Volker Accuses Moscow Of Ukraine-Russia Church Split

US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker on Thursday accused the Russian Orthodox Church of "blessing the tanks" for participation in the eastern Ukraine conflict and said alleged Russian "occupation" of Ukrainian territory is the only reason for Kiev to claim church independence.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2018) US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker on Thursday accused the Russian Orthodox Church of "blessing the tanks" for participation in the eastern Ukraine conflict and said alleged Russian "occupation" of Ukrainian territory is the only reason for Kiev to claim church independence.

"Situation where the Russian Orthodox Church is blessing the tanks before they are going to war against Ukraine has alienated Ukrainian people," Volker said at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC. "The only reason [why] Ukrainians are demanding recognition for their own church from Ecumenical Patriarch is Russia's invasion and occupation their territory."

The US official demonstrated lack of knowledge of the situation by not mentioning that non-canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kiev Patriarchate (UOC-KP) and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church had asked for independence since 1992.

Volker also said he sees "a growing contest between the Russian Orthodox Church and rest of Orthodoxy." However, most of Orthodox churches around the world do not support unilateral Ecumenical Patriarchate's determination to grant autocephaly to the church in Ukraine.

On October 12, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Washington directly supports provocations involving non-canonical churches in Ukraine.

On October 8, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) decided to completely "break the Eucharistic communion" with the Patriarchate of Constantinople after the latter launched preparations for granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The Holy Synod also qualified the Istanbul-based patriarchate's move to revoke the 1686 act transferring the Kiev archdiocese to the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate as canonically void.

The Constantinople Patriarchate also ex parte lifted anathema from the heads of two non-canonical churches in Ukraine, the UOC-KP, which was created in 1992 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the so-called Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, that had been excommunicated by the ROC for their schism. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) is the only canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine and does not claim independence.

Kiev has accused Moscow of interfering in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Moscow has denied the accusations and called them unacceptable. The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly said that they do not supply any weapons or equipment to fighters in eastern Ukraine. Lavrov has also said that there is no evidence of the Russian military's presence in Ukraine.