In Georgia, head of the Ukrainian parliament stress the importance of supporting Ukrainian Autocephaly by the Georgian Orthodox Church

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy, while in Georgia on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the First Republic of Georgia, noted that the restoration of autocephaly is keeping step with the restoration of statehood. At a briefing, he said he would discuss the issue of supporting autocephaly of Ukraine and with the President of Georgia, with the Head of Parliament and with His Holiness Patriarch Ilia II, because "the support of the Georgian Orthodox Church is highly important for Ukrainian autocephaly.” This is reported by the official website of the Ukrainian Parliament.

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy, while in Georgia on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the First Republic of Georgia, noted that the restoration of autocephaly is  keeping step with the restoration of statehood. At a briefing, he said he would discuss the issue of supporting autocephaly of Ukraine and with the President of Georgia, with the Head of Parliament and with His Holiness Patriarch Ilia II, because "the support of the Georgian Orthodox Church is highly important for Ukrainian autocephaly.” This is reported by the official website of the Ukrainian Parliament.

 

According to him, His Holiness Patriarch Illia II  very often meets with the Ukrainian eparchies; he understands and knows the importance of the restoration of the Ukrainian Orthodox Autocephalous Church. “The restoration of autocephaly, which Georgia celebrated last year, kept, in fact, in step with the restoration of statehood,” said Parubiy. “An independent church and an independent state were built together – and Georgia knows the weight and value of the importance of its independent church.” In this context, the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament expressed his hope in support of the Georgian Orthodox Church. “We are relying on the support of both the Patriarch and the Georgian Orthodox Church for the aspiration of Ukraine and all Ukrainians to create the Ukrainian Orthodox autocephalous church. I hope that this idea will be fully supported at the level of the President and Speaker (of Georgia - ed.), and I strongly hope that the Patriarch will support this idea,” said the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, reaffirming his understanding of the importance of establishment of its own Church for Ukraine and its aspirations thereof.

 

According to him, they will discuss these issues as secular authorities: “We are not in any way trying to interfere in the religious sector. We can only represent the interest and desire of Ukrainians and Georgians.” Parubiy noted that this idea finds understanding and support among the MPs and the leadership of the Parliament of Georgia, and expressed the hope that when a decision on Tomos was to be made, Ukraine would receive support, including of the Georgian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

 

Parubiy noted that many Ukrainian hierarchs met with the Patriarch seeking his support of this idea, but “secular authorities are also the spokesman for the will of millions of Ukrainians.” “We can only ask to support the will and aspirations of Ukrainians and to emphasize the destructive role, which,  unfortunately, at the stages of Russian aggression was played by some representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, when in fact the church was used not as a religious organization, but as a political tool,” he said, recalling the situation with the fact that Girkin’s militants, the first sabotage group, was located in one of the Orthodox monasteries.

 

The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada stressed that, unfortunately, the Church was used as a political tool for the propagation of the so-called “Russian world”, for propaganda of the aggression and murder of Ukrainians. “And, emphasizing on these aspects, which directly concern secular authorities and the security of the Ukrainian state, and the security of every citizen, we emphasize the importance and necessity of creating a Ukrainian independent Autocephalous Church,” he emphasized. “Our arguments find understanding and support, and I truly believe that this year we will be able to wait for this historic decision to come true.”