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The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) officially reunited with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) on Thursday after 80 years of separation. ROC Patriarch Alexy II and ROCOR head Metropolitan Laurus led the reunification ceremony, which was held in Moscow and attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the service, Laurus emphasized that the reunion of the churches is not a merger since ROCOR will maintain its autonomy and continue to appoint its own leaders. However, this sudden -- and largely symbolic -- reunification has caused many to question the timing, the ROC's loyalty to the Kremlin and how the church fits into Putin's goal of creating a consolidated and powerful Russia.
The ROC and ROCOR, also known as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, officially split in 1927, though the two sides had been moving toward separation since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. When the Bolsheviks declared separation of church and state, the ROC found itself for the first time without state backing. The church had long been an essential part of imperial Russia, and it was unsure how to function without playing a role in politics and without the privileges of the government's protection.
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