CONSTANTINOPLE: PRIMATES OF ALEXANDRIA AND POLISH CHURCHES SPOKE CLEARLY ABOUT UPTs AUTOCEPHALY
Archbishop of Telmessos Job of the Constantinople patriarchate explained what the primates of the Alexandria and Polish Orthodox churches had in mind when they spoke about overcoming church misunderstandings because of autocephaly. The hierarch of the ecumenical patriarchate gave an exclusive commentary to Cerkvarium.
"I thus understand that the declaration clearly speaks about autocephaly and about the guidance of canonical order in church life in Ukraine. That is, the division in Ukraine demands the introduction of church order. This problem can be resolved only by granting autocephaly," he stated.
In the opinion of the hierarch, they are not talking about condemning or not recognizing Ukrainian autocephaly but that everything should be done peacefully, canonically, and orderly.
As RISU reported, Patriarch of Alexandria Theodore II and Metropolitan of Warsaw and all-Poland Savva prepared a declaration in which, in diplomatic form, they called for preventing conflicts in connection with the introduction of autocephaly in Ukraine and they wished that there be no violation of ecclesiastical canonical order.
"In the spirit of fraternal love, we call everybody on whom overcoming church misunderstandings depends, in connection with the granting of autocephaly to the Ukrainian church, to please do everything within your power for avoiding conflict because of this question and for establishing ecclesiastical order in the Ukrainian land," the authors of the document note. (tr. by PDS, posted 24 September 2018)
METROPOLITAN ILARION OF RPTsMP VISITS WARSAW TO MEET WITH PRIMATES OF ALEXANDRIA AND POLISH CHURCHES
Credo.Press, 24 September 2018
The chairman of the Departmen6ur6urt for External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Ilarion, made a working visit on 23 September to Warsaw, in order to meet with Patriarch of Alexandria Theodore, who is within the boundaries of the Polish Orthodox Church on an official visit, and with Metropolitan of Warsaw and all-Poland Savva. Ilarion arrived in Warsaw from Portugal, where in particular he venerated the Fatima sanctuary.
As the Communications Service of the OVTsSMP reports, on his trip the chairman of the department was accompanied by the vice-chairman of OVTsSMP, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, and an employee of the OVTsSMP, priest Anatoly Churiakov.
Yesterday our portal published a Russian translation of a joint statement by the primates of the Alexandria and Polish Orthodox churches, the key phrase of which says: "We appeal to everybody on whom overcoming the church misunderstandings depends through attaining the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church: please do everything that is within your power to bring to an end the conflict because of this question and to establish peace on Ukrainian territory."
According to preliminary information at Credo.Press' disposal, Metropolitan Ilarion will travel from Warsaw to Belgrade in order to enlist the support of the Serbian patriarchate in the upcoming confrontation with the Constantinople church. (tr. by PDS, posted 24 September 2018)
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