KIEV PATRIARCHATE SURPRISED AT REACTION OF LEADERSHIP OF UPTsMP TO SIGNING OF MEMORANDUM IN ROVNO
The UPTsKP took with surprise and disappointment the reaction of the metropolia of UPTsMP to the signing by bishops on 13 November in Rovno of the "Memorandum regarding a united Ukraine and a united Ukrainian Local Orthodox Church." The Kiev patriarchate maintains that the official commentary of the spokesman of the Moscow patriarchate in Ukraine regarding this event "uses the old soviet method of denial of reality."
"Now we are able to see clearly that the only strategy of the Moscow patriarchate and of representatives of its will in the leadership of UPTsMP is the preservation of the existing state of division of the Ukrainian church. The leadership of the Moscow patriarchate is terribly afraid of an open, direct, and honest dialogue with the Kiev patriarchate, which is evidence of a subconscious understanding of the weakness and falsity of its current positions. All of the few achievements in dialogue, that have occurred, in essence, only as the result of the personal will and support of the late Metropolitan Vladimir of blessed memory—the meeting in the metropolia in December 2007 and the meeting of the commissions for preparing dialogue in October 2009—give evidence of the great positive prospects and possibility of fruitful cooperation of the two sides. And it is this that Moscow fears, that Ukrainian Orthodox believers will independently find a way out of this state of confrontation into which they were driven by the actions of the leadership of RPTs in the early 1990s," UPTsKP notes.
The Kiev patriarchate thinks that the signing of the memorandum became possible because Rovno hierarchs did not ask Moscow's permission but decided to be guided "by their own pastoral conscience, experience, and responsibility before the church and the nation."
"We are convinced that it was the success rate of the memorandum that evoked such a negative, nervous, and confused in style and contents reaction on the part of Metropolitan Onufrey and his Moscow bosses, voiced by the spokesman of UPTsMP. Not having anything with which to actually blame them, the representative of the metropolia is upset by the fact that the bishops of UPTsMP signed the memorandum without getting the consent of Metropolitan Onufrey, who, in accordance with his already evidenced custom, immediately would begin to phone Moscow for instructions as to how to act," the UPTsKP commentary notes.
The Kiev patriarchate also recalls that there have been many incidents when priests and bishops of UPTsMP have openly delivered anti-Ukrainian sermons and have called for the support of the Russian aggression, and the church leadership did not react to this.
"At a time when the memorandum, which condemns the Russian aggression against Ukraine, received an instant negative reaction from the metropolia, it still has not gotten around to explaining to society a number of blatant events:
--the widespread participation of UPTsMP clergy in support of terrorists in east Ukraine, including even with weapons;
--the anti-Ukrainian sermon of Bishop Longin, a vicar bishop of the Bukovina diocese, that has been published in numerous sources in Ukraine, Russia, and Romania, and has not been repudiated up to now;
--the public blessing by an active priest of the Donetsk diocese of the leader of the terrorists, Girkin-Streklov, that was delivered after a worship service in a church in the captured building of the SBU in Donetsk;
--the public blessing by the retired Metropolitan Ioaniky and priest of the Luhansk diocese B. Fedkiv of the leader of the terrorists in the Luhansk region, Plotnitsky, during the ceremony of his "inauguration" as the "head of LPR";
--the public blessing by an active priest of the Moscow patriarchate from Luhansk of a flag, troops, and weapons of terrorists on the central square of Luhansk on 1 November of this year, confirmed by news reports and photographs;
--the bestowing in the name of Metropolitan Onufrey of UPTsMP medals of St. Nestor the Chronicler upon a number of anti-Ukrainian leaders who are notorious for their public support of separatists and terrorists: Archpriest A. Avdiugin from the city of Rovenki in Luhansk region; Archimandrite Shevkunov from Moscow, who is close to the Kremlin and special services of Russia; and chief editor of the mouthpiece of anti-Ukrainian propaganda, the portal Interfax-Religiia, V. Trubetskoy. In July of this year a special church award, the second cross with decorations, upon the blessing of Metropolitan Onufrey, was bestowed upon one of the leaders of Transcarpathian separatism, Archpriest D. Sidor.
"Ever more and more of the faithful and the
clergy of
UPTsMP are seeing such a duplicitous and hypocritical position
of their
leadership, and tacit connivance with the separatists, and the
fulfillment of
the will of the Kremlin in its aggression against Ukraine. It
is for this
reason, and not because of "the aggression of the Kiev
patriarchate,"
that the name of Patriarch of Moscow Kirill has already ceased
to be commemorated
during liturgies in many UPTsMP parishes and some wish to get
out of the
jurisdiction of the Moscow patriarchate completely," UPTsKP
emphasizes.
(tr. by PDS, posted 17 November 2014)
RPTs THINKS THAT ROVNO MEMORANDUM WAS SIGNED UNDER POLITICAL PRESSURE
The appearance in Rovno province of a memorandum calling for the creation of a united Ukrainian Local Orthodox Church is evidence of the difficult position in which western dioceses of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church are in today.
This point of view was expressed by the head of the synodal Information Department of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vladimir Legoida, RIA Novosti reports.
As was reported earlier, on 13 November in Rovno province a document was adopted, which calls for the creation of a united Ukrainian Local Orthodox Church. Along with the head of the Rovno state administration and representatives of the Kiev patriarchate, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the paper was signed by two bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate, Metropolitan of Sarny and Polesskoe Anatoly and Metropolitan of Rovno and Ostrog Varfolomy.
"This document only confirms the extremely difficult position in which the dioceses and faithful children of the canonical Orthodox church in western Ukraine find themselves. It is completely obvious that such documents are signed under the strongest political pressure," Legoida thinks.
The UPTs suggested earlier that the document was signed by Orthodox hierarchs "under pressure on the part of schismatic structures."
In an official commentary, the chairman of the Information Department of UPTs, Bishop of Irpen Kliment, says that "the so-called Kiev patriarchate is splitting Ukrainian society by open aggression, trying to get dividends from the difficult political situation and national grief."
Bishop Kliment identified as cynical attempts of the Kiev patriarchate "with the help of administrative resources to force UPTs bishops to pretend that there is no crude violation of the rights of Orthodox believers in Rovno region." He said "Every day reports arrive at the Kiev metropolia from residents of Polosie, Volyn, and Galicia who have been deprived of the constitutional right to religious convictions."
The commentary indicated that Metropolitan of Kiev and all-Ukraine Onufrey has appealed to all believers to preserve the unity and protect "the local Orthodox church that has been given to us through centuries from manifestations of aggression and schism."
The Kiev metropolia emphasized that the blessing of the hierarchy of UPTs was not given to the signing of this memorandum.
In his turn, Vladimir Legoida expressed amazement in connection with the existence on the Rovno memorandum of signatures of a representative of the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine, calling it "canonical nonsense."
"If Greek Catholics declare the necessity of the creation of a united local church with their participation, then apparently first of all they should declare the end of all liturgical and canonical communion with the Holy See and they should cease commemorating the Roman pope in their worship services. Otherwise, their participation in this process is completely not understandable. This is canonical nonsense, absurdity," the representative of RPTs added. (tr. by PDS, posted 17 November 2014)
UPTsMP CALLS MEMORANDUM ABOUT CREATION OF LOCAL ORTHODOX CHURCH IN ROVNO AREA "CYNICAL"
Representatives of various confessions of the Rovno area signed a memorandum of unity on 13 November. It says that all Orthodox churches of the Rovno province favor the creation of a Ukrainian Local Orthodox church. The press service of UPTsMP called such a decision "cynical."
The memorandum was signed by the head of the Rovno provincial state administration, Sergei Rybachok, and his deputy, Alexander Savchuk; the ruling bishop of Sarny diocese of UPTsMP, Metropolitan of Sarny and Polesskoe Antony; ruling bishop of Rovno diocese of UPTs Metropolitan of Rovno and Ostrog Varfolomy; ruling bishop of Rovno diocese of UPTsKP, Metropolitan of Rovno and Ostrog Ilarion; bishop of the Lutsk exarchate of UGKTs, Jehosaphat; and the ruling bishop of the Rovno-Volyn and Tavria dioceses of UAPTs, Metropolitan of Lvov Makary.
The website OGO reports that Vladyka Varfolomy was asked whether he consulted with Metropolitan of Kiev and all-Ukraine Onufrey of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate. The vladyka responded that he had not consulted and that "they should pay attention to this process because it began from below."
On the website of the UPTsMP press service, the head of the Information Department, Bishop of Irpen Kliment, commented on the signed memorandum, declaring that the realization of the desires of our people for church peace and preservation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which is supported completely by the council of bishops of UPTsMP, "should indicate the unity of believing people on the whole territory of our fatherland, and thus it cannot be the initiative of bishops of only one administrative province who did not have the blessing of the hierarchy for this." Otherwise such memorandums will not reflect the position of the entire multimillion Ukrainian Orthodox church and will have an exclusively declarative character. (tr. by PDS, posted 17 November 2014)
Full text of the commentary of Bishop Kliment:
Welcoming the attempts of finding ways for preserving inter-religious peace and supporting the stability of Ukrainian society, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church notes that the search for church unity should occur in conditions of social consolidation of all representatives of the believing Ukrainian community and on the basis of church canons by which local Orthodox churches have from ancient times determined the principles of church order.
The bishops' council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which met this year in Kiev, unanimously supported the desire of our people for church peace and preservation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Realization of this desire should indicate the unity of believing people on the whole territory of our fatherland, and thus it cannot be the initiative of bishops of only one administrative province who did not have the blessing of the hierarchy for this. Otherwise such memorandums do not reflect the position of the whole multimillion Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as part of ecumenical Orthodoxy, and consequently they will have an exclusively declarative character.
Today the so-called Kiev patriarchate is splitting Ukrainian society by open aggression, trying to get dividends from the difficult political situation and national grief. The attempts of this religious organization, with the aid of administrative resources, to force UPTs bishops to pretend that there is not in Rovno region a crude violation of the rights of Orthodox believers are cynical. Every day reports arrive at the Kiev metropolia from residents of Polosie, Volyn, and Galicia who have been deprived of the constitutional right to religious convictions. Their testimonies point more eloquently than one memorandum to the fact that the so-called UPTsKP never wished for interconfessional peace. Initiating hostile takeovers of church buildings, beatings, and insults, its leaders have unilaterally put an end to inter-church dialogue, about which they have spoken hypocritically in previous years.
It should be noted that the Orthodox bishops of Rovno region who signed the memorandum along with representatives of government and other religious confessions, who understand the gospel teaching about the church of Christ, know well that there has existed in the Ukrainian state for centuries the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which does not need to be created. This church performs its blessed mission, uniting millions of citizens of Ukraine. Provocations and aggression against it are the actions of hostile forces that are trying to undermine civil peace in west Ukraine in circumstances of bloodshed in its east. Incitement to such provocations by schismatics of the Kiev patriarchate are a manifestation of its betrayal of the Ukrainian people.
Considering the resonance and disturbance that have been evoked by commentaries of participants in the signing of the memorandum of 13 November in the Rovno provincial state administration among believers from various provinces of Ukraine, including Rovno, the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is appealing to all its faithful to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4.3), preserving with love the local Orthodox church, which has been given to us through the centuries, from manifestations of aggression and schism. (tr. by PDS, posted 17 November 2014)
Ukrainian original posted on RISU site, 15 November 2014
MEMORANDUM ON UNITED UKRAINE AND UNITED UKRAINIAN LOCAL ORTHODOX CHURCH SIGNED IN ROVNO
Pravoslavie v Ukraini, 14 November 2014
On 13 November 2014, representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and the exarchate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church signed a Memorandum on united Ukraine and a united Ukrainian local Orthodox church.
From the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the memorandum was signed by Metropolitan of Sarny and Polesskoe Anatoly and Metropolitan of Rovno and Ostrog Varfolomy.
This memorandum declared the following:
1. All Orthodox churches of Rovno province recognize and pray for the integrity and unity of the state—Ukraine.
2. All Orthodox churches of Rovno province favor the creation of a united Ukrainian Local Orthodox Church.
3. All Orthodox churches of Rovno province condemn the actions of Russia as an aggression and of other states by the seizure of Ukrainian territory and infringement of the integrity and state sovereignty of Ukraine.
4. All Orthodox churches of Rovno province condemn the inflaming of inter-religious strife and the seizures of Orthodox churches of one confession by another.
5. All Orthodox churches of Rovno province do not negate the religious declaration of will of residents of the Rovno region as to confessional affiliation in accordance with the Ukrainian law "On freedom of conscience and religious organizations." (tr. by PDS, posted 17 November 2014)
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