Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill called on Orthdox churches around the world on Thursday not to recognize the results of the so-called unification council that took place in Kiev last week and led to the creation of the autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church denounced by the Moscow Patriarchate.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th December, 2018) Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill called on Orthdox churches around the world on Thursday not to recognize the results of the so-called unification council that took place in Kiev last week and led to the creation of the autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church denounced by the Moscow Patriarchate."I call on you and the whole of [your] Holy Church not to recognize the newly created pseudo-church structure and not to enter into communion with it," the patriarch said in a letter addressed to the heads of Orthodox churches.
Patriarch Kirill stressed that the establishment of the autocephalous church in Ukraine had been inspired by the secular head of state for political purposes and the "unification council" had clearly demonstrated the authorities' interference with church's affairs.
"The lawless act [unification council] that took place on December 15 means that 90 bishops, more than 10,000 priests, deacons and those leading a monastic life, tens of millions of believers of the canonical church throughout Ukraine no longer exist for the Constantinople patriarchate just because they did not want to be part of the autocephaly project, imposed from outside, and want their church life to abide by church regulations, not political ambitions," the patriarch added.
The "unification council," which was held in Kiev at the initiative of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew, was attended by representatives of mostly non-canonical structures, which are not recognized by the world's Orthodox churches, except for the Constantinople Patriarchate. Only two bishops of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) participated in the council.
The Moscow Patriarchate has repeatedly said that the autocephaly of the non-canonical Ukraine Orthodox Church was a "legalization of schism."
