Steering clear of Russia: MPs seek to establish Ukraine Orthodox church autocephality
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, phot. peoples.ru
Ukrainian parliament has adopted an appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarch to grant autocephalous status to the Ukrainian church.
A draft resolution “On the Verkhovna Rada’s appeal to His Holiness Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch relating to granting autocephalous status to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine” was passed by 245 MPs.
After decades of preparations that had begun in 1961,the Pan-Orthodox Council, a planned synod of the bishops of all the universally recognised autocephalous local (national) churches of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is to be held in Crete on June 16-26, 2016. 10 of 14 churches are going to participate in the Council, officially referred to as the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church. Four delagations – representatives of Antioch, Georgian, Bulgarian and Russian Orthodox churces – are not expected to take part in the landmark event.
Perhaps, the main reason for the Russian Orthodox Church’s refusal to participate is its competing with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Over the past decade their relations have significantly deteriorated. Moreover, the Ukrainian issue also fuelled the flame – many believers in Ukraine want to get out of the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. Including Autocephalous Ukrainian Church into the Patriarchate of Constantinople is considered as the only way to grant it a canonical status, which is essential for its universal recognition.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (under the Moscow Patriarchate) is part of the Russian Orthodox Church, which has the status of a self-governing church and enjoys the rights of broad autonomy, but has no autocephaly (independence).
The representatives of Constantinople have made a statement saying that the non-participation of certain Orthodox churches in the Council will not strip them of obligations to comply with its provisions.
Belsat.eu
