Phanar hierarch: Church of Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine no longer exists

Cross Procession on the day of the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus

When the Patriarchate of Constantinople abolished the act of 1686 on the transfer of the Kiev Metropolitanate to the Moscow Patriarchate, it thereby abolished the UOC, the BBC reports the words of Archbishop Job (Getcha).

“From a canonical point of view, this means that the UOC MP no longer exists in Ukraine,” said the Phanar’s representative. He explained that “by revoking the act of 1686, the administration of the Kiev Metropolis and all the UOC eparchies in Ukraine by the Moscow Church is no longer valid”.

The Constantinople hierarch does not understand why the hierarchs of the UOC should preserve “the link with the Moscow throne.”

“According to the decision of the synod, all hierarchs in Ukraine are hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne, and now they have to wait for the directive of the Ecumenical Patriarchate regarding their future functioning and existence on the way to providing autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine,” the Phanar’s hierarch said.

When asked by the BBS correspondent, what to do if the episcopacy of the UOC does not agree with this state of affairs, Archbishop Job said that such a position can only be caused by the lack of awareness-raising. He stressed that in Ukraine everything is led by the Ecumenical Patriarch according to his canonical prerogatives. And he will inform his subordinates when he considers it necessary.

Archbishop Job added that the “unification council” in Ukraine for this reason will be convened by Constantinople.

Metropolitan Ambrose of Kalavryta and Aigialeia criticized Phanar’s actions in Ukraine and suggested they could split World Orthodoxy.

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