Orthodox believers in Belarus do not have the right to participate in the sacraments of the newly created “Orthodox Church in Ukraine,” a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
This was stated by the official representative of the Belarusian Orthodox Church Sergei Lepin in an interview with Radio Liberty.
Father Sergei also said that Belarusian Orthodox “cannot take part” in the services of the “Orthodox Church in Ukraine.”
According to Lepin, the Belarusian Orthodox Church regards the formation of the “Orthodox Church in Ukraine” in the same way as the Russian Orthodox Church.
“As to certain external events that are not directly related to the life of the canonical Orthodox Church,” he said.
Also, according to him, the leadership of the BOC did not send congratulations to the head of the newly created non-canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine, Epiphanius.
When asked whether contacts will be maintained between the BOC and the OCU, Lepin answered negatively.
“What contacts? Usual good neighborly contacts. We are not looking for war, hostility. We are everyone's friends. Friendship is friendship, but certain issues are still separate. We are not talking about any canonical, liturgical relations. They are impossible with this church,” replied the representative of the Orthodox Church of Belarus.
He also explained that this attitude of Belarus does not mean that the OCU is treated as “not a sister church.”
“We treat them as representatives, apparently, of another religion. The same as for Catholics, Uniates or any schismatics,” said Father Sergei.
December 15 “T.n. The “unification council” in Kyiv elected the non-canonical Metropolitan of Pereyaslavl and Belotserkovsky Epiphany (Dumenko) to the post of head of the “Orthodox Church in Ukraine” subordinate to Patriarch Bartholomew. The Russian Orthodox Church and the UOC do not recognize this “council” as canonical, and the representatives of the new church are considered schismatics.