BARTHOLOMEW ACCEPTS FOR CONSIDERATION RADA'S REQUEST FOR AUTOCEPHALOUS CHURCH
Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew has taken up for consideration Ukraine's request to grant it an autocephalous local church and to recognize the independence of the Ukrainian church from the Moscow patriarchate, the website of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reported on Thursday.
Earlier the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine sent to Patriarch Bartholomew a request to recognize the independence of the Ukrainian church from the Moscow patriarchate. Persons close to the patriarch of Constantinople have stated that this cannot be done without the permission of the Moscow patriarchate. An influential priest of the Constantinople ecumenical patriarchate, Aleksandros Karlutsos, called the deputies' appeal "a daring step."
Poroshenko's website reports that he conducted a meeting with the representative of the ecumenical patriarchate to the World Council of Churches, Archbishop of Telmessos Job. "The president noted especially the fact that the ecumenical patriarchate had taken under consideration the appeal of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada for granting autocephaly to the Orthodox church in Ukraine and had formed a commission which has already begun the study of this question," the report says.
At the same time Poroshenko expressed the hope that the commission will not drag out its work. In his turn, the highly placed representative of the ecumenical patriarchate, Archbishop Job, informed Poroshenko of the work of the commission and the consideration of the question regarding the creation of an autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox church. The interlocutors also discussed the role of the state and church in the question of preventing exploitation of the religious factor for destabilization of the situation in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate declared earlier that the Verkhovna Rada had exceeded its authority in addressing the patriarch of Constantinople. As the head of the press service of the UPTsMP, Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, explained, "autocephaly, or ecclesiastical independence, should be requested by the church itself, and not the state and particularly deputies." In their turn, the deputies of the Opposition Bloc, who do not constitute a parliamentary majority in the Rada, sent an "alternative" request to the ecumenical patriarch to "preserve canonical Orthodoxy in Ukraine and peace in the society."
At the present time, the canonical Ukrainian
Orthodox Church
of the Moscow patriarchate, which is a self-administering church
within the Moscow
patriarchate, is active in Ukraine, as well as the church
structures of the
Kiev patriarchate (UPTsKP) and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox
Church (UAPTs),
which are not recognized by world Orthodoxy. (tr. by PDS, posted 1
August 2016)
Related article:
Ukrainian
parliament tries to draw Constantinople patriarch in Ukrainian
affairs
June 16, 2016
Moscow
church alarmed by Ukraine parliament
June 8, 2016
POROSHENKO: ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IS
ONLY ONE WHO CAN
HELP ORTHODOX OF UKRAINE TO UNITE
Religiia
v Ukraine, 28 July 2016
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
on 28 July,
during ceremonies marking the Day of the Baptism of Kievan
Rus-Ukraine,
declared that Ukraine greatly needs the urgent attention of
the ecumenical
patriarchate, the mother church, which is the only one who can
help the
Orthodox of Ukraine to be united and to resolve its canonical
status, Religiia
v Ukraine reports, with reference to UNN.
"For us, the Constantinople church
was, is, and
will be the mother church, to whom we, her children, have
appealed and will
appeal for help to, among other things, overcome division
which today pains
Orthodox Ukrainians," P. Poroshenko said
He noted that Prince Vladimir, the
Baptizer of
Rus-Ukraine, laid "a sturdy foundation under the Ukrainian
state by his
fateful choice."
"Vladimir's labor was epochal in the
life of the
Ukrainian people, for which this prince is called 'the Great.'
He was a great
reformer, who by a strong hand led Ukraine to the West and
instilled in her a
western culture," Poroshenko said, quoting Metropolitan
Ilarion.
"Sociological surveys show that an
ever greater
number of Orthodox citizens of Ukraine want to have, as is
accepted in the
whole Orthodox world and the majority of Orthodox countries, a
single, local,
autocephalous church," Poroshenko declared.
He also declared that Ukraine will
not stand idly by
and observe the interference of "another country" (Russia) in
Ukrainian church affairs.
"It is clear that we will not stand
idly by and
observe the interference of another state in our church
affairs, in accordance
with its attempts to exploit for its own interests the
feelings of a part of
Ukrainian Orthodox believers. And this is one of the reasons
why the Verkhovha
Rada persuasively appealed to Archbishop of Constantinople—New
Rome—Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew to grant a Tomos concerning the
autocephaly of the
Orthodox church of Ukraine," P. Poroshenko noted.
He said that this year he had the
opportunity to meet
with the ecumenical patriarch and he is sure that "His
Holiness is praying
for Ukraine and is thinking about how to help us to resolve
our problems."
The president appealed to Archbishop of Telmessos Job (Constantinople patriarchate), who was present during the celebrations: "Vladyka, please tell His Holiness that the Orthodox church in Ukraine very much needs the urgent attention of the ecumenical Constantinople throne. He is the only one who is able to help the Orthodox of Ukraine to be united and to resolve the canonical status of the Ukrainian church within the structure of world Orthodoxy."
The head of state called what is now happening in the east of Ukraine "an alien invasion."
"Two and a half years ago, Moscow unleashed a war against Golden-domed Kiev. And it is necessary to call things by their names. . . . Never have I accepted palliative phrases such as the abstract 'armed conflict' or 'armed confrontation.' These are terms from an alien, non-Ukrainian voice. What is happening in the east is called an 'alien invasion.' I think that it is not difficult to find a term similar to the Ukrainian phrase in the Church Slavonic language," P. Poroshenko said.
The president expressed thanks to the churches and religious organizations and all societies that "stood firmly to the defense of Ukraine as an affair truly pleasing to God."
"I am thankful to those of you who continue to support by God's Word, prayer, and humanitarian aid our armed forces and all defenders of Ukraine. I express thanks to all who are helping to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population caused by Russian aggression and pro-Moscow gangs," Poroshenko added.
At the same time he noted that despite international support for Ukraine's struggle, "We know that victory depends upon us." "And the main spiritual weapon of our victory is our unity." (tr. by PDS, posted 1 August 2016)
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