Russian Orthodox [parish] Church in Amsterdam Breaks Away From Moscow
By Nick Koutsobinas | Sunday, 13 March 2022 09:58 PM
Clergy with the Russian Orthodox church in Amsterdam announced Saturday they would be separating from the Moscow church in light of Russia's war with Ukraine.
"The clergy unanimously announced," a statement from their website read, "that it is no longer possible for them to function within the Moscow patriarchate and provide a spiritually safe environment for our faithful. This decision is extremely painful and difficult for all concerned."
https://orthodox-amsterdam.nl/en/
Conversely, the head of the Russian Orthodox church, Patriarch Kirill, who also sits as a trusted ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has not condemned the Kremlin's actions. Instead, he has referred to those in Ukraine as "evil forces," according to The Guardian.
Last week, the Netherlands-based church said it would no longer mention Kirill in its liturgy due to him backing the invasion of Ukraine.
"We as the clergy of St. Nicholas parish in Amsterdam have expressed our shock at the invasion of Ukraine by the armed forces of the Russian Federation … We distance ourselves from Patriarch Kirill's narrative," a Facebook post from the church read.
The statement from St. Nicholas's parish goes against the Russian Orthodox church, which has said not to use the words "war" or "invasion" to describe Russia's actions.
But, look at this! Look where are they going?
ReplyDeletehttps://orthodox-amsterdam.nl/en/
...They have also sent a request to Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople) to be received into his diocese....