Archbishop Anthony (Orlov) Becomes the First-Hierarch of a Russian (Rossijskaya) Orthodox Church
(“Mech I Trost” – Portal-Credo.Ru – Vertograd, Moscow – St.-Petersburg)Archbishop Anthony (Orlov) was elected a First-Hierarch of the ROCOR(A) at the Sobor of this church in the village of Scherbinka (Moscow region, Russia) on November 2-4.
A new hierarch — Bishop Athanasy of Nizhni Novgorod and Ural — was consecrated at the first service of the Sobor on November 2. He took participated the Sobor along with Archbishop Anthony (Orlov), Archbishop Victor of Cuban and South Russia, Bishop Damascene of Central Russia and Bishop Stephan of Ust-Sysol and Northern Russia.
The new First-Hierarch of this church Metropolitan Anthony will have the title of Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, and the church will have the name of a Russian (Rossijskaya) Orthodox Church, as was decided at the Sobor. It has five bishops and about ten priests now.
In his first sermon the new First-Hierarch emphasized that contemporary Russia “is run by intruders and foreigners”, whose aim is “to destroy Orthodoxy in Russia”.
“Pray at the walls of Moscow Kremlin for riddance of the enemies that are still here”, — Metropolitan Anthony said to those in church.
“I will not rule the Church from abroad, I will come often”, Metropolitan Anthony promised.
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