MOSCOW (ZENIT) - The Patriarch of Moscow, Alexy II, today sent a message to U.S. President Clinton expressing his concern that the State Department is getting involved in a dispute over a monastery in Jericho. Two American nuns, including a sister of former Clinton aide George Stephanopolous, representing the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA) or "White Church," are refusing to cede the monastery.
Russian Orthodox Church clergy working abroad at the time of Russia's communist revolution formed the White Church to serve as a "church in exile," and maintained the Russian Orthodox properties in the Holy Land. The Russian Orthodox or "Red Church" does not officially recognize the White Church and says it holds the property illegally. The White Church has possessed this monastery property since 1917.
PLO Leader Yasser Arafat has reached an agreement with Moscow whereby the monastery would be turned over to Patriarch Alexy and the Moscow Patriarchate. "We acknowledge existence of one Russian Church and we behave accordingly," Palestinian Security Chief Jibril Rajoub said.
The Patriarch complains that American diplomacy has been supporting by all available means the "schismatic" ROCA and its "groundless" claims. White Church leaders say that Arafat's decision was really about currying favor with the Russian government and vehemently reassert their right to maintain the monastery.
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