Official Record of Apostolic Succession of

Union -- following the precedent established by Czar Peter The Great. The Sobor to elect the new Patriarch
was held 31 January to 2 February 1945. The Patriarch of Alexandria, Patriarch of Antioch, and the
Catholicos of Georgia attended this Sobor, together with 44 Russian Bishops, 126 clergy, and
representatives of the laity. The Sobor elected Alexis as the new Russian Patriarch. They thus established a
"working model" for the other European Communist countries to follow in dealing with Religion. However, all
other potential national Orthodox jurisdictions within the then-U.S.S.R., with the exception of the ancient and
historic patriarchates of Armenia and Georgia, were merged into the Moscow Patriarchate, as were some
Eastern-Rite Roman Catholics and many other Christian jurisdictions and sects.
The Orthodox Church of Russia has been increasingly active in international Orthodox and ecumenical
affairs during the last few decades of the 20 th Century. She has been particularly vocal before the World
Council of Churches and elsewhere in encouraging anti-nuclear and anti-war movements throughout the
world. The Primate of The Church of Russia bears the title: Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The
official language of The Church is naturally Russian.
Metropolitan Antonii became the first head of The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, with his
Seat at Geneva, Switzerland. He was succeeded in AD 1936 by Metropolitan Anastasii (who died in AD
1965), who was followed on his retirement by Metropolitan Filaret, in 1964. The chief See of the Metropolitan
was moved during World War II to Munich, Germany, and in AD 1952 to New York City. Since then The
Synodal Church has attracted The Faithful from other exiled jurisdictions, particularly those with origins in
the formerly communist-controlled nations of eastern European. The recent collapse of communism has not
resulted in any rapproachment between the exile-jurisdictions and their mother churches.......yet. With the
Moscow Patriarchate's vigorous pursuit of the return of Church property in foreign lands which has been
administered since the Communist Revolution in Russia by The Synodal Church, the rift between the
Synodal Church and the Moscow Patriarchate may never be healed
Apostolic Succession from
The Russian Orthodox Church
through Saint Peter
Bishop Aleksij (Sergiy Vladimirovich Simanskij, 1877-1970) was consecrated 28 April 1913 by Patriarch
Gregorios IV of The Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All The East in Russia as Bishop of
Tichvin. In 1945 he was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Patriarch Aleksij, assisted by
Metropolitan Nikolaj (Boris Dorofeevic Jaruevic), Archbishop Makarij (Sergej Konstantinovic Daev),
Archbishop Jurij (Vjaeslav Michaijlovic Egorov), Bishop Aleksij (Viktor Aleksandrovic Konoplev) and Bishop
Pimen (Sergij Izvekov), consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:
Bishop John (Konstantin Nikolaevich Wendland, 1909-1989), Patriarchal Exarch of The Russian Orthodox
Church in America, on 28 December 1958. On 3 August 1963 Bishop John became Metropolitan of The
Russian Orthodox Church in America. He was recalled to Russia on 10 July 1967. Metropolitan John,
assisted by Bishop Dositheus (Michail Ivanchenko of The Russian Orthodox Church in America),
consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:
Bishop Joseph (Joseph John Skureth, 01/08/1933 -- ), as Exarch, The Western Orthodox Catholic Church
in America, Exarchate of The Patriarchates of Moscow and Antioch (a Western Rite body within The
Russian Orthodox Church in America) on 17 April 1966. Bishop Dosifej (Dositheus/Michail Ivanchenko) had
ordained Bp. Joseph priest on 3 July 1963. Exarch Joseph is also affiliated with The Syrian-Antiochian
Orthodox Church. Bishop Joseph, assisted by Archbishop Francisco de Jesus Pagtakhan (The Philippine
Independent Catholic Church, Manila) and Bishop Lawrence Lee Shaver (The Philippine Independent
Catholic Church in The Americas), consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate: