The appeal asks the Patriarch to put himself in the shoes of a simple Ukrainian parishioner. Peace was promised, “but what does the soul of an Orthodox brother feel when his church is seized?”
Kiev, February 16, 2021
Persecutors of Ukrainian Orthodoxy: Epiphany Dumenko, Patriarch Bartholomew, Petro Poroshenko. Photo: static.nation-news.ru
A number of Ukrainian politicians, public figures, and ordinary citizens have appealed to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople with a plea to stop aggravating the religious violence in Ukraine and to actually meet and discuss the issue with his brother bishops from the other Local Orthodox Churches.
Pat. Bartholomew has thus far refused to dialogue with anybody about his interference in the Ukrainian Church schism. He boycotted the fraternal meeting that the Jerusalem Patriarchate hosted in Amman, Jordan, last year and has continually turned a deaf ear to the calls of Synods and bishops from throughout the Orthodox world. The signees of the new appeal believe, however, that the Patriarch must hold a dialogue on the matter and only then visit Ukraine with a plan for reconciliation.
The appeal, signed by Parliamentarian Deputies, politicians, cultural figures, artists, authors, academics, journalists, and more, is published on the site of the Parliamentarian Deputy Andrei Derkach.
Echoing the sentiment of a number of Synods and hierarchs, the appeal begins: “Two years ago, the tomos of autocephaly of the OCU was proclaimed. Two years later, we can regretfully state that the good goal of healing the schism has not been achieved. On the contrary, today we are on the verge of great upheavals for the entire Orthodox world. This appeal, Your All-Holiness, is a reflection of the colossal concern about the deepening division that has affected almost every Orthodox family.”
Despite the Patriarch’s claims that he personally brought peace and harmony to Ukraine, this is simply not true, the appeal reads. The so-called “unification council” in December 2018 was anything but, as the canonical Orthodox Christians in Ukraine had nothing to do with it. It was, in fact, “a collusion between warring religious groups in Ukraine in order to get a legal tomos from you,” the document tells Pat. Bartholomew.
The signees also emphasize that while Constantinople has the authority to grant autocephaly, it is inconceivable to grant a tomos to a group of anathematized and unordained schismatics, as evidenced by the fact that the OCU remains largely unrecognized in the Orthodox world, despite the “titanic efforts” of Pat. Bartholomew with the participation of “Euro-Atlantic diplomacy.”
But it is impossible to heal the Ukrainian schism without a pan-Orthodox consensus, the document states. Instead, the division is now not just between parishes and dioceses, but is between the hearts of Orthodox people. Even the OCU is already experiencing schisms within itself.
The appeal asks the Patriarch to put himself in the shoes of a simple Ukrainian parishioner. Peace was promised, “but what does the soul of an Orthodox brother feel when his church is seized?”
The appeal then reminds Pat. Bartholomew about the more than 250 violent church seizures that have taken place thanks to his invasion of Ukrainian Church territory. “Was your soul calm when you saw hatred instead of philanthropy, enmity instead of unity around the faith, and violence instead of peace?” the document asks.
The authors of the appeal continue:
It’s not enough to state the fact that you have read “a number of allegations of violence by extremist groups against Orthodox Christians in Ukraine” and have condemned them from the very beginning.
Unfortunately, in the ensuing spiritual and canonical chaos, organized with your participation, a new political format of Orthodoxy has been formed, where the shameful division of people on the grounds of religion, language, and nationality has become common; the use of paramilitary formations and on national-radical rhetoric. How does this fit in with your declaration of a position against the “federalization of the Orthodox Church and flirting with Protestant standards?”
Unfortunately, the tomos has simply become a political tool in Ukraine, thanks to the criminal Poroshenko, who explicitly tells millions of Orthodox Christians that they are unwanted in Ukraine, the appeal laments.
And referring to Poroshenko’s agreement to give the Patriarch a number of Church territories in exchange for the tomos, the appeal asks, “Is this a moral method of treatment, in your opinion?”
Moreover, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo openly acknowledged his own interference and pressure on Orthodox Churches to recognize the OCU, the appeal recalls.
This blatant political interference, coupled with the lack of dialogue within the Orthodox family, including between Patriarchs Kirill and Bartholomew is especially embarrassing and confusing, the document tells the latter.
The Patriarch’s vision of himself as above all others and his obstinacy against discussing his actions is un-Orthodox. “You’re not a saint … and like any of member of the fullness of Orthodoxy, you can give in to temptations,” the appeal states.
Following the announcement of the Patriarch’s planned visit in the summer, state and schismatic persecution has ramped up against the canonical Ukrainian Church, the appeal informs Pat. Bartholomew. Various anti-Orthodox media outlets are also taking the opportunity to incite ethnic and religious enmity.
Therefore, before his visit in the summer, the document pleads with Pat. Bartholomew to open an inter-Orthodox dialogue on the Ukrainian issue, to find a real path to real peace and reconciliation. This must involve all Ukrainian communities, the authors and signees believe.
Drawing the appeal to a close, the authors urge the Patriarch to heed his own words expressed in a recent interview: “At some point, lies and propaganda must stop before the truth of the Church!”
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