Russian Orthodox Church Asked By Oldest Church Patriarchates to Observe its Canonical Territory

Patriarchs of the four oldest churches of the world and the primate of the Cyprian Autocephalous Church called the Russian Orthodox Church to observe its canonical territory.

“Due to the events which have recently taken place in the Orthodox Church,” the council stressed the necessity that the Orthodox Churches should respect and strictly observe the geographical borders of their jurisdictions “as defined by the holy canons and Tomoses on the foundation of these churches.”

With these words the pentarchy hinted at nonrecognition of a canonical status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow patriarchate as an “integral part” of the Moscow Patriarchate since the Constantinople Patriarchate stated in the Tomos on the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Poland issued in 1924 that it never legally renounced its jurisdiction over the Kyivan Metropolitanate. As for the whole Moscow Patriarchate and its canonical borders, the Constantinople Council observes the Thomos of 1589 according to which the territory of the present-day Ukraine is not part of the Moscow Patriarchate.

One should mention in the context of the above the commentary of the Kyivan Patriarchate saying that the Pentarchy is the way of the Constantinople Patriarchate to show the Russian Orthodox Church “who is the boss” kyrios.org.ua reported.

Pentarchy (from Greek pente, five, and arche, rule) is a system of the superiority in the Christian Church of the five patriarchates (Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem) with the primacy of Rome, which came into effect after the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451) when the Jerusalem Patriarchate was established.