Talk:Russian True-Orthodox Church (Vyacheslav)

http://theorthodox.org/Images/alexymantya.jpg
ALEXY

Archbishop of Minneapolis and Chicago
Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations

Nameday: February 12/25.

Consecration Date: Bishop Alexy was consecrated Bishop of Minneapolis and Chicago on Sunday, January 20 (o.s.) / February 2, 2003 (n.s.) in Moscow, Russia by Archbishop Vyacheslaw and Bishop Michael, in the Temple of icon The Most Holy Mother of God "Healer".

On March 27, 2005 Hierarchical Synod, elevated Bishop ALEXY to the rank of Archbishop.

http://theorthodox.org/bishop.htm

The Origin of the Josephitism

Leningrad Eparchy By spring 1927 the Church found itself in a complicated position. The authorities’ policy of liquidating its unified center (the existence of which had not been recognized officially) almost succeeded. However, the influence of the pro-Soviet Synodal (Renovationist) Church* by that time started to fall down: in January 1927 the share of Renovationist parishes was 16.6%.

Centrifugal tendencies were increasing in the Patriarchal Church itself after the death of Patriarch Tikhon. Constant arrests of hierarchs able to head the Supreme Church Administration prevented creation of a stable church center. The number of Deputy Patriarchs and their Assistants reached 13, with 12 of them in exile or imprisoned. The last one, Archbishop Serafim (Samoylovich) of Uglich, appeared so little known that part of eparchies never heard about him. Metropolitan Sergiy (Stargorodsky), one of the Assistant Deputy Patriarchs, when in prison**, agreed to negotiations with OGPU. Threatened with liquidation of the whole hierarchy of the Patriarchal Church, he agreed to meet major requirements of the authorities.

• Renovationism – a reformist stream in the Russian Church. Organized in May 1922 by the initiative and with active participation of the authorities. It was heterogeneous in its staff and was led mostly by priests unsatisfied with their position and craving for power in the ROC, who understood that this is possible only with the authorities’ support by discrediting the church hierarchy. However, there were some Renovationists sincerely professing innovative ideas. Most ordinary members of the trend were involved in it by simple logic of the events. After arresting Patriarch Tikhon and his forced renunciation of the ROC leadership on May 12, 1922, Renovationists had been dominating in the church life for over a year, often blatantly cooperating with GPU. However, immediately after discharging Patriarch Tikhon their influence decreased drastically. At that time Renovationism in general appeared deeply erroneous in its attempts to commit a “church revolution.