NEW CRISIS IN UAPTs: BUKOVINA DIOCESE STOPS COMMEMORATING PRIMATE
Religiia v Ukraine, 31 July 2017
Critics of Metropolitan Makary, head of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church [UAPTs], announced through the memorial website of His Beatitude Mefody, the former head of the UAPTs, documents testifying to a new crisis in this confession, Religiia v Ukraine reports.
The previous crisis was connected with disputes about personnel decisions of the leadership of UAPTs. Now the issue is "a massive fraud in connection with the illegal sale of a monastery."
On 28 July 2017, the UAPTs marked the day of the memory of the Holy Equal-to-Apostles Prince Vladimir the Great and the anniversary of the baptism of Kievan Rus-Ukraine.
"It has been learned from sources of the Chernovtsy-Khotin diocese of the UAPTs," writes the memorial website of His Beatitude Mefody, "that a diocesan council [sobor] of the Chernovtsy-Khotin diocese of the UAPTs was held, under the chairmanship of Archbishop of Chernovtsy and Khotin German and with the participation of benefactors, clergy, and laity of the diocese.
The diocesan council was called by the clergy on the issue of involvement of the primate of the UAPTs, His Beatitude Metropolitan Makary, in massive fraud in the illegal sale of the Saints Apostles Peter and Paul men's monastery of the Ternopol diocese of the UAPTs.
According to minutes of the session of the diocesan council of the Chernovtsy-Khotin diocese of the UAPTs, the clergy and laity decided:
" --to express lack of confidence in the primate of the UAPTs, His Beatitude Metropolitan Makaary;
" --to demand the convocation of a local council for the election of a new primate of the UAPTs;
" --to refrain from commemoration of His Beatitude Metropolitan Makary during the performance of the liturgy.
"The reason for such a decision was the desire of the clergy and laity to preserve peace within their diocese and to testify to their attitude toward the latest crisis events in the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church."
The memorial website of His Beatitude Mefody provided readers relevant documents with the signatures of the participants in the diocesan council of the Chernovtsy-Khotin diocese of the UAPTs.
There was no comment regarding the incident on the official website of the UAPTs. However, recently, 17-18 July, a joint session of the Ternopol diocesan council and the auditing commission under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Makary, head of the UAPTs, came to the conclusion that the aforementioned monastery had not been sold but only a part of the complex of the Chervonograd Castle. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 July 2017)
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