UPTsMP CALLS REPORT ABOUT TRANSFER OF 12 PARISHES INTO AUTOCEPHALOUS CHURCH DISINFORMATION
The official website of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate (UPTsMP) denied a report about the transfer of 12 parishes of UPTsMP into the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAPTs), that is not recognized in the Orthodox world, calling it disinformation.
Earlier, the website of the UAPTs Lvov diocese circulated information that 12 parishes of the Mukachevo and Khust dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate supposedly changed their affiliation and joined the newly formed Carpathian diocese of UAPTs, whose head is Archimandrite Viktor Bed, who in 2014 was inhibited from ministry by order of the synod of UPTsMP.
"We know about the so-called Carpathian diocese of UAPTs being formed, which supposedly is headed by Father Viktor. As of 15 June 2015, not one parish and not one priest of the Mukachevo diocese of UPTs had transferred there. We do not have either written or oral confirmation of such incidents," RIA Novosti quotes the words of a representative of the Mukachevo diocese of UPTsMP, Archpriest Alexander Monich, produced in refutation.
The secretary of the Khust diocese of UPTsMP, Arcimandrite Iov, also denied rumors of the transfer of parishes to UAPTs and expressed the suggestion that its representatives "specifically permitted such rumors in order to drag people to themselves."
We recall that a week ago news media spread reports that the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev patriarchate (UPTsKP) had agreed about unification in a local Orthodox Ukrainian church.
The day for convening a Unification Sobor was set for 14 September 2015 and the venue is Holy Wisdom in Kiev. All suggestions and conditions for the uniting of the churches will be presented at the Unification Sobor, including questions of the primate and name. Decisions on all questions will be made by majority vote.
At the present time, UAPTs and UPTsKP are not recognized by a single one of the canonical Orthodox churches. UPTsKP arose as the result of the union of two branches of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, advocating independence from the Russian Orthodox Church: some representatives of UPTs of the Moscow patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. We recall that this week the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate (UPTsMP), Metropolitan of Kiev and all-Ukraine Onufrey, suggested to representatives of UAPTs to revive the dialogue for restoration of unity among Orthodox Christians of Ukraine.
A delegation of UPTsMP participated in the capacity of observers in the local council of UAPTs in Kiev at which Metropolitan Makary (a former head of UAPTs Mefody died in February of this year) became primate of the autocephalous church.
Speaking as a representative of UPTsMP, a vicar bishop of the Kiev metropolitanate, Bishop of Borodiansk Varsonofey, in particular, noted that Metropolitan Mefody was "a convinced advocate for the restoration of unity among Orthodox Christians in Ukraine specifically on the basis of canon law of the Orthodox church."
"We consider that today it is necessary to heed his life-long desire. Therefore by authorization of the primate of UPTs, His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kiev and all-Ukraine Onufrey, I relay to you the suggestion for revival of the dialogue between our churches," Varsonofey said, calling attention to the fact that "on the part of UAPTs there is not the kind of aggressive attitude toward our church that is observed on the part of others."
However previously Metropolitan Makary, declaring that "church unification in Ukraine is an important and urgent issue," reported about the potentially possible unification of UAPTs and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev patriarchate. (tr. by PDS, posted 20 June 2015)
Background article:
New
diocese of UAPTs organized with 12 parishes from UPTsMP
June 11, 2015
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