Today, 13 December 2018, representative of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Bishop of Edmonton and the Western diocese of Hilarion (Rudnik), who had been uncanonically appointed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew “Exarch” in Ukraine, celebrated the divine Liturgy at St. Andrew Church in Kiev. The service was held without the blessing of his Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine Onuphrius, as the only canonical Bishop of Kiev.
Information-enlightenment Department of the UOC publishes the full text of the review of the Department for external Church relations of the UOC.
Recall that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church does not recognize the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople on the territory of Ukraine, which witnessed the Ordinance of the Council of bishops of the UOC from 13.11.2018 year, and also the decision of the Holy Synod of the UOC from 7.12.2018 (issue No. 41). Thus, these actions of the Patriarch of Constantinople in General and the actions of Bishop Hilarion in particular should be regarded as anticanonically those that lead to a deepening of the conflict.
In addition, St. Andrew’s Church does not belong to the territory of the Embassy of any country, that is not the Ambassador’s temple, to which it would be possible to apply the principle of extraterritoriality. Also, this temple never historically belonged to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Despite the fact that the temple belongs to the state, its use for liturgical purposes by representatives of other local Orthodox Churches to be governed by Church rules and not only agreements with the government.
Commit any of the divine services and to perform other actions, by any Bishop to the canonical territory of another diocese without the permission of the local Bishop is strictly prohibited close to of the canonical rules. His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry is the canonical Bishop of Kyiv and possesses the fullness of Episcopal authority. Therefore, even if one accepts the point of view of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, that Ukraine is allegedly now his canonical territory, his Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine Onufry remains, and the Patriarch Bartholomew recognizes the canonical Metropolitan of Kiev. So, even from the point of view of the canonical logic of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, voluntarily made by the Hierarch of this Church today the Liturgy in Kyiv should be qualified as a clear violation of the canons and order of the Church life.