Ukrainian Church autocephaly disputes continue

KYIV (RISU) - In anticipation of the church-wide sobor (assembly) of the Russian Orthodox Church, the pro-Russian Orthodox community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) supports strengthening unity with the Russian church and opposes translating liturgical texts into Ukrainian. Interfax was told by Yurii Yehorov, head of the pro-Russian Ukrainian civic organization Orthodox Choice, on 14 January 2009 that Orthodox from all over Ukraine will gather in Kyiv on 21 January to prepare an address to the church-wide sobor of the Russian Church to be held on 27-29 January. It is expected that the address will be written taking into account the position expressed by the pro-Russian Orthodox community of Kyiv at a meeting held a few days ago.

Yehorov stated that the selection of the lay delegates of the UOC-MP to the sobor “is effected without the participation of the lay people themselves” and that, therefore, for the representatives of the Orthodox community “it has been actually impossible to be delegated” to the sobor and express their vision of the situation of the UOC-MP.

Yehorov expressed concern over “the strengthening of sick pro-autocephaly tendencies in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church [UOC-MP].” According to him, “the group of hierarchs and clergy who support the autocephaly of the UOC[-MP] is growing stronger.”

“Recently, it has not only been joined by new hierarchs, but also its status is elevated. For instance, an old supporter of the autocephaly of the UOC[-MP], Bishop Sofronii, became a metropolitan. And this is happening in the context of the dismissal of hierarchs who are staunch supporters of the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church and who were dismissed at a capable age,” stated Yehorov.

According to Yehorov, the faithful want to hear the position of the sobor on the future of the Ukrainian church and on questions of globalization and the integration of eastern Slavic countries into the EU and NATO.

Yehorov noted that the Orthodox community of Kyiv has noticed the tendency of translating service texts into Ukrainian and using the Ukrainian language in services, which, according to him, can lead “not only to the abandonment of Church Slavonic in services but also to a threat for the UOC[-MP] of being involved in the policy of imposing ‘Ukrainianization’ on the population , which is especially actively pursued by the present Ukrainian authorities in the eastern and central regions of Ukraine.”