Department for External Church Relations
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His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: As long as the Church does not adopt a conciliar judgement on the falling away of such and such bishops and priests into a schism, the sacraments they celebrate remain valid
DECR Communication Service, 19.07.2023.
On July 19, delivering a report to the plenary session of the Bishops Conference of the Russian Orthodox Church, which took place in the St. Sergius Lavra of the Holy Trinity, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia drew the attention of bishops to the fact that in several dioceses and parishes in the territories where state exerts pressure on the Church, the canonical liturgical mention of the Patriarch’s name has ceased.
“In the present situation, some of the faithful of the Orthodox Church seek the answer to the vexed question: can one take communion and worship in churches in which the Patriarch’s name in not liturgically mentioned and whether the sacraments are valid in them? The Moscow Patriarchate has received many letters on this matter”, Patriarch Kirill said marking the problem.
“I will say this: if there is a possibility for one to attend divine services in a church where the clergy remain faithful to the canonical order of mentioning the name of the Primate of the Church, one should go to such a church. If there is no such a possibility at all, then until the Church adopts a conciliar resolution on the falling away of such and such bishops and priests into a schism, the sacraments celebrated by those who have become victims of blackmail or those who lacked the courage or conscience to cherish this canonical order, remain valid”, the Primate of the Russian Church reported.
In conclusion, His Holiness noted, “It is right - and there is no disobedience in this - not to accept the words rejecting the church unity and aimed against him, which unfortunately may be heard from some clergy’.
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