In reply to the numerous questions that have been asked about yesterday’s statement of our clergy we would like to clarify the following.

We have not left the Moscow Patriarchate. Although we suspended the commemoration of Patriarch Kirill, we continue commemorating Archbishop Elisey in our services as our Diocesan Bishop.

The history of our Church has already seen cases where clergy found it impossible to commemorate primates who took political positions. When in 1927 the Moscow Patriarchate declared its loyalty with the Bolshevist state, clergy both in Russia (such as saint Archbishop Afanasiy Sakharov) and in exile suspended commemoration. None of them saw this as leaving the Church.

We see and respect the immense pain of those who find it impossible to agree with our decision. We would not have taken such a step unless we felt it absolutely necessary. All Orthodox faithful are welcome to pray and to partake of the holy Mysteries. Our decision in no way expresses support for any political side in the conflict. We are neither a Russian, nor a Ukrainian church. We are an Orthodox parish community, not a political organisation. We support our people, regardless of their origin, and we share the pain and suffering of each one.

Clergy of the Nicholas parish in Amsterdam (The Hague Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church)