Polish Archbishop asks EP to convene Synod of Primates in light of Ukraine developments
The Archbishop of Poland has called upon the Ecumenical Patriarch to convene a meeting of the Primates of the Orthodox Church in order to discuss Ukraine’s ecclesiastical issue, Orthodoxia.info reports.
According to sources close to orthodoxia.info, the Primate of the Polish Orthodox Church has brought to Patriarch Bartholomew’s attention the need to discuss the Ukrainian issue which, as he notes, is getting worse as the days go by.
Metropolitan Sava of Warsaw, who recently signed a joint declaration with the Patriarch of Alexandria calling for calm vis-à-vis Ukraine, does not outline in his letter his position on Ukrainian autocephaly, but notes that a meeting of the Primates needs to take place in order for a discussion to be had regarding the wider ecclesiastical situation in the region.
The Patriarch of Serbia has also sent a similar letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch in which he expresses his concern regarding the problems which may arise as a consequence of Ukrainian autocephaly, and requests that the Phanar begins dialogue with Moscow in order for a solution to be found.
At present the intentions of the Patriarch of Alexandria remain unknown, His Beatitude having announced last week from Ukraine his decision to send a letter to the other Patriarchs informing them that “the Church of Ukraine needs to remain within its canonical status and does not need us to grant it anything, for it already has everything as an Orthodox Church of Christ.”
The next day following this announcement, Patriarch Theodoros added that, “I will pass on everything that I saw and heard these last few days to my honorable and beloved brother, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, as well as to all the Primates of the East.”
Russian Patriarch requests international conference
As for the Patriarch of Moscow, His Holiness has made it clear in a letter sent to the other Primates of the Orthodox Church that he considers Ukraine part of Moscow’s canonical jurisdiction and that the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Exarchs have trespassed on its territory by entering Ukraine.
Determined not to back down, Patriarch Kirill has also advised the other Primates that the relevant research has already been completed by experts in canonical law who have concluded that Ukraine lies within the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.
For this reason, the Russian Patriarch has asked the other Primates to support his request to have an international conference held in order for both sides to respectively present their position.
Moscow’s key argument is that there is no mention anywhere in the historical texts of Kiev’s transferal to Moscow being temporary.
To date the Phanar has not made known its position on the matter. The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is due to meet next week between 9 and 11 October.
