Russia church tells rebel bishop: repent or leave

By Christian Lowe

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian Orthodox Church ruled on Friday that a bishop who has accused the church's leaders of forming an unholy alliance with the Kremlin will be defrocked unless he repents.

At a gathering of senior clerics, the church said Bishop Diomid, who has also spoken out against the church's ecumenical ties with other Christian faiths, had to be disciplined because he was trying to split the church.

Many Russian Orthodox believers are sensitive about any sign the church is compromising its independence from the Kremlin, especially since under Soviet rule senior Russian Orthodox clerics were co-opted by the Communist authorities.

Patriarch Alexiy II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, does not publicly criticise the Kremlin and has in the past invited Vladimir Putin, the former president who is now prime minister, to join him on the altar during religious services.

"Bishop Diomid is expelled from holy orders," the church said in a statement.

"With his appeals and statements, he is cultivating the spirit of schism in the church and destroying its unity," the statement said.

CHANCE OF REPENTANCE

Diomid is bishop of Chukotka, a sparsely-populated region of Russia across the Bering Strait from Alaska. Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of London's Chelsea soccer club, is governor of the region.