WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th September, 2022) Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) will convene in New York on Tuesday to kick off the Bishops Council and elect a new First Hierarch, the seventh primate in the church's 100-year history.
The seat of the ROCOR First Hierarch became vacant after the sixth church's Primate Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) passed away on May 16.
"According to our tradition that we have been following since 1964 when the first vote took place on America's soil for the First Hierarch, all active bishops, not those who have been retired, can vote for any candidate they like," chairman of the pre-Council commission Archbishop Gabriel (Chemodakov) of Montreal and Canada told Sputnik.
The voting will take place in a private manner behind the closed doors at the ROCOR Synod in New York City. Bishops will start with the special prayer service in the presence of the major Orthodox relic of the Russian diaspora - the Kursk Root icon of the Mother of God.
The winner should receive at least two thirds, or nine votes of 13 bishops. If no one is elected, two or three hierarchs, who received the most votes, will proceed to the second round. In case of tie, the lots will be drawn, as was done the only time in ROCOR history, when Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov) became the primate in 1986.
The whole process may take just a few minutes or more than one hour, particularly in case of lots.
"The results will be announced as soon as the decision is made. There will be no reason not to let everybody know that a new First Hierarch has been chosen," Gabriel said.
While the church documents do not prohibit hierarchs to vote for themselves, the bishops now decided that such a vote would be improper. They also concluded that the new primate must live in the ROCOR Synod in New York and should vacate his previous diocese immediately or as soon as the hierarch is chosen to fill that position.
"That has to be understood, because unfortunately that did happen twice before, when the Metropolitan remained the archbishop of his previous diocese," Gabriel said.
He also did not rule out that the new Primate will be the first one in the Church's history who has no direct links to Russia.
"It is possible. Yes, anyone can be voted for," he added.
While the election of the new First Hierarch will be the major part of the ROCOR Bishops Council, its participants will consider other topics related to church life as well. That includes possible elections of new bishops and other matters.
"Also we will discuss the situation in Ukraine, and we will be coming out with the epistle from the Council to the faithful," Gabriel noted.
The Archbishop said that ROCOR does not have plans to consider limiting or severing ties with the Moscow Patriarchate due to the current geopolitical conditions.
"Absolutely, it is not on the table. I do not think that we will be discussing that particular aspect," he said.
Gabriel expressed his personal opinion that nothing will or should change with regards to ROCOR's relationship to the Patriarch and the Moscow Patriarchate.
"That will remain as it was, and hopefully it will remain good and for the benefit of both churches," he said.
