Ukrainian Church hopes Patriarchs Kirill and Bartholomew will discuss Ukraine

Kiev, August 7, 2018

    

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is hoping that His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will discuss the ecclesiastical situation in Ukraine with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at their upcoming meeting on August 31 in Constantinople.

“I think yes, they will discuss it, because Patriarch Kirill represents the fullness of the Russian Orthdoox Church: Russia, Ukraine, and Japan,” Vasily Anisimov, the head of the Ukrainian Church’s press service, told RIA-Novosti.

He added that the patriarchs “understand perfectly well” that they need to “somehow repel the attack” of the Ukrainian authorities against the Church. “I’m really hoping that the patriarchs will discuss this at their meeting, because the situation in Ukraine could become unhinged,” Anisimov explained.

As Department for External Church Relations Deputy Head Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich previously said, the meeting of the patriarchs promises to be a positive event both for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and for the entire Orthodox world.

“There has long been talk about this meeting in inner Church circles. There is reason to believe that this will be a positive event for world Orthodoxy, leading to a de-escalation in relations between the Constantinople and Moscow Patriarchates, and thus improve the whole climate of inter-Orthodox relations,” Fr. Nikolai wrote on his personal Facebook page.

“I think that the means of solving many relevant problems with the end of goal of strengthening inter-Orthodox unity will be resolved or will at least be outlined. In any case, the direct dialogue of the heads of Church is always better than the exchange of media statements, as we have been seeing so far,” the DECR representative added.

Patriarch Kirill previously met with a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Moscow in July, at which time the topic of the Ukrainian Church and the question of granting a tomos of autocephaly was discussed. The agenda for the upcoming patriarchal meeting is still being worked out.

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8/7/2018

See also
Patriarch Kirill reportedly to visit Constantinople in late August Patriarch Kirill reportedly to visit Constantinople in late August Patriarch Kirill reportedly to visit Constantinople in late August Patriarch Kirill to visit Constantinople in late August
The two primates last met at the meeting of the primates of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches held in Chambésy, Switzerland January 22-27, 2016. 300,000 signatures from one diocese sent to Constantinople in defense of canonical Ukrainian Church 300,000 signatures from one diocese sent to Constantinople in defense of canonical Ukrainian Church 300,000 signatures from one diocese sent to Constantinople in defense of canonical Ukrainian Church 300,000 signatures from one diocese sent to Constantinople in defense of canonical Ukrainian Church
Clergy from the Rivne Diocese handed over the mass of signatures to the office of the patriarchate in Constantinople on Friday. Address of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Faithful on the Possibility of Granting a Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine Address of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Faithful on the Possibility of Granting a Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine Address of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Faithful on the Possibility of Granting a Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine Address of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Faithful on the Possibility of Granting a Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine
At its session on May 25 at the Holy Dormition-Kiev Caves Lavra, the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church adopted an address to the bishops, clergy, monastics, and laity regarding the initiative for “providing a tomos of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.”

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