Photo: Valery sharifulin/TASS
Metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine Onufry is the only canonical Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, said Friday TASS the Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church and society and the media Vladimir Legoyda, commenting on the election of a Bishop of the non-canonical Kiev Patriarchate of Epiphanius by the head of the new structure is the Autocephalous local Orthodox Church.
“Metropolitan Onufry as was and remains, and I can say that in Ukraine today, one Metropolitan, as it should be according to Church canons, and where did the new comrade, let explains Patriarch Bartholomew to the local Churches,” he said.
According to Legoyda, today’s decision has no canonical force. “This meeting is canonically null-value and showed that there is no Association did not happen, it was not expected. As of now, Patriarch Bartholomew, will be able to explain to other local Churches where another Metropolitan of Kiev in the Ukraine, what is its canonical status, as they will interact with the canonical Church? To these questions, it seems to me that it is difficult to give a convincing answer”, – said the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church.
He suggested that the canonical Ukrainian Church will face a new stage of pressure on the part of Constantinople. “It may be the pressure side of Istanbul, since the letter written by Patriarch Bartholomew, Metropolitan Onufry said that only through the great mercy of the Istanbul Patriarch calls his Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and charity December 15 will end,” – said Legoyda.
The spokesman added that the project on granting of autocephaly has become a political idea of the President of Petro Poroshenko. The notable fact is that no one is hiding and can not hide the purely political component. Held a Church meeting, people say that makes the Church, the President of and a fiery speech says not a word about Christ, the gospel or the faith, and speaks only his favorite song on the Muscovites and the aggressor. What does this have to do with the Church? No, so it will bring Ukraine suffering new sorrow”, concluded Legoyda.
On Saturday in Kiev, in St. Sophia, under the auspices of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and with the active participation of the Ukrainian authorities was the so-called unification Council. As a result, the secular President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko personally took part in the meeting of dissenters, announced the creation of new Church structures, the local Autocephalous Orthodox Church, headed by Metropolitan of Pereyaslav and Belotserkovsky Epiphanius, previously served as Bishop of the non-canonical Kyiv Patriarchate.