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Local Orthodox Churches are opposed to Ukrainian autocephaly, according to UOC-MP

07.05.2018, 16:03
Local Orthodox Churches are opposed to Ukrainian autocephaly, according to UOC-MP - фото 1
In an interview distributed by the Information and Educational Department of the UOC, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, Administrative Director of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (MP), has claimed that the Local Orthodox Churches are negative about the granting of autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

In an interview distributed by the Information and Educational Department of the UOC, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, Administrative Director of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (MP), has claimed that the Local Orthodox Churches are negative about the granting of autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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“We are a canonical Church and we are in constant contact with all the Local Churches of the world,  whose Primates and hierarchs follow our events and even have requested our Church to express their vision. Therefore, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy communicated to the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches the position of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church regarding these initiatives and their possible consequences. Given the constant communication we have with the Local Churches, and also the first reaction that we already know, the idea of ​​provision of the "Tomos on Autocephaly" to dissenters bypassing the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church does not have support. The leaders and representatives of the Churches, bishops, metropolitans, and hierarchs of the Orthodox countries with whom we, as the canonical Church, have full, official and personal communication, are surprised, worried and outraged, and express their disagreement,” said Metropolitan Anthony.

 

He argues that in the negotiations with the representatives of the UOC-MP, the hierarchs, including the Greek bishops, including those belonging to the jurisdiction of the Constantinople Patriarchate, extend their support to the UOC-MP and ask to convey the idea that there is no ground for worrying, because the Local Churches do not approve of these initiatives that can lead to great problems in universal Orthodoxy.”

 

“This issue is currently being solved not in Ukraine, but beyond its borders and depends on all Local Churches. And I do not believe that the position of the Church of the Constantinople itself will contradict this general Orthodox sentiment,” Metropolitan Antony stressed and stated: Local Churches will be guided in this matter by the criterion of the benefit to Universal Orthodoxy, the church canons, and not the political interests of the authorities.

According to him, the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine instructed the ambassadors in the Orthodox countries to meet with the Heads of Churches in order to convince them to support the initiatives of the authorities. According to the Metropolitan, recently Minister for Foreign Affairs P. A. Klimkin during his visit to Egypt met with the Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria. Therefore, according to him, there is nothing surprising that the UOC (MP) has brought its position to the attention of the Primates of the Local Churches.