Kiev, December 5, Interfax - The statute regarding Ukraine's "unified local church" drawn up by the Constantinople Patriarchate does not actually provide for this church's autocephaly, contrary to Kiev's expectations, the online Ukrainian publication Vesti reported on Tuesday.
According to Vesti, some key provisions of this statute show that there is no reason to expect the autocephaly (independence) of the new church; it will be fully subordinate to Constantinople as a metropolitanate.
One of the key provisions of the statute stipulates that the Ukrainian church will be inseparably linked to the Constantinople Patriarchate and, through it, to all other Churches. This is essentially the current status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is linked to the Orthodox world via the Russian Orthodox Church.
The draft statute says that the Orthodox church in Ukraine will be led by a metropolitan, not a patriarch, Vesti reported.
The Ukrainian church's assembly of bishops would be required to consult the Constantinople Patriarchate on all important matters; the latter would share whatever it saw as essential with the assembly and would not be required explain its decisions, according to Vesti.
What is more, the Ukrainian church would receive chrism used during sacraments only from Constantinople, which is regarded as one of the main indicators of the absence of real autocephaly, it said.
The "unified local church" would also be unable to canonize saints on its own, but would have to submit their names to Constantinople for endorsement.
The draft statute also stipulates that the Constantinople Patriarchate would act as the top appellate institution.
It was reported earlier that the Synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate had approved a draft statute for a nascent church independent of Moscow at the Synod's meeting on November 27-29.
Source
If this is true (and that is a big "if")... the EP appears to be planning to annex the Ukrainian Church and turn it into a Greek religious colony. Wow. Just wow.
The 4th Century Science of St Macrina (II)
11 hours ago
7 comments:
"Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes" Virgil
"the EP appears to be planning to annex the Ukrainian Church and turn it into a Greek religious colony."
Just like Finland, right?
Actually, I'm pretty sure Finland is a Byzantine Rite colony of the Church of England.
Yeah, not Greek, and preferring to be "annexed" by the EP rather than be subsumed by Moscow. A clear majority of Ukrainian Orthodox prefer, so to speak, the turban of New Rome than the tiara of Third Rome.
Of course, the Russians and the Ukrainians are all ethnicity first and Orthodoxy second, and that's the problem. While the EP is doing the right thing by ending the schism Moscow has cultivated and maintained in Ukraine, the EP is doing so for its own benefit. It's setting itself up as the Greek-dominated leadership of an array of second-class nave-dwellers; this preserves Greek ethnic leadership.
"While the EP is doing the right thing by ending the schism Moscow has cultivated and maintained in Ukraine..."
How exactly is he ending the schism?
You know, I have no problem with an Autocephalous or Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox church free from Moscow. I just question the timing. Why did the EP consider the Autonomous church under Metropolitan Onufry as being legitimate up until now? Why does the US seem to be involved in the current deal? Why are we willing to take on Russia over Ukraine, when we wouldn't take on the Soviets over their invading Hungary and Czechoslovakia?
"What is more, the Ukrainian church would receive chrism used during sacraments only from Constantinople, which is regarded as one of the main indicators of the absence of real autocephaly, it said."
If that's true then there are only 5 or 6 real autocephalous churches.
Post a Comment