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UOC(MP) Synod sets up a commission for dialogue with the UAOC

24 June 2015
http://risu.org.ua/en/index/all_news/confessional/interchurch_relations/60349/

On June 24, at a meeting the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) heard a report by Metropolitan Mitrofan of Luhansk and Alchevsk, Head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the election of a new Primate of the UAOC.

The bishops of the UOC(MP) resolved:

Consider expedient to continue the work of the Commission for the dialogue with the UAOC and approve its updated membership:

1) Metropolitan Feodor of Kamyanets-Podilskyy and Horodok, head of the ecclesiastical court of the UOC - Chairman;

2) Metropolitan Avhustyn of Bila Tserkva and Bohuslav, chairman of the Theological Canonical Commission to the Holy Synod of the UOC;

3) Bishop Filaret of Lviv and Galicia;

4) Archpriest Mykolai Danylevych, Deputy Head of the Department for External Church Relations;

5) Volodymyr Burega, Viceprincipal for scientific and theological work of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary.

This was indicated in journal 26 of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).

As RISU has previously reported, the active dialogue on unification of the two Churches is ongoing between the UAOC and the UOC-KP. On June 8, 2015 in St. Michael's Monastery, a joint meeting of the Committees of the UOC Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church was held. According to the results of this work a document - the final decision, was adopted. According to this document, on September 14, 2015 the Unification Council is to be convened. The venue of the Unification Council is suggested to be Saint Sophia Cathedral. All proposals regarding the terms of association approved UAOC (4-5 June 2015) and the Holy Synod of the UOC KP (12 May 2015), including the issue of the Primate and the name of the united Church, shall be submitted to the Unification Council. The decisions on all issues will be mad by majority vote at the Council.

Well, guess it was that time again. IIRC, this is the 10th such 'commission' in 20 years. Let me summarise what the previous nine accomplished:







Hope that was clear.

This is just another ploy to hinder the union of the UOC-KP and UAOC.

In addition, the Ukrainian version of this report also adds that the Primate of the UOC-MP, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphrios (who celebrated his Namesday yesterday) and his Synod will address His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to ask the Patriarch to explain how and why he gave his blessing to allow two UOC-EP bishops from Canada and the U.S. to attend the commission meeting of the UOC-KP and UAOC on the canonical territory of the UOC-MP without notifying the UOC-MP or asking its permission.

That should be interesting - keep up the great work Tommassus!

Alex
UGCC

Further news published by RISU now affirms that the primate of the UAOC is in full favour of unity with the UOC-KP and that he will personally be supported Patriarch Filaret as the Primate of the united Church.

He also said he visited the EP where he received assurances that the EP will support such a united Church - what this means specifically is not explained.

So the UAOC primate looks forward to the September 14th Union Council and will actively work to unite these two Ukrainian Orthodox Churches. He hinted at a further union with the UOC-MP or else the majority pro-Ukrainian camp therein - again this was not explained more specifically.

For the UAOC Primate to have changed his tune so dramatically with respect to the Primate of the UOC-KP is truly nothing short of "miraculous" as some have said.

He further reiterated that the UAOC has not been invited to any dialogue with the UOC-MP, there is no such communication with his Church nor has he met with Metropolitan Onuphrios.

Alex

It may just be that the EP is 'rattling its sabres' so to speak but may not be willing to jeopardize the 2016 Pan Orthodox Synod. On the other hand, the hopes that a resolution to the issues of jurisdiction of the ancient patriarchates outside of their traditional homelands has not been 'solved' via the Assembly of Bishops concept no matter how many optimistic press releases the North American assembly issues (they will not be able to resolve property rights issues at all in my view nor language nor calendar) , Antioch has severed relations with Jerusalem over the Qatar issue and Russia is increasingly looking as if it seeks the 'first chair' of honor in the future, so if there is more to this than meets the eye, strange things may happen. If so, there will be lasting schism in the Orthodox world for certain.

On July 9th, the UAOC held its Sobor and categorically decided AGAINST moving ahead with any unity plans with the UOC-KP.

There were numerous manifest reasons given and we are left to guess what the latent reasons were.

The UOC-KP called on those individual UAOC parishes that have been urging their UAOC hierarchs toward union with the KP to simply continue in individual negotiations about uniting with the KP.

The UOC-MP gave its own reaction to the situation, as given in its press release on risu.org.ua and on its own website orthodox.org.ua

The primate of the UAOC changed his tune from two weeks ago rather suddenly.

We shall see what the fallout will be in the weeks to come.

Alex