Kiev, March 11, 2024
Photo: regnum.ru
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine is calling on the Romanian Orthodox Church to reconsider its decision to open the “Romanian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.”
On February 29, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Church announced the creation of its structure in Ukraine, saying it encourages the more than 100 churches of Romanian ethnicity in Ukraine to join the new structure in order to “restore communion with the Mother Church, the Romanian Patriarchate.”
On Thursday, February 7, the Information-Education Department of the UOC published its response to this decision, which caused it “surprise and concern:”
The decision of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church regarding the intention to open its structure on the canonical territory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was received by us with surprise and concern, as contradicting the canonical organization of Church life, which is based on territorial, not national principles.
Having Romanian-speaking parishes within its fold, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church values them, for their presence emphasizes the universal nature of the Church. We also do everything necessary to ensure that Romanian-speaking believers feel comfortable within our Church, having complete freedom in conducting services in Romanian and preserving their national and spiritual traditions.
The relations between the Romanian and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches have always been warm and constructive, and therefore it is hoped that the decision made by the Romanian side will be reviewed and will not cloud the traditionally good relations between our Churches
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