Metropolitan Vostri Timothy. Photo: pravlife.org
The only canonical Primate of the Orthodox believers of Ukraine is Metropolitan Onufry, recognized by all local Orthodox churches, said Metropolitan Vostri Timothy, Exarch of the Holy Sepulcher in Cyprus (Jerusalem Orthodox Church).
“Our position remains the same – we recognize the canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine the Church, which is under the omophorion of the Metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine Onuphrius,” said Metropolitan Timothy, the correspondent of “Interfax-Religion” on Thursday, responding on his behalf to a request for assessment of recent events in Ukrainian Church life.
Commenting on the request of the Agency the appointment of two exarchs of Constantinople to Kiev, he noted that “in the Orthodox Church there are certain rules that each Church has to obey”. According to the Metropolitan, “that include rules that relate to the canonical territory of the Russian Church and the behavior of one Church against another”.
Metropolitan Timothy believes that “the unification of the Orthodox of Ukraine is possible only through repentance and the canonical basis, which is the product of centuries of Church practice and was approved by the Ecumenical Councils”.
As reported two months ago, visiting Kiev as part of celebrations on the occasion of the 1030-th anniversary of the baptism of Rus, Metropolitan Timothy said that the interests of the state and the Church do not always coincide.
“It is important to understand that the state pursues its own interests, which change over time, influenced by circumstances. But the Church lives its own life, has its own spiritual direction, which invariably any worldly circumstances and conditions,” he said in an interview with the educational Department of the UOC.