Ecumenical Patriarchate comments on threats made by ROC
Archbishop Job (Getcha) of Telmessos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate called the threats worthless, and noted that the claims of the Russian Orthodox Church for the supremacy in Ukrainian religious life are groundless
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All threats by the church representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate to break communion with Constantinople and attempts to intimidate with the repetition of the great schism between Orthodoxy and Catholicism are worthless, Job (Getcha) of Telmessos said in an interview with Cerkvarium, according to ZN,UA.
“Eucharistic communion should be ceased for serious, dogmatic reasons, and not from whimsy. As for the issues of schism and autocephaly in Ukraine, everyone knows that this problem is not a matter of theological nature, and there is no need to blame someone for heresy. Therefore, threats are rather an abuse,” the hierarch stressed.
Archbishop Job has also stressed that the claims of the Russian Orthodox Church to supremacy in Ukrainian religious matters are groundless and meaningless since Ukraine has always been an unconditional canonical territory of the Constantinople Patriarchate.
“While Ukraine is no longer part of the Russian Empire (and the Soviet Union), and the church split has lasted for almost 30 years through which millions of people remain outside the canonical Church -- and with which the Moscow Patriarchate has been incapable to cope till now -- the Ecumenical Patriarchate is obliged to take certain measures. It is necessary to emphasize that it does not interfere in the affairs of another Local Church, but acts within its canonical territory - the territory of the Kyiv Metropolis ... Autocephaly of Ukraine is proposed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate not as a weapon for war, but as a medicine to heal the church split,” the hierarch explained.
According to RISU, last Friday Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople appointed two exarchs to Ukraine, who should address the issue of preparing autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This decision was met with a strong protest by the Moscow Patriarchate which considers Ukraine its canonical territory.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate also negatively responded to the appointment of the Exarchs and the possibility of receiving the Tomos of autocephaly for the UOC.
Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanych) stated that the UOC (MP) would not recognize autocephaly, neither it would concelebrate with the new Ukrainian Church.
