It looks as if this saga has come to a close of sorts (see past posts on this drama). It is of course quite possible that he will do something else and draw media attention, but we can only wait and see.
Moscow, June 27, (Interfax) - At its final Friday session, the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church ruled that the Bishop of Anadyr and Chukotka Diomid should be defrocked.
An absolute majority of the Bishops' Council (with three abstainers) voted for "stripping Diomid of priestly privileges" due to his disobedience to hierarchy, Interfax-Religion reports.
"The Council calls Diomid to immediately repent and stop his activity. If he refuses, the Council's ruling shall be enforced," one of the Council's participants told to the agency.
The Council also fixed the deadline for such repentance - before the next session of the Holy Synod.
According to the Council's report, the participants have definitely denounced Diomid's activity which "offends the canonic rules... and inspires temptation in the church life."
The Bishops' Council also defrocked Hegumen Ilia (Yempulev), former associate of Bishop Diomid and the author of the recent open letter by a group of priests who had refused to pray for Patriarch Alexy II during liturgy.
During the last one and half year, Bishop Diomid made several appeals calling for self-isolation of the Russian Orthodox Church and its refusal from the dialogue with government authorities, other religions and confessions, and proactive mission to young people.
On the first day of the Council's work, Diomid's followers held several protests and processions at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior to support Bishop Diomid.
The other day, one of the working groups listened to the theological statement on appeals and letters of Bishop Diomid presented by Bishop of Minsk and Slutsk Filaret.
Mark, Bishop of Yegoryevsk and secretary of the working group addressing "Diomid's issue", said Wednesday that participants of the Council group had "unanimously denounced Diomid's actions."
Bishop Diomid's stand was discussed in his absence - the Bishop failed to attend the meeting under the pretence of feeling unwell. The Moscow Patriarchate, however, was dissatisfied with this reason for absence made public by Diomid to the press. "The reason which Bishop Diomid used to explain his absence is inadequate," Metropolitan Kirill, the head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, said Wednesday answering to journalists' questions.
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