Ecumenical Patriarch tells canonical Ukrainian delegation he does not support autocephaly for schismatics

Constantinople, June 25, 2018

Photo: news.church.ua Photo: news.church.ua
    

With the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, a delegation from the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate had an audience with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and a delegation from his Church on Saturday.

The Ukrainian hierarchs made the trip to obtain reliable information from Pat. Bartholomew regarding the possibility of granting a tomos of autocephaly to the two Ukrainian schismatic bodies that have expressed their desire to team up in a new Church, and to convey the position of the canonical Ukrainian Church on the issue, and to tell the patriarch about the current situation in Ukrainian Church life.

Many conflicting reports have been swirling around in the media. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stated on April 22 that the Patriarchate of Constantinople had already begun the process for establishing a new Autocephalous Church in Ukraine, and it has also been stated that the a tomos of autocephaly has already been written.

However, the patriarch told the delegation that he does not support the legitimizing of schisms in the Ukrainian Church, and does not wish to intervene in the situation, reports the site of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

President Poroshenko, with the backing of the Ukrainian parliament and the schismatic “Kiev Patriarchate” and “Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church,” appealed to the Ecumenical Patriarchate earlier in April to grant autocephaly to a new united Autocephalous Orthodox Church that would be made out of the two schismatic bodies.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate responded that it would initiate talks with the other Local Churches on the matter.

The Ukrainian hierarchs also extended an invitation to Pat. Bartholomew to send a representative to the 1,030th anniversary celebration of the Baptism of Rus’, in which representatives from all Local Orthodox Churches traditionally take part.

“We are convinced that together we can cooperate and make a common contribution for the good of Ukraine and for a resolution to this issue. Today’s conversation was a blessed moment for us, and we believe that in this communication and constant dialogue, we will achieve a common goal for the benefit of the entire Orthodox Church,” reflected Metropolitan Emmanuel of Gaul of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

“They spoke about the impossibility of legalizing the schism several times, but that the question of treatment should be brought up… We see that the desire of the Patriarch of Constantinople, from the Church from which we received Baptism, is to help in this matter,” Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary told journalists.

However, the metropolitan added, “His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew said that he does not wish to intervene in the situation.”

“No one knows how the issue can be resolved, as it is very complicated, but we must do everything to ensure that our brothers and compatriots who are in a split, returned to the bosom of the Orthodox Church,” the Ukrainian hierarch added.

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6/25/2018

See also
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