For many English speakers, Metropolitan Hilarion was the voice of the Russian Church to the world. He was masterful in explaining the position of the Church on almost any topic and his theological works (scholarly papers and mass market book series) have been of tremendous value. For better or worse, he told people how he saw things without any sugary coating to help the truth go down more smoothly. Given the war and how poorly it is going, an Ambrose of Milan figure is not in keeping with what the Russian Church feels comfortable heading its world-facing organizations.
(Orthodox Times) - “This is what the current socio-political situation requires,” is the explanation given in public by Metropolitan Hilarion of Budapest and Hungary for his dismissal from the position of president of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and from the position of Metropolitan of Volokolamsk.
As Hilarion said from the Bolshaya Ordynka temple where he performed liturgy on Sunday, this decision taken by the leadership of the Russian Church is not related to any weaknesses in the activities of the DECR or other ecclesiastical institutions of which he was the head.
“A lot of people ask me these days: why did this happen? In fact, I myself do not know many details.
They have been told me that the decision (of the dismissal) is not linked to any shortcomings or weaknesses in the chairmanship of the DECR, nor in relation to any ecclesiastical institution that I headed.
It has only been said that this is what the current socio-political situation requires. That the road made a very steep turn, I couldn’t fit and I ended up on the side of the road. But it’s better than tipping the car over and exploding, ”he added.
He added that life goes on, and that there is no need to dramatise these events. There may be ups and downs in the life of the clergyman. And promotions to the so-called career and demotions.
All this is temporary and is not the reason we serve the Church. I have never sought high appointments, neither in the Synod, nor privileges, and I will never regret losing them. ”
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Not willing to be a mouthpiece for Moloch, it seems. May it be blessed.
ReplyDeleteI can see a plan I place to get him to the USA as head of a combined oca, rocor, Moscow exar chate church
ReplyDeleter j klancko: that would have to be a different OCA than the one I know. Though OCA might welcome him if (hard to imagine) he transferred out of the MP.
DeleteROCOR, with The reposed of Met Ilarion is in a watershed moment, their next leader will set their course for the next 20 years. The logical course is that they split into geographical dioceses that amalgam with the corresponding Moscow dioceses. This happens through out the world. This means that as a first step in the USA both the Moscow exarchate and the ROCOR USA diocese combine. The same for Canada.
DeleteNow the Moscow Exarchate in both the USA and Canada are more like the OCA. Their parishes for the most part were founded over 100 years ago.
ROCOR is still acting like a immigrant church and living in the 18th cenrtury. They need To make a decision, either continue as they are and suffer the same fate as the Ukrianian Orthodox Church of Canada has. ( it is a mere skeleton of what it was in 1960), or become more American and forget the Russian ways and serve the American communities in which they function.
Also, because Moscow cut the OCA loose some 50 years ago, it makes no sense for them to have any parishes in OCA territory except for an representation church in NYC and Edmonton.
Ilarion has the energy, skills, education, leaderhip, and reputation To make this change happen and happen for the good of all. Ilarion will be the Metropolitan of the Orthodox Chrisitan Church of the Americas, with an autonomous archdiocese for each of the USA, Canada, Cenrral America, and Mexico, and South America. It can work and in my opinion for the good of all, we need to enourage its creatIon under the model of the existing OCA.
There is a sense of one Metropolitan Hilarion as he was before his rise to head of the DECR, and second one who came into being after being installed as Patriarch Cyril's righthand man. Here's to hoping he can get back to all the things he was brilliant at after all these years spouting nonsense from whichever department of the Russian government is currently responsible for telling the Moscow Patriarchate what its marching orders are...
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