The Patriarchate of Constantinople wants to help in healing the Church schism in Ukraine, of granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church. This was discussed at a meeting of the delegation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the Patriarch of Constantinople, held in Istanbul on 23 June 2018, according to the portal “Orthodox life”.
“The meeting was quite long, but honest. Everyone talked about his vision of the situation not only in Ukraine, because there are splits and there are now not only in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and in many local Orthodox Churches. And we need to find ways that will help us to heal this split,” – said after the talks, managing the Affairs of the UOC Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary.
He noted, in the course of the conversation it was repeatedly said that the question should be about healing and not about the legalization of a split in Ukraine. And the Patriarch of Constantinople is ready to help.
“Patriarch Bartholomew said that he doesn’t want to intervene in the situation, but wants to help, as the person responsible, as the first among equals of the first hierarchs of the entire Orthodox world, in addressing this very complex issue. And we see that such openness is based on the fact that we will seek these drugs on the basis of the canonical rules,” said Metropolitan Anthony.
According to him, in the Phanar do not welcome the conversations that have allegedly resolved the question of granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.
“It was even said that anyone who says that Tomos is already written – is working against the Church of Constantinople,” – said Metropolitan Anthony.
“Nobody knows how can this issue be resolved because it is very complicated. But we must do everything so that our brothers, our countrymen, who for various reasons are now in schism, returned to the bosom of the Orthodox Church”, – concluded the Manager of the UOC.