Diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam

Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church

Diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam

Location
Territory| Philippines
Vietnam
Ecclesiastical province| Patriarchal Exarchate in South-East Asia
Metropolitan| Sergius (Chashin)
Information
Denomination| Eastern Orthodox Church
Established| 2014 (as its precursor, a diocese of the Philippines, the Philippine Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)),
2019 (as the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese of the PESEA)
Language| Cebuano, English, Church Slavonic,[1] Tagalog[2]
Current leadership
Parent church| Russian Orthodox Church
Bishop of Manila and Hanoi| Paul (Fokin) [ru]
Website
https://phvieparchy.org/en/

The Diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam[3] (also known as the Philippine–Vietnamese Diocese[4] or the Filipino-Vietnamese Diocese,[5] Russian: Филиппинско-Вьетнамская епархия, romanized: Filippinsko-Vyetnamskaya yeparhiya) is a diocese of the Patriarchate of Moscow created on 26 February 2019,[6] directly under the Patriarchal Exarchate in Southeast Asia (PESEA).[4][7]

## History

[edit]

### Philippine Orthodox Church

[edit]

#### Overview

[edit]

In March 2014, the five diocesan provinces of Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato and Maguindánao of the Philippine Independent Church (also known as Aglipayans), led by their two bishops Esteban Valmera and Rogelio Ringor together with thirteen other Aglipayan clergy petitioned Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ to accept their dioceses, totaling 28 parishes, into the Orthodox Church.[8] Inspired by their moves and motives, another Aglipayan group called the Aglipayan Christian Church under the leadership of their eight bishops and superiors, also petitioned to the Patriarch of Moscow that they also wished to bring their entire group to embrace the Orthodox faith.[citation needed]

The Moscow Patriarchate then responded by sending Russian Orthodox missionaries in order to catechize the groups wishing to convert.[9][10] Among the missionaries who came to the Philippines were Fr. Kirill Shkarbul from Taiwan,[11] Fr. Stanislav Rasputin and Fr. George Maksimov from Russia,[12] as well as lay missionaries Aleksei, Timothy and Sergei, from Russia, the United States and Ukraine, respectively.[citation needed]

#### Organization

[edit]

The eparchy is one of the two canonical jurisdictions in the Philippines under the Patriarchate of Moscow, the other being the Philippine Mission of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia under the semiautonomous Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia.[citation needed]

On February 26, 2019, the Holy Synod formed the Diocese of Korea, the Diocese of Singapore, the Diocese of Thailand, and the Diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam within the Patriarchal Exarchate in South-East Asia and appointed Metropolitan Sergius as the ruling Bishop of the Singapore diocese and locum tenens of the other three dioceses.[13][14][4][7]

#### Relations with the Philippine government

[edit]

On 18 September 2014, the Moscow Patriarchate was registered with the government of the Philippines as the Philippine Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).[8] On 26 September 2014, the Philippine Orthodox Church Deanery of St. John the Baptist based in Ladol, Alabel, Sarangani was registered and on 29 September 2014, the Philippine Orthodox Church Deanery of the Mother of God and Ever Virgin Mary based in Aglipayan Village, Sto. Niño, Tugbok, Dávao was also registered.[citation needed]

In a meeting with Archbishop Sergius Chashin of Solnechnogorsk on 19 June 2017, Foreign-Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano pledged to help revive, through state power, services at the Ivī́rōn Church on Taft Avenue in Manila.[15]

### Diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam of the PESEA

[edit]

On 28 December 2018, in response to the Ecumenical Patriarchate's actions in Ukraine,[16] the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to create "a Patriarchal Exarchate in South-East Asia [PESEA] with the center in Singapore." The "sphere of pastoral responsibility" of the PESEA is Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, the Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand.[17][18][19][20][21] Archbishop Sergius (Chashin), was appointed as primate of the newly created PESEA, with the title "of Singapore and South-East Asia"[18][22][19] On the same day, in an interview with Russia-24 channel,[23] Metropolitan Hilarion, spokesman of the ROC, declared the ROC "will now act as if they [Constantinople] do not exist at all because our purpose is missionary, our task is to educate, we are creating these structures for ministerial care about our flock, there can be no such deterring factors here", and that the ROC will take charge of the Orthodox faithfuls of its diaspora instead of the Eumenical Patriarchate.[24][25] The Moscow Patriarchate aims to establish parallel jurisdictions all over the world without consultations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, effectively competing with the latter.[26][27]

On 7 January 2019, during the evening service in the Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Patriarch Kirill elevated Archbishop Sergius (Chashin) to the rank of Metropolitan in connection with the latter's appointment as exarch of the PESEA.[28]

On 26 February 2019, the PESEA was divided into four dioceses that were created, of which the Diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam.[5][14][4]

20 September 2019, ROCOR mission in the Philippines was received to Diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam[29]

On February 22, 2020, Metropolitan Paul of Manila and Hanoi celebrated the great consecration of the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov in Makalangot on the island of Mindanao, which became the first full-fledged church building in the diocese. On the same day, a first Diocesan Assembly of the clergy and laity of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese was held was held there. Five deaneries within the diocese were established: deanerу of Manila, deanerу of Davao City, deanerу of General Santos, deanerу of Vietnam, and deanerу of Davao del Sur.[30][31]

On February 12, 2023, meeting of the clergy of the diocese decided to separate the North Kotobato deanery from the Davaovo deanery, and also to include the Davao del Sur deanery to the Davao deanery. A diocesan Department for Prison Service and a Youth Department were also established.[32][33]

## Ruling bishops of the diocese

[edit]

The bishop of the diocese bears the title of Bishop of Manila and Hanoi.[4][7]

* Sergius (Chashin) (26 February 2019 – 30 August 2019) locum tenens[13][14]
* Paul (Fokin) [ru] (30 August 2019-)[34][35]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Hierarch of Russian Church celebrates Liturgy in Philippines for first time". OrthoChristian.Com. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
2. ^ "Archbishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk completes his visit to the Philippines - The Russian Orthodox Church". mospat.ru. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
3. ^ "Russian Church establishes four dioceses in Southeast Asia". OrthoChristian.Com. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
4. ^ a b c d e "Diocese established for the Philippines". Philippine Mission. 2019-02-27. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
5. ^ a b "Russian Orthodox Church to set up 4 dioceses in SE. Asia". www.interfax-religion.com. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
6. ^ "Филиппинско-Вьетнамская епархия / Организации / Патриархия.ru". Патриархия.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-05-13.
7. ^ a b c "Внутреннее положение о Патриаршем экзархате Юго-Восточной Азии / Официальные документы / Патриархия.ru" [Internal Regulations of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia]. Патриархия.ru (in Russian). 26 February 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
8. ^ a b "Orthodox developments in the Philippines • Philippine Mission". 2014-09-22.
9. ^ "Administrator of Moscow Patriarchate parishes in East and South-East Asia begins his trip to Philippines / News / Patriarchate.ru".
10. ^ "Philippines Government Pledges Support to Orthodox Communities in the Country · Journey to Orthodoxy". 2017-06-26.
11. ^ "True Orthodoxy in the Philippines: How Incompetence, Greed and Dishonesty Led to the Sudden Blossoming of True Orthodoxy in Mindanao | Notes from the Underground".
12. ^ ""God Told Me, You Must Convert to Orthodoxy!" / Православие.Ru". Православие.RU. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
13. ^ a b Furukama, Eiji; Kaneko, Natsuki (31 March 2019). "Orthodox church schism extends Putin's reach in Asia". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 4 April 2019. ""Four dioceses have been formed as part of the Patriarchal Exarchate in Southeast Asia: the Singaporean, Korean, Thai and Filipino-Vietnamese," Vladimir Legoyda, head of the Russian church's Synodal Department for Church, Society and Media Relations, told reporters in February.
"It has been decided that Metropolitan Sergei of Singapore and Southeast Asia will be the governing archbishop of the Singaporean diocese, and he has also been entrusted with the temporary running of the other three," Legoyda said."
14. ^ a b c "Состоялось первое в 2019 году заседание Священного Синода Русской Православной Церкви / Новости / Патриархия.ru". Патриархия.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-02-27.
15. ^ "Archbishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk visits the Philippines - The Russian Orthodox Church".
16. ^ "Russian Orthodox Church Synod forms patriarch's exarchates in Europe, Asia in response to Constantinople's actions". www.interfax-religion.com. 29 December 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
17. ^ "The Russian Orthodox Church establishes a new Exarchate of Singapore and Southeast Asia". Philippine Mission. 2018-12-28. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
18. ^ a b "Patriarchal Exarchates established in Western Europe and South-East Asia | The Russian Orthodox Church". mospat.ru. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
19. ^ a b "ЖУРНАЛЫ заседания Священного Синода от 28 декабря 2018 года (публикация обновляется) / Официальные документы / Патриархия.ru". Патриархия.ru (in Russian). 28 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
20. ^ "The Russian Orthodox Church establishes a new Exarchate of Singapore and Southeast Asia. • Philippine Mission". 28 December 2018.
21. ^ "Russian Orthodox Synod decides to set up exarchates in Western Europe and Southeast Asia". TASS. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
22. ^ "The Russian Orthodox Church establishes a new Exarchate of Singapore and Southeast Asia. • Philippine Mission". Philippine Mission. 2018-12-28. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
23. ^ Россия 24, Программа "Церковь и мир" от 28 декабря 2018 года - Россия 24, retrieved 2018-12-30`{{citation}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
24. ^ "Structures of Russian Orthodox Church to open in all localities that have Constantinople parishes". www.interfax-religion.com. 29 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
25. ^ "Митрополит Иларион: Верующих канонической Украинской Православной Церкви пытаются силой загнать в созданную на Украине новую раскольничью структуру | Русская Православная Церковь" [Metropolitan Hilarion: they try to force believers of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church into the new schismatic structure created in Ukraine]. mospat.ru (in Russian). 4 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-18. "Сейчас мы отовсюду вышли и теперь будем создавать наши приходы и епархии, те или иные структуры в дальнем зарубежье без всякой оглядки на Константинополь. Мы будем действовать так, как будто их не существует вообще, потому что наша задача – миссионерская, просветительская. Мы создаем эти структуры для пастырского окормления наших верующих, и здесь не может быть подобного рода сдерживающих факторов."
26. ^ "ROC will establish parishes worldwide independently from Constantinople". www.russkiymir.ru.
27. ^ A. Goble, Paul (14 November 2018). "Moscow laying groundwork for alternative patriarchate in Muslim Turkey". Euromaidan press.
28. ^ "В праздник Рождества Христова Святейший Патриарх Кирилл совершил великую вечерню в Храме Христа Спасителя / Новости / Патриархия.ru". Патриархия.ru (in Russian). 7 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
29. ^ "St John of Shanghai Parish released to Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia". 22 September 2019.
30. ^ "First Diocesan Assembly". 23 February 2020.
31. ^ На Филиппинах освящен первый храм Русской Православной Церкви
32. ^ "Meeting of the clergy of the Philippine-Vietnamese diocese". phvieparchy.org. The Philippines and Vietnam diocese. February 13, 2023.
33. ^ "Состоялось собрание духовенства Филиппинско-Вьетнамской епархии". patriarchia.ru (in Russian). 13 February 2023.
34. ^ "Павел, митрополит Ханты-Мансийский и Сургутский (Фокин Павел Семенович) / Персоналии / Патриархия.ru". Патриархия.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-09-13.
35. ^ "ЖУРНАЛЫ заседания Священного Синода от 30 августа 2019 года / Официальные документы / Патриархия.ru". Патриархия.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-09-13.

## External links

[edit]

* official site
* Information about the diocese on the official website of the ROC

* v
* t
* e

Eparchies of the Russian Orthodox Church

Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' (List)

Dioceses in Russia|

* Abakan
* Akhtubinsk
* Alatyr
* Alexandrov
* Almetyevsk
* Amur
* Anadyr
* Ardatov
* Armavir
* Arsenyev
* Arkhangelsk
* Astrakhan
* Balashov
* Barnaul
* Barysh
* Bezhetsk
* Belgorod
* Belyov
* Biysk
* Birobidzhan
* Blagoveshchensk
* Borisoglebsk
* Borovichi
* Bratsk
* Bryansk
* Buzuluk
* Cheboksary
* Chelyabinsk
* Cherepovets
* Chistopol
* Chita
* Elista
* Gatchina
* Georgiyevsk
* Glazov
* Gorno-Altaysk
* Gorodets
* Gubkin
* Ivanovo-Voznesensk
* Irkutsk
* Isilkul
* Ishim
* Iskitim
* Izhevsk
* Kainsk
* Kalach-on-Don
* Kalachinsk
* Kaliningrad
* Kaluga
* Kamensk-Uralsky
* Kanash
* Kansk
* Karasuk
* Kasimov
* Kazan
* Kemerovo
* Kinel
* Kineshma
* Khabarovsk
* Khanty-Mansiysk
* Klintsy
* Kolpashevo
* Kostomuksha
* Kostroma
* Kotlas
* Kozelsk
* Krasnoslobodsk
* Krasnoyarsk
* Kudymkar
* Kuznetsk
* Kurgan
* Kursk
* Kyzyl
* Livny
* Lipetsk
* Lyskovo
* Magadan
* Magnitogorsk
* Makhachkala
* Mariinsk
* Maykop
* Melekess
* Michurinsk
* Moscow (Urban)
* Moscow (Oblast)
* Murom
* Murmansk
* Nakhodka
* Naryan-Mar
* Neftekamsk
* Nerchinsk
* Nizhny Novgorod
* Nizhny Tagil
* Norilsk
* Novgorod
* Novokuznetsk
* Novorossisk
* Novosibirsk
* Omsk
* Orenburg
* Orsk
* Oryol
* Otradny
* Penza
* Perm
* Pesochnya
* Petropavlovsk
* Petrozavodsk
* Pokrovsk
* Pskov
* Pyatigorsk
* Rossosh
* Rostov
* Rubtsovsk
* Ryazan
* Rybinsk
* Rzev
* Saint Petersburg
* Salavat
* Salekhard
* Samara
* Saransk
* Sarapul
* Saratov
* Sayansk
* Serdobsk
* Severobaykalsk
* Severomorsk
* Shadrinsk
* Shakhty
* Shchigry
* Shuya
* Simbirsk
* Skopin
* Slavgorod
* Smolensk
* Solikamsk
* Stavropol
* Syktyvkar
* Tambov
* Tara
* Tikhvin
* Tikoretsk
* Theodosia
* Tobolsk
* Tomsk
* Troitsk
* Tula
* Tver
* Ufa
* Ulan-Ude
* Uryupinsk
* Urzhum
* Uvarovo
* Valuyki
* Velikiye Luki
* Velikiye Ustyug
* Vladikavkaz
* Vladimir
* Vladivostok
* Volgodonsk
* Volgograd
* Vologda
* Voronezh
* Vyatka
* Vyzma
* Vyborg
* Vyksa
* Yakutsk
* Yaransk
* Yaroslavl
* Yekaterinburg
* Yekaterinodar
* Yelets
* Yeniseysk
* Yeysk
* Yoshkar-Ola
* Yugorsk
* Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
* Zheleznogorsk

Directly subordinated
dioceses outside Russia|

* Argentina and South America
* Baku and Azerbaijan
* Berlin and Germany
* Budapest and Hungary
* Yerevan and Armenia
* Vienna and Austria
* Vilnius and Lithuania
* Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox Churches in Western Europe

Orthodox Church in Japan|

* Kyoto and Western Japan
* Sendai and Eastern Japan
* Tokyo

Chinese Orthodox Church|

* Beijing
* Harbin and Manchuria
* Shanghai
* Tianjin
* Xinjiang

Moldovan Orthodox Church|

* Bălți and Fălești
* Cahul and Comrat
* Chișinău
* Edineț and Briceni
* Tiraspol and Dubăsari
* Ungheni and Nisporeni

Latvian Orthodox Church|

* Riga
* Daugavpils and Rēzekne

Estonian Orthodox Church
of the Moscow Patriarchate|

* Narva and Peipus
* Tallinn

Russian Orthodox Church
Outside Russia|

* Sydney, Australia and New Zealand
* Berlin and Germany
* Buenos Aires and South America
* Chicago and Mid-America
* Eastern America and New York
* Geneva and Western Europe
* Great Britain and Ireland
* Montreal and Canada
* Philippines
* San Francisco and Western America

Belarusian Orthodox Church|

* Babruysk and Bykhaw
* Barysaŭ
* Brest and Kobryn
* Gomel and Zhlobin
* Grodno and Vawkavysk
* Minsk and Zaslawye
* Maladzyechna
* Mogilev and Mstsislaw
* Novogrudok and Lida
* Pinsk and Luninets
* Polotsk and Hlybokaye
* Slutsk
* Turaw and Mazyr
* Vitebsk and Orsha

Kazakhstani
Metropolitan District|

* Astana and Almaty
* Karaganda and Shakhtinsk
* Kostanay and Petropavl
* Pavlodar and Oskemen
* Oral and Atyrau
* Shymkent and Akmola

Middle Asian
Metropolitan District|

* Bishkek and Kyrgyzstan
* Dushanbe and Tajikistan
* Tashkent and Uzbekistan
* Patriarch's Parishes in Turkmenistan

Patriarchial Parishes|

* Canada
* Finland
* Norway
* Sweden
* United States

Patriarchal Exarchates|

| Patriarchal Exarchate
in Western Europe|

* Diocese of Brussels
* Diocese of Chersonesus
* Diocese of The Hague
* Spanish-Portuguese diocese
* Diocese of Sourozh
* Patriarchal parishes in Italy

|

Patriarchal Exarchate
in South-East Asia|

* Diocese of Singapore
* Diocese of Korea
* Diocese of Thailand
* Diocese of the Philippines and Vietnam

Patriarchal Exarchate
of Africa|

* North African
* South African

Ukrainian Orthodox Church
(de facto independent)|

* Berdiansk and Prymorsk
* Bila Tserkva and Bohuslav
* Cherkasy and Kaniv
* Chernihiv and Novhorod-Siverskyi
* Chernivtsi and Bukovina
* Dniprodzerzhynsk and Tsarychanka
* Dnipropetrovsk and Pavlohrad
* Donetsk and Mariupol
* Dzhankoy and Rozdolne
* Horlivka and Sloviansk
* Ivano-Frankivsk and Kolomyia
* Kamianets-Podilskyi and Horodok
* Kharkiv and Bohodukhiv
* Kherson and Taurica
* Khmelnytskyi and Starokostiantyniv
* Khust and Vynohradiv
* Kyiv
* Kirovohrad and Novomyrhorod
* Konotop and Hlukhiv
* Kremenchuk and Lubny
* Kryvyi Rih and Nikopol
* Luhansk and Alchevsk
* Lutsk and Volyn
* Lviv and Galicia
* Mukachevo and Uzhhorod
* Mykolaiv and Voznesensk
* Nizhyn and Pryluky
* Nova Kakhovka and Henichesk
* Odesa and Izmail
* Oleksandriia and Svitlovodsk
* Ovruch and Korosten
* Poltava and Myrhorod
* Rivne and Ostroh
* Sarny and Polissia
* Severodonetsk and Starobilsk
* Shepetivka and Slavuta
* Simferopol and Crimea
* Sumy and Okhtyrka
* Ternopil and Kremenets
* Tulchyn and Bratslav
* Uman and Zvenyhorodka
* Vinnytsia and Mohyliv-Podilskyi
* Volodymyr-Volynskyi and Kovel
* Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol
* Zhytomyr and Novohrad-Volynskyi

* v
* t
* e

Religion in the Philippines

Christianity
(denominations)|

| Catholic|

* Catholic Church

Independent Catholic|

* Apostolic Catholic Church
* Philippine Independent Church

Eastern Orthodox|

| Philippine Orthodox Church|

* Patriarchate of Antioch
* Patriarchate of Constantinople
* Patriarchate of Moscow (PESEA · ROCOR)

|

Protestant|

| Adventist|

* Seventh-day Adventist Church

|

Evangelical|

* Baptist Bible Fellowship International
* Bastion of Truth Reformed Churches in the Philippines
* Bread of Life Ministries International
* Christ's Commission Fellowship
* Christian and Missionary Alliance Churches of the Philippines
* Christian Reformed Church in the Philippines
* Day by Day Christian Ministries
* Destiny Church
* Philippine Chinese Baptist Convention
* Presbyterian Church of the Philippines
* Victory Christian Fellowship

Pentecostal|

* Cathedral of Praise
* Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the Philippines
* Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide
* Jesus Miracle Crusade
* Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch)
* Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God

Mainline|

* Charismatic Episcopal Church
* Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches
* Episcopal Church in the Philippines
* Evangelical Methodist Church in the Philippine Islands
* Lutheran Church in the Philippines
* The Salvation Army
* Unida Church
* United Church of Christ in the Philippines
* United Methodist Church

Nontrinitarian|

* Jehovah's Witnesses
* Kingdom of Jesus Christ
* Members Church of God International
* The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
* The Church of Almighty God

Unitarian|

* Iglesia ni Cristo

Non-Christian
monotheism|

* Bahá'í Faith
* Islam
* Judaism

Ethnic/Folk|

* Indigenous Philippine folk religions
* Pulahan
* Bell Church
* Rizalistas
* Iglesia Watawat ng Lahi

Dharmic|

* Buddhism
* Hinduism

Others|

* Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association
* Unión Espiritista Cristiana de Filipinas, Inc.

Irreligion|

* Atheism, Agnosticism and other forms of Irreligion

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template