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Tensions between the establishment in Sourozh and the new voices came to a head in April 2006, when Bp. Basil requested from the Moscow Patriarchate that he and any in his diocese who wished to follow him be allowed [[canonical release]] to enter into the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate]], specifically the [[Russian Orthodox Exarchate in Western Europe]], a diocese of parishes of Russian tradition whose bishop answers to the Ecumenical Patriarch. The character of the Exarchate is similar to the course charted by Anthony in that its parishes are mainly using local languages and appealing to the cultures of Western Europe.
Before making the request, Basil provided for the canonical release of any of his [[clergy]] who wished to go elsewhere, and about half have petitioned the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain]] and received favorable response. [http://www.oca.org/News.asp?ID=1013&SID=19] Basil's rationale for the request was that the patriarchate could continue to provide pastoral care for those who wished to duplicate Russian church life on British soil, while he could care for those who wished to continue life as it had been under Anthony.
Initially, the Patriarch of Moscow, [[Alexei II (Ridiger) of Moscow|Alexei II]], asked to discuss the matter with Basil, but demanded that he retract his letter to Constantinople, in which he had broached the subject with Ecumenical Patriarch [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople|Bartholomew I]]. Basil refused to retract the letter.
