Russian Orthodox Church ends dialogue with 2 Protestant communities
June 04, 2015
The largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches has severed its ecumenical dialogue with two Protestant communities.
The Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations explained:
On May 16, 2015, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland allowed ordination of gay people in civil partnership and on May 21 voted to continue the study of this matter aimed at an extension of the adopted decision. On May 17, the Synod of the United Protestant Church of France allowed a possibility of blessing the so called same-sex unions … We state with profound grief that today we have new divisions in the Christian world not only on theological problems, but also on the moral issues.
Citing similar reasons, the Moscow Patriarchate previously severed its dialogue with the Episcopal Church and the Church of Sweden.
The Church of Scotland, Calvinist in its origins and Presbyterian in its government, dates to 1560, while the United Protestant Church of France dates from a 2013 merger of France’s main Reformed and Lutheran bodies.
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Further information:
- Russian Church breaks contacts with Protestants of Scotland and France (Interfax)
- Statement of the DECR Communication Service (Russian Orthodox Church)
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Posted by: chady -
Jun. 05, 2015 6:33 AM ET USA
'Father open the hearts of all to receive your Word, for repentance and pardon and a life in the Spirit.'
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Posted by: garedawg -
Jun. 04, 2015 11:35 AM ET USA
Probably the only people who still attend services at those churches of Scotland and France are old people and their parents.
