John (Roschin)

Metropolitan John (secular name Georgy Yevgenyevich Roshchin, ; 22 October 1974) is a retired metropolitan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church.

From 2014 to 2018, he served as the U.S.-based titular bishop of Naro-Fominsk, vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia. Metropolitan John is also the former administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA.

Biography Early life In 1991, he graduated from Secondary School No. 4 in Moscow, studying the English language. From 1991 to 1993, he studied law at the Sholokhov Moscow State University for Humanities. During the same period, he served as an altar boy at the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills.

From 1993 to 1994, he held duties at the Pskov-Caves Monastery.

Ordination On 28 August 2007, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (the present Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia) ordained Roshchin as a deacon; on 23 September, Kirill ordained him a priest. On 4 October 2012, the Holy Synod appointed him representative of the World Russian People's Council at the United Nations and assigned him to St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York City.

On 11 March 2014, with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Rus', the Superior of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Archbishop Theognost of Sergiev Posad, tonsured him a monk with the name John in honor of St. John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai and San Francisco. On 28 July 2014, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia, at the Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, elevated him to the rank of archimandrite. On 1 August 2014, in the Church of George the Great Martyr at Poklonnaya Hill during the Divine Liturgy, the Episcopal Consecration of Archimandrite John (Roshchin) as Bishop of Naro-Fominsk was performed by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia, Metropolitan Juvenaly (Poyarkov) of Krutisty and Kolomna, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk, Archbishop Mark (Golovkov) of Yegorievsk, Bishop Sergius (Chashin) of Solnechnogorsk.

Primate of the Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe (PEWE) On 15 October 2018, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church appointed him , in charge of the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Italy. "On December 28, 2018, the Holy Synod appointed him as the primate of the Western Europe Exarchate, with the title 'of Chersonesus and Western Europe,' he was also simultaneously appointed as the primate of the diocese of Chersonesus. He temporarily continue to administer the parishes in Italy." Nestor (Sirotenko) [ ru] was previously the primate of the diocese of Chersonesus, but he was replaced by John (Roshchin) by the Holy Synod on 28 December 2018.

Metropolitan of Vienna and Budapest On 30 May 2019, the Holy Synod of the ROC appointed Archbishop Anthony (Sevryuk) of Vienna and Budapest as primate of the PEWE and of the diocese of Chersonesus. At the same time, John (Roshchin), who was until then the primate of the PEWE and of the diocese of Chersonesus, was appointed as primate of the ROC Diocese of Vienna and Diocese of Budapest to replace Archbishop Anthony.

On 11 March 2020, by the decision of the Holy Synod of the ROC, he was retired with his residence in Moscow.