• Home page
  • News
  • Patriarch Filaret: Moscow Patriarchate owns no property in Ukraine...

Patriarch Filaret: Moscow Patriarchate owns no property in Ukraine

01.08.2018, 10:12
Patriarch Filaret: Moscow Patriarchate owns no property in Ukraine - фото 1
Patriarch Filaret clarified in an interview to the Priamyy TV-Channel which Church should own the main Orthodox shrines of Ukraine.

Patriarch Filaret clarified in an interview to the Priamyy TV-Channel which Church should own the main Orthodox shrines of Ukraine.

Філарет.jpg

“The matter is that no property is owned by the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine. No property. The Church property in Ukraine is the property of the Ukrainian Church. Let’s take, for example, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the Pochayiv Lavra – who owns them? They are owned by the Ukrainian State. And the State has transferred its property to be used by the Ukrainian Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. But when the Ukrainian Church is recognized here, the Lavras will be handed over to the Ukrainian Church because it is a Ukrainian shrine. Both Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate have nothing to do with these shrines. There are parishes that have built their churches at their own expense, and the buildings are the property of these parishes, and not of Russia. Therefore, Russia does not have its own Church property here,” emphasized the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate.

According to him, the consequence of the Tomos for the Orthodox Church in Ukraine will be that the large majority of bishops, clergy and parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate will join the Ukrainian Church. And thus the One Local Orthodox Church will emerge in Ukraine.

Patriarch Filaret notes, “A part of the Moscow Patriarchate will not join the Ukrainian Church. And since they do not join, they should not be termed as the Ukrainian Church. They have the right to exist in Ukraine on an equal basis with other Churches, at the level of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. That is, the Ukrainian laws give the right to freedom to everyone. But this Church should be called the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. So, those who want to be a Russian Church, may be the Russian Church, but they should not be called the Ukrainian Church. Therefore, we believe that the vast majority of parishes will be unwilling to be a Russian Church. That's why they will join the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.”