POROSHENKO THANKS UPTs METROPOLITAN SOFRONY, SUPPORTER OF AUTOCEPHALY
Interfax-Religiia, 20 November 2018
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with Metropolitan of Cherkassy and Kanev Sofrony of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
As reported on the website of the head of state, the conversation occurred during a working trip by P. Poroshenko to Cherkassy oblast, during which the president visited the St. Michael's cathedral church of the oblast center.
"I would like to thank you for a very informative, very frank and edifying conversation of a sincere believing man, who very much loves Ukraine, who very much loves Cherkassy, and who has built churches here and who sees a Ukrainian church in the future, the future Ukrainian local autocephalous Orthodox church. I bow low to you and thank you for your labors," the president said during conversation with the metropolitan.
Metropolitan Sofrony is one of several bishops of the canonical UPTs who are supporters of the creation in the country of an Orthodox church independent from the Moscow patriarchate.
During a speech before social and political activists of Cherkassy oblast, P. Poroshenko emphasized that Ukrainians support the creation of a united local Orthodox church, although "we would certainly not manage to do this if it were not God's will."
"And it is not for 27 years that Ukrainians have awaited this great event. And even not 332 years. But 1,030 years, from the moment of the baptism of Ukraine by the holy, equal-to-apostles Prince Vladimir. For 1030 years Ukraine has waited for an autocephalous church, because this is one of the key elements in the creation of a sovereign state, an independent state of Ukraine," P. Poroshenko said. (tr. by PDS, posted 20 November 2018)
METROPOLITAN OF CHERKASSY: PERSONALLY I HAVE NOT BROKEN OFF RELATIONS WITH CONSTANTINOPLE
Metropolitan of Cherkassy and Kanev Sofrony of the UPTsMP did not support the decision of the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate severing eucharistic relations and therefore he will not observe it.
The hierarch declared this in an interview with B.B.C.
"I did not break off (eucharistic communion—ed.) because I am not going anywhere. But if I were to go to Athos, then I would take communion. When I was in Athos, I did not display that I arrived at the center of the world as a bishop from Ukraine. I traveled as a simple monk, stood at the altar, and read, and I was allowed to take communion. That is what I would do even now," he said.
"Although this is also a resolution of our council, I do not consider that it is proper," Vladyka Sofrony added.
The metropolitan of Cherkassy also explained why he did not go to a meeting with Poroshenko after the council, as several bishops of the UPTsMP did.
"I wasn't called. I did not know anything. Everything just ended (the council) and everybody left. I got into a car and went. Nobody even approached me.
Then they called, but my physical condition. . . . Such tension, the whole day. It was hard for me. Therefore I did not go back, not because I didn't want to. If I had known, then I would immediately (after the conclusion of the council) have gone there. But nobody said anything to me," the hierarch noted. (tr. by PDS, posted 20 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/.