Ukrainian Politicians Must Stop Meddling in Church Affairs – Archbishop
© Sputnik / Alexey Kudenko
Sputniknews – 31/8/18
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Ukrainian politicians should be prevented from interfering in matters dealing with the church as well as from pushing their own agendas since the church was not a political organization, Archbishop Theophilos of Sebastia from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem told Sputnik.
“Ukraine’s politicians should not be allowed to interfere in the affairs of the church. Politicians cannot impose their agenda on the church since the church is not a political organization; it is an organization that delivers a message of faith to the world, and faith should be accompanied by noble moral, human, spiritual values,” he said.
The archbishop, who plans to take part in an international conference in Moscow organized by the Russian Council of Muftis and the Lebanese embassy on September 5, considers the Ukrainian Orthodox Church issue to be a political one because politicians guided by their own interests interfere in church affairs.
READ MORE: Russian Orthodox Church: Kiev Church Self-Rule Impossible Without Moscow Consent
Orthodox churches operating in Ukraine, aside from the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), which is a self-governing church within the Moscow Patriarchate, also include those that are not recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, such as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church — Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC).
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, as well as other Orthodox churches, consider Ukraine to be a canonical territory belonging only to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), Archbishop Theodosios of Sebastia said.
“Orthodox churches of the world, including the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, recognize only the authority of the ROC in Ukraine, represented by Metropolitan Onufriy, who is a member of the ROC Holy Synod… The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been always a part of the Moscow Patriarchate from both administrative and ecclesiastical points of view, and the metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine has been the ROC’s domain until now,” he stated.
The archbishop added that the Jerusalem Patriarchate supported any efforts aimed at preventing the church in Ukraine from splitting.
He went on noting that any decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on the status of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine must be taken in coordination with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and its head, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.
“We are striving for a unified Orthodox Church in Ukraine by way of peaceful and legal methods, through coordination and consultations between Orthodox churches, first of all with the Moscow Patriarchate… Any decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on the status of the church in Ukraine must be taken in coordination Patriarch Kirill, the head of the ROC and with the Holy Synod,” the archbishop explained.
In response to the appeal of the Ukrainian secular authorities, the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople stated that it had decided to be in close contact with other sister Orthodox churches for their information and coordination on this request.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in Istanbul on August 31, and the sides may touch upon the situation with the church in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is trying to achieve recognition of non-canonical institutions and to create a single local autocephalous church based on them. In April, Poroshenko said that Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople was launching the procedures required to establish the Autocephalous Church in Ukraine.
The procedure for autocephaly has always involved the state and political authorities. Name one Church that received it without political support.Where was the archbishop when the state under Mr. Yanukovych interfered time and again in church affairs, and even discriminated against other Churches, contrary to the Constitution. Why is Mr. Novinsky, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, traveling all over the world, attempting to convince the leaders of the various Orthodox Churches not to recognize the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church. Why are the political representatives of Russia (a hostile state at war with Ukraine) exerting pressure on the various Churches against autocephaly, and why are they accompanying representatives of the UOC-MP?
It seems that everyone I spoke to, acting in support of the autocephaly are guided by nationalistic, historical and political ideas. Seems that the people are more interested in Religion rather than Faith. The fact that UOC -KP was formed as a result of a schism initiated by a man whose ambition to become a patriarch did not realize in MP is just left out of the equation. The UOC – KP is not canonical and is not recognised by other orthodox churches.
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