815 (as in 815 Second Avenue in NYC) is not pleased with the overture made by the Russian Orthodox Church to the Anglican Communion Network. David Virtue reports:
THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH wants to restore ecumenical relations with dioceses in the Episcopal Church that have asked for Alternative Primatial Oversight since the 75th General Convention, an August 23 letter from Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad states. Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan welcomed the overture while noting that the Russian Church does not ordain women to the diaconate and presbyterate, a matter that "may impede the recognition," he wrote. In addition to Duncan, Kirill's letter was addressed to Bishops Edward Salmon of South Carolina and John-David Schofield of San Joaquin.
Miffed by this move, Episcopal Bishop Christopher Epting, deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations for TEC, accused the Russian Orthodox Church of "unilateralism". That church broke off talks with the TEC after Robinson's consecration. He issued the following statement: "The Episcopal Church's position on the full equality of women and men in the light of the Christian Gospel is already well known and is nothing of which we are ashamed. The Episcopal Church has regularly declined to comment or take sides on divisive issues within any of our ecumenical partners, and we have no intention of doing so now. We have always honored the jurisdictional boundaries of our ecumenical partners and have not attempted to interfere in others' internal conflicts."
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