Tirana, August 29, 2024
Photo: romfea.gr
The Albanian Orthodox Church has joined the chorus of voices standing up for the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine that is facing brutal persecution from its own state.
Despite being close to Patriarch Bartholomew for many years, the Albanian primate, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios, and the Albanian Synod continue to take a firm stand against Constantinople’s interference in Ukraine with the creation of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” (the Archbishop even authored two letters dismantling Constantinople’s justifications) and now they stans with the Church in the face of persecution.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Albanian Church condemns the “brutal acts” against the UOC, including the passing of Bill 8317, which is “clearly aimed at abolishing the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.”
The Church calls for the “abolition of this absurd law.”
Read the Albanian Church’s full statement:
The Church of Albania regarding
the persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church by Law 8371
Persecution, imprisonment, sacrilege of places of worship, confiscation of property of churches and monasteries are brutal acts. They become more horrible when the legislatures of democratic countries impose them.
The recent Law 8371/24.8.2024 of the Parliament of Ukraine is clearly aimed at abolishing the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In this way, millions of Ukrainian Orthodox believers, numerous bishops, priests, monks and nuns, who are under the leadership of Metropolitan Onuphry and who are members of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, are persecuted.
According to the Apostle Paul’s commandment, “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it” (1 Cor. 12:26), in solidarity with our persecuted brethren, we pray fervently for the cessation of bloody hostilities, which injure without exception all the Ukrainian people, and for the abolition of this absurd law and the peace and unity of Orthodoxy, so that She can offer Her witness to the world.
The Archbishop has also sent letters of support to UOC hierarchs who are being specifically targeted by the state.
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