RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


 

Ukrainian church leaders talking about merger of churches

UPTsKP and UAPTs BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS FOR UNIFICATION

RISU, 13 April 2015

 

In the near future, the historic unification of Orthodoxy in Ukraine should begin, which will lay the foundation for the creation of a united local church.

 

We are talking about the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAPTs and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev patriarchate (UPTsKP). At least, the heads of both churches are not opposed to this. And they are ready to begin the process soon after Easter, a broadcast on TSN.Tizhden says.

 

As is known, the center of world Orthodoxy is Constantinople, or the Ecumenical Patriarchate. And recently it was here that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, in a conversation with Ukrainian hierarchs, said directly that he believes in the unification of the Ukrainian church into a united local church and he is even ready to grant it autocephalous status.

 

"I firmly believe that the Ukrainian churches will unite and in the near future Ukraine will have a united local church," Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew noted.

 

"In the past year he has again separately emphasized that the Ecumenical Patriarchate has not abandoned this problem and he considers it to be the duty and obligation of the whole of Orthodoxy to help liquidate the problems in the Ukrainian church," religious studies scholar Alexander Sagan explains.

 

Ukrainian Orthodoxy is now divided into three parts: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow patriarchate), the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev patriarchate, and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. The last one is substantially smaller than the first two.

 

The "Autocephalists" recently lost their primate; Metropolitan Mefody died. And now the church is at a crossroads. And suddenly, on the eve of Pascha, the acting primate of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Makary, declared that their church wants to begin the process of uniting with UPTs of the Kiev patriarchate. In an exclusive interview with TSN.Tizhden, he even indicated a time—immediately after the holidays.

 

"The time has now come when we should meet, discuss, and make real steps. I am ready for this (unification of the churches), because I understand that this is necessary for Ukraine. Oh, how necessary!" the acting primate of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Makary, emphasized.

 

The "Autocephalists" have even removed all annoying conditions that have been discussed previously. In particular, relating to the departure of Filaret from the office of head of the united church. Moreover, now UAPTs is prepared to unite with the Kiev patriarchate without making any claim to leading positions in UPTsKP. "There are conditions. Conditions will arise. Various conditions. I make no claim nor will I make a claim to leadership. I am ready to step aside. I am ready to concede something more," Metropolitan Makary said.

 

The temporary leader of the "Autocephalists" literally engendered a sensation. Journalists relayed these words to Patriarch Filaret. He was surprised and has reacted instantly. "If they seriously want to unite, let's unite and begin a dialogue and talk specifically about unification. Not simply talking about unification while there is no unification. Therefore we are waiting for them," the primate of UPTsKP, Patriarch Filaret, emphasized.

 

Such a convergence of the UAPTs and UPTs of the Kiev patriarchate could mean a grandiose step toward the creation of one of the largest churches of the Orthodox world. "In 2005-2007, when work was actively conducted for preparing a unification local council, the Constantinople patriarchate put forward as one of the conditions, so to speak, of the beginning of the process of normalization of life in Ukraine the uniting of these churches, UAPTs and UPTSKP," religious studies scholar Alexander Sagan says.

 

And then the most difficult thing—to unite the Moscow patriarchate with the Kiev patriarchate. The late Metropolitan Vladimir (UPTsMP) dreamed of seeing the Ukrainian church united. More properly, this was his bequest. "The desire for unity has always existed in the church. Unfortunately, this process, which was begun by Metropolitan Vladimir, is not moving forward at the present time, for certain objective and subjective reasons," Metropolitan Alexander Drabinko, the former secretary of Metropolitan of Kiev and all-Ukraine Vladimir, explains.

 

"There will be unification with the Moscow patriarchate. Just not from the mountain, not from the hierarchy of the clergy, but from the people. And this process has already begun. And it will be with the Autocephalous Church and with the Moscow patriarchate. We have to wait. The Lord himself will bring everybody to unity," the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev patriarchate, Patriarch Filaret, is sure.

 

Journalists also wanted to hear the opinion of Metropolitan Onufrey, the primate of UPTsMP, regarding what he thinks with respect to a united local church in Ukraine. But he entrusted this conversation to Metropolitan Kliment. "The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is always ready to talk and to seek paths for healing the wounds of schism. When we talk about dialogue, this dialogue should be based, in the first place, on the desire to communicate, the desire to listen to one another. To do something," the chairman of the synodal Information Department of UPTsMP, Bishop Kliment, says.

 

As was said in the broadcast, the chasm is still great. But it is believed that with the help of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, it will be overcome. Patriarch Bartholomew has great experience. "He has great experience. Quite recently, the Ecumenical Patriarchate was a factor in restoring unity to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Despite the fact that there two wings also existed which were rather hostile to one another," religious studies scholar Alexander Sagan notes. This was reported by UNIAN. (tr. by PDS, posted 14 April 2015)

 

UGKTs HEAD: LIBERATION FROM STATE PATERNALISM NECESSARY CONDITION FOR MAKING UNITED CHURCH

Religiia v Ukraine, 14 April 2015


On Easter, 13 April 2015, in a sermon, the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGKTs), Major Archbishop Sviatoslav, declared in the UGKTs patriarchal cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kiev that unification of the churches is impossible without religious liberty, Religiia v Ukraine reports, with reference to the UGKTs website.

 

"Unity of the churches is impossible without religious freedom. And a necessary element of religious freedom is a partnership relationship of the church and state. Every time when a state wants to use the church, even its own, for its political goals, it is committing violence against it. The condition of noninterference of the state in church life is a necessary condition for its development," the head of UGKTs said.

 

In the opinion of the UGKTs first hierarch, liberation from state paternalism is a necessary condition for the construction of a united local church in Ukraine. "Otherwise all church unification that proceeds from the outside, prescribed in some state office, not only does not help but even produces new divisions," Sviatoslav noted.

 

"This is why we, on one hand, are working and praying for the achievement of unity of the churches, and on the other hand, we are proclaiming the necessity of freedom of the church and partnership relations with our Ukrainian state," the primate of UGKTs explained.

 

At the conclusion of the sermon, Sviatoslav urged prayer for the achievement of the unity of all heirs of Vladimir the Baptizer: "Let us pray and build a united local church in Ukraine." (tr. by PDS, posted 14 April 2015)


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