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03 October 2018, 12:55Estonian Orthodox Church condemns actions of Constantinople Patriarchate in Ukraine
Tallin, October 3, Interfax - The Synod of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate has expressed concern about the situation in Ukraine and condemned what it calls the Constantinople Patriarchate's anti-canonical actions.
"The Synod is concerned about the unilateral actions by the Constantinople Patriarchate, which sent two hierarchs to Kiev to implement a project to create an autocephalous Ukrainian church," the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate said in a statement.
"We testify, on the basis of the experience of the Estonian Orthodox Church, that such actions by the Constantinople Patriarchate, which it takes without any coordination with the canonical hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, may have grave consequences both for the Orthodox Church in Ukraine and for the unity of the Universal Church in general," the statement said.
Representatives of Ukraine's schismatic communities are now declaring plans to deprive the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of its official name and take its property in favor of the new church structure created by Constantinople, the statement said. "If these plans are implemented, Ukraine's Orthodox Church will suffer heavy damage, and millions of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians will be discriminated against, having been deprived of their churches and monasteries," it said.
"We strongly condemn the anti-canonical actions by the Constantinople Patriarchate in Ukraine, we fully support the position of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church put forward in its statement of September 14, 2018, and we also express strong support for His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine, the bishops, the clergy and all the fullness of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church," the statement said.
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