Moscow continues to plant parishes atop existing dioceses

Given the tomos of the OCA and the existence of ROCOR here, how can Moscow defend the establishment of a new parish in North America? Whenever people bring up the existing MP parishes in the Americas the response is "These parishes requested to stay in the Moscow Patriarchate many years ago." No such historical exigences exist here.

---

(ROC) - A year ago the Orthodox citizens of the city of Cancún, Mexico, appealed to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, asking for his blessing, as they intended to establish a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Moscow Patriarchate’s Administration for Institutions Abroad instructed the acting administrator of the Patriarchal parishes in the USA, Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, to render assistance in organizing regular divine services for the community members and to explore a possibility for opening a parish in Cancún.

Throughout 2019, with the blessing of Bishop Matthew, Rev. Kirill Chacon, rector of the Church of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God in Mexico, visited the community of the faithful in Cancún, where at a local Catholic church, with the kind permission of Bishop Pedro Pablo Elizondo Cárdenas of Cancún-Chetumal, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy and administered Sacraments and rites.

On 19th January 2020, the feast of the Holy Theophany, with the blessing of Bishop Matthew of Sourozh, Rev. Mark Rashkov, chancellor of the Patriarchal parishes in the USA, visited Cancún and in concelebration of Rev. Kirill Chacon celebrated the Divine Liturgy and performed the rite of the Great Blessing of Water.

After the divine service Father Mark greeted all the worshippers with the feast of Theophany and conveyed to them blessings and warm wishes from Bishop Matthew of Sourozh. Acting on the instruction of the archpastor, Fr. Mark presented Rev. Kirill with a medal in commemoration of the centenary of the restoration of the Patriarchate in the Russian Orthodox Church and thanked him for taking pastoral care of the Russian Church’s believers in Mexico.

That same day later Priests Mark and Kirill met with Msgr. Pedro Pablo Elizondo Cárdenas, Bishop of Cancún-Chetumal, expressing their appreciation for providing on a gratis basis a church building to the Orthodox community for celebrating divine services.

Fr. Mark conveyed to the Bishop of Cancún-Chetumal Christmas greetings from Bishop Matthew of Sourozh and presented him with the ‘Eleousa’ Icon of the Mother of God.