Sorry to post on an old subject, but I couldn't find any answers on old threads.
A Russian friend told me that one of the requirements for assimilation placed upon the Russian Orthodox Church by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia was the canonization of the IF. In other words, the ROC had to canonize the IF in order to assimilate ROCOR into its fold. This has ended up being a double disaster, as ROCOR has lost autonomy over its holdings, and the motivation within the ROC to canonize the IF was primarily one of power -- for Moscow to gain control over land/churches/money outside Russia. I felt quite sad hearing this. I acknowledge the controversy of canonization, but using the former imperial family yet again as a power grab is really distasteful. Hopefully, some Russians glean some sincerity in the sainthood. Has anyone else heard this explanation of the assimilation of the 2 churches?
