June 21, 2002 Moscow, Russia

This communiqué summarizes the excellent conversation between our Churches at the Department of External Church Relations (DECR) office on Friday, June 21, 2002. In attendance from the DECR were: Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, DECR chairman; Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, DECR vice-chairman; Rev. Andrei Elisseev, DECR secretariat for inter-Christian relations (SICR); Rev. Alexander Abramov, SICR; Deacon Alexander Vasyutin, SICR; Ms. Elena Speranskaya, SICR.

In attendance from the Episcopal Church USA were: The Rt. Rev�d C. Christopher Epting, Presiding Bishop�s Deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, The Rt. Rev�d William O. Gregg, Ph.D., Bishop of Eastern Oregon and Chair, The Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations, Thomas Ferguson, Ph.D., Assistant Deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, The Rt. Rev�d Richard F. Grein, XIV Bishop of New York (ret.), The Rev�d Canon David W. Perry, and the Rev�d Canon John Backus.

The meeting of representatives of the two Churches was a continuation of friendly relations initiated by the visit made by Freeman Young, secretary of the Greek-Russian Committee of the Episcopal Church in the USA, to St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow in 1864.

In 1989, it was decided to set up a Joint Coordinating Committee for developing practical cooperation between the Episcopal Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. The previous meeting of the Committee took place in 2000, in Windsor, at the invitation of the Episcopal Church in the USA.

This meeting was designed to follow-up the visit of the Most Rev�d Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, in 1999. The meeting also provided the opportunity for new personnel from the Episcopal Church, Metropolitan Kirill, and DECR staff to meet Bishop Epting and the new personnel from the Episcopal Church.

Following mutual greetings and introductions, Metropolitan Kirill and Bishop Epting made opening statements. Metropolitan Kirill outlined the substantive history between our two churches and offered areas for consideration in our conversations and planning for the future. Bishop Epting affirmed the observations made by Metropolitan Kirill, and with the Metropolitan, cited the high priority Presiding Bishop Griswold gives to our relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church and our commitment to continuing this important relationship between us. A broad ranging conversation among us then followed, with all participating.

There was a general consensus that our mutual history in particular, as well as the general history and tradition of the Christian faith, for the fundamental foundation of our long relationship. As Orthodox and Episcopalian Christians formed and grounded by this faith and tradition, and out of our understandings of our rich traditions and identities, we have profound and extensive tools for engaging one another and our world in new ways and with new ideas to meet the possibilities, opportunities, and circumstances which are before us. We were also of one mind that continuing to develop our relationship through further conversations and collaborations in specific practical projects was of great importance and significance for both Churches. An essential dynamic for successful work and dialog together will be clear, straight-forward, and frequent communication between us. On going dialog and practical collaboration will enable us to come to know one another more fully and deeply. This process will also provide us with a dynamic context for honoring and using the gifts God gives us to share with one another.

Noting that substantive work has been already accomplished in our dialogs, both Episcopalians and Russian Orthodox agreed that the existing agenda of items for dialog has not yet been exhausted. Further theological discussions are warranted in these areas. Additionally, further topics of mutual interest for substantive theological discussions were suggested, e.g., ecclesiology, theological education, and practical work.

Both co-chairs thanked the Coordinating Committee in its former composition for fruitful work and wished its new members success in continuing bilateral relations. It was agreed that it is imperative to renew the Joint Coordinating Committee and set dates and venues for dialogs that will chart our future together. Metropolitan Kirill and Bishop Epting agreed to make the Joint Coordinating Committee an immediate priority for action.

Discussion on potential topics for theological exploration identified a strong interest by us in Metropolitan Kirill�s suggestion of the religious factor in the contemporary world, especially as it impacts our Churches and work in our particular cultures and as it may impact our collaborative work in dialogs and projects. This consideration led naturally to the topic of our theology of the Mission of the Church and how we embody or incarnate this mission appropriately and effectively. Here, the complex issues of evangelism, mutual respect, and mutual support emerge strongly, as does the difficult issue of proselytism, especially in Russia, by other Christian bodies. Closely related to these matters is the pastoral and theological challenge of �equipping the saints for ministry� by helping God�s people integrate effectively their faith and their daily life. What is the answer from us as Churches and as the faithful to the question posed in our meeting: �How does your faith actually impact your daily life?� We believe this is a fruitful question for dialog and reflection that would lead us to serious theological discussions, and perhaps collaborative projects, in the social, political, and economic dimensions of our lives as Christian people.

As a result of an exchange of views, the following proposals were made for possible development of the discussion with the aid of the Coordinating Committee:

~ the September 11 tragedy requires an in-depth theological and philosophical reflection. It makes us look anew at the problem of relations between traditional and liberal values and seek an explanation to the developments which can be interpreted as a reaction to the attempt to suppress the worldview peculiarities of non-Western cultures and to impose a mono-civilizational model. The role of religion and confessions in the dialogue between civilizations seems to be an especially important theme for discussion.

~ Relations between the two Churches, fortunately, have not been darkened by any proselytic activities on the part of the EC USA in Russia�s spaces. On the contrary, the fraternal aid of the EC in developing educational and socio-charitable programs of the ROC has continued, thus contributing ever more to the traditionally good relations between the two Churches. In the course of the bilateral dialogue, it is impossible to avoid the question of what the effective Christian mission is in a broad sense in the USA and Russia. How should mission as a manifestation of concern for the spiritual and moral state of society affect people who are aware of themselves as Christians in personal or family life but tend to forget about their calling on social level?

~ In the Cold War period, relations between the ROC and the EC USA were more intensive. Nowadays, when the danger of a global conflict due to the confrontation of the two superpowers no longer threatens peace, there are still some mutual distrust and many problems which the two Churches could discuss together, this making their own contribution to the development of Russian-American relations.

~ Without withdrawing from the important international problematic but monitoring developments in social-economic and political life, our Churches could together evaluate them from the Christian point of view, thus fulfilling their prophetic service. This discussion could involve interested circles both in the USA and Russia.

~ It is important that our Churches should continue and develop relations not only on the level of church leadership, but also on the level of personal contacts between Russian and American believers through various socially oriented programs.

It was agreed that an essential element of our dialogs and practical work together was to be mindful of our commonalities in faith and understandings. What we share in common continues to open for us our capacity and opportunities for dialog and collaboration. Our faith and mutual respect, enlivened with open and honest conversation, will deepen and enrich our relationship, our theological explorations, and our collaboration in practical work. We are grateful for this relationship through which God enriches us all, and look forward to growing in our faith and in our relationship together.