Spanish–Portuguese diocese

Spanish-Portuguese diocese
Russian Orthodox church of Mary Magdalen, Madrid
Location
TerritorySpain
Portugal
Andorra[1]
Gibraltar[2]
Ecclesiastical provincePatriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe (Moscow Patriarchate)
MetropolitanAnthony (Sevryuk)
HeadquartersMadrid
Information
DenominationEastern Orthodox Church
Established28 December 2018
Current leadership
Parent churchRussian Orthodox Church
Bishop of Madrid and LisbonNestor (Sirotenko)
Website
http://orthodoxspain.com/

The Spanish-Portuguese diocese (SPD) (Russian: Испанско-Португальская епархия[3]) or Diocese of Madrid and Lisbon (Russian: Мадридская и Лиссабонская епархия,[4] Spanish: Diócesis de Madrid y Lisboa[5]) is a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) created on 28 December 2018. The diocese is part of the Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe.[3]

The primate of the SPD is Nestor (Sirotenko) who holds the title of "Archbishop of Madrid and Lisbon".[6][7][8]

History

See also: 2018 Moscow–Constantinople schism

On 28 December 2018, in response to the Ecumenical Patriarchate's actions in Ukraine,[9] the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to create "a Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe [PEWE] with the center in Paris" as well as "a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church in Spain and Portugal with the center in Madrid"[7][10][11][12][13] During the same synod, the decision was also taken to create "a Patriarchal Exarchate in South-East Asia [PESEA] with the center in Singapore."[7][10]

Bishop Nestor (Sirotenko), who was at the time primate of the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Chersonesus,[14] was appointed as primate of the newly created Spanish-Portuguese diocese, with the title of "of Madrid and Lisbon"[7][10] Bishop John (Roschchin) of Bogorodsk was appointed to replace Bishop Nestor (Sirotenko) as primate of the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Chersonesus and was also appointed as primate of the newly created Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe.[15][16][7][10] On the same day, in an interview with Russia-24 channel,[17] Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations of the ROC of the ROC, declared the ROC "will now act as if they [Constantinople] do not exist at all because our purpose is missionary, our task is to educate, we are creating these structures for ministerial care about our flock, there can be no such deterring factors here", and that the ROC will take charge of the Orthodox faithfuls of its diaspora instead of the Eumenical Patriarchate.[18][19]

By that time, 73 thousand Russian citizens and 106 thousand Ukrainian ones lived in Spain. 17 priests in 25 parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church served in Spain. 11 parishes and communities were in Portugal. Madrid-based Archpriest Andrei Kordochkin explained: "Parishes are often located several hundred kilometers from each other, it is hardly possible to coordinate its ministry from France. The creation of a new diocese is intended to overcome this isolation and strengthen unity among priests who serve far from each other. In addition, there are a number of issues related to the legal existence of parishes, which can be resolved only if their administration is in the capital"[20]

Bishop Nestor (Sirotenko) was granted the title of archbishop on 3 January 2019 by Patriarch Kirill at Moscow's Dormition Cathedral.[21][22]

Notable temples

Spain

There are three Russian Eastern Orthodox temples in Spain co-built as such:

The Cathedral of Saint Mary Magdalene in Madrid (seat of the diocese),[23] the Church of the Michael the Archangel in Altea (Valencian Community)[24] and the Orthodox Church of the Presentation of the Lord in Adeje (Canary Islands).[25]

Ruling bishops

See also

Exarchates of the Russian Orthodox Church created for the same reasons and during the same synod:

References

  1. ^ "Внутреннее положение о Патриаршем экзархате Западной Европы". Патриархия.ru. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Клирик Русской Православной Церкви совершил Литургию в Гибралтаре". Патриархия.ru. 2023-03-07. Archived from the original on 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  3. ^ a b "Испанско-Португальская епархия". Патриархия.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  4. ^ "Архиепископ Нестор совершал первые кадровые назначения « † Мадридская и Лиссабонская епархия †". orthodoxspain.com. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  5. ^ "El arzobispo Néstor hizo los primeros nombramientos « † Parroquia de Santa María Magdalena †". orthodoxspain.com. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  6. ^ "Внутреннее положение о Патриаршем экзархате Западной Европы / Официальные документы / Патриархия.ru" [Internal Regulations of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Western Europe]. Патриархия.ru (in Russian). 26 February 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Patriarchal Exarchates established in Western Europe and South-East Asia | The Russian Orthodox Church". mospat.ru. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
  8. ^ a b "Нестор, архиепископ Мадридский и Лиссабонский (Сиротенко Евгений Юрьевич) / Персоналии / Патриархия.ru". Патриархия.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  9. ^ "Russian Orthodox Church Synod forms patriarch's exarchates in Europe, Asia in response to Constantinople's actions". www.interfax-religion.com. 29 December 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  10. ^ a b c d "ЖУРНАЛЫ заседания Священного Синода от 28 декабря 2018 года (публикация обновляется) / Официальные документы / Патриархия.ru". Патриархия.ru (in Russian). 28 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
  11. ^ Cazabonne, Emma (2018-12-29). "The Moscow Patriarchate creates a Western Europe exarchate for headquarters in Paris". Orthodoxie.com. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
  12. ^ "Russian Orthodox Synod decides to set up exarchates in Western Europe and Southeast Asia". TASS. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  13. ^ SHESHKO, Prêtre Georges (29 December 2018). "Le Saint-Synode de l'Église orthodoxe russe décide de créer l'Exarchat patriarcal en Europe occidentale" [The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decides to create the Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe]. Eglise orthodoxe russe en France (in French). Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  14. ^ "Mgr Nestor (Sirotenko), évêque de Chersonèse". egliserusse.eu. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  15. ^ SHESHKO, Prêtre Georges (29 December 2019). "L'évêque Jean de Bogorodsk est nommé chef de l'Exarchat patriarcal en Europe occidentale" [Bishop John of Bogorodsk is appointed head of the Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe]. Eglise orthodoxe russe en France (in French). Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  16. ^ Cazabonne, Emma (2019-01-05). "Biography of Metropolitan John of Chersonese and Western Europe". Orthodoxie.com. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  17. ^ Россия 24, Программа "Церковь и мир" от 28 декабря 2018 года - Россия 24, retrieved 2018-12-30{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ "Structures of Russian Orthodox Church to open in all localities that have Constantinople parishes". www.interfax-religion.com. 29 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  19. ^ "Митрополит Иларион: Верующих канонической Украинской Православной Церкви пытаются силой загнать в созданную на Украине новую раскольничью структуру | Русская Православная Церковь" [Metropolitan Hilarion: they try to force believers of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church into the new schismatic structure created in Ukraine]. mospat.ru (in Russian). 4 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-18. Сейчас мы отовсюду вышли и теперь будем создавать наши приходы и епархии, те или иные структуры в дальнем зарубежье без всякой оглядки на Константинополь. Мы будем действовать так, как будто их не существует вообще, потому что наша задача – миссионерская, просветительская. Мы создаем эти структуры для пастырского окормления наших верующих, и здесь не может быть подобного рода сдерживающих факторов.
  20. ^ "Русская Церковь создала новые структуры за рубежом – что это значит". www.pravmir.ru (in Russian). 31 December 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  21. ^ Cazabonne, Emma (2019-01-04). "Bishop John of Chersonese and Western Europe elevated to the dignity of Metropolitan. Bishop Nestor of Madrid and Lisbon to the dignity of Archbishop". Orthodoxie.com. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  22. ^ "В день памяти святителя Петра Московского Предстоятель Русской Церкви совершил Литургию в Успенском соборе Кремля / Новости / Патриархия.ru". Патриархия.ru (in Russian). 3 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  23. ^ "Construcción del Templo « † Parroquia de Santa María Magdalena †". orthodoxmadrid.com. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  24. ^ "La Iglesia Ortodoxa rusa levanta su primer templo en España, ubicado en Altea (Alicante) | elmundo.es". www.elmundo.es. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  25. ^ "Adeje acogerá el primer templo de la Iglesia Ortodoxa de Canarias". www.eldia.es. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-15.