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Website of UOC-KP: Metropolitan Ilarion (Alfeiev) Can Become Successor of Metropolitan Volodymyr

04.05.2011, 18:03
Website of UOC-KP: Metropolitan Ilarion (Alfeiev) Can Become Successor of Metropolitan Volodymyr - фото 1
Metropolitan Ilarion (Alfeiev) can become the successor of Metropolitan Volodymyr. This possible scenario was published by the web site of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate

Іларіон-(Алфеєв).jpg“Shortly after the celebration of his 90th anniversary, Metropolitan Nikodim (Rusnaka) of Kharkiv and Bohodukhiv will resign and the Kharkiv cathedra of the UOC-MP together with the place in the Holy Synod will be taken…by Metropolitan Ilarion (Alfeiev), the right hand of Patriarch Kirill and head of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.” This possible scenario was published by the website of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate with reference to “several informed sources.”

According to the website, when he is appointed Metropolitan of Kharkiv, Metropolitan Ilarion will automatically become a member of the Holy Synod of the UOC-MP [Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate] and a nearly unopposed successor of Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan). As a permanent member of the Kyivan Synod, he will actually play a leading role in decision making and will block everything which is not to Patriarch Kirill’s liking, influence the cadres policy and, consequently, the bishops of the UOC. “This development would reduce considerably the influence of Archbishop Oleksandr (Drabynko), the secretary of the head of the UOC-MP and its informal manager, which would also be conducive to transformation of the independence of the UOC into fiction,” reads the article.  

The authors mention reasons why the Kyivan seat cannot be taken by the aspirants, who have been most probable until now, namely Metropolitan Ahafangel of Odesa, Metropolitan Ilarion of Donetsk, Archbishop Pavel, who is the Superior of the Cave Monastery, Metropolitan Onufrii of Bukovyna. “Perhaps, the patriarchate came to the conclusion that any Ukrainian on the Kyivan seat sooner or later develops love for Ukraine, which is very difficult to combine with the service to the 'Russian World.' Therefore, the plan appeared to appoint a trustworthy Russian as Metropolitan of Kyiv of the Moscow Patriarchate,” stated the report.