The Anglican Communion Network is willing to enter into ecumenical dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church independent of the Presiding Bishop’s Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, according to the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh and moderator of the Anglican Communion Network.

In an Aug. 24 letter to Metropolitan Kyrill, the head of External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Bishop Duncan said the overture for resumed relations from Moscow was “received with very great joy.” For the Network dioceses “to achieve the restoration of relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church would be of the greatest significance imaginable.”

Speaking as moderator of the Network, Bishop Duncan said he was ready to “carry forward whatever process might lead to the restoration of those extraordinarily happy relationships” between American Anglicans and the Russian Orthodox Church.

Bishop Duncan noted, however that Metropolitan Kyrill may have been under a misapprehension as to the Network stance on the ordination of women.

“Among the dioceses that Pittsburgh leads are dioceses that do ordain women to the diaconate and presbyterate,” he said. “Under these circumstances would the Russian Orthodox Church still be willing to recognize those dioceses in our fellowship that share this practice, Pittsburgh being among them?” Bishop Duncan asked.

Citing the consecration of the Rev. Canon V. Gene Robinson as Bishop Coadjutor of New Hampshire, the Russian Orthodox Church broke off all ecumenical contact with The Episcopal Church in 2003.

The Episcopal Church welcomed further conversation with the Russian Orthodox Church and was “eager to engage in candid dialogue on these issues with them in the spirit of mutual understanding,” according to the Presiding Bishop’s Deputy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations, the Rt. Rev. C. Christopher Epting. He declined to comment on the overture to the Network, noting The Episcopal Church has regularly refrained from taking sides on internal politics of ecumenical partners.

“We have always honored the jurisdictional boundaries of our ecumenical partners and have not attempted to interfere in others’ internal conflicts,” he said. “Any such comments or actions will have to be unilateral on the part of the Russian Orthodox Church.”

(The Rev.) George Conger

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