Protocol No. 7 Blessing Reorganization in Europe
Paschal Epistle — 2012
April 15, 2012
ANNOUNCEMENT
July 5, 2012Autonomous Orthodox Metropolitan Synod
of North and South America and the British Isles
within the Tomos of Intercommunion with the True Orthodox Churches of Greece, Russia, and Bulgaria
Abbey of the Holy Name
100 Abbey Lane, West Milford, N.J. 07480-3910 U.S.A.
Telephone: (973) 838-8795
FAX: (973) 838-2228
His Beatitude,
Very Most Rev. Metropolitan John (LoBue)
First Hierarch of the Holy Synod
Protocol No. 7
Your Eminence, Mitropolit Onuphrius of Bergamo
Our dear Brother,
Christos Voscrese.
We have received with joy your request of May 4, 2012 (N.S) for yourself and Archbishop Barsanuphius as Bishops of the Autonomous Orthodox Metropolis of Western Europe, now that Metropolitan Evloghios has withdrawn himself from the leading of the Metropolis of Milan and Aquileia, and we place you and the recently constituted association (Associazione Metropolia Autonoma Christian Ortodossa Dopo Il Vecchio Calendario, Cod. Fis. 95198720161, located in Bergamo) under our protection, and intend to sponsor your Metropolis to be included within the Tomos of Intercommunion with our sister True Orthodox Churches of Greece, Russia, Bulgaria, and Georgia.
As your former brothers in Holy Synod, we have been blessed to be granted the status of an Autonomous Metropolis in 2011 within the Primacy of the Metropolis of Milan and Aquileia, whose primacy was established for the West first through the Tomos of Archbishop Auxentios of Athens in 1984, and later through the Tomos of Patriarch Volodymir of Kiev in 1993 that recognized the Metropolis of Aquileia and Milan as having been established by the Holy Apostle Barnabas, and we have determined that:
1) The See of Milan and Aquileia has been vacated, and Metropolitan Onuphrius of Bergamo is permitted to assume his right to serve as Locum Tenens of these sees under our primacy, and to register this with the local governments where our Churches are located.
2) As only Metropolitan Onuphrius and Archbishop Barsanuphrius of Chernivtsi remain within the Metropolis of Western Europe (Associazione Metropolia Autonoma Christian Ortodossa Dopo Il Vecchio Calendario), they may proceed to elect a candidate to serve as an additional Bishop for the Metropolis.
3) We will sponsor the Bishops that remain within the Associazione Metropolia Autonoma Christian Ortodossa Dopo Il Vecchio Calendario to join in intercommunion with our Brother Metropolitans in Greece, Russia, Bulgaria, and Georgia.
Given this the twenty-second day of April (O.S.) in the year of Our Lord two thousand and twelve,
Your unworthy Father in Christ Our God,
(His Beatitude, the Very Most Reverend) Metropolitan ✟ John (LoBue),
First Hierarch of the Holy Synod
Archbishop of New York
