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How does a person return to the Church from a sect?translated

September 28, 2026 · 1 min read

Reader question:

Hello! I would like to know how a person is accepted back into the Church if he has stumbled. He was baptized as a child, went to church a little, and in his youth he ended up in the New Apostolic Church, where he was baptized - they sprinkled him with water once in the name of the Holy Trinity. Now the man has come to his senses, wants to return to the fold of the Church, but the priest does not know how to do the right thing. Accept through repentance and penance or is there another rite?

Olga

Priest's answer:

Archpriest Mikhail SAMOKHIN

Press Secretary of the Pyatigorsk and Circassian diocese;  Head of Information and Publishing Department; head of the missionary department of the Pyatigorsk and Circassian diocese.

Hello, Olga!

As a rule, everyone who has been baptized and anointed in the Orthodox Church is accepted through repentance. But this is not just a confession. There are special rites of reception from various delusions, in which a person renounces each of them. It is this rite that should be performed over those who have stumbled into the New Apostolic community.

Usually, the missionary department of the diocese deals with the reception of Christians who have fallen away to other denominations or religions. If a priest finds it difficult to perform such a ceremony, it is worth contacting...

Source: Журнал ФОМА  ·  Read the full story →
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💬 Comments (1) 🌐 Show original
C
Cristian Lungu
Mulțumesc pentru răspunsul clar, părinte Mihail. Am un vecin care a trecut prin ceva asemănător – botezat la noi în copilărie, apoi s-a dus la o adunare neoprotestantă câțiva ani. Mă bucur că există un anume чин de lepădare de erezii, nu doar o spovedanie simplă. O să-i spun să vorbească cu misiunea eparhiei, poate așa scapă mai repede de îndoieli.
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