MOSCOW, Dec 16: The world Orthodoxy sides with the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) in the current schism, the spokesman for Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill told Sputnik.
“All its [UOC-MP’s] children need to understand that they are supported by all the world Orthodoxy and by all the local churches that have not expressed a word in support of the actions of Patriarch Bartholomew [of Constantinople],” Alexander Volkov said on Saturday.
He stressed that over the last few days, the Moscow Patriarchate had received assurance from around the world that religious people and clergy of all churches “are now together with their Ukrainian brothers,” including Orthodox Christians from America.
Volkov also noted that the church schism on Ukraine had widened as a result of the decisions of the “as a result of the decisions of the unification council,” and there was no chance of overcoming it in the coming years.
On Saturday, a “unification council” was held in Kiev, at which the “metropolitan” of the non-canonical church structure, Epiphany Dumenko, was elected head of the “new church.” According to Ukrainian media, only two bishops of the canonical UOC-MP participated in the council. The UOC-MP refused to participate in this event.
The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) said the canonical meaning of the “council” in Kiev was insignificant, and the possibility of recognizing Epiphany in the Orthodox world was a task “hardly possible to fulfill.”
In turn, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople invited the elected head of Ukraine’s “new church” to visit Istanbul to receive tomos of autocephaly on January 6, the patriarchate’s press service told Sputnik.
The Moscow Patriarchate calls the situation around the autocephaly the “legalization of schism,” saying that it would have catastrophic consequences and would affect millions of Christians in Ukraine and other countries, and has already broken the Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
(AGENCIES)
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