MOSCOW-A rebel bishop who criticized Russia's Orthodox Church for supporting globalization and Kremlin policies was defrocked and dismissed, the Church said Saturday.

Bishop Diomid was barred from serving for advocating a "schism" within the Church and provoking confrontation with the Russian government and society, the Church said in a statement posted on its Web site.

It summoned the bishop from his parish in the Arctic region of Chukotka to Moscow to "immediately repent."

In February, the 47-year old bishop issued a statement in which he criticized the Church for its approval of Kremlin's "anti-people policies" and condemned its ecumenical contacts with Roman Catholics, Jews and Muslims.

He also called on the Church to stop proselytizing among youth and urged Russians to refrain from using identification cards and mobile phones.

Many clerics within the tightly hierarchical church denounced Diomid's protests. "Diomid was used by anti-church forces that unleashed a propaganda campaign under his name," Bishop Filaret was quoted as telling Russian news agencies Friday.

Earlier this week, Diomid's supporters rallied in Moscow calling for the resignation of Patriarch Alexy II and clashed with activists of a pro-Kremlin youth group that condemned the cleric. They also beat up several journalists with icons and banners.

Church and state are separated under Russia's post-Soviet Constitution, but Alexy II has claimed a leading role for the church in setting moral guidelines for society. Its growing prominence has caused concerns among minority faiths.

The Orthodox Church has experienced a major resurgence after the 1991 Soviet collapse ended decades of state atheism. The Moscow Patriarchate counts about two-thirds of Russia's population of 142 million as members, and controls branches in other former Soviet republics.