KIEV PATRIARCHATE DISAPPOINTED WITH ANOTHER BREAKDOWN IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH UAPTs
The UPTsKP expressed disappointment and surprise regarding demands advanced by participants in the session of the bishops' council of UAPTs regarding the unification of the two churches. This is stated in a declaration from the press center of the Kiev patriarchate.
"The Kiev patriarchate is disappointed and upset by such a conclusion to another attempt (the fifth in 20 years) to conduct a dialogue with UAPTs," the document says.
The UPTsKP criticized demands advanced by representatives of UAPTs, particularly their principle for selection of delegates to the Unification Sobor—50-50. The Kiev patriarchate called such an approach "unfair," because according to statistics the UPTsKP numbers in Ukraine 4,877 parishes and the UAPTs, 1,225.
"The protocol also contains other clearly inappropriate suggestions: that a representative of the ecumenical patriarchate preside in the sobor (which in no way depends on a decision of the UAPTs); that the name of the church be UAPTsKP (in one point) and UPTs (in another point), which is mutually contradictory; that all bishops of the UPTsKP and UAPTs be candidates for primate of the united church (on what basis this should be is also unclear); that the date of the sobor would not be established as final and, evidently, could and should be postponed (such suggestions were also voiced orally)," the UPTsKP notes.
Great surprise was evoked from representatives of the Kiev patriarchate by "the insistent desire of UAPTs to tie the unification process of the two churches with the position of the church of the Moscow patriarchate in Ukraine, which has a negative attitude to this process."
During the negotiations, which with interruption lasted for four hours, the UPTsKP advanced compromise suggestions:
--the name would be the local Ukrainian Orthodox Church, while retaining the use of the names UPTsKP and UAPTs as official in order to avoid the necessity of immediately changing all legal documents of 6,000 religious organizations;
--election of the primate of the united church from the two currently acting primates, by means of voting at the sobor, and the hierarch who gets the lesser number of votes will have the position of permanent member of the Holy Synod; in addition it was suggested to provide yet another place as permanent member of the Holy Synod for Metropolitan Andrei, or another hierarch; while maintaining a definite principle of representation at the sobor (1 delegate per 15 parishes), the quota of elected delegates for UAPTs would be doubled (164 delegates instead of the 82 provided by quota).
However, the UAPTs rejected all suggestions. The UPTsKP statement indicates that the representatives of the ecumenical patriarchate who were witnesses of these events did not like this.
"While seeming, in words, to respect the ecumenical patriarch and the Constantinople Mother Church, the bishops of the UAPTs by their position actually rejected all advice that had been given to them regarding unification and the way out of isolation. After such a demarche, the bishops of the UAPTs can hardly hope in the foreseeable future for the ecumenical patriarch to have a desire to have anything to do with them," the representatives of the Kiev patriarchate emphasize.
The UPTsKP hopes that "conscientious priests and laity of UAPTs will finally understand that their bishops are primarily concerned not about the church and Ukraine but about their own interests and the satisfaction of personal ambitions," and they will draw the appropriate conclusions. (tr. by PDS, posted 10 July 2015)
UPTsKP SUSPECTS THAT UAPTs RECEIVED "MATERIAL AID" FOR REJECTION OF UNITY
The Kiev patriarchate ties the breakdown in negotiations over unification of the two churches to the strong influence upon bishops of the UAPTs on the part of pro-Russian forces and probable material aid for the primate of UAPTs, Makary, from one of the patrons of the Moscow patriarchate. This is stated in a declaration of the press center of the Kiev patriarchate.
'Such a disturbing conclusion of the meeting of 9 July confirmed the concern regarding strong influence on the part of pro-Moscow forces on the leaders of the UAPTs, in particular on its primate. It cannot be ruled out that the details, recently announced by the Right Sector, about a meeting of Metropolitan Makary with one of the patrons of the Moscow patriarchate in Ukraine and the provision by the latter of material aid in exchange for rejection of real unification of the UAPTs and UPTsKP, appear to be not so fantastic," the document says.
The UPTsKP places the responsibility for the disruption of unification upon the clergy of the UAPTs, and it accuses them of irresponsibility in the face of threats for the state.
"By rejecting constructive dialogue and real unification, the bishops of the UAPTs have demonstrated irresponsibility in the face both of external threats for Ukraine and of the internal need of both believers and the whole society for the creation of a united local UPTs," the authors of the statement note.
"It cannot be ruled out that there also was influence of Russian circles on their position, as has been the case several times in the past," the Kiev patriarchate notes. (tr. by PDS, posted 10 July 2015)
ATTEMPT BY UKRAINIAN SCHISMATICS TO UNITE FAILS
Interfax-Religiia, 10 June 2015
Plans of two structures, that are not recognized in the Orthodox world, the so-called Kiev patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAPTs), to unite have not been crowned with success.
"Bishops of the UAPTs rejected preliminary agreements and compromise suggestions and frustrated unification with the Kiev patriarchate," the press service of the Kiev patriarchate reports regarding the results of the second joint session of the commissions of these two church structures that was held in Kiev.
Representatives of the Constantinople patriarchate attended the meeting. Participants in the event discussed the preparation for the unification sobor that it was planned to conduct in September and at which it was proposed to unite into a single local church.
However, as the report says, bishops of the UAPTs rejected all suggestions of the Kiev patriarchate regarding procedures for conducting the sobor, election of the head of the proposed local church, and its name.
The Kiev patriarchate viewed in such a "disturbing conclusion" of the session the "serious influence on the part of pro-Moscow forces on leaders of the UAPTs."
The majority of Orthodox believers of Ukraine belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate. At the same time, after the start of military actions in the country, adherents of the Kiev patriarchate began conducting seizures of UPTs church buildings. Attempts to create a local Orthodox church in Ukraine have been undertaken even earlier by a number of Ukrainian officials, who are striving to separate the UPTs from the Moscow patriarchate. (tr. by PDS, posted 10 July 2015)
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