News

Moscow's "interventions" in Ukrainian church affairs "uncanonical" - Patriarch Bartholomew (updated)

Washington/Moscow, September 3, Interfax - Patriarch Bartholomew has insisted on the right by the Church of Constantinople to resolve the Ukrainian church problem without the Moscow Patriarchate.

"Since Russia, as the one responsible for the current painful situation in Ukraine, is unable to solve the problem, the Ecumenical Patriarchate assumed the initiative of resolving the problem in accordance with the authority afforded to it by the Sacred Canons and the jurisdictional responsibility over the eparchy of Kiev, receiving a request to this end by the honorable Ukrainian Government, as well as recurring requests by 'Patriarch' Philaret of Kiev appealing for our adjudication of his case," Patriarch Bartholomew said at the Church of Constantinople's Synaxis, held in Istanbul since last Saturday.

"The uncanonical interventions of Moscow from time to time in the affairs of Kiev and the toleration on the part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in previous years do not validate any ecclesiastical violation," the patriarch of Constantinople said.

The patriarch cast doubt on the canonicity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's subordination to the Moscow Patriarchate.

"Already from the early 14thcentury, when the see of the Kievan Metropolis was moved without the canonical permission of the Mother Church to Moscow, there have been tireless efforts on the part of our Kievan brothers for independence from ecclesiastical control by the Moscow center.

"Indeed, the obstinacy of the Patriarchate of Moscow was instrumental in occasionally creating repeated mergers and restorations of ecclesiastical eparchies, uncanonical elections of bishops as well as schisms, which still afflict the pious Ukrainian people.

"The Tome proclaiming Moscow as a Patriarchate does not include the region of today's Metropolis of Kiev in the jurisdiction of Moscow. Moreover, after the well-known manner of proclamation of Moscow as a Patriarchate by Ecumenical Patriarch Jeremiah II (Tranos), the canonical dependence of Kiev to the Mother Church of Constantinople remained constant and uninterrupted," Patriarch Bartholomew said.

The text of his speech was published on the website of the (Patriarchate of Constantinople's) Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.

Moscow Patriarchate representatives have not yet commented on the patriarch's speech.

Print this page

Home

News

.	Customize latest news

• Extremism case opened against 5 members of Jehovah's Witnesses in Syktyvkar 04 March 2021, 13:15
• Putin orders Interior Ministry to prosecute provocateurs, suppress all manifestations of extremism 03 March 2021, 16:25
• Kremlin not commenting on end of discussion about monument on Lubyanskaya Square - Peskov 01 March 2021, 14:19
• Moscow Mayor Sobyanin proposes to leave Lubyanskaya Square as it is for now 26 February 2021, 22:42
• Acting leader of Abkhazian Diocese is member of Georgian Church - Georgian Patriarchate 26 February 2021, 17:44
• Search underway on premises of Sredneuralsky Convent 26 February 2021, 17:41
• Defrocked priest Sergy's pretrial detention extended until end of spring 26 February 2021, 10:00
• Armenian Apostolic Church urges politicians to start talks 25 February 2021, 15:04
• Omsk resident fined 375,000 rubles for excusing terror attack in New Zealand 25 February 2021, 11:48
• Yakutian shaman Gabyshev charged with violence against police officer 25 February 2021, 10:45
• Meeting between Russian patriarch, Pope doesn't improve Christians' position in Middle East contrary to expectations - Metropolitan Hilarion 24 February 2021, 10:00
• Muscovites will choose between monuments to Dzerzhinsky, Alexander Nevsky on Lubyanka Square 20 February 2021, 10:03
• Former schema-monk Sergy admits giving bribe amounting to 'millions of dollars' 18 February 2021, 16:30
• World Russian People's Council backs idea of Ivan III monument on Lubyanka Square in Moscow 18 February 2021, 16:11
• FJCR suggests reinstalling fountain at Lubyanka 18 February 2021, 15:30
• Suspected organizer of Jehovah's Witnesses cell in Russia's Kemerovo region placed under house arrest 17 February 2021, 14:11
• Police detain man who splashed Holocaust monument in Yerevan with paint 17 February 2021, 13:44
• The giant castle of corona cannibal to be burned in Russia on Maslenitsa 17 February 2021, 12:08
• Lawyers' association supports bill limiting surrogate motherhood in Russia 17 February 2021, 10:00
• FSB detain people suspected of financing ISIL under guise of donations to mosques in Crimea, Tatarstan 16 February 2021, 15:19
• World Union of Old Believers backs idea to place Ivan III monument on Moscow's Lubyanka Square 16 February 2021, 09:44
• Metropolitan Hilarion concerned by detention on non-participants in unsanctioned rallies 15 February 2021, 09:17
• Moscow court arrests 2 Jehovah's Witnesses 15 February 2021, 09:15
• Foreign Intelligence Service head compares those who insult WWII veterans to Nazi collaborators 12 February 2021, 11:53
• Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Kazakhstan postponed to next year 12 February 2021, 11:07
• Sputnik V vaccine halal - Gamaleya Center expert 12 February 2021, 10:03
• Court denies former schema hegumen Sergy right to participate in dispute over church on territory of Sredneuralsky Convent 10 February 2021, 20:39
• Several organizers of Jehovah's Witnesses cell detained in Moscow 10 February 2021, 11:43
• Resident of Russia's Dagestan jailed for 10 years for killing local rabbi 10 February 2021, 11:14
• Tajik authorities classify sentence of opposition Islamic party leader 09 February 2021, 17:35

Other news