UOC-KP hoping Great Council will tackle autocephaly issue

(RISU) - The Council of the UOC-KP adopted and issued a statement today on the results of the Synaxis – a gathering of the Primates of all the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, which completed its work March 9, 2014, in Constantinople.

The Council of the UOC-KP entrusted Patriarch Filaret in writing to inform Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of the Kyivan Patriarchate’s position on issues raised at the meeting.

The bishops of the UOC-KP regret that at the meeting of the Primates, as well as in all previous meetings, no agreement was found concerning autocephaly.

The UOC-KP emphasized that “to consider issues relating to a local church, certain church leaders, or their doctrines, representatives of these churches are always invited so they can have the opportunity to justify and defend their views or actions... Unfortunately, as the bishop emphasizes, “the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate is still denied by representatives of other local churches the right to share its position when the issue of autocephaly and other important issues are being considered on the pan-Orthodox level. This violates the relevant guidelines of the Holy Scripture and the traditions of the council of the Universal Church.”

The bishops of the UOC-KP emphasize that they belong to the One, Holy, United, and Apostolic Church. “The absence of official communication between our church and other national Orthodox churches is not the result of our position – because we seek dialogue and do everything for it – but the result of the actions of our brothers, especially the Moscow Patriarchate, which does everything it can to keep us isolated,” stated the UOC-KP.

The hierarchs of the UOC-KP also state that “in Ukraine there is no real threat of ‘violent seizures of holy monasteries and churches,’” and that they have repeatedly denounced and condemned any calls for such action.