Russian Orthodox Church Praises Unity, Courage Of Ukrainian Bishops Opposing Autocephaly

The hierarchs of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC-MP) courageously and unanimously oppose the coercive pressure of those who are promoting the creation of an autocephalous church in Ukraine, Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations (DECR) head Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th November, 2018) The hierarchs of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC-MP) courageously and unanimously oppose the coercive pressure of those who are promoting the creation of an autocephalous church in Ukraine, Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations (DECR) head Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk said on Thursday.

"We admire the courage and unanimity of the hierarchs of the canonical Ukrainian church, headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kiev and all Ukraine. Despite the overwhelming pressure exerted by the Ukrainian government, on the one hand, and by the Patriarch of Constantinople on the other, the bishops keep firmly upholding their right to live by church canons and maintain unity with the entirety of the Russian Orthodox Church," Hilarion said in an interview with the Greek portal Romfea.

He recalled that the history of Orthodoxy in Russia began on the Dnieper River, in the baptismal font of the Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir 1,030 years ago.

"Over the past centuries, political borders have been appearing and disappearing on the territory that was once called Kievan Rus. But the unity of the Russian Church remained unchanged," the metropolitan stressed.

According to Hilarion, what is happening today is the first case of autocephaly being imposed rather than asked for in the history of Orthodoxy.

"At the same time, it is imposed by force and gross pressure. The hierarchs of the canonical Church are required to participate in a kind of 'unifying council,' convened by schismatics in order to legitimize their structure," the metropolitan said.

As of the current moment, only two out of 90 bishops of the UOC-MP have expressed disagreement with the common opinion of the episcopate of the canonical Church, he added.

According to Ukrainian media, a representative of Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople will arrive in Kiev on Thursday to prepare for the church "unifying council," which is scheduled to be held on November 22. The results of the council will be presented at a session of the Synod of the Constantinople Patriarchate on November 28-30. Upon its completion, the tomos (autocephaly credential letter) signed by Patriarch Bartholomew will be handed over to the head of the new church structure.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is working to establish a single local autocephalous church in the country based on the non-canonical Ukrainian orthodox churches. In mid-September, two exarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople started working in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate (UOC-KP), which came as part of Constantinople's preparations to grant autocephaly to the UOC-KP. The initiative has been strongly criticized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Russian Orthodox Church, in turn, has gone on to sever diplomatic ties with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have also decided to suspend services with the hierarchs of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. At the same time, the Moscow Patriarchate has noted that none of the local churches supported the Ukrainian autocephaly project.