UPTsMP BISHOPS WHO PARTICIPATE IN UNIFICATION COUNCIL WILL BE PUNISHED, UPTs CENTER OF INFORMATION WARNS
Commotion about tomos imposed on Ukrainians, forcing them to think that this is the only task of earthly life—Metropolitan Antony
The Ukrainian church question nowadays is capturing the attention of the whole Orthodox world. Events are evolving rapidly and many people simply do not understand them.
The Center of Information of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has prepared a text version of an interview with the chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Antony, the video version of which was made by the NTN television channel.
In it, Vladyka Antony described the assessment of the actions of the patriarchate of Constantiople in the recently held Bishops' Council and also the procedure existing in the whole Orthodox world for making decisions about autocephaly. The UPTs chancellor also called attention to the threats which have arisen before ecumenical Orthodoxy and to the decisions of the council that bishops and laity must obey. At the same time he recalled the reference point with which each Orthodox believer must determine his path.
--A few days ago a major event occurred within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church—a Bishops' Council. What do the decisions of this council mean for bishops and ordinary believers?
--(Metr. Antony) At the Bishops' Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church a decision was made that after the anticanonical actions of the patriarchate of Constantinople, eucharistic communion between Constantinople and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is suspended. This is a really extreme measure, which testifies to the fact that by its interference and legalizations of schism, Constantinople has taken the path of schism.
I emphasize again—this is a very difficult and extreme step. Our bishops made this decision with sorrow. It means that none of our clergy, both bishops and priests, have the possibility now of concelebrating with hierarchs of the Constantinople church. It also means that our faithful children cannot take communion in those churches where clergy of the patriarchate of Constantinople serve.
The break in eucharistic fellowship is not simply the result of anticanonical decisions and actions, but first of all a call for Constantinople to come to its senses. After all, further steps in this direction may become the cause of a global crisis in the Orthodox world.
As is known, the Bishops' Councils of the Serbian and Polish Orthodox Churches have categorically rejected the legalization of schism in Ukraine and they have noted that the actions of the Phanar may lead to a split in ecumenical Orthodoxy.
--Just how do the actions of the Phanar create a threat for ecumenical Orthodoxy?
In almost every local church there are its own schisms. The actions of the Phanar lead to the discrediting of canon law itself. Now any priest or bishop may violate church rules, having in front of himself the real example of the fact that he may appeal to any other patriarchate and this patriarchate will legalize his illegal anticanonical actions. Therefore such actions are not only a threat for the church, where there already is a schism, but it is grounds for the creation of new schisms.
--We understand that the patriarchate of Constantinople is not acting according to the rule with regard to Ukraine. Describe the procedure adopted in the Orthodox world for making decisions about autocephaly.
--It is necessary to proceed from the fact that in the Orthodox church there is no principle of papism, when one of the primates, even the "first among equals," may decide everything for all local Orthodox churches. Orthodox ecclesiology rests on the principle of sobornicity [conciliarity]. In each local church, all questions are decided at councils of bishops and locals. And problems of a global nature, affecting all local Orthodox churches, should be considered at Pan-Orthodox councils or conferences of all heads of local churches. As regards the granting of autocephaly, although a document has not been adopted, there is consensus on this question.
The foundation of autocephaly should be the unanimous opinion of the church that is claiming this status itself. Then this decision should be confirmed by the mother-church, that is, that church of which it is a part. After this, the mother-church [kyriarchal church] reports its decision to the patriarch of Constantinople, who, in his turn, reports this to all local Orthodox churches. And only when there is a unanimous positive opinion on this matter of all churches is the decision about granting autocephaly made. The tomos concerning autocephaly is signed by all heads of local Orthodox churches. By the way, the last point has also become a stumbling block.
The Phanar claims that there is only one patriarch's signature on this document, that of Constantinople.
--The Bishops' Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church did not recognize the decisions of the patriarchate of Constantinople regarding intrusion onto the canonical territory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UPTs) and it also did not recognize the lifting of the anathema from the heads and representatives of the UPTsKP and UAPTs. Does this mean that, despite the great information noise over this, for UPTs believers nothing has essentially changed?
--The Bishops' Council concluded that the decisions of the Phanar are based on a speculative interpretation of history and a biased interpretation of church canons. And therefore these decisions do not have canonical force.
Believers should be calm. We are the local church for the entire Ukrainian nation. We have our own history. The history is very complex, consisting both of periods of flourishing and of periods of decline. But what is most important is that we have great saints, people who embodied by their lives the ideals of Christ.
--How do you recommend ordinary people guide themselves? After all, the basic attention of Ukrainians now is focused on events surrounding the church and possible autocephaly.
--The church is necessary so that while living here, on earth, we hope for eternal life. But in order to hope, it is necessary to live in a Christian fashion.
It should be noted that those who devised the tomos craze in Ukraine, with all the commotion, slander, and lies that are being imposed on Ukrainian society, are discrediting the church of Christ itself.
The consciousness of people is being distracted from how a person ought to live in the church. And the church exists only so that a person remains a person, the image and likeness of God. The church exists in order to remind us that we are citizens of heaven, but for now with an earthly residence registration. It is very important to remember that our task is a task with an eternal, immortal prospect. We are not locked into here.
Indeed, we are citizens of our own fatherland, patriots of our own fatherland, while we are not populist patriots, but patriots who really labor on our own land. We create church buildings and decorate our land. We labor so that our families live in prosperity and so that our land flourishes. Ukraine is a beautiful land given by God, beautiful people. At the same time, we should remember our immortal soul. The Christian understands that while creating genuine earthly beauty he should also create inner beauty, the beauty of one's soul, in order to be able to live eternally.
Unfortunately, all this commotion around the tomos forces people to think that this is the task of earthly life, and if there is no tomos, then the church itself will cease to exist. But after all the church is the body of Christ, and thus nobody is able to become its head and to rule it. The church is ruled by Christ himself. And we can only obey the voice of God and live as the Spirit of God directs us. For this the churching of a person who prays and repents is necessary. If not daily, then at least once a week, on Sunday, he is in the church building in order to make his communion with the holy immortal sacraments of Christ. This is the life of the Christian!
The believing person must remember that the church is preserved by the sacred canons. The task of the Orthodox Christian is not to step aside. Because if one subjects the church canons to doubt and discredit, on which the life of the church is really based, then one may leave the church altogether. But apostasy from the church is the most terrible thing that can be in human life.
The faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church need to be calm and focused on His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufrey, to whom the Chief Shepherd Christ entrusted the captain's wheel of our earthly church. He is a person of profound faith, devoted to God and church traditions, and a sincere monk. From his mouth there never sounds a call to any aggression, any attacks, but the voice of the holy gospel.
To be true to Christ, to pray, to repent, to be patriots of our fatherland—this is what the Ukrainian Orthodox Church calls us to. We reject any claim on us by alien, false hosts. We have everything we need for living in Christ's church. Of course, we have our difficulties, but difficulties always are overcome if a person lives with God.
--Returning to the place of our earthly residence registration. There is a report that on the day the Bishops' Council of the UPTs was held, to which the president did not come, his meeting with some bishops of the UPTs still occurred, but in Ukraine House. What is known about this and what does it affect?
--I know exactly what everybody knows—from the news media. The event itself changes nothing. Because our church made a conciliar decision, which all the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church must obey. This pertains to both bishops, clergy and laity. This decision says specifically that none of us may participate in the so-called "unification council."
--And what if this rule is violated by some bishops?
--Everything that goes against the canonical rules and those decisions that were made by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will be regarded as a canonical violation, for which an appropriate disciplinary action will follow. This is not a punishment—"we cut with a sword"—but a statement that a certain clergyman violated his Episcopal oath and left the canonical church which engendered him as a bishop.
--That is, a complete prohibition of ministry?
--The Holy Synod will make the decision in accordance with church canonical rules. (tr. by PDS, posted 19 November 2018)
Editorial disclaimer: RRN does
not intend to certify the accuracy of information
presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the
accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the
articles as they appeared in news media of countries of
the former USSR.
If material is quoted, please give credit to the
publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit
this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please
include reference to the URL,
http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/.