The Russian Orthodox Church promises to break the Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople once the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is granted autocephaly. According to the Russian service of Radio Liberty, a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion, said on Russian TV.
The Russian Orthodox Church promises to break the Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople once the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is granted autocephaly. According to the Russian service of Radio Liberty, a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion, said on Russian TV.
According to him, the methods of church diplomacy “on the Ukrainian issue” are practically exhausted.
According to him, Constantinople acted mean and insidious towards the Russian Orthodox Church. Now the Russian Orthodox Church is already considering measures that the Church can take in response to such steps of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Such “insolent and cynical interference in the affairs of another local Church” could lead to a split in the Ecumenical Orthodoxy, Hilarion said.
“If Constantinople manages to fulfill its insidious plan of providing autocephaly, what does this mean? It will mean that a group of schismatics receives autocephaly, and the canonical Church does not accept this autocephaly.” In the Russian Church we will not recognize this autocephaly. We will have nothing to do but break communion with Constantinople,” he said.
“And this means that the Patriarch of Constantinople will no longer have the right to be called, as he now calls himself, the head of the 300-million Orthodox population of the planet, at least half of this population will not recognize him at all. In fact, his actions split the entire universal Orthodoxy,” summed up Hilarion.
As reported, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church made a statement expressing “resolute protest against and deep indignation” in connection with the decision of the Constantinople Patriarchate to appoint two exarchs in Kyiv for the preparation of the Council which will elect the Head of the one local Orthodox Church.
“This decision was approved without the consent of the Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, and Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, and constitutes a gross neglect of the Church canons,” the ROC stressed and promised prompt response actions.