UOC-MP on unity in Ukraine

KYIV (RISU) — “The purpose of our dialogue with the non-canonical church groups is not a desire for canonical separation from the fullness of the Rus Church but an aspiration to restore the church unity,” reads the Address of the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) to Faithful Children passed during the extended session of its synod of November 24, 2009. In this document the leadership of the church clearly set out its position as to the unification of Ukrainian Orthodoxy and stressed the conditions of that process. First of all, it repeated its position that “the way to restore the unity is through repentance, that is a graceful ‘change of mind’ and way of life of those who are in separation” and that “the only acceptable model of restoration of church unity and unification of all Orthodox Christians in the within the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, that is the return of the separated ones to where they came from.”

As for the way of organization of life in the UOC itself and a possible change of its status, which recently have been discussed in various environments, the Synod of the UOC clearly conveyed to the faithful and everyone interested in this question: “The position of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the question of its canonical status, approved in the Statutes of the ROC [Russian Orthodox Church] by the Council of ROC on January 28, 2009, is unchanged. We believe that a revision of the existing status of UOC is not good for church life. Let us remind our flock that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is part of ROC with the rights of extended autonomy and a self-ruling government as specified in the Statutes of ROC. It is united with the One Holy Universal and Apostolic Church through the Russian Orthodox Church. It is in unity with the Ecumenical Orthodoxy exactly through the canonical and prayer connection of our church with the fullness of the Russian Orthodox Church. The current status of our Church is optimal for fulfilling its salvation mission for the modern Ukrainian state that is to sanctify the people of God, who are Ukrainian citizens, making them the citizens of Heaven.”

The address reads that UOC-MP also keeps to its principled position as to the historical fact of the schism and its initiators. It stresses that the only possible canonical model of the restoration of church unity in Ukraine is the repentance of the “scismatics.”