The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) considers the decision of Constantinople to lift anathema from Patriarch Filaret of the UOC-Kyiv Patriarchate and to proclaim him and the Primate of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Patriarch Makariy, as canonical leaders to be “absolutely illegitimate”.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) considers the decision of Constantinople to
Archbishop Klyment (Vecherya), press secretary of the UOC-MP, was reported as saying it to Tass.
He believes that it is Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew who should be punished for this with an anathema.
“This decision is absolutely non-canonical, because this territory does not belong to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, then how can he lift the anathema? He does not have any canon law on it. I think that for such actions anathema must be imposed on Patriarch Bartholomew,” the Press- Secretary of the UOC (MP) said.
Archbishop Klyment emphasized that the UOC (MP) did not recognize the decision of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to grant Ukraine autocephaly.
“We do not recognize these actions and regard them as activities aimed at splitting Orthodoxy in Ukraine,” he said.
Also, Archbishop Klyment said that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) will not give consent to unite with other churches. According to him, the Moscow Patriarchate “will certainly not go to such unification”.
He added that he does not really believe in “the technical unification of the Kyiv Patriarchate with the second non-canonical Ukrainian Autocephalous Church led by (metropolitan) Makariy.”
As it was reported, at a meeting of the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople on October 11, it was decided to continue the procedure of granting the Tomos on autocephaly of the UOC. Thus, the official procedure for the provision of autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church was officially launched. Previously, the UOC-KP said that the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate lifted the anathema from Patriarch Filaret, and also made a decision to recognize the illegal annexation of the Kyiv Metropolis in 1686.