Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Vienna (1966- ), Representative of the MP to the European Institutions, at the première of his Christmas Oratorio in Moscow
Istanbul, 23 May 2008 (Interfax):
Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev of Vienna and all Austria, the Representative of the Moscow Patriarchate to the European Institutions, again stated that the participation of non-canonical Churches in the inter-Christian dialogue was impossible, the representation’s press service told Interfax-Religion. At a session of the Supervisory Committee for the Orthodox-Anglican Dialogue in Istanbul, Bishop Hilarion reminded his colleagues about the Ravenna incident in October 2007, which took place during a meeting of the Mixed Orthodox-Catholic Commission. The delegation of the MP left the meeting because representatives of the so-called Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church, set up by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1996 on the canonical territory of the MP without the latter’s approval, were amongst the members of the EP delegation.
Vladyki Hilarion laid emphasis on the fact that the MP cannot participate in a dialogue together with representatives of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church, for to do so would deviate from a decision of the Bishops’ Council of 2000. He warned the participants of the Orthodox-Anglican Dialogue against a repetition of the “Ravenna scenario”. Other Orthodox participants in the Istanbul session were Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokletia (EP) and Metropolitan Nifon of Targovishte (Romanian Patriarchate) whilst the Anglicans were represented by Bishop Mark Dyer, Rev Jonathan Goodall, and Gregory Cameron.
Interfax-Religion
http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24617 (in Russian)
Editor’s Note:
It looks as though Moscow is hoisting the battle ensign of St Andrew up to the top of the foretruck, beating to quarters, clearing the decks for action, and rolling out the heavy artillery.
IT’S ABOUT TIME.
This is a specific warning that this Dialogue cannot invite any of the Osborne schismatics or their Parisian mates. FULL STOP. If they dare to do so, the MP delegation shall walk out without hesitation, leaving the others with their nicks around their ankles in the sight of the entire world. That would be quite a spectacle, would it not?
This does not bode well for any of the renegade bodies set up by the EP in the Ukraine, Estonia, France, and England, or for their allies in the OCA. What does Moscow know that we do not? Is this the beginning of the long-awaited reshuffling of the deck in diaspora Orthodoxy? God willing, it is. May God keep us all.
