RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


 

Greek Catholics repudiate signature on unity document

SIGNATURE OF UGKTs REPRESENTATIVE UNDER ROVNO MEMORANDUM INVALID

RISU, 20 November 2014

 

During the signing in the city of Rovno of a local initiative—the Memorandum regarding a united Ukraine and a united Ukrainian Local Orthodox Church—the rector of the UGKTs parish in Rovno attended without having the authority to sign a text that had not been cleared with the higher church authority. This is stated in a declaration of the Lutsk exarchate of UGKTs regarding the signing of the memorandum of 13 November 2014 in Rovno.

 

The communication from the Department of Information of UGKTs [Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church] says that the priest, who exceeded his authority and signed the memorandum, was issued a canonical warning. "Thus any signatures of representatives of UGKTs on this memorandum are invalid," the declaration says, which was signed by Vladyka Jehosaphat, the exarch of Lutsk of UGKTs.

 

The Lutsk exarchate calls attention to the fact that the text of the memorandum has been changed several times and the document itself was initiated by representatives of the provincial state administration. "However the question of church unity should be resolved in a format of mutual respect, dialogue, and agreement by the churches themselves," the declaration emphasizes.

 

"We are concerned for the problem of division existing among Orthodox churches in Ukraine. Our church encourages by all means developing a dialogue for achieving the unity of Orthodox churches, but at the same time it is convinced that such dialogue is an internal affair of Orthodox believers of Ukraine themselves," the Lutsk exarchate of UGKTs noted. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 November 2014)


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