is divided into so-called "branches" which differ in doctrine and way of life, or that the Church does not exist visibly, but will be formed in the future when all "branches" or sects or denominations, and even religions will be united into one body; and who do not distinguish the Priesthood and Mysteries of the Church from those of the heretics, but say that the baptism and Eucharist of heretics is effectual for salvation; therefore, to those who knowingly have communion with these aforementioned heretics or who advocate, disseminate, or defend their heresy of ecumenism under the pretext of brotherly love or the supposed unification of separated Christians, Anathema!"
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ROCOR 1983
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This is the official website and authoritative voice of the RUSSIAN ORTHODOX AUTONOMOUS CHURCH OF AMERICA (ROAC). No other English language based website (other than the sites linked herein) claiming to speak for His Eminence, Metropolitan Theodore of Suzdal and Vladimir, or any of the individual Hierarchs of the Holy Synod of the RUSSIAN ORTHODOX AUTONOMOUS CHURCH (ROAC), should be considered as genuine or valid.
Court Bailiffs Disrupt Services in the Synodal Church of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Suzdal and Place Holy Relics Under Arrest
Employees of the Federal Bailiff Service of Russia for the Vladimir region employed brute force on Metropolitan Theodore of Suzdal and Vladimir, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church (ROAC), while he was dressed in liturgical vestments and performing services in the church.According to portal-credo.ru, on the morning of August 30 service in the ROAC Synodal Church of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Suzdal, where the relics of two widely revered Saints of Suzdal make their home, St. Euphymios and St. Euphrosynia, a group of raiders made up of more than ten bailiffs, entered, and without any warning or provocation, placed the relics of these Saints under arrest.
Church representatives have identified one of the bailiffs as Anna Filippova, who had previously tried to seize the relics of the Saints earlier, in 2012. However, the actions of the courts giving her the authority to do so were later annulled by the Federal Arbitration Court.
After failing to force the Chief Hierarch of the ROAC to sign some papers that they had put before him, which the Metropolitan refused to do until he could have his lawyer present, the police officers placed seals on the shrines containing the Saints’ relics. In order to do so, they rudely grabbed Metropolitan Theodore by his vestments and pushed him aside, even though he was in the middle of performing services before the shrine of St. Euphrosynia.
Nevertheless, when the leader of the ROAC continued with the prayer service, he was told that his actions would be taken as hooliganism, and would be used to begin a criminal case against him.
The faithful present at the services prevented a group of unknown persons accompanying Anna Filippova from exiting the church with the holy relics. As a result, the reliquary of St. Euphrosynia sustained damage to its feet, but did remain in the church. Metropolitan Theodore is preparing a special statement in connection with the blasphemy and violence that have taken place in the Synod’s cathedral church.
The Russian Orthodox Church of the Patriarchate of Moscow is behind the fight to take the relics of these two Saints away from the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church
The relics of the Orthodox Saints Euphymios and Euphrosynia were transferred to the Vladimir diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in 1988 for permanent keeping in the Tsar Constantine Church in Suzdal.
However, there was a schism in the diocese, which occurred in 1990, when the rector of the Tsar Constantine Church, Archimandrite Valentine (Anatoly Rusantsov), announced their withdrawal from the Moscow Patriarchate. He was later elevated to the rank of Metropolitan and became the Chief Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox
Autonomous Church (ROAC), which had previously been known as the Free Russian Orthodox Church. As a result, the Tsar Constantine Church in Suzdal passed over to the ROAC, together with the relics that were being kept in it.
But in 2009-2010, the Territorial Administration of the Agency for Management of Russian State Property (Rosimushchestvo) managed to affect the return of several churches being used by ROAC parishes to the state, in particular, the Tsar Constantine Church in Suzdal. It was then that the representatives of the ROAC removed the relics of Saints Euphymios and Euphrosynia from the Tsar Constantine Church and placed them in the Synodal Church of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.
At the present time, the ROAC has six bishops, 150 parishes, and not less than ten thousand members. The ROAC is governed by its Synod of Bishops.
Source: NEWSru.com
August 30, 2013 11:37 AM
http://www.newsru.com/religy/30aug2013/rpac.html