RPTs RESPONDS TO PRESIDENT POROSHENKO'S STATEMENT ABOUT CREATION OF UNITED ORTHODOX CHURCH IN UKRAINE
As UNIAN reports, with a reference to Blagovest-info, the head of the Department for External Church Relations of the RPTs, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Ilarion, has commented today on words at a meeting with journalists of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko about the fact that agreement has been achieved with Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew about the creation of a united Orthodox Church in Ukraine.
"We do not have reliable information about the contents of the conversation between Petro Poroshenko and Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew," he said, emphasizing at the same time that Patriarch Bartholomew has often said that he thinks the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Onufrey, is the only canonical head of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine."
Metropolitan Ilarion said that this position cannot be changed. At the same time, he noted that "for a quarter century we have continued to pray for healing of the schism in Ukraine and we responded positively to the letter from Filaret Denisenko with a call for this." A special commission was created that is dealing with these questions, and although further movement has not followed, "we are open to dialogue," Metropolitan Ilarion said. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 April 2018)
UPTsMP: THERE IS NO BASIS FOR ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH TO RECOGNIZE ANOTHER UKRAINIAN CHURCH
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UPTsMP) thinks that there are no grounds for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to recognize "another Ukrainian church," the press secretary of UPTsMP Kliment told Radio Liberty.
On 17 April, Ukrainian President Poroshenko, during an extraordinary meeting with leaders of the fractions of parliament, declared that Ukraine today, as never before, is close to the appearance of its own autocephalous local church.
"We have not heard any new declarations from Patriarch Bartholomew. The fact is that he said recently, and throughout the last several years, his position has not changed in any way. The ecumenical patriarchate considers that the only legitimate church in Ukraine is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is today headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufrey," Kliment said.
The spokesman said that "there is no other new information and no official sources of the Constantinople patriarchate have given new information."
"We know very well that both the president and the Verkhovna Rada, and various messages from one or another political party have already appealed many times to the ecumenical patriarchate with such suggestions, which are absolutely incompatible with church canons and the philosophy of the existence of the church. Therefore we take these statements just like previous ones," Kliment noted.
Poroshenko described that he decided to appeal to the ecumenical patriarch requesting the granting of a tomos regarding a Ukrainian Local Autocephalous Church. He expressed the hope that this decision will be made by the 1030th anniversary of the baptism of Ukraine-Rus (in the summer of 2018).
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate (UPTsKP) declared that "it supports all efforts directed at the overcoming of the existing church division." According to information of representatives of the church, "now, as never before, there are reasons to expect a positive decision" by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
The head of the "Petro Poroshenko Bloc" parliamentary fraction, Artur Gerasimov, expects that the Verkohvna Rada will consider an appeal to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew about the creation of a united local Orthodox church in Ukraine on 19 April. (tr. by PDS, posted 21 April 2018)
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