POROSHENKO DECLARES THAT HE WILL NOT PERMIT "OTHERS" TO INTERFERE IN AFFAIRS OF UPTs
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko declared that the government will not interfere in internal church affairs and will not permit others to do so, but at the same time he spoke again about the necessity of autocephaly for Ukraine.
"I guarantee the government will not interfere in strictly internal church affairs. But I emphasize, others will not be permitted to do this. . . . From the first days of my presidency, I have set a goal for myself to achieve the creation of a united local Orthodox church and the recognition of this church by the ecumenical patriarch," Poroshenko said during his speech on the occasion of the events for the 1030th anniversary of the baptism of Rus; Ukrainian television carried the broadcast.
He expressed the hope that the decision regarding the tomos (ukase) concerning autocephaly will be just. "The tomos concerning the autocephaly of the UPTs will complete the affirmation of the independence and autonomy of our state and it will strengthen religious liberty and inter-confessional peace. It will strengthen the rights and liberties of citizens. . . . The Scripture says that it is not given to us to know the times and seasons. But I believe that the final decision of the ecumenical [patriarch] will be just with respect to Ukraine," Poroshenko reported.
The president thanked Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew for a letter with the recollection that "Ukraine is not the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church." "And for this letter, which he delivered to us yesterday, in which is declared such a long-awaited goal as 'granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church,'" he added. At the same time, a representative of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, speaking against autocephaly and for the unity of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, declared that there is nothing new in Bartholomew's letter.
Poroshenko is trying to gain recognition of the noncanonical structures and the creation of a united local autocephalous church on their foundations. In response to the appeal of secular authorities, the synod of the Constantinople patriarchate declared that "it has decided to be in close communication on this request with other sister Orthodox churches for their information and coordination."
The head of the uncanonical Orthodox church in Ukraine, Filaret, hopes that Ukraine will receive a ukase concerning autocephaly in the near future. "We are grateful to the ecumenical patriarch that he has finally understood that the time has come to grant a tomos to the Ukrainian church concerning its autocephaly, and we hope that in the near future we will have such a tomos," Filaret said during a speech on the occasion of events for the 1030th anniversary of the baptism of Rus.
The celebrations began in Kiev the afternoon before. As the Ukrainian Orthodox Church reported, around 250 thousand believers from all dioceses of the UPTs and pilgrims from abroad participated in a procession of the cross in honor of the 1030th anniversary of the baptism of Rus on Friday in Kiev, despite obstacles that were created widely for believers by Ukrainian officials and carriers. (tr. by PDS, posted 28 July 2018)
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