Odessa, November 26, 2018
Photo: spzh.news On Friday, His Eminence Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa celebrated the traditional akathist in the Holy Dormition Cathedral in Odessa before the wonderworking Kasperov Icon of the Mother of God, concelebrated by a brother hierarch from the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Grace Bishop Anthony of Moravica, and several other Ukrainian hierarchs and local clergy.
After the service, Bp. Anthony shared his perspective on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine in an interview with the Information Department of the Odessa Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The Serbian hierarch stressed:
The Church of God is a Divine-human organism consisting of Local Orthodox Churches. As the human body consists of various members, so the Church consists of Local autocephalous Churches. And if one member suffers, then the whole body hurts. And if one Church suffers, then all the Local churches cannot remain indifferent. Naturally, we all resort to prayer and do everything to heal such problems. It’s especially important for Ukraine now, where they’re trying to divide the unity of the Orthodox Church through turmoil.
Bp. Anthony then recalled that at its November 6-8 session, the Bishops’ Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church officially rejected communion with the Ukrainian schismatics led by Philaret Denisenko and Makary Maletich, who are under ecclesiastical ban from the Moscow Patriarchate, despite Constantinople’s uncanonical reception of them. They recognize only the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine.
The primate of the Serbian Church, His Holiness Patriarch Irinej, also earlier signed a joint statement with the primate of the Antiochian Church, His Beatitude Patriarch John X, specifically calling on Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to engage the Russian Orthodox Church in dialogue on the Ukrainian issue to restore peace to the Orthodox world, which he has thus far refused to do.
He also emphasized the great unity that is being expressed by the Orthodox Churches today:
I hope that all Local Orthodox Churches understand this problem and support the true Orthodox in every way. Many Local Churches have spoken on this issue—Alexandrian, Antiochian, Jerusalem, Romanian, Albanian, Polish, of the Czech Lands and Slovak. Practically all of the Local Churches have officially declared their support for the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
In conclusion, the Serbian hierarch again emphasized the collegial nature of the Orthodox Church, which has been emphasized by all Synods, primates, and hierarchs who have spoken on the matter:
We don’t understand: For 300 years there was one Church, and now suddenly everything has changed. It’s a canonical violation that destroys the traditions of the Church. And secondly, a tomos of autocephaly cannot be given by one Orthodox Church but through a consensus of all the Local Orthodox Churches. No one asked them about this issue and the majority of them do not agree with the decision of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Another Serbian bishop, His Grace Bishop Irinej of Bačka expressed the same bewilderment earlier this month:
It’s particularly interesting—how is it possible that in the blink of an eye anathematized schismatics became the “Metropolitan of Kiev,” and in a broader title the “Patriarch of Kiev”?… Finally, there arises the question of how it’s possible to simply “put out of power” the Church status of another Local Church that is more than 300 years old. Moreover, no one, not even the Patriarchate of Constantinople itself, has ever disputed it before. Unfortunately, there are still many such issues.”
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