View source for Russian Orthodox Church Abroad - Provisional Supreme Church Authority

The self-styled '''"Russian Orthodox Church Abroad - Provisional Supreme Church Authority"''' (PSCA, Русская православная церковь заграницей - Временное высшее центральное управление) is a body composed of [[parish]]es from the [[ROCOR]] who refused to enter into [[communion]] with the [[Church of Russia|Moscow Patriarchate]] in May of 2007. Like the ROCOR before the union, they have maintained communion with the [[Holy Synod in Resistance]] under Metropolitan Cyprian of Fili and their sister churches. The current head of the [[jurisdiction]] is Metropolitan [[Agafangel (Pashkovsky) of Odessa]]. Unlike ROCOR, they are not in communion with any canonical Orthodox Church, while even prior to reconciliation with the Moscow Patriarchate, ROCOR had maintained communion and concelebrations with the [[Church of Serbia]], and the [[Church of Jerusalem|Jerusalem Patriarchate]].

==History==
By mid-2006, a number of ROCOR parishes had made clear that they wanted no part of reconciliation between the Moscow Patriarchate and ROCOR, wishing to retain the status quo as it had been for most of ROCOR's existence. When it became clear that the reconciliation would occur after it had been approved by the [[All-Diaspora Councils#IV All-Diaspora Council|4th All-Diaspora Sobor]], various [[clergy]] began to make plans for the establishment of a rival [[Synod]]. 

Following the signing of [[Act of Canonical Communion with the Moscow Patriarchate|the Act of Canonical Communion]] in Moscow, Russia, on [[May 17]], 2007, bishop Agathangel (Pashkovsky) declared that he did not accept the document and would "continue to abide by the previous Bylaws of the ROCOR, considering any actions of the Moscow Patriarchate to be unlawful". He accused the Moscow Patriarchate of "sins of Sergianism and ecumenism". On [[May 22]], 2007, Bishop Agafangel issued a statement that he and Bishop [[Daniel (Alexandrow) of Erie|Daniel of Erie]] were organizing a Provisional Supreme Church Authority for those who "have remained in the ROCOR", citing authority of [[Ukaz No. 362|Ukase No. 362]] of Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow, dated [[November 20]], 1920. While Bishop Daniel had previously expressed reservations about the Act of Canonical Communion, there is no evidence that he ever intended to break with the ROCOR Synod; rather, the elderly [[vicar]] for the care of [[Old Believers|Old-Ritualists]] continued to remain in communion with Metropolitan [[Laurus (Skurla) of New York |Laurus]]. There were claims that Bishop Daniel had been placed under a form of house arrest on some internet journals<ref>http://elmager.livejournal.com/56905.html</ref>, but these statements were untrue.

Agathangel found himself alone, supported by a handful of [[clergy]] and the majority of his parishes in Ukraine, which had refused to join the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), and thus would have no part of the reconciliation.

On [[May 20]], 2007, the members of the ROCOR synod, meeting in Moscow, suspended Bishop Agathangel for inciting [[schism]], disobeying lawful authority, and refusing canonical transfer to the Buenos Aires [[cathedral]].

At an emergency meeting of the ROCOR synod on [[June 28]] and [[June 29|29]], 2007, a "final letter of warning" was issued to Bishop Agathangel, calling on him to cease all schismatic activity. The synod also approved the [[suspension]] of hegumen [[Andronik (Kotliaroff)]], former head of the Russian Ecclesiastic Mission in Jerusalem, and other clerics that supported Agathangel. However on [[December 7]], 2007, with the aid of [[bishop]]s from the [[Holy Synod in Resistance]], with whom ROCOR had been in communion until about a year prior to reconciliation with Moscow (though relations had been strained since, and episcopal concelabrations had essentially ceased after 1998), Agafangel carried out the [[consecration of a bishop|consecration]] of hegumen Andronik (Kotrliaroff) as Bishop of Richmond Hill and New York and [[Hieromonk]] Sophronius (Musienko) as Bishop of Saint Petersburg and Northern Russia. These ordinations marked the final breach of the new organization with the ROCOR synod, calling itself the Provisional Supreme Church Authority.

On [[September 4]], 2008, the PSCA received into its communion two bishops from non-canonical [[Russian Catacomb Movement (Sekach faction)|"Seraphimo-Gennadian branch" of the Russian Catacomb Church]]. There was considerable debate over the status of the two bishops received.

On [[November 19]], 2008, the Provisional Supreme Church Authority called what it termed the Fifth All-Diaspora Council (in reference to the Fourth All-Diaspora Council of the [[ROCOR]] which overwhelmingly supported reconciliation with the Moscow Patriarchate). Among other decisions, the council elevated Bp. Agathangel to the rank of [[metropolitan]].

==Dioceses==
The current structure of the PSCA (as of the Sobor of November, 2008) is as follows:

*Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa and Tavrida, First-Hierarch of the ROCA-PSCA

''(America and Europe)''
* Archbishop Andronik (Kotliaroff) of Ottawa and Eastern America
* Bishop Joseph (Grebinka) of Washington and Florida
* Bishop Gregory (Petrenko) of Sao Paulo and Brazil

''(Russia)''
* Archbishop Sophronius (Musiyenko) of St. Petersburg and West Russia
* Bishop John (Zaitsev) of Buinsk and Volzhsk
* Bishop Athanasius (Savitsky) of Vologda and Veliky Ustyug
* Bishop George (Kravchenko) of Bolgrad and Belgorod-Dnestrovsky
* Bishop Cyril (Kravets) of Voronezh and South Russia
* Bishop Dionysius (Alfyorov) of Novgorod and Tver
* Bishop Irenaeus (Klipenstein) of Lyon and Western Europe
* Bishop Nicholas (Modebadze) of Poti

==References==
<references/>

==External link==
* [http://www.saintjonah.org/articles/voicesofreason.htm Voices of Reason]
* [http://sinod.ruschurchabroad.org Official Site]
* [http://news.ruschurchabroad.org/ News Site]

[[Category:Old Calendarist Jurisdictions]]