ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH SPEAKS OF "CONTINUAL AND UNINTERRUPTED" CANONICAL DEPENDENCE OF KIEV ON CONSTANTINOPLE CHURCH
Religiia v Ukraine, 4 September 2018
On 4 September 2018, the official website of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. (Constantinople patriarchate) published a speech by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the opening of the Orthodox Synaxis in Istanbul, Religiia v Ukraine, with a reference to the "Tserkvach" channel in Telegram.
The patriarch's speech emphasizes the uncanonical character of the unification of the Kiev metropolitanate with the Moscow patriarchate that is responsible for the current unhealthy situation in Ukraine and the inability of Moscow to resolve it. Because of this, the ecumenical patriarchate is taking upon itself the initiative for resolving this problem.
"Regardless of how some have tried to present the situation in Ukraine, history points to their mistakes and presents indisputable arguments testifying to the fact that the problems in Ukraine are not a recent phenomenon and are not the consequence of actions by the ecumenical patriarchate.
"Back in the early 14th century, when the Kiev see was moved without the canonical permission of the Mother-Church to Moscow, a tireless struggle has been waged by our Kiev brethren for independence from ecclesiastical control on the part of the Moscow center. Indeed, the stubbornness of the Moscow patriarchate has sometimes led to absorption and restoration of dioceses, the conduct of uncanonical elections of bishops, and also the emergence of schisms, from which the pious Ukrainian people have suffered as before.
"Among other things, a study of this question in the light of the sacred canons does not justify any interference on the part of the Russian church. The land of the current Kiev metropolitanate was not assigned to the jurisdiction of Moscow by the tomos that proclaimed Moscow as a patriarchate. Moreover, after the way, which is well known by everybody, by which Moscow was proclaimed a patriarchate on the part of Ecumenical Patriarch Jeremiah II, the canonical dependence of Kiev on the Constantinople Mother-Church has remained continual and uninterrupted.
"In 1686, our predecessor Patriarch Dionysius IV, as a result of strong political pressure and under the impact of excruciating circumstances, and out of concern for maintaining peace within the church, was forced to issue a letter in which he granted to Moscow the right to appoint the metropolitan of Kiev on the inviolable condition that each metropolitan of Kiev would commemorate the name of the ecumenical patriarch as his spiritual leader and authority and also demonstrate the canonical authority of Constantinople over this metropolitanate.
"So far as we know, there is no other act which would change the canonical status of Kiev or revise the rights of Constantinople, and of course there were no decisions on the part of the Mother-Church herself to completely surrender Kiev to Russia. The uncanonical intervention of Moscow in Kiev's affairs and the toleration of this on the part of the ecumenical patriarchate in previous years do not justify any ecclesiastical violations.
"In any case, there cannot be any doubts that the efforts of the Russian church to resolve this question have failed. Thus, since Russia, as the one responsible for the current unhealthy situation in Ukraine, is unable to resolve the problem, the ecumenical patriarchate has taken upon itself the initiative for resolving the problem in accordance with the authority granted it by the sacred canons and the jurisdictional responsibility over the diocese of Kiev, after receiving a request to this effect from the Ukrainian government and also repeated requests from the 'patriarch' of Kiev, Filaret, concerning an appeal for our consideration of his case.
"The Mother-Church has not created its ecclesiastical administration and it does not rewrite the Gospel like the Grand Inquisitor of the famous Russian writer Fedor Dostoevsky. In its capacity as Primary See of Orthodoxy, the ecumenical patriarchate fulfills it prophetic ministry, performing the sacraments of the catholic church in Jesus Christ throughout the world in every epoch."
Then Patriarch Bartholomew, in confirmation of what he said, cited a number of conciliar rules, historic documents, and modern research in the area of church law. (tr. by PDS, posted 4 September 2018)
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