Synod of Russian Church Passes Address to the Ukrainian Orthodox "Outside the Holy Church"
On July 26, 2010, the session of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) was completed in the Kyiv Cave Monastery. The synod, in particular, passed an address to all the Orthodox of Ukraine "who are outside the unity with the holy Church," reports our RISU correspondent Oleksandr Boiko.
The head of the Synodal Information Department of the ROC, Vladimir Legoida, shared with the representatives of the press minutes from the session.
It was the second session of the Synod of the ROC held in the Kyiv Cave Monastery. The first one was held last year. According to Legoida, Kyiv has already become the synodal capital.
The synod passed a decision to convene the hierarchal council of the ROC on February 2-4, 2011.
Legoida said that the synod also discussed the church situation in Ukraine: "An address has been passed to the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine who are outside the unity with the holy Church. The address reads in particular that ‘to live in a schism is sinful and destructive for the soul but there is nothing worse for a Christian than to die outside the Church. Many of those who thought about the return failed to ever gather themselves up to do it in their life time. Some were kept by external circumstances but these circumstances are passing. The gate of the Church is open and we are ready to meet all those who are returning. For according to John Chrisostom, ‘we seek not a victory but the return of the brethren, separation with whom is harrying us.’ There is no humiliation in such repentance.’”
In answer to Ukrainian journalists as to what external circumstances were meant and what has changed, Legoida answered that it is, in particular, about the fact that the circumstances which caused the schism were mostly of a political and personal character. According to him, today these circumstances are changing; today we can say that the current political authority of Ukraine tries not to interfere in the life of religious organizations.
