Today the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian question, and then held a press conference, Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the Department for external Church relations. The most important thing at the moment.
Photo: Sergey Vlasov / foto.patriarchia.ru
- The split in the Orthodox world because of the actions of Constantinople will surpass the Great separation of Churches – MP
- The Polish Orthodox Church: a Hasty decision about the Ukrainian autocephaly may exacerbate the split
- Metropolitan Onuphrius: the Tomos of autocephaly will be a restriction of the freedom we have today
- The Patriarch: Constantinople is not the first time supports a schism in the Russian Church
The most important thing
Decisions:
– on the cessation of the commemoration of the Patriarch of Constantinople,
– the termination of concelebration with the hierarchs KP
– the suspension of theological dialogues and other activities with the participation of the CP.
Eucharistic communion is maintained.
The Russian Orthodox Church will be lifted up prayers for the unity of Orthodox Churches.
Will appeal to the heads of the local Churches calling for the beginning of the discussion of the situation.
“The Holy Synod took the decision to suspend commemoration of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The commemoration will begin with the Patriarch of Alexandria” – Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the DECR.
“The fact that we stop the commemoration of the KP and the concelebration with the hierarchs, does not mean a complete break Eucharistic relations. Those lay people who come to Athos or are in the temples of the KP, can take communion” – Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the DECR.
“The interruption of Eucharistic relations is not just a diplomatic move, the Church is a serious tragedy. The impossibility of concelebration and joint prayers in the Liturgy are certainly the terrible end to which we would not want to come. The current decision of the Holy Synod is the external form, which is not yet complete interruption of liturgical communion.
We very much hope that among the laity, clergy, episcopate of the Church of Constantinople will prevail sober and Church consciousness, understanding the fallacy of the steps that have already been made, and the understanding of the need for resumption of dialogue, the necessity of Church, and not politically charged approach to the solution of the Ukrainian problem, which is of concern to the whole Orthodox world,” the press Secretary of the Patriarch Alexander Volkov.
“Took action to suspend the concelebration with the hierarchs of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, to suspend our participation in all the institutions that preside, or being co-chaired by KP, this includes the Episcopal Assembly in the so-called Diaspora, this includes theological dialogues and other activities involving KP”, – Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the DECR.
Experts about the possibility of autocephaly
Eyes Fanar loses signs of Orthodoxy – but nothing new in this
The priest Alexandr Mazyrin: “Even if the Patriarchate of Constantinople was formal right of intervention in the Affairs of other local Churches (there is not), in this situation, nothing but harm, this intervention will bring, especially in the Ukraine, the canonical Orthodox Church which is already afflicted. Fanar these suffering tends to aggravate, as well as he did against the entire Russian Church in 1920-30-ies, supporting the dissenters renovators and flirting with the godless Bolsheviks” (read more).
The most dramatic consequences will be for citizens of Ukraine
Vladislav parsley: “the Problem is much wider – it is in the ambitions of Constantinople, in his desire to occupy a very special place in the Orthodox world, which, in fact, cease to be Orthodox, if this today is not to fight back and not respond. It will be some Catholicism of the Eastern rite, paradoxically, not yet associated with Rome. But who knows, what are the plans of Constantinople, given the longstanding ties of friendship between Fanar and the Vatican, a joint concelebration in the day of the apostles Peter and Paul in Rome and of the Apostle Andrew in Constantinople.
All this, of course, very disturbing, and it’s all very frustrating – what started Constantinople. He plays with such fire that could easily blow up the whole Orthodox world, not only to deepen the split in Ukraine” (read more).
The Church will survive this
Sergei Khudiyev “the Ukrainian crisis was to Constantinople by the ability to acquire true spiritual authority, to show wisdom and concern for the welfare of the Church. At the time, the Russian Orthodox Church, when she was asked to take the territory of South Ossetia under his care, refused to do so, in order not to violate the canonical territory of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Crimea is still recognized by Moscow as the territory of self-governing Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Moscow Patriarchate does not seek to redraw the canonical boundaries of the following political changes or to take advantage of the situation to expand their territory.
Constantinople could do the same — moreover, Patriarch Bartholomew could do a lot of good Ukraine and the Church and to elevate his Department is not political games, and an example of wise and worthy conduct before the face of historic challenges. Alas, he chose himself to be secular politician — and to take seriously his claim to pan-Orthodox Ministry, alas, is impossible” (read more).