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bishop=[[Laurus Hilarion (SkurlaKapral) of New YorkSydney|Metr. LaurusHilarion (Kapral)]], First Hierarch|

population=60480,000 to 100<ref>[http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1206001825245730.xml&coll=2 Cleveland Plain Dealer: Metropolitan Laurus,000helped reunify Russian Orthodox Church], Thursday, March 20, 2008</ref>|

In 1927, ROCOR declared "The part of the Russian Church that finds itself abroad considers itself an inseparable, spiritually united branch of the Great Russian Church. It does not separate itself from its Mother Church and does not consider itself autocephalous," indicating that ROCOR considered itself to speak for all of the Russian Orthodox outside of Russia. The Church Abroad also considered itself to be the free voice of the enslaved Mother Church in the Soviet Union.<ref>For more on how ROCOR viewed its relationship to the Mother Church, see [http://web.archive.org/web/20030430123024/http:/orthodoxinfo.com/resistance/mpmother.htm Is the Moscow Patriarchate the "Mother Church" of the ROCOR?] by Protopresbyter Alexander Lebedeff, December 28, 2007</ref>

It is believed by many that the allegedly sectarian spirit of ROCOR came into its flowering during this time and under the influence of this monastery, which frequently misrepresented the official policies and views of the Synod of Bishops. In the early 1980s the hierarchs of the Synod began to correct and censor the narrow-minded and incorrect views of the followers of Holy Transfiguration Monastery. Subsequently this group broke communion with ROCOR (regarding allegations of sexual abuse by the monastery's leadership), styling themselves the [[HOCNA|Holy Orthodox Church in North America]] (HOCNA). They became affiliated with the [[True Orthodox Church of Greece]], a Greek Old Calendarist group which broke from the [[Church of Greece]]. According to Fr. Alexey Young (author of ''The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia: A History and Chronology''), the association of ROCOR and Holy Transfiguration Monastery resulted in deep damage to ROCOR.<ref>For more on the history of this schism, see [http://pages.prodigy.net/frjohnwhiteford/hocna_facts.htm Articles for those who wish to know the Truth about the Panteleimonite Schism and the so called "Holy Orthodox Church in North America"], December 28, 2007</ref>

After the declaration of Metropolitan Sergius of 1927, there were a range of opinions regarding the Moscow Patriarchate within ROCOR. A distinction must be made between the various opinions of bishops, clergy, and laity within ROCOR, and official statements from the Synod of Bishops. There was a general consensus in ROCOR that the Soviet government was manipulating the Moscow Patriarchate to one extent or another, and that under such circumstances administrative ties were impossible. There were also official statements made that the elections of the patriarchs of Moscow which occurred after 1927 were invalid because they were not conducted freely (without the interference of the Soviets) or with the participation of the entire Russian Church.<ref>See, for example, [http://www.stvladimirs.ca/library/concerning-patriarch-pimen.html Resolution of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia Concerning the Election of Pimen (Isvekov) as Patriarch of Moscow, September 1/14) 1971], December 27th, 2007</ref> However, these statements only declared that we ROCOR did not recognize the Patriarchs of Moscow who were elected after 1927 as being the legitimate primates of the Russian Church -- they did not declare that the Bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate were illegitimate bishops, or without grace. There were, however, under the umbrella of this general consensus, various opinions about the Moscow Patriarchate, ranging for those who held the extreme view that the Moscow Patriarchate had apostatized from the Church (those in the orbit of Holy Transfiguration Monastery being the most vocal advocates of this position), to those who considered them to be innocent sufferers at the hands of the Soviets, and all points in between. Advocates of the more extreme view of the Moscow Patriarchate became increasingly strident in the 1970's, at a time when ROCOR was increasingly isolating itself from much of the rest of the Orthodox Church due to concerns over the direction of Orthodox involvement in the Ecumenical Movement. Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, there wasn't a burning need to settle the question of what should be made of the status of the Moscow Patriarchate, although beginning in the mid 1980's (as the period of Glaznost began in the Soviet Union, which culminated in the ultimate collapse of the Soviet government in 1991), these questions resulted in a number of schisms, and increasingly occupied the attention of those in ROCOR.

There are certain basic facts about the official position of ROCOR that should be understood. Historically, ROCOR has always affirmed that it was an inseparable part of the Russian Church, and that it's autonomous status was only temporary, based upon [[http://www.pomog.org/index.html?http://www.pomog.org/ukaz.htm Ukaz 362]], until such time as the domination of the Soviet government over the affairs of the Church should cease:

:“The "The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia is an indissoluble part of the Russian Orthodox Church, and for the time until the extermination in Russia of the atheist government, is self-governing on conciliar principles in accordance with the resolution of the Patriarch, the Most Holy Synod, and the Highest Church Council [Sobor] of the Russian Church dated 7/20 November, 1920, No. 362.”"<ref>'The Statutes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia', first paragraph, [http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/english/pages/regulations/rocorregulations.html http:Regulations Of The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Confirmed by the Council of Bishops in 1956 and by a decision of the Council dated 5//www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/english/pages/regulations/rocorregulations.html18 June, 1964], first paragraph, December 28, 2007</ref>

Similarly, [[Anastasy (Gribanovsky) of Kishinev|Metropolitan Anastasy ]] wrote in his Last Will and Testament:

:“As "As regards the Moscow Patriarchate and its hierarchs, then, so long as they continue in close, active and benevolent cooperation with the Soviet Government, which openly professes its complete godlessness and strives to implant atheism in the entire Russian nation, then the Church Abroad, maintaining Her purity, must not have any canonical, liturgical or even simply external communion with them whatsoever, leaving each one of them at the same time to the final judgment of the Council (Sobor) of the future free Russian Church.”"<ref>'The last will and testament of Metropolitan Anastassy, 1957' [http://www.orthodox.net/articles/anastasy-will.html http://www.orthodox.net/articles/anastasy-The last will.htmland testament of Metropolitan Anastassy, 1957], December 28, 2007</ref>

ROCOR viewed the Russian Church as consisting of three parts during the Soviet period: 1. The Moscow Patriarchate, 2. the Catacomb Church, and 3. The Free Russian Church (ROCOR). The Catacomb Church had been a significant part of the Russian Church prior to World War II. Most of those in ROCOR had left Russia during or well before World War II. They were unaware of the changes that had occurred immediately after World War II -- &mdash;most significantly that with the election of Patriarch [[Alexei I (Simansky) of Moscow|Alexei I]], most of the Catacomb Church was reconciled with the Moscow Patriarchate. By the 1970's1970s, due to this reconciliation, as well as to continued persecution by the Soviets, there was very little left of the Catacomb Church. [[Alexander Solzhenitsyn ]] made this point in a letter to the 1974 [[All-Diaspora Councils|All-Diaspora Sobor ]] of ROCOR, in which he stated that ROCOR should not "show solidarity with a mysterious, sinless, but also bodiless catacomb."<ref>[http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/cat_1974.aspx The Catacomb Tikhonite Church 1974], The Orthodox Word, Nov.-Dec., 1974 (59), 235-246, [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/cat_1974.aspx http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/cat_1974.aspx], December 28, 2007.</ref> The fact that the catacomb Church had essentially ceased to exist was de facto recognized when, as Communism was about to finally collapse in Russia, ROCOR began to establish "Free Russian" parishes in Russia, and to consecrate bishops to oversee such parishes, and never recognized any alleged Catacomb bishop as having a legitimate episcopacy.

Finally, the collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union precipitated a crisis in ROCOR, because the very reason that had initially resulted in its separation from the Moscow Patriarchate had been removed, and so the basis of the consensus that had previously united ROCOR began to unravel. There were those who did not believe that the Moscow Patriarchate was yet free from the control of the KGB, and that in any case they had not sufficiently renounced the policies of Metropolitan Sergius. There were also those who believed that regardless of the political situation in Russia, that the question of Ecumenism had become sufficient grounds for continued separation. But after the August 2000 All-Russian Sobor of the Moscow Patriarchate, in which the MP officially condemned the Branch Theory of Ecumenism, and also renounced in principle, if not in name, the policies of Metropolitan Sergius, the question of reconciliation with the Moscow Patriarchate become an unavoidable question that had to be resolved, one way or another.<ref>Status Quo, ROCOR?, [http://pages.prodigy.net/frjohnwhiteford/statusquo.htm http://pages.prodigy.net/frjohnwhiteford/statusquo.htmStatus Quo, ROCOR?], December 28, 2007.</ref>

[[Image:Laurus alexii signing.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The signing of the [[Act of Canonical Communion with the Moscow Patriarchate|Act of Canonical Communion]] by Patr. Alexey II and Metr. Laurus]]Since After the election of Metropolitan [[Laurus (Skurla) of New York|Laurus]] as First Hierarch of ROCOR in 2001, a steady process of rapprochement occurred between ROCOR and the [[Church of Russia|Moscow Patriarchate]]. Multiple official visits have were been exchanged between hierarchs and other clergy of both churches, and the date for restoration of [[full communion]] was officially announced by both sides. [http://www.antiochian.org.au/content/view/587/6/]

In October 2001 Patriarch [[Alexei II (Ridiger) of Moscow|Alexei II]] and the [[Holy Synod]] of the Moscow Patriarchate sent a letter to the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia calling for reconciliation, but without immediate success. However, there was mutual recognition of grace in the sacraments of each church. Then, in November 2003, a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia consisting of three bishops and two priests paid an official visit to the Moscow Patriarchate. This signaled a warming in relations, and in May 2004 for the first time since the foundation of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, the First Hierarch of ROCOR, Metropolitan Laurus, visited Moscow and met with Patriarch Alexei. The two church leaders established a joint committee to examine ways to overcome the division between their churches. This committee met successfully on several occasions, working out the details of intercommunion between the two Church bodies.

On [[June 21]], 2005, it was announced simultaneously by both the ROCOR and the MP on their respective websites that rapprochement talks were leading toward the resumption of full relations between the ROCOR and the MP and that the ROCOR would be given the status of [[autonomy]].[http://www.mospat.ru/text/e_news/id/9553.html]<ref>[http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/01newstucture/pagesen/articles/docs.htmlDocuments Developed at the Joint Sessions of the Commission of the Moscow Patriarchate on Discussions with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia on Discussions with the Moscow Patriarchate.]</ref>

In May 2006, the ROCOR met in its IV All-Diaspora Council, which was held at Most Holy Theotokos Joy of All Who Sorrow Cathedral in San Francisco, California. The council consisted of clergy and lay delegates from all dioceses of the ROCOR, and adopted a resolution, expressing "great hope that in the appropriate time, the unity of the Russian Church will be restored upon the foundation of the Truth of Christ, opening for us the possibility to serve together and to commune from one Chalice."<ref>[http://www.sobor2006russianorthodoxchurch.comws/more2synod/eng2006/5ensobresolution.php?id=99_0_3_0_M45html Resolution of the IV All-Diaspora Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia] </ref>

Following the IV All-Diaspora Council, the Council of Bishops of the ROCOR was held. According to sources close to the council, it generally agreed with the text of the proposed "[[Act of Canonical Communion with the Moscow Patriarchate|Act of Canonical Unity]]," but remitted it back to the Committee for Dialogue with the Moscow Patriarchate to rework certain aspects of the document.{{citation}} The exact nature of the elements to be worked out is unclear, but, according to sources close to the Synod of Bishops, involvesit involved, among other things, property issues in the Holy Land.{{citation}}

On September 6, 2006 The , the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR decreed their confirmation and approval of the revised Act of Canonical Unity and instructed the Commission on Discussion with the Moscow Patriarchate to work jointly with the Moscow Patriarchate to work out details of the official signing of the Act. <ref> [http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/synod/eng2006/9enaktko.htmlThe Synod of Bishops Makes a Decision on the "Act on Canonical Communion"] </ref> Subsequently on September 11, 2006 The , the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR published on ROCOR's website a clarification of their decision to confirm and approve the Act. <ref>[http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/synod/eng2006/9enaktexplanantion.htmlClarifications on the Negotiation Process and the "Act on Canonical Communion"] </ref> Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia acknowledged the work of the commissions and declared that the act of reunification, while moving in the right direction, will take time. <ref> [http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=1977Unification of Orthodox Church with its branch abroad will not be fast - Alexy II]</ref>

Both the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia published on their respective websites the final full text of the Act of Canonical Unity <ref>[http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/synod/engdocuments/enmat_akt.htmlAct of Canonical Union] </ref> with all relevant supporting documents <ref>[http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/synod/engdocuments/enmat_addendum.htmlAddendum to the Act of Canonical Communion] , [http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/synod/eng2006/11ensummation.htmlSummation of the Joint Work of the Commissions of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate] </ref> on November 1, 2006. The Act having been approved by both the Moscow Patriarchate and ROCOR, it was formally signed in Moscow on May 17, 2007, followed by a concelebration of the Divine Liturgy, bringing the ROCOR into the Moscow Patriarchate.

ROCOR currently has over 400 349 [[parish]]es as well as and 21 [[monastery|monasteries]] for men and women in 40 32 countries throughout the world, served by nearly 600 [[priest]]s462 clergy. In North America, it has approximately 133 The distribution of parishes is as follows: 152 parishes and 8 monasteries in the US United States; 42 parishes in Germany; 31 parishes and 4 monasteries in Australia; 21 parishes and 3 monasteries in Canada; 22 parishes in Canada. There are three ROCOR communities Indonesia; and a handful of institutions in France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and 21 in [[Diocese of Australia , South America, and New Zealand (.<ref>[http://www.synod.com/ Source: Official ROCOR)|Australia and New Zealand]parish directory]. There are also roughly 100 communities which owe allegiance to ROCOR in Russia and the other nations of the former Soviet Union.</ref>

There are five twelve ROCOR monasteries for men and women in North America, the most important and largest of which is [[Holy Trinity Monastery (Jordanville, New York)]], to which is attached ROCOR's seminary, [[Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary (Jordanville, New York)|Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary]].

In concert with the [[Church of Jerusalem]], ROCOR also oversees the [http://www.jerusalem-mission.org/ Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem], headed by Hegumen Andronik (Kotliaroff), which acts as caretaker to three holy sites in Palestine, all of which are monasteries.

ROCOR formerly maintained communion with a few [[Old Calendarist]] jurisdictions, including the [[Holy Synod in Resistance]] (True Orthodox Church of Greece, so-called "Cyprianites"), the [[Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Romania]] (Synod of Metropolitan Vlasie), and the [[Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Bulgaria]] (Bishop Photii). In 2006, communion with the [[Holy Synod in Resistance]] was suspended, after the ROCOR Synod received a letter from Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili stating that Metropolitan Laurus' name had been "struck from the [[Diptychs|diptych]]." <ref>[http://www.synod.com/synod/eng2006/2ensynodmeeting.htmlA Regular Session of the Synod of Bishops is Held] </ref> Relations with the Synod of Metropolitan Vlasie and with Bishop Photii of Triaditza were subsequently severed as well.

: ''See '''[[List of bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]]'''''The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia currently has 13 thirteen [[bishop]]s serving 11 nine [[diocese]]s throughout the world, along with one retired bishop.

Ruling ===Vicar bishops:===* Metropolitan Bishop [[Laurus Theodosius (SkurlaIvashchenko) of New York|Laurus (Skurla)Seattle]] of New York and Eastern America, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Ruling Bishop of the Syracuse-Holy Trinity DioceseSeattle, ''[[Locum Tenens]]'' of the Eastern part Vicar of the Diocese of Montreal and Canada* Archbishop [[Alypy (Gamanovich) of Chicago|Alypy (Gamanovich)]] of Chicago and Mid-Western America* Archbishop Bishop [[Mark George (ArndtSchaefer) of Berlin|Mark (Arndt)Canberra]] of BerlinCanberra, Germany and Vicar of Great Britain* Archbishop [[Hilarion (Kapral) of Sydney|Hilarion (Kapral)]] of Sydney, [[the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand (ROCOR)|Australia and New Zealand]]* Archbishop Bishop [[Kyrill Nicholas (DmitrieffOlhovsky) of San Francisco|Kyrill (Dmitrieff)Manhattan]] of San Francisco and Western Manhattan, Vicar of the Diocese of Eastern America* Bishop Alexander of Vevey, Locum Tenens Vicar of the Diocese of Western part Europe* Bishop Luke of Syracuse, Vicar of the Diocese of Montreal and CanadaEastern America* Bishop [[Michael (Donskoff) James of Sonora, Vicar of Geneva|Michael (Donskoff)]] the Diocese of Geneva and Western EuropeAmerica

Vicar ===Retired bishops:===* Bishop [[Evtikhii Michael (KurochkinDonskoff) of IshimGeneva|Evtikhii Michael (KurochkinDonskoff)]] of Domodedovo, Patriarchal Vicar for the service of Synodal parishes in Russia* Bishop [[Daniel (Alexandrow) of Erie|Daniel (Alexandrow)]] of Erie, Vicar of the President of the Synod of Bishops for the service of Old Believers* Bishop [[Gabriel (Chemodakov) of Manhattan|Gabriel (Chemodakov)]] of Manhattan, Vicar of the Eastern American and New York Diocese* Bishop [[Agapit (Gorachek) of Stuttgart|Agapit (Gorachek)]] of Stuttgart, Vicar of the German Diocese* Bishop [[Peter Jerome (Loukianoff) of Cleveland|Peter (LoukianoffShaw)]] of Cleveland, Vicar of the Chicago Diocese

Retired bishops:==First Hierarchs==* Bishop Metropolitan [[Ambrose Anthony (CantacuzèneKhrapovitsky) of Geneva|Ambrose (Cantacuzène)]], Retired, formerly of Geneva and Western Europe* Bishop [[Varnava (Prokofiev) of Cannes|Varnava (Prokofiev)]], Retired, formerly of Cannes, Vicar for the Western European diocese Suspended bishops:* Bishop [[Agafangel (Pashkovsky) of SimferopolKiev|Agafangel (Pashkovsky)]], suspended. Formerly bishop of Odessa and the Crimea Former bishops:* Metropolitan [[Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kiev]] (reposed on August 10, 1936, in Sremsky Karlovtsy, Serbia).* Metropolitan [[Anastasy (Gribanovsky) of Kishinev|Anastasy (Gribanovsky)]] (reposed on May 22, 1965).* Metropolitan [[Vitaly Philaret (UstinovVoznesensky) of New York|Philaret (Voznesensky)]] (reposed on September 25, 2006 in MansonvilleNovember 21, Canada1985). * Archbishop Metropolitan [[Vitaly (MaximenkoUstinov) of Jersey CityNew York|Vitaly (Ustinov)]] (Reposed reposed on September 25, 2006, in 1960Mansonville, Canada)*Archbishop Metropolitan [[John Laurus (MaximovitchSkurla) of San FranciscoNew York|Laurus (Škurla)]] (Reposed July 2, 1966, glorified as a saint July 2reposed on March 16, 19942008).* Bishop Metropolitan [[Alexander Hilarion (MileantKapral) of Buenos AiresNew York|Alexander Hilarion (MileantKapral)]] of Buenos Aires and South America (reposed [[September 13]]on May 16, 2005 [http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/01newstucture/pagesen/news05/balexdeath2022).html])* Bishop Metropolitan [[Mitrophan Nicholas_(Olhovsky)_of_Manhattan|Nicholas (Znosko-BorovskyOlhovsky) of Boston]], reposed February 15, 2002.

*[http://www.russianorthodoxchurchsynod.wscom/01newstucture/pagesen/articles/svassasobor.htm "Glory be to God, Who Did Not Abandon His Church": The Self-Awareness of ROCOR at the Third All-Diaspora Council of 1974], by [[Vassa (Larin)|Nun Vassa (Larin)]]

*[http://pageswww.prodigysaintjonah.netorg/frjohnwhitefordarticles/voicesofreason.htm Voices of Reason], a collection of articles in response to those who oppose the reconciliation of ROCOR with the MP