Russia: There's no way Abp. Job said that about Ukraine

Moscow, August 4 (Interfax) - The Moscow Patriarchate does not believe that a representative of the Constantinople Church Archbishop Job (Getcha) of Telmissos could have called Ukraine its canonical territory.

"Archbishop Job is a highly educated person, an expert on canonical law. It is unbelievable that he could have claimed that "the territory of Ukraine is a canonical territory of the Church of Constantinople," deputy head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archpriest Nikolay Balashov writes in his article posted by Interfax-Religion.

According to the priest, such a statement contradicts both the truth of history and the official position of the Constantinople Patriarchate, confirmed many times (including the fact that Patriarch Bartholomew officially informed Patriarch Kirill about Archbishop Job's coming visit to Ukraine.)

The church official points out that the interview with the mentioned statement was prepared by a notorious in Ukraine advocate of schism, former activist of Sunday Adelaja's sect The Embassy of God and posted at the website of the Religious Informational Service of Ukraine backed up by Greek Catholics whose leader has recently insulted his Orthodox compatriots Ukrainians.

"Archbishop Job participated in divine services in Kiev by Metropolitan Onufry's of Kiev and All Ukraine personal invitation. I think it is evidently manifests that the Constantinople Patriarchate recognizes the only canonical Church and jurisdiction in Ukraine. And let us leave "hot" facts and sensations on the conscience of journalists who post them," the author further writes.

He believes that an attempt to negate the legitimacy of unity between the Kiev Metropolia and the Moscow Patriarchate also looks like a journalistic fantasy rather than a responsible statement made by an Orthodox hierarch.

"Anyway, it absolutely lacks historical and canonical grounds. The council resolution of 1686 was signed by Patriarch Dionysius IV and twenty one metropolitans of the Church of Constantinople, recognized by all Eastern patriarchs and has never been questioned all through the centuries," Father Nikolay noted.