(Catholic Culture) - Russian patriarch criticizes Ukrainian Catholics; Eastern patriarch says ‘real’ Ukrainians are Orthodox
In a meeting with the head of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow criticized the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church as well as Orthodox churches in Ukraine that are not in communion with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
“Our Church, unlike the Greek Catholic Church and schismatic groups, does not support any of the conflict parties” in Ukraine today, Patriarch Kirill said during their meeting in Moscow. “We believe our mission is that of reconciliation.”
“I know the real Ukrainian people: they firmly adhere to Orthodoxy and stay faithful to their Mother – the Russian Orthodox Church,” Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria said in response, according to the Moscow Patriarchate. The Greek-born Patriarch Theodore had served in Ukraine during the 1980s.
Both Patriarch Kirill and Patriarch Theodore emphasized the missionary nature of their churches.
“It is necessary to enlighten peoples on the vast Eurasian continent who have not yet become Christian,” said Patriarch Kirill, who also spoke of the “need to carry out today a new mission among people who are traditionally Orthodox but who still remain uninitiated to the church and sometimes even unbaptized.”
Friday, September 11, 2015
Interesting what Catholic media picks up on
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“Our Church, unlike the Greek Catholic Church and schismatic groups, does not support any of the conflict parties” in Ukraine today, Patriarch Kirill said during their meeting in Moscow. “We believe our mission is that of reconciliation.”
ReplyDeleteThanks, I needed a good laugh today.
Yeah, no kidding.
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DeleteNo need to laugh at the truth. The UOC-MP in Donbass supports the pro-Russian separatists, the UOC-MP in Crimea supports Russia, and the UOC-MP in the rest of the Ukraine supports the Ukrainian government and army. Patriarch Kirill has not condemned any side.
DeleteGo to the website of the UOC-MP , use Google Translate if you wish, read the articles about its support for the Ukrainian army.
http://news.church.ua/category/cerkva-i-vijsko/
Stop being lazy. Stop assuming that the corporate media gives the whole picture on what is happening in Ukraine or that the UGCC has a monopoly on the truth about events there.
Patriarch Kirill is spot on!
ReplyDeleteYou, it's going to be a real pity when the Putin regime collapses and all the progress that the Russian Church has made implodes along with it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity that the Russian church is so joined at the hip to the state. If a regime that supports a church collapses, the church should be strong enough to endure under any government that is not outright hostile (and, hopefully, it should be able to survive even under a hostile one!).
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