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Moscow church irritated by Ukrainian president's actions

RPTs VERY MUCH HOPES THAT BISHOPS OF CONSTANTINOPLE CHURCH WHO CAME TO UKRAINE ARE IMPOSTERS

Religiia v Ukraine, 30 July 2015

 

The meeting of Petro Poroshenko and Arseny Yatseniuk with the heads of Ukrainian churches within the jurisdiction of the Constantinople patriarchate—Metropolitan Yury, the first hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada, and MetropolitanAntony, the first hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA—which was held on 27-28 July in Kieve within the framework of the holiday celebrations devoted to the Day of the Baptism of Rus was viewed with irritation in the Moscow patriarchate, Religiia v Ukraine reports, with reference to RIA Novosti.

 

Commenting on this event, an official representative of the Moscow patriarchate, the secretary for inter-Orthodox relations of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate, Archpirest Igor Yakimchuk, said that the meeting of representatives of the Constantinople patriarchate in Kiev with the president and prime minister of Ukraine did not have an official character, since Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew did not inform the Moscow patriarchate about the visit of his bishops to the canonical territory of Ukraine, which the RPTs considers to be its own.

 

"The words that they represent the Constantinople patriarch raise doubt. . . . If one follows the rules of church procedure, then we would receive notification from the Constantinople patriarch that his bishops intend to visit the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church and to meet with someone there. Unfortunately, we did not receive such notifications," Fr. Igor Yakimchuk said.

 

He said that the communities headed by the metropolitans who arrived in Kiev (UOC of Canada and USA) were at one time in schism. Then the Constantinople patriarchate received them as members "in the hope that they would change their schismatic ideology and would work for the unity of the church." "Unfortunately, these hopes were not justified, as we see. On the contrary, they are supporting the schism in Ukraine. . . . Publicly Patriarch Bartholomew has frequently declared that the only canonical church in Ukraine is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and all the others are in schism, and the schismatics should repent and return to the bosom of the canonical church. The actions of these hierarchs clearly go contrary to the words of their patriarch," the Russian news agency's interlocutor noted.

 

Also the secretary for inter-Orthodox relations of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate, Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, expressed the hope that the visit by Petro Poroshenko to the holiday liturgy of the Kiev patriarchate should not facilitate the intensification of provocations against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate.

 

"We hope that legality will be insured. Governments exist in order to support legality in a state. And it is secured for all ministers of the church; they should be under the protection of the law," the representative of the RPTs said.

 

He said that the church "welcomes everyone who comes to it, and if one does not come, then it does not experience great offence." "The church is not focused on politicians, who come and go, but on the people. Therefore nothing of much seriousness is detected," Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk concluded.

 

At the same time, the representative of the RPTs passed by in silence the visit by the president of Ukraine with his spouse on 28 July at the celebration of the UPTsMP. After arriving in the Kiev caves lavra, the presidential couple bowed to the miracle-working icons of the Mother of God that had been brought from various regions of Ukraine for the Day of the Baptism of Rus.

 

In the lavra cloister, the head of state was met by the primate of the UPTsMP, Metropolitan Onufrey, accompanied by the chancellor of UPTs, Metropolitan Antony, and the chairman of the synod's Department for Relations with the Armed Forces and Other Military Formations of Ukraine, Metropolitan Avgustin.

 

On the same day, during celebrations on Vladimir Hill, Metropolitan Onufrey presented to Petro Poroshenko, Arseny Yatseniuk, and Vitaly Klichko memorial souvenirs, bronze sculptures of Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Prince Vladimir. (tr. by PDS, posted 30 July 2015)

 
Background articles:

Ukrainian president injects himself into church unity cause
July 29, 2015
Moscow and Kiev compete in celebrating rise of Orthodoxy
July 28, 2015


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