We have recieved several comments and some internet lists have discussed this strange letter. We place here some of the comments we have recieved....

"Dear Fathers:

I cannot understand the extreme decisions of Bishop Gabriel.
A few months ago, this Bishop, suspended from all his priestly functions, a highly educated, zealous defender of Orthodoxy, an anti-ecumenist, whose stance has and always will be against ROCOR's union with the MP, a devout Priest of ROCOR, my friend, Father Seraphim Stephens.
Now Igumen Joachim, a person standing very far from and 180 degrees opposite to Father Seraphim, has entailed the same fate of suspension from all of his priestly functions.
A question arises: Why not suspend all those who gave Igumen Joachim the power, the authority, to be the director of external affairs of the ROCOR Church? Including Bishop Gabriel?
Is this extreme decision making indicative of bi-polar disorder?

In Christ,
Father A."

"...It is obvious that they are playing. I suppose they need to "suspend" someone from their side to show/confuse those who are still standing for principle and those who are not convicted for their cause. In addition, of course, it may be indicative of the sickness of mind for those who went against conscience or entered into mad pride as listed in the Ladder of Divine Ascent.
Obviously they are expecting us to sympathize now with the "newly suspended..."

"...maybe Bp. Gabriel did it so he can say "see i'm a conservative bishop, i'm not pro-MP. And maybe he really doesn't want to be, but now he has lost integrity and just looks like a bully. and what about all those other priests/ deacons in his diocese who espouse the very same line? i.e. Fr. Victor and company? Is he going to suspend them? or are they untouchable?..."

"...How can I not tear my hair and rend my garments, at the sight of the "Clairification" that you sent me. Had I not known, or did I not know Bishop Varnava, and the REAL story of the Metropolitan's Forced Resignation, I would certainly believe that the Synod of Bishops had repented, and that they really were sincere. As is, I know that their cynicism has no limits..."

"... Poor Fr. Joachim he jumped the gun or at least had his marching orders changed on him while on assignment..."

The Letter of Bishop Gabriel:

These past several weeks have witnessed several disturbing developments within your community, which have compelled me, in accordance with my hierarchal oath, to take action so that the spiritual health and safety of your parish, our beloved flock, may be preserved.

Word reached us that your pastor. Abbot Joachim, gathered you together two weeks ago and revealed that it was his belief that our Church Abroad must unite with the Moscow Patriarchate as soon as possible, and that there were no compelling reasons for our Church to remain isolated from the Churches of "official Orthodoxy."

The public airing of such opinions resulted in a number of your fellow parishioners abandoning Saint Sergius parish and attending services in other parishes of the Church Abroad.

On his return to America, I spoke personally with Fr. Joachim. In the course of my conversation with him, he readily admitted that he holds and has given voice to the above-described views, and also that, without receiving a blessing to do so, he has visited and held discussions with Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow on more than one occasion.

By meeting personally with the head of the Moscow Patriarchate without receiving the blessing of the Synod to do so, Fr Joachim has far exceeded any authority he may have as Director of External Church Affairs and has signally failed to observe his vows of monastic and clerical obedience.

Our Council of Bishops will decide when and how we will deal with the Moscow Patriarchate, for the governance of the Church is their responsibility. They must be permitted to proceed at their own pace, and the flock should restrict itself to praying that our Savior will guide them in their endeavors by His grace. For when individual clergymen attempt to anticipate or usurp the hierarchy's authority in any way, chaos and spiritual harm are the inevitable result.

Furthermore, and more disturbing to me, is Fr. Joachim's assertion that there is no substantive obstacle to our Church Abroad's reentering communion with the jurisdictions of "official Orthodoxy".

The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad enjoyed full communion and a high reputation with the autocephalous Churches up until the so –called "Mutual Lifting of the Anathemas of 1054" by Pope Paul V I and Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople. As a result of this un–Orthodox and anti-canonical action, the late Metropolitan Philaret, who headed our Church from 1964 through 1985, wrote two Sorrowful Epistles, begging the autocephalous Churches to forsake the path of the pan-heresy of Ecumenism and return to the royal road of true Orthodoxy. His pleas have been unanswered to this day. Indeed, one more and more sees that the situation within world Orthodoxy is worsening with each passing year.

For example, the Patriarchate of Antioch now encourages full Eucharistic communion with the Jacobite Monophysites, heretics who were formally condemned by the Fourth Ecumenical Council. And just this year the Patriarchate of Alexandria has entered into a joint agreement with the Coptic Monophysites to recognize the efficacy of the baptisms and marriages performed by either church.

Under the presidency of Metropolitan Philaret. our Council of Bishops condemned Ecumenism as a heresy, and included an anathema against it in the Rite of theTriumph of Orthodoxy, which we solemnly serve every year after the Divine Liturgy on the First Sunday of Great Lent. This anathema reads:

"To those who attack the Church of Christ by teaching that Christ's Church is divided into so-called branches which differ in doctrine and way of life, or that the Church does not exist visibly, but will be formed in the future, when all branches or sects or denominations, and even religions, will be united into one body; and who do not distinguish the priesthood and mysteries of the Church from those of the heretics, but say that the baptism and Eucharist of heretics is effectual for salvation: therefore, to those who knowingly have communion with these aforementioned heretics or who advocate, disseminate or defend their new heresy of ecumenism under the pretext of brotherly love or the supposed unification of separated Christians, Anathema! Anathema! Anathema!"

This has been the official position of our Church abroad for decades. It is well known throughout the Orthodox world and Fr. Joachim cannot have been unaware of it when he petitioned to be received into our clergy.

Therefore, for his lack of obedience to his ecclesiastical superiors, and for advocating an ecclesiology diametrically opposed to that of our Church, Fr.Joachim has been suspended from all priestly functions until he offers full repentance for his offenses.

The clergy and laity of the Parish of  Saint Sergius, and the monks of his community, are admonished that their obedience to their pastor must be superseded by their obedience to the hierarchy of our Church and to the doctrine of the Church which our Church espouses, and which, we firmly believe, the Holy Fathers also held.

If any of you have questions about these matters, please contact me for an appointment, and I will gladly explain in greater detail.

Signed,

Bishop Gabriel

Manhattan,

Administrator of the Diocese

4/17 August 2001

Seven Sleepers of Ephesus