wfn.org | Visit nurtures relationship

[Daphne Mack <dmack@episcopalchurch.org>]

2002-178

Visit nurtures relationship between
Episcopal Church and Russian
Orthodox

by James Solheim
jsolheim@episcopalchurch.org

(ENS) A four-day visit in mid-June to the Russian
Orthodox Church by a delegation from the Episcopal
Church was the latest step in nurturing what has become
a very special ecumenical relationship. 

"It was really quite wonderful to hear of the fondness that
the Russian Orthodox leadership has for the Episcopal
Church in the United States," said Bishop Christopher
Epting, deputy for ecumenical and interfaith relations. He
led the delegation that also included Dr. Thomas
Ferguson, who joined the "ecumenical team" at the
Episcopal Church Center almost a year ago; Bishop
William Gregg of Eastern Oregon, chair of the Standing
Commission on Ecumenical Relations; Bishop Richard
Grein (retired) and the Rev. John Backus who together
have forged a strong relationship between the Russian
church and the Diocese of New York; and the Rev.
David Perry, Epting's predecessor. 

Epting said that he hoped "to build upon the strong
foundation laid by the presiding bishop and his
predecessors, as well as the Diocese of New York. We
need to deepen our theological dialogue as well as engage
in practical ministry together." 

Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold made an official visit
to Russia in the summer of 1999, citing a history of
cooperation that goes back to the early 19th century
when Episcopalians in California offered hospitality to
Russian congregations. When Russia sold Alaska to the
United States, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox
Church received a message from the Episcopal Church
proposing common pastoral work in Alaska. 

"Our two churches have never disrupted their relations
and now we face a very good opportunity to enrich each
other," Metropolitan Kirill, chair of the Department for
External Relations, told the presiding bishop and the
delegation. In conversations with Patriarch Alexy II the
Russians expressed deep appreciation to the Episcopal
Church for its help in recent years as it attempts to restore
many of its ministries after emerging from 70 years of
suppression under Communism. 

Rebuilding ministries

Members of the delegation were able during the June visit
to see first-hand some of the social ministries of the
Russian church, including an orphanage and the
construction site of a new hospital and pharmacy. They
also visited a monastery and seminary outside of Moscow
for conversations on theological education and priestly
formation. Back in Moscow they stopped at the
Cathedral of Christ the Savior, built on a site near the
Kremlin where a previous cathedral had been destroyed
by Stalin in 1931. 

The delegation also visited with staff at St. Alexy's
Hospital where they saw and took photos of an
ambulance donated by the Presiding Bishop's Fund for
World Relief a few years ago. Health care in the former
Soviet Union was a major problem and the church has
been attempting to extend its ministry in that area. 

In the formal dialogue with Metropolitan Kirill and
members of his staff, he again rehearsed the long history
of cooperation between the two churches and proposed
a renewed commitment to theological dialogue, focusing
on what both churches face in the wake of the September
11 terrorist attacks. "This would include theological
analyses of the tragedy, interreligious understanding, and
the question of values in today's world," said Epting. "In
the post-September 11 climate, the Russians are also
dealing with issues of extremism and religious diversity,"
added Ferguson. 

Kirill also noted with appreciation the official position of
the Episcopal Church against proselytism in Russia, a
very touchy issue because the Russians are deeply
offended by outside mission groups taking advantage of
the current situation in the country. "While he shared
Orthodox concerns with respect to the World Council of
Churches, he was also quick to underscore its importance
as a conciliar body," Epting said. The Russians and other
Orthodox churches have been very critical of what they
regard as the WCC's growing interest in political and
social issues at the expense of faith and order issues,
especially dialogue on church unity. 

Mission on the front doorstep

Epting said that the major purpose of the visit was to
pursue the goals stated in a communiqui following
Griswold's visit in 1999--including the response of the
WCC to Orthodox concerns, scheduling a meeting of the
Joint Coordinating Committee of the two churches to set
the agenda for a continuing theological dialogue, and
areas of practical cooperation in the future. 

The theological dialogue might include issues of the
church's role in the new millennium and ideological
differences between East and West, the Holy Spirit and
the church, ecclesiology and mission. On the practical
level, the two churches would build on their work
together in areas such as military chaplaincy, health care
and volunteers in mission. 

"The Russian church is deeply concerned about domestic
mission, discovering that they must catechize a whole
generation after all those years under Communism," said
Ferguson. "They told us that they are doing catechesis on
their own front doorstep." 

During the conversation with Kirill and his staff, a Russian
lay woman proposed that the Americans find some
practical ways for congregations o engage in ministry to
orphans through "virtual adoption," according to Epting.
"She pointed to her recent visit to Michigan where such
things are being done ecumenically." 

Members of the delegation were guests at the Cathedral
of the Epiphany where the church was decked with
greenery for the Russian equivalent of Trinity Sunday.
"The nearly four-hour service was marked with much
incense and wonderful antiphonal singing between the fine
choir and the powerful voices of the clergy," Epting said.
"Our concluding luncheon, hosted by Metropolitan Sergei
who is responsible for the church's social ministries, set
the stage for a new chapter between our two churches
and new levels of cooperation and dialogue." 

"The trip was valuable because it reconnected those of us
who are new on the staff--and it provided some
continuity in one of our church's most important
ecumenical relationships," added Ferguson. 

--James Solheim is director of Episcopal News
Service.