UAPTs OFFICIALLY DECLARES READINESS FOR REAL UNIFICATION FOR SAKE OF UNITED LOCAL ORTHODOX CHURCH
On 23 April, bishops of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church [Ukrainskaia Avtokefalnaia Pravoslavnaia Tserkov—UAPTs] issued a statement in which they approved unification of Orthodox Ukrainians in a united local church. They said that this will facilitate the strengthening of the Ukrainian state, especially during military conflict.
By this statement, the bishops officially declared that UAPTs is striving to start a real unification process with UPTsKP after conducting a local council (sobor), which will be held on 4-5 June 2015.
For the negotiation process in the local council, a special commission of five persons was created by decision of the bishops' council of UAPTs. This commission is given authority to conduct negotiations with UPTsKP under such conditions as will be adopted and confirmed at the local council, specifically:
1. The unification of the two names of the churches into one with the following formulation: the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Kiev patriarchate [Ukrainskaia Avtokefalnaia Pravoslavnaia Tserkov Kievskii Patriarkhat].
2. All dioceses of the unified church that were in existence at the time of unification will be retained along with their own ruling bishops, as well as deaneries, until the time of the unification of the three Orthodox branches of Ukrainian Orthodoxy into a united Local Orthodox Church.
The UAPTs bishops suggested to the UPTsKP to formulate its own requirements regarding unification or to agree with those that UAPTs proposed and to confirm this decision by a synod or a council if it agrees with these suggestions. Then UAPTs proposes creating a joint council and electing a single primate for the unified local church.
If the UPTs of the Moscow patriarchate wishes to participate in the unification process, then the bishops of UAPTs declared their readiness "to conduct negotiations in conditions of the sincerity of fraternal Christian love." (tr. by PDS, posted 27 April 2015)
Editorial disclaimer: RRN does
not intend to certify the accuracy of information
presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the
accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the
articles as they appeared in news media of countries of
the former USSR.
If material is quoted, please give credit to the
publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit
this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please
include reference to the URL,
http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/.