Ecumenical Patriarchate refuses to break communion with ROC
Constantinople remains in communion with the Russian Orthodox Church, the exarchate of Russian parishes in Western Europe said in a statement on Friday.
"Dear brothers and sisters, we inform you that our bishops and exarchs who are in the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate remain in full communion with the entire Orthodox Church. We also inform you that the Ecumenical Patriarchate has not severed communion with the Moscow Patriarchate and continues to pray for it in accordance with the order established in the diptych," the exarchate said in its statement.
"All Orthodox Christians can fully take part in liturgical life and church sacraments at our parishes," the document said.
The exarchate of the Constantinople Patriarchate called on all priests, deacons, monastics, and laypeople of the Russian exarchate in Western Europe to pray for the unity of the Church.
On October 11, the Synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate invalidated its decree of 1686 on the handover of the Metropolitanate of Kiev to Moscow and established a mission to Kiev. It also rehabilitated the leaders of self-proclaimed orthodox churches in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate rejected these decisions. In reaction to the moves by Constantinople, the Moscow Patriarchate itself held a meeting on October 15 to declare a total severing of ties with the Church of Constantinople.
