On the Second Joint Working Meeting of the Negotiating Committees of the
Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

The second joint working meeting of the Committees of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia was held at the premises of the Cathedral of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in Munich from September 14-16, 2004.

Participating in the work of the Committees, on the part of the Russian Orthodox Church were: the President of the Committee, Archbishop Innokenty of Korsun, Archbishop Evgeny of Vereya, Protopriest Vladislav Tsypin, Archimandrite Tikhon and the Secretary of the Committee, Protopriest Nikolai Balashov.

Representing the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia were Committee President Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany, Bishop Ambroise of Vevey, Archimandrite Luke, Protopriest Nikolai Artemoff and the Secretary of the Committee, Protopriest Alexander Lebedeff.

The Committees continued the work begun at the first joint meeting held in Moscow from June 22-24, 2004, in accordance with the directives given them during the meetings held on May 17-18 by the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia and the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, headed by His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus.

The result of the joint sessions were mutually-approved draft documents touching upon all the areas assigned to the Committees to discuss, including the relationship of the Church and state, the relationship of Orthodoxy with heterodox groups and inter-confessional organizations, the canonical status of the Russian Church Abroad as a self-governing part of the Local Russian Orthodox Church, and also the overcoming of obstacles towards the establishment of Eucharistic communion. These documents will be submitted for consideration and confirmation to the Hierarchies of the Moscow Patriarchate and of the Russian Church Abroad.

As was the case during the first meeting in Moscow, when the participants in the Committees' work felt great joy that during the meetings they were able to pray before the miracle-working Tikhvin Icon upon its return to the homeland, it was an unexpected joy for all the members of the Committees that the Miracle-working Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God arrived at the Munich Cathedral. The participants of the talks prayed together during a moleben and akathist before the holy icon.

The next meeting of the Committees is scheduled to be held in Moscow in November 2004.