SYNOD OF ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE RECOGNIZES PRIMATES OF UPTsKP AND UAPTS TO BE CANONICAL
As reported by the famous Greek publication Orthodoxia.info, according to information received from its own sources, the Synod of the ecumenical patriarchate made a decision to restore the canonical status of the primates of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate (UPTsKP) and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAPTs).
Both primates had sent to the ecumenical patriarch their requests, after which that decision was made.
However the Greek publication notes that details and conditions of such a step are still unknown. And so we will wait for the official release from the Phanar. This was reported by Cerkvarium. (tr. by PDS, posted 11 October 2018)
CONSTANTINOPLE SYNOD REUNITES FILARET, MAKARY, AND THEIR
FLOCK WITH ECUMENICAL ORTHODOXY
Religiia v Ukraine, 11 October 2018
On the official website of the ecumenical patriarchate there appeared a report about the restoration of Filaret (Denisenko) and Makary (Maletich) "to their hierarchical or clerical rank" and the restoration of the Stavropygion of the ecumenical patriarch in Kiev, Religiia v Ukraine reports.
Decision of the Synod, which was held 9-11 October 2018:
"1) To confirm the decision that was already made that the ecumenical patriarchate is proceeding to delivering autocephaly to the church of Ukraine.
"2) To restore as of this day the Stavropigion of the ecumenical patriarch in Kiev, one of his many stavropigia in Ukraine, which always existed.
"3) To receive and consider the petition of appeal from Filaret Denisenko, Makary Maletich, and their followers, who were in schism, not from dogmatic reasons, in accordance with the canonical prerogative of the patriarch of Constantinople to receive such requests from hierarchs and clergy from all autocephalous churches. Thus, the aforesaid persons are canonically restored to their hierarchical and clerical rank, and their faithful are restored for communion with the church.
"4) To revoke the legal force of the synodal letter of 1686, issued in accordance with circumstances of the time, which granted the right through the oikonomia to the patriarch of Moscow to appoint the metropolitan of Kiev, elected by an ecclesiastical diocesan council, who will commemorate the ecumenical patriarch as the first hierarch in any church services, proclaiming and confirming his canonical dependence upon the Constantinople Mother-Church.
"5) To appeal to all interested parties to prevent appropriation of churches, monasteries, and other property, and also any other violent actions and vengeance, so that the peace and love of Christ may triumph."
The head of the information department of the Kiev patriarchate, Archbishop Evstraty, made the statement, announcing Filaret's press conference on 11 October at 6:00 p.m.
As Cerkvarium notes, in restoring the canonical status of Filaret and Makary, Patriarch Bartholomew made a step that is necessary for further negotiations. Otherwise the ordination of the overwhelming majority of bishops of the UPTsKP and the UAPTs would be considered invalid or in dispute. (tr. by PDS, posted 11 October 2018)
RPTs ACCUSES CONSTANTINOPLE OF DESTRUCTION OF THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH
Interfax-Religiia, 11 October 2018
The Russian Orthodox Church considers that the decision of the patriarchate of Constantinople to remove the anathema from the head of the self-proclaimed Kiev patriarchate, Filaret, is destroying the foundations of the canonical structure.
"The unprecedented anti-canonical action of the Constantinople patriarchate is fraught with an attempt to destroy the very foundations of the canonical structure of the Orthodox church. It is difficult to regard otherwise the statement of the Synod of Constantinople about entering into canonical fellowship with schismatics and a man who was expelled from the church," the head of the synod's Department for Relations of Church with Society and News Media, Vladimir Legoida, told Interfax.
He said the appeal of Constantinople to "its allegedly existing canonical prerogative" to consider such appeals is "nothing other than a new theory, which is supported primarily be Constantinople itself."
V. Legoida expressed confidence that the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, at its next meeting on 15 October will give a "corresponding competent assessment of these actions." (tr. by PDS, posted 11 October 2018)
REMOVAL OF ANATHEMA FROM FILARET FORCES RPTs TO BREAK EUCHARISTIC FELLOWSHIP WITH CONSTANTINOPLE—PATRIARCH KIRILL'S PRESS SECRETARY
Interfax-Religiia, 11 October 2018
The Russian Orthodox Church will be forced to break eucharistic fellowship with the patriarchate of Constantinople after its decision to remove the anathema from the leader of the self-proclaimed Kiev patriarchate, Filaret Denisenko, declared the press secretary of Patriarch Kirill, the priest Alexander Volkov.
"The legalization of schism (. . .) will entail the following very sad steps, which the Russian Orthodox Church will be forced to make, connected with the breaking of eucharistic fellowship and other decisions, which will be made," Father Alexander said on Thursday evening live on the television channel "Spas."
In the opinion of the patriarch's press secretary, today Constantinople made a "catastrophic decision for all of world Orthodoxy."
"The patriarchate of Constantinople crossed a red line, and it is not our fault, not the fault of the Russian Orthodox Church, which over the course of all recent years, all recent months, and the recent time has tried to find a path of cooperation with Patriarch Bartholomew," the priest emphasized. (tr. by PDS, posted 11 October 2018)
RESPONSE OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH TO ACTIONS OF CONSTANTINOPLE WILL BE DECISIVE AND SEVERE—RPTs REPRESENTATIVE
Interfax-Religiia, 11 October 2018
The Russian Orthodox Church promised a severe response by its Synod to the action of Constantinople with regard to Ukraine.
"The response will be extremely decisive and severe; it will be adequate to the situation that has developed," said the secretary of the Department for External Church Relations for Inter-Orthodox Relations of the Moscow patriarchate, Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, in an interview with television channel Rossiia-24.
Recalling that the session of the Holy Synod of the RPTs will be held on 15 October in Minsk, the priest declared that "the supreme executive body of the Russian Orthodox Church will give an appropriate assessment of what happened today."
He said, "there is clearly a conspiracy that is directed against the canonical Orthodox church in Ukraine."
"The church that is mentioned in Poroshenko's (Ukrainian president) words is not the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; it is a schismatic grouping, which today was recognized by circumventing all church rules by the patriarch of Constantinople. Thereby, the patriarchate of Constantinople itself has established fellowship with schismatics and taken the path of schism with all the sad consequences for the unity of world Orthodoxy," the representative of the RPTs emphasized.
At the same time he noted "the decision of the patriarchate of Constantinople is canonical nonsense: the patriarchate of Constantinople does not have any special privileges to consider an appeal after decisions of church courts in other Orthodox churches; it appropriated this privilege for itself and did this by circumventing its own canonical collections."
"This is clearly a crude and intentionally daring violation of canons. Of course, it is conditioned not by ecclesiastical motives but by absolutely political ones," the representative of the Moscow patriarchate affirms.
He expressed worry that "there will be a surge of violence, a surge of lawlessness, and the responsibility for this lies both on the current Ukrainian authorities and on the patriarchate of Constantinople." (tr. by PDS, posted 11 October 2018)
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