Met. Nicholas of NY interviewed as he visits Serbia with Kursk-Root icon

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  1. Joseph LipperJune 15, 2024 at 1:33 PM

    Does this visit portend ROCOR leaving the Moscow Patriarchate and going under Serbia? I have to wonder. It's a very high level ROCOR delegation: six ROCOR bishops and the chancellor. It's very unusual, to say the least.

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    1. Joseph LipperJune 15, 2024 at 2:21 PM

      ROCOR is supposed to get its Holy Chrism from Moscow. With U.S. sanctions against Russia, that's simply not possible. Serbia consecrates its own Holy Chrism though. I have to wonder if that is at least part of the purpose of this trip. Regardless, I get the impression that ROCOR is in a tight corner.

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  2. r j klanckoJune 16, 2024 at 6:41 AM

    ROCOR and the GOA are on opposite side of the spectrum. Bishop Ireneij of the Serbians is beholden to the GOA - he is using a GOA church while St. Sava's is being rebuilt. Ireneij was the only non GOA bishop at the St. Bart's service. Would this not be a sticky wicket in the Serbia/ROCOR relationship?
    The OCA just consecrated its own chrism. ROCOR and the OCA are in communion. Would it not be logical to seek chrism from the OCA? What do the Patriarchal Exarchate parishes do for chrism?

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  3. Joseph LipperJune 17, 2024 at 9:57 PM

    ROCOR may be in communion with the OCA, but they keep the OCA at arms length. I believe much of the problem has to do with the unfortunate "liturgical theology" of Fr. Alexander Schmemann. I've heard that the OCA Archbishop Michael Dahulich says he has 56 parishes that liturgically serve in 56 different ways. All of them probably believe that they serve in the "right" way. That's just the negative legacy of Fr. Alexander Schmemann that Archbishop Michael inherited, and I believe it creates an obstacle for bringing ROCOR together with the OCA.

    The origins of ROCOR were actually in Serbia. That's where they first organized after the 1917 revolution. Serbia has never broke communion with them either.

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