Metropolitan Vitaly of New York on Grace in the Moscow Patriarchate (1991)

Now, dear Vladyka, let us speak about the ideological side of the entire matter. It must be said immediately that our Church, under no Metropolitan, has ever declared that the entire Moscow Patriarchate is completely without grace. What is this? A betrayal of the Truth? Not at all! We deeply recognize ourselves as part of the FREE Russian Church and do not have the full authority to make such a declaration, which belongs only to the All-Russian Council of the entire episcopate... We express our total disagreement with Moscow by not having any kind of even social communion with their episcopate. Moscow is a defendant and awaits its condemnation. The Lord is evidently performing an incredible economia for us, for many truly believing people, and He grants them communion and bestows His grace upon them, for example, through Baptism. Can you yourself, who were once also part of this Moscow Patriarchate, deny this?! You cannot, for you know, and you have affirmed to us, that there are many wonderful priests of God who suffer within this Patriarchate, doing all they can to rightly shepherd their flock, and because of this, their days are numbered—they are all awaiting their expulsion, prohibition, or even removal from the priesthood without any trial.

In such conditions, can we declare an anathema on all of them? That would be a completely irreparable mistake, a tragedy for many, or even just foolish zeal without wisdom. The phrase you mention from the Hierarchal Message was a tactical error, and this is a lesson for us, as many in Russia must have been troubled by it, as you wrote. What is natural to us is not understood by them. We, thank God, have preserved our objectivity, but try to maintain that in the USSR, where you are constantly persecuted, oppressed, and harassed. We fully understand this and will simply proceed with caution. There is nothing else, nor can there be.

I could cite hundreds of excerpts from letters from Russia, in which many young people are fighting for the faith, getting baptized, and completely transforming their lives, something that only the grace of the Holy Spirit can accomplish. Could I suddenly tell them that it is all false, that they are not truly baptized? They simply would not believe me and would take me for some sort of sectarian because their hearts are filled with joy, they pray to God with tears, they have completely changed their lives, and I would insist that it is all an illusion? No, holy Vladyka, neither I nor you will act in such a way, of this I am completely certain. Give them time, and under the influence of God's grace, they will gradually become enlightened, their eyes of understanding will be opened. After all, we say at Baptism: "You have been baptized, you have been enlightened, you have been chrismated, you have been sanctified," and so on. It seems enlightenment works gradually, overcoming our weaknesses and distortions. We must give them time, and for us, patience. That is all on this matter.

- Letter of Metropolitan Vitaly of New York to Bishop Lazar of Tambov, dated January 9/22, 1991.

 

Russian source: https://archiv.livejournal.com/176877.html