Laure (métropolite)

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Le métropolite Laure dans la résidence du patriarche de Moscou et toutes de les Russie à Peredelkino (Moscou), le 28 février 2008.

Le Métropolite Laure (Skurla) de New York (1^er janvier 1928, Ladomírová - 16 mars 2008, New York) est le premier chef de l'Église orthodoxe russe hors frontières.

[modifier] Biographie

Le métropolite Laure est né Vassily Mikhailovich Skurla le 1^er janvier 1928 dans le village de Ladomírová, en Tchécoslovaquie, de Mikhail Ivanovich et Elena Mikhaolovna Skurla. Sa pieuse famille est d'obédience orthodoxe russe dans une région de l'ancienne Autriche-Hongrie fortement influencée par l'Église catholique.

Quand il a cinq ans, Vassily commence à servir aux offices à l'autel de l'église Saint-Job au Monastère Pochaev à Ladomírová, laquelle est l'église paroissiale de la population orthodoxe locale. A l'âge de huit ans, le jeune Vassily se propose à l'abbé du monastère, l'archimandrite Seraphim, qui accepte de la prendre comme novice. En 1939, à onze ans, son père lui donne la permission de rejoindre le monastère et il commence dès lors à participer activement à la vie du monastère bien qu'il continue ses études secondaires. Il reste dans ce monastère pendant l'occupation nazie, ceci jusqu'à l'approche de l'Armée rouge en 1944.

Les soviétiques approchant, la communauté fuit le monastère, d'abord à Bratislava, puis en Allemagne et en Suisse. Là à Genève, à seize ans, Vassily devient novice. En 1946, après la guerre, la communauté émigre aux États-Unis et rejoint le monastère de la Sainte Trinité à Jordanville.

At Jordanville, Vassily joined the first class of Holy Trinity Seminary, graduating in 1947 while still a novice. In March 1948, Vassily was one of three novices who were tonsured ryassophore monks, being given the name 'Laurus.' In 1949, Laurus was tonsured to the small schema and then ordained to the diaconate in 1949. In 1954, he was ordained to the priesthood. Fr. Laurus was elevated to igumen in 1959. In 1966, he was further honored when he was elevated to archimandrite.

In 1967, Archimandrite Laurus was elected to the episcopate, being consecrated bishop of Manhattan at the Synodal Cathedral of the Theotokos of the Sign in New York City. With this elevation came an assignment as secretary of the Synod of Bishops.

In 1976, Bp. Laurus was elected abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery. With this election, Laurus was appointed bishop of Syracuse and Holy Trinity by the Synod of Bishops. In the following years, Bp. Laurus traveled and led many pilgrimages throughout the Orthodox Christian world, including the Holy Land and Mont Athos. In 1981, he was elevated to archbishop.

In October 2001, after the retirement of Vitaly (Ustinov), Laurus was elected by the Synod of Bishops as metropolitan of Eastern America and New York and the first hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.^[1]^,^[2]

Between May 6 and May 14, 2006, Metr. Laurus chaired the fourth All-Diaspora Council of ROCOR, at which approval was given for reconciliation and normalization of relations with the Moscow Patriarchate.^[3] On May 17, 2007, Metr. Laurus, with many of the clergy of ROCOR, participated in the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion in Moscow, Russia and participated in a joint liturgy with the Patriarch of Moscow at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow.^[4]

Metropolitan Laurus passed away peacefully, aged 80, on the Feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, on March 16, 2008.