UPTsKP PROPOSES WAY TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS WITH
UPTsMP OVER CHURCHES WITH INVOLVEMENT OF OSCE
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev
patriarchate (UPTsKP) wants to involve the OSCE and Ukrainian
government in the solution of problems with church buildings of
church parishes that have decided to transfer from the Moscow
patriarchate into the jurisdiction of UPTsKP.
This was declared by Archbishop of Chernigov
and Nezhin Evstraty of the UPTsKP during the annual conference
of the OSCE on questions of human rights in Warsaw, Ukrinform
reports.
"Taking advantage of the possibility and the
presence here of a representative of this church [UPTsMP—ed.], I
propose to conduct constructive conversations of our two
churches, with the participation of representatives of the OSCE
and the government of Ukraine, with the aim of developing and
confirming a plan for the realistic solution of the problem. We
suggest that the question of the independence of a church be
resolved in each case in favor of the majority of the parish,
and that the minority be guaranteed other premises or that the
majority and the minority conduct worship services by turns,"
Archbishop Evstraty noted.
He said that it was such a scheme that 25
years ago the Moscow patriarchate proposed for resolving a
conflict in the west of Ukraine with believers of the Ukrainian
Greek Catholic Church.
He noted that the reaction of the Moscow
patriarchate to this suggestion will show whether it desires a
peaceful solution of the problem and whether it protects the
interests of all the faithful or whether it protects only the
rights of its adherents or is just interested in confrontation.
Archbishop Evstraty also reported that
according to data of sociological surveys, more than 40% of the
residents of Ukraine today align themselves with the Kiev
patriarchate and about 20% with the Moscow patriarchate.
He emphasized that because of the support by the Moscow patriarchate for the aggressive political conception of the "Russian World," a substantial number of its faithful in Ukraine have departed or wish to depart from membership in this church, considering it to be dependent on the Kremlin. (tr. by PDS, posted 2 October 2015)
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