Communiqué No. 14-06 of the Council of the Archdiocese

The Council of the Archdiocese held an extraordinary session on 16 June 2006 under the chairmanship of His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel of Comana, to consider the organisation of the Episcopal Vicariate for parishes in Great Britain and Ireland that was created on 9 June 2006 (cf. Communique No. 12-06).

His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel welcomed Bishop Basil of Amphipolis, who henceforth will sit by right on the Council of the Archdiocese, as well as the three persons who accompanied him as consultants invited to this meeting of the Council, Protodeacon Peter Scorer, and the Assembly members, Irina Kirillova and Jessica Rose.

At the meeting were considered not only the general situation of Orthodoxy in the Great Britain, but also the recent events that led Bishop Basil to join the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Discussion then turned to the question of the organisation of the Episcopal Vicariate and the parishes belonging to it, as well the relationship between the Vicariate and the Archdiocese.

The following day, 17 June 2006, the members of the delegation from Great Britain met the priests of the St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Archpriests Anatolii Rakovitch and Evgenii Czapiuk, and afterwards the staff members the St Sergius Theological Institute, Protopresbyter Boris Bobrinskoy, former Dean of the Institute, and Archpriest Nicolas Ozoline, Inspector. The current Dean, Archimandrite Job, was abroad, having taken a group of students on a pilgrimage to Constantinople. In the evening Archbishop Gabriel and Bishop Basil took part in the celebration of the Vigil Service in the church of the Institute. His Grace Bishop Michael, Rector of the St Sergius parish, was absent because of a slight accident that compelled him to remain at home over the weekend. On Sunday, 18 June 2006, the Feast of All Saints, the two hierarchs celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, after which a light luncheon was provided in the parish rooms by members of the parish.