The claims of the Constantinople Patriarchate at the world jurisdiction – new threat to Christ’s Church, said the bishops of ROCOR.
The Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia, held December 6-10, expressed full support for his Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry and the clergy and flock of the UOC. This is stated in the message of the Synod of bishops, published on the website of the ROCA 8 Dec.
“Watching the sad events related to illegal acts of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which takes place with the help of the powerful, the Synod of bishops expresses its full support for his Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine Onufriy, the archpastors, pastors and flock of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and agrees with all the decisions of its Synod of bishops, held in November this year, the document says. – Fervently praying before the Kursk-Root icon of the Mother of God, we brothers join offer in these days of congregational prayer of the canonical Church, the Ukrainian land of his Beatitude the Patriarch, humbly marking the 28th anniversary of his pastoral Ministry, heartily wishing His Beatitude good health, courage and all-powerful help of God.”
Also the bishops of the Episcopal Synod noted that the claims of the Constantinople Patriarchate at the world jurisdiction constitute a new threat to Christ’s Church, according to “the Union of Orthodox journalists.”
“The Patriarch of Constantinople and his supporters began to reject commonly accepted in the Orthodox Church the idea of his position in relationship with other local churches as “first among equals”, while trying to prove that his position needs to be seen as the “first without equals”. Based on this false and protivoanemicescoe the performance, the Patriarch of Constantinople considers possible to interfere in the internal life of any of the local Orthodox Churches, violating the principle of unification that has guided the Church since Apostolic times,” the document says. The Synod of the ROCA recalled that in 1923 the Patriarchate of Constantinople willfully broke the unity of the Orthodox in the introduction of the “new calendar” that violated congregational prayer and the liturgical life of the Church.