Any self-proclaimed autocephaly in Ukraine will not be recognized by the Mother Church, which is the only one entitled to grant the Tomos of independence.
Metropolitan Emmanuel (Adamakis) of Chalcedon, an elder of the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, said it in a conversation with Ukrainian Ambassador to the Vatican Andriy Yurash.
On his Facebook page, Yurash shared the most important thoughts on the latest developments in the religious life of Ukraine, which were expressed by the hierarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
"I have no right to conceal from the Ukrainian church milieu a few considerations that still do not look absolutely clear for many people in Ukraine; or they are deliberately trying to ignore them, to replace with a surrogate or failing to understand," the ambassador wrote:
- Having recognized the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine according to the Tomos as of January 5-6, 2019, the Mother Church of Constantinople not only is unwilling but also is incapable (according to canonical rules) of getting involved in resolving controversial issues in the Orthodox milieu of Ukraine;
- All duties to regulate the relations between Orthodox entities in Ukraine (dioceses, parishes, etc.) per the ecclesiastical Orthodox tradition are entrusted to the one Orthodox jurisdiction recognized by the Mother Church in Ukraine, which received all canonical rights and obligations in 2018-2019 per the above-mentioned Tomos and decisions of the Unification Council of December 15, 2018, that is, to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine;
- Dioceses, deanery districts, Deans, individual entities (parishes, monasteries, missions, etc.), as well as specific clergymen, should submit a relevant request to the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine if they want to be in the recognized and canonical Autocephalous Orthodox Church;
- Bishops of the other jurisdictions who ignored their right to join the Unification Council of 2018, to which they were invited by a special and personal letter from His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew, can exercise this right now, appealing and motivating their position before the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which was legitimized three years ago;
- No Orthodox Church other than the Mother Church, i.e. the Patriarchate of Constantinople, may grant a legitimate Tomos of autocephaly to any other jurisdiction in Ukraine: even if any church would like to implement something like this;
- Any self-proclaimed autocephaly (outside the framework of the canonical local tradition already existing in Ukraine, represented by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine) will not be recognized by the Mother Church, which is the only one that has the right to grant such autocephaly.
And most importantly: Luke 14: 34-35: "Salt is a good thing; but if the salt loses its power, what will it be salted with? Neither in the ground nor on manure is suitable; they pour it out completely. He who has ears to listen, let him listen!"