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Orthodoxy in Taiwan

40 bytes added, 08:28, October 1, 2013
Note on Taiwan's Religious Environment
In 2005, INTERPOL contacted Taiwan authorities in an attempt to apprehend drug smuggler / [[Christodoulos (Paraskevaides) of Athens|Christodoulos]] aide [[Apostolos Vavylis]], notorious for his role in the church scandals which made worldwide news that year. <ref> http://www.greeknewsonline.com/?p=3113 </ref> Vavylis had been traveling on false identity documents obtained through the assistance of church leaders, including Fr. Jonah, who traveled to Greece to testify to his lack of criminal intent (but was ultimately not called to testify). Vavylis indicated that he had traveled to Italy via Thailand with the help of (unnamed) "Taiwanese friends." <ref> http://barthsnotes.com/2008/02/03/byzantine-jerusalem/ </ref> <ref> Prof. Andr. Demetropoulos, ''Personal Life of Clerics.'' National Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Law, 2004-20055. http://www.greeklaws.com/pubs/uploads/1216.pdf </ref>
In 2012, Archbishop Mark of Yegorievsk, head of the [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian church]]'s Office for Institutions Abroad, "reactivated" the (1901) Christ the Savior parish, apparently in response to numerous requests from Russians living in Taiwan. The following year, the Church of the Elevation of the Cross, aka the Taiwan Orthodox Church, was formed as a [[metochion]] of the Moscow Patriarchate, with Russo-Canadian hieromonk Fr. Kirill (Shkarbul) as its first resident priest. It meets in first-floor apartment in Taipei's Xinyi District, off the Hulin Night Market. Liturgy is conducted in Russian, and translated into Chinese , and English.(Fr. Kirill alternates between these three languages during the chanted portions, and delivers his sermon several times, translating himself.)
Bishop [[Nektarios (Tsilis)]] of Hong Kong (OMHKSEA) responded by excommunicating Fr. Kirill and one of his parishioners (both of whom had formerly attended the OMHKSEA mission church), on the charge of uncanonical behavior and "ethno-[[phyletism]]." <ref> http://www.omhksea.org/2013/06/excommunication-of-the-schismatics-in-taiwan/ http://www.omhksea.org/2013/07/press-release-about-the-schismatics-in-taiwan/ </ref> At issue is whether the Moscow Patriarchate has the right to establish parishes outside of Russia, in what OMHKSEA considers to be territory under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch. The Russian church takes the position that it has the right to operate wherever there are Russians, and points to Moscow's historic privileges in China and Japan (both of which have exercised sovereignty over Taiwan in the past). An OMHKSEA press release specifically rejects arguments in favor of "parallel Orthodox jurisdictions" (as in the USA), adding a note on the political background:
New foreign missions were forbidden entry during the Japanese era, indirectly benefitting the Catholics and Presbyterians, who were already present on the island. After 1949, a wave of missionaries from various denominations (including the Baptists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Adventists, among many others) arrived in Taiwan from China, and established churches representing those denominations. The Presbyterians enjoyed further growth during the 1950's and 1960's, when the church took an outspoken stance in favor of human rights and Taiwan independence. The end of martial law in 1987 has also liberalized the religious environment, with Pentecostalism and the House Church movement being important new trends.
Ecumenical activity and inter-religious dialogue have been important recent trends. The Orthodox Church (represented by Fr. Jonah) is a member of the National Council of Churches of Taiwan (NCCT). In addition, Fr. Jonah has participated in the annual National Prayer Breakfast and other dialogue events, including inter-religious fora.
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