Odessa, October 1, 2018
Photo: news.church.ua Continuing his visit to Odessa as a sign of support for the suffering canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria Theodoros pledged to do everything he can to help the canonical Church against Constantinople’s plans to form a new Church.
“I will do my best to inform everyone about the situation in Ukraine, all the primates of the local Churches,” the patriarch said, addressing His Eminence Agafangel of Odessa and the gathered faithful on Saturday at the end of Divine Liturgy at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Odessa.
To date, not a single Orthodox primate or Holy Synod has expressed support for Constantinople’s plans to unilaterally create a new Church on the canonical territory of the existing Ukrainian Orthodox Church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine.
The patriarch noted that his presence at the celebrations in the Diocese of Odessa testifies to the fact that he Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate is the only canonical Church in Ukraine, reports the site of the Ukrainian Church.
“As we recall, the greatest problem in the Church throughout the whole world have been heresy and schisms,” His Beatitude said. “I want to ask you to remain faithful to your Church before the face of Christ,” calling on the people to rely on the Lord Jesus Christ Who guides and protects His Church.
Addressing the present archpastors, clergy and faithful, Pat. Theodoros added, “I will do my best to inform everyone about the situation in Ukraine—all the primates of the local Churches, so that the canonical Church remains the only canonical Orthodox Church, and that the Lord would always grant it His blessings.”
The Alexandrian primate also added that “it will be a great sin at the Second Judgment if even one drop of blood is spilled.”
Unfortunately, Ukrainian nationalist-schismatics have been carrying out violent attacks against canonical clergy and faithful for years already, despite governmental promises to protect the Ukrainian faithful.
According to Pat. Theodoros, the highest value in the world is the canonicity of the Church, emphasizing: “Your Church is canonical, Orthodox, and holy.”
His Beatitude offered much the same message the day before, when he addressed the Odessan faithful with the exhortation:
I have come here to tell you: Remain in the Orthodox faith, in the canonical Church. The apostle Peter saw the tunic of Christ torn in the first century. This tunic was bloodstained for many years, and we must carry this tunic in our hearts. There have been very difficult times in the history of our Church. In these difficult days in Ukraine there is a canonical Church, headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry—a blessed man of God and a true monk.
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