Orthodox Ukrainians promise mass actions of protest if the Constantinople Patriarchate Recognizes Dissenters

Odessa, October 5, Interfax – Members of the Ukrainian Orthodox community state that if the Patriarchate of Constantinople initiates the procedure for recognition of dissenters from the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church, they will hold mass protest actions.

“As part of such actions, the Orthodox believers of Novorossia (south eastern Ukraine) intend going to Istanbul to picket the residence of Patriarch of Constantinople,” head of the Ukrainian Union of Orthodox Citizens Valery Kaurov told Monday to Interfax-Religion.

He highlighted that the Orthodox people of Ukraine “will never accept such interference”.

“Moreover, such interference and the involvement of President Yushenko in this scheme who is likely to bang the door on his way out will be a disaster for the Patriarchate of Constantinople,” Kaurov said.

In this context, he recalled the words of Metropolitan Sergy (Stragorodsky) of Moscow and Kolomna during the period when the Constantinople Patriarchate had been seeking to recognize the Renovationists’ schism in the USSR: “If the Patriarch of Constantinople recognizes the Renovationists, it will be not the Renovationists who become Orthodox, but rather the Constantinople Patriarchate becomes schismatic.”

Kaurov noted that the unity of the Russian Church “is an axiom and is not subject to any discussions.”

“A dialogue with the dissenters may be only focused on their return to the Canonical Church which shall never break away from the Moscow Patriarchate “until the end of time”, and the Orthodox people of Ukraine will always support the unity of the Russian Church within its canonical territory of the Great, Small and White Holy Rus,” he added.

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