The statement of the UAOC – Sobornopravna regarding recent remarks

STATEMENT OF THE UKRAINIAN AUTOCEPHALOUS ORTHODOX CHURCH – SOBORNOPRAVNA REGARDING RECENT REMARKS BY OTHER CHURCHES IN UKRAINE The recent reactions by other churches in Ukraine, to the appointment of Metropolitan Moisei as Metropolitan of Kyiv and Ukraine of the UAOC - Sobornopravna are at best, filled with confusing, misconstrued and impertinent information. The concern that our church is perceived as somehow representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople seems aimed at bringing into the discussion, an aspect of the matter which has never existed. At no time has the UAOC - Sobornopravna claimed to be representing or in communion with, spiritual or otherwise, the Ecumenical See. Rather, our church exists, as it always has, to serve the spiritual needs of Ukrainian faithful, as a fully self-governing and autocephalous church, faithful to the principles upon which it was founded, those of "sobornopravnist" and a realization of the spirit and ethos of Ukrainian Christianity and tradition. The word "sobornopravna" means "governed by the church sobor or council" which is seen as the highest and most definitive authority of the church and a synergy of cooperation between hierarchy, clergy and laity. This ecclesial concept grew out of the movement for Ukrainian Orthodox autocephaly that began in the 1920s, was strengthened in the 1940s and has once again freely served the faithful since the democratization of Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union. The term "sobornopravna" is not well translated as "in accordance with the canonical regulations of Orthodoxy" although our church, as a church of the Orthodox tradition, is based fully on the canon law of Eastern Orthodoxy. It should be understood by the public, that the only Orthodox church in Ukraine which is in communion with the Ecumenical See of Constantinople, is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Neither our church nor any other Orthodox ecclesial body in Ukraine other than the UOC-MP, have jurisdictional or sacramental ties to the Constantinople Patriarchate, regardless of who they may commemorate in the Divine Services. In addition, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has recognized no other church in Ukraine than that which is a part of the Russian Orthodox Church - the UOC-MP under Metropolitan Sabodan. This is not to say however, that in a free society such as Ukraine, all churches and religious groups of good will do not have the right to exist. Whether or not one is in communion with the churches of so-called "world Orthodoxy" has no bearing on a particular church's ability to serve the needs of its faithful and most importantly, to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church - Sobornopravna was guided in the Diaspora by Metropolitan Hryhorij Ohijchuk, one of the bishops of the 1942 consecrations. Vladyka Hryhorij was the leader of the church until his death in 1985. He emphasized the traditional Ukrainian concept of "sobornopravnist" or concilliarism, thus the church has always employed this term in its name. Metropolitan Moisei, as representative of the UAOC - Sobornopravna in Ukraine is there to minister to those seeking to emphasize this historical and relevant ecclesiology and to offer a spiritual alternative to the faithful, rooted in the principles of the Gospel-message, a preferential option for the Reign of God and all which it implies in today's changing and challenging world. Based on "sobornopravnist," our church is not grounded in the "hierarchical model" employed by many other Orthodox jurisdictions, in which authority rests solely with the members of the hierarchy, but by the model of concilliarism, allowing all baptized faithful to realize their full potential as members of the Body of Christ. We feel that this model is of utmost importance and relevance in our day, given the ongoing developments in the church and society. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the church, while faithful to sacred tradition, must continually renew itself in light of the needs of real people and situations. This allows for the age-old and unchanging proclamation of Christ to abide ever fresh in the hearts and minds of faithful in the twenty-first century and avoids the stagnancy that comes from a fear of change, an unyielding sense of anachronism and a blind allegiance to the methods of the past. Importantly, in no way does our church intend to function in a manner "aimed to discredit the Patriarch of Constantinople" as some have claimed, since this has no relevance to the mission that God has called us to and is contrary to the concerns that are important to helping people attain a deeper understanding of the Christian faith. We respect the prerogative of other churches to live by their own unique ecclesiology (theology of the church) and interpretation of the Christian message, while at the same time, abiding by the particular charism upon which our church is grounded. As Christians and as Orthodox, we maintain the highest level of human regard for other churches. Mutual respect and tolerance despite differences in religious philosophy, should be a hallmark of the movement that can bring greater unity among all of the churches of Christ, Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant. In our day, this message is crucial to the survival of all churches and to the credibility of the Christian tradition itself.

PRESS OFFICE OF THE UKRAINIAN AUTOCEPHALOUS ORTHODOX CHURCH - SOBORNOPRAVNA Vladyka Michael Director, Press Office UAOC – Sobornopravna