Granting Autocephaly To Ukraine's Non-Canonical Churches Disgraceful, Unacceptable - Abbot

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2018) The act of the Constantinople Patriarchate granting autocephaly to a non-canonical churches in Ukraine is scandalous and not acceptable, the abbot of the Russian Holy Trinity monastery Archimandrite Luke Murjanka told Sputnik.

On Tuesday, the Holy Synod of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) decided to suspend full communion with the Constantinople Patriarchate due to its decision to grant autocephaly and recognize non-canonical churches in Ukraine.

"It is unacceptable and disgraceful," Archimandrite Luke, whose family came to the United States from Ukraine's Carpathian region, said on Tuesday.

In October, the Synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate announced that it would proceed with granting independence to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, which is currently split into three major churches - the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate, the non-canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kiev Patriarchate (UOC-KP), created after the collapse of the Soviet Union as well as the so-called Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

In early November, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople signed a cooperation agreement with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in an effort to accelerate the process of granting independence to the non-canonical UOC-KP.

Archimandrite Luke compared the Constantinople Patriarchate's actions to recognize non-canonical churches in Ukraine with those of "bandits who come in and just simply take over something illegally.

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"In every way, it is deplorable. We are hundred percent against it," Luke said.

After World War II, the Holy Trinity monastery - located in upstate New York - was filled by Russian monks from Slovakia who had close connection with Pochaev Lavra of the Dormition of Mother of God in Ukraine, Archimandrite Luke noted.

"Here we have special prayers every day. I have spoken to the brothers a couple of times about the situation, we had a special moleben [prayer service] in front of relics of saints of Kiev Caves for Metropolitan Onufriy [of Kiev and all Ukraine] who has been here a couple of times," Archimandrite Luke said.

There are no disagreements on the issue between the monks of the monastery who are from the United States, Russia, Canada, Scotland and other countries, Archimandrite Luke added.

On October 8, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to completely break the Eucharistic communion with the Constantinople Patriarchate. The Moscow Patriarchate called Constantinople's decision the "legalization of schism" and warned the move would have catastrophic consequences and would affect millions of Christians in Ukraine and in other countries.