UOC-KP writes to Patriarch Kirill

This is worded quite strongly.

KYIV-MOSCOW (RISU) - On 1 February 2009, on the occasion of the enthronement of Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev), head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko), head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), sent an address to Patriarch Kirill. Among other things. Patriarch Filaret expressed his regret that the last church-wide sobor [assembly] of the ROC did not consider a decree on the autocephaly of the Ukrainian church.
Patriarch Filaret wished Patriarch Kirill “wisdom and gracious help in carrying the cross of the first hierarch” and reminded him that he “is called to become not so much a great lord as the father for many archpastors, pastors and faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church and also a brother and comrade of the heads of the local Orthodox churches.”

Patriarch Filaret, who, as a former bishop of the ROC, himself ordained the present head of ROC as a bishop, wrote that he allowed himself to “say what may not be pleasant” but what may be “useful” to the newly-elected patriarch of Moscow.

Patriarch Filaret expressed his regret over the fact that at the last churchwide sobor [assembly], Patriarch Kirill did not consider the decree of the sobor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) of 1-3 November 1991 regarding its autocephaly, even though the hierarchical sobor of the ROC included this question in the agenda of the local sobor. “Neither did you consider the address to the churchwide sobor on the matter of the autocephaly of the UOC[-MP], signed by me on behalf of our church and approved by the holy synod,” reads the address.

“You have to realize that the establishment of an autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox church is not my personal will or the will of individual politicians. This is the will of the majority of the believing Ukrainian people, confirmed by the decisions of the sobor of the UOC[-MP] of 1-3 November 1991, and the very existence of our church. The Ukrainian Orthodox church has struggled for its autocephaly for 90 years, and even this fact alone shows that this question must not be ignored in expectation that it will be resolved by itself. You may state that not all members of the UOC[-MP] desire autocephaly and that there is no full unity on this issue. However, you yourself had the chance to become the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, despite the fact that not all the members of the hierarchical and churchwide sobors wanted that,” said Patriarch Filaret in the address.

At the same time, Patriarch Filaret stressed that “one should not rely on the fact that the Russian church today is numerous and influential, supported by the authorities and universal Orthodoxy, and our church (Ukrainian) [UOC-KP] is divided and artificially isolated from communion with other local churches. This does not give the Russian church the right to spread the pride of the secular power under the pretext of religious rite (see Rule 8 of the 3rd Ecumenical Council), replace the unity of the church in Christ by administrative unity, and preach, spread and establish Russian great-power chauvinism under the pretext of combating Ukrainian nationalism.”

The head of the UOC-KP called Patriarch Kirill to learn from the experience of his spiritual father Metropolitan Nikodim, who, “by recognizing the American metropolitanate as an autocephalous church, overcame its long-standing divide with the Russian church.”

“Find strength in yourself to consign to oblivion the regulations of the Hierarchical Sobor of the ROC, passed in June 1992 and February 1997, which divided the Ukrainian church. Recognize the autocephaly of the Ukrainian church as your predecessors earlier recognized the autocephaly of the Georgian, Polish, Czech and Slovak and American churches. Those decisions were hardly desirable for people in power, but your predecessors, prelates Filip, Iov, Germogen and Tikhon were also not desirable for the people in power.”