RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


 

Kiev patriarchate presses goal of church merger

UPTsKP HOPES THAT UAPTs BISHOPS' COUNCIL WILL AGREE TO UNIFICATION OF THE TWO CHURCHES

RISU, 22 April 2015

 

The press center of the Kiev patriarchate published a statement in which it called the clergy of UAPTs [Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church] "to turn the page of division and restore unity." The UPTsKP hopes that after the bishops' council of UAPTs, real steps toward unification will begin, and a local council of the UAPTs will finally approve the decision concerning unification of the two churches.

 

"The Kiev patriarchate supports and welcomes the position of the locum tenens of UAPTs, Metropolitan of Lvov Makary, which he publicly expressed in an interview with Ukrainian television channel "1 + 1," regarding the urgency and timeliness of the work of church unification. In the circumstances of external Kremlin aggression against Ukraine, the ecclesiastical and patriotic duty of all proponents of autocephaly of a Ukrainian church is to turn the page of division and restore unity," the statement says.

 

"We know that the immediate unification of UAPTs and the Kiev patriarchate is the desire of the overwhelming majority of the faithful and the clergy of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. We also confirm that this process has the support of the ecumenical patriarchate and the Orthodox Ukrainian churches in the diaspora. This also is awaited by Ukrainian society," the authors of the document emphasize.

 

The Kiev patriarchate notes that the UPTsKP respects all of the good achievements of the UAPTs and it strives for the preservation of its positive historical legacy. "We acknowledge the significance of the very name 'Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church' and we support the desire to preserve it in documents of church statutes."

 

"The Kiev patriarchate is open to constructive and fruitful dialogue with the UAPTs and it expects that as a result of the decision of the bishops' council of the UAPTs this dialogue will begin immediately and a local council of the UAPTs will approve the final church unification of supporters of the autocephaly of an Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The Kiev patriarchate also calls all of the faithful of both churches to pray for the successful accomplishment of the work of church unification. And may the Lord help all of us in this," the UPTsKP emphasizes. (tr. by PDS, posted 22 April 2015)


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