Saturday, June 23, 2018

The latest claims from the Ukrainian schismatics

Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus-Ukraine [sic] Filaret claims that after receiving a Tomos on autocephaly from Constantinople, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that  is now in unity with the Russian Orthodox Church will lose the right to be called "Ukrainian."

"It is the Ukrainian Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the UAOC (Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church) who will receive the tomos, which will mean the unification of said churches. The Moscow Patriarchate will have to decide: either to join the canonical Ukrainian Church, recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and other churches, or not. We assume that not all parishes, priests and bishops will join the Local Church. No one will force them to do this. However, those who do not join will not have the right to be called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, remaining only the metropolis or exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine," Patriarch Filaret told the parliamentary newspaper, Holos Ukrainy.

He also estimated Ukraine's chances of obtaining the tomos at "99 percent," adding that "the Synod meeting is scheduled to be held in the Constantinople Church in Istanbul in the first half of July."

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced on April 17 that the heads of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church had decided to officially appeal to Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I for autocephaly. Autocephaly is the status of a hierarchical Christian Church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop (used especially in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Independent Catholic churches). Autocephaly opens the way for the creation of a united Orthodox church in Ukraine, which will not be subordinate to Moscow.

Ukrainian experts recently explained, and debunked, Russian propaganda's narratives aimed at hindering Ukraine's efforts to gain autocephaly for its church. It was also reported that Russian intelligence could resort to provocations to sow discord.

From here.

I would take this with a grain of salt. That said, there are  a few unbiased sources predicting that Constantinople will in fact grant the tomos. If that happens the Church could shortly be facing the most serious crisis since the Great Schism.

4 comments:

lannes said...

Then we can call it the "Little Schism".

Patrick Sheridan said...

I doubt the Phanar would actually consent to this. Bart already knows he is compromised by the failed synod in Crete, and that the true leader of world Orthodoxy is HH Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. To grant autocephaly to a bunch of neo-Nazi, ultra-nationalist Ukrainians would precipitate a cataclysmic schism which would split the entire Orthodox world in two. He might be a heretic but Bart has at least more political sense than that.

AP said...


On June 23, senior metropolitans from the UOC-MP went to the Fanar and heard from Patriarch Bartholomew himself that he has no plans to give autocephaly to the Ukrainian autocephalists.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate has a little-known English-language news website:

https://spzh.news/en

With the following report:

http://spzh.news/en/news/54265-nevozmozhno-legalizovaty-raskol-upravdelami-upc-o-vstreche-na-fanare

The English side of Pravoslavie has a more detailed report:

http://orthochristian.com/113959.html

AP said...

So far the heads and / or synods of the Antiochian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Polish, and Czech and Slovak Orthodox Churches have issued statements either explicitly opposing autocephaly for the Ukrainian autocephalists, or calling for any decision on the matter to be based on the canons and to be marked by unanimity -- which practically amounts to the same thing as opposing autocephaly. Along with the Russian Orthodox Church itself that is 4 patriarchates and 2 other autocephalous Churches opposed to a unilateral autocephaly for Filaret and his group.

According to some reports (http://orthochristian.com/113962.html) the Georgians have not made a decision but Patriarch Ilya II opposes unilateral Ukrainian autocephaly. So make that 5 patriarchates and 2 other autocephalous Churches.

That leaves just the Greek-led Churches (Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Cyprus, Athens, Albania) and Romania as possible supporters of unilateral autocephaly for Filaret's group. The Patriarchs of Alexandria, Jerusalem and the Archbishop of Cyprus have close ties to Russia and the UOC-MP so it is highly unlikely they will go along with it either.

So that leaves only Constantinople, Athens, Albania and Romania.