Statement of the Synod of the UOC (MP) – sitting in the trenches while the Phanar seizes new bridgeheads
The Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (MP) issued a statement regarding “the latest events in the field of inter-Orthodox relations.”
“As a result of the anti-canonical actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine, as well as in connection with the acceptance into communion by the primates of the Greek and Alexandrian Orthodox Churches of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”, the situation in world Orthodoxy has significantly worsened and the division between the Local Orthodox Churches has deepened not only on the administrative, but and at the spiritual level - that is, at the level of communication in the Sacraments,” obvious facts are stated at the very beginning of the document.
But in the entire three-four page text we do not find anything fundamentally new, decisive in comparison with what was already recorded in the documents of the Russian Orthodox Church and the UOC (MP).
“One of the basic principles of the canon law of the Orthodox Church is that the one who enters into Eucharistic communion with an excommunicated person is himself excommunicated from communion with the Church,” the synod explains its severance of prayerful communion with the Ecumenical (so-called Ecumenical) Patriarchate and also by the Greek and Alexandrian churches. But it doesn't go any further.
After all, according to the same canons, those who pray together with those who have entered into communication with a schismatic are excommunicated from communion with the church. This is what we need to warn you about! Because individual hierarchs of the Jerusalem, Cyprus, Bulgarian and Czechoslovak churches are already covered with concelebration with the “Holy Church of Ukraine” (as in the tomos, but registered in Ukraine as the “OCU”).
But according to the canons, now they could not serve even with Bartholomew and his accomplices from the Greek and Alexandrian churches. And now these Jerusalem, Cypriot, Bulgarian and Czech hierarchs cannot serve in their local churches. Otherwise, they will spread the infection of anti-canonicalism to their churches.
And then neither the UOC (MP) nor the Russian Orthodox Church itself will be able to serve with the fraternal (for now) Jerusalem, Cyprus, Bulgarian and Czechoslovak churches. So as not to become canon violators ourselves.
This is the main danger now! Very close.
That is, It is not necessary to recognize the “HCU” or serve with them in order to cease to be a Church. To be anti-canonical, it is enough to continue to recognize as the Church those who recognize the “HCU”.
But this is not stated in the statement of the synod of the UOC-MP.
“We believe that the only way out of this crisis is a pan-Orthodox conciliar discussion and solution of the entire complex of these problematic issues,” the Ukrainian synodals only suggest. But the entire “complex of these problematic issues” has been “collectively discussed” at Ecumenical Councils for one and a half thousand years. All that remains is to execute.
Yes, a pan-Orthodox meeting is necessary. But not in order to “discuss” with the damaged mind and spirit of the XNUMXst century what has already been decided by the holy fathers of the Church. And in order to, with the help of the canons they adopted, publicly and in person justify decisions to break off prayerful communication with everyone who maintains communication with Istanbul, Athens and Alexandria. There should be no talk about “SCU” at all.
Of course, if we were talking about secular diplomacy, extremely soft calls for discussion would be appropriate - so as not to initially alienate possible participants with their uncompromisingness.
But here the question is whether or not to be an earthly church at all. And this should have been reflected in the part of the statement concerning the proposal for a pan-Orthodox conference.
Yes, the UOC, as not an autocephalous local church, but a structure within the Moscow Patriarchate (albeit “with the rights of broad autonomy”), is not an independent participant in World Orthodoxy to come up with global initiatives.
But precisely because of “less responsibility” and, as the one who directly and most suffers from the schism caused by the Phanar, it must offer the most radical solutions.
Offer them first of all to your “superior body” - the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. In order to leave this highest governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church some possibility of a tactical rollback in not the most fundamental things. Like, “as a matter of good will, we are not yet going to do this and that, despite the fact that our Ukrainian episcopate demands...”.
Otherwise, we will never expect any effective measures from the Russian Orthodox Church to force the rabid dwarf to peace. So the “trench warfare” will continue on our part within the Chisty Lane, while the Phanar epidemic will capture more and more local churches, including the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church (Estonia, Latvia, China... and even the Russian Federation itself, given that there are already a couple of -troika of “dioceses of the Kyiv Patriarchate”).
A separate paragraph of the document is devoted to explaining to Ukrainian society (those non-Orthodox who at least have ears to hear) that breaking relations with carriers of the virus is, let’s say, not “self-isolation” in the political sense, but “quarantine.” What kind of “isolation” can there be with Christ!
It is also gratifying that while the most active part of Ukrainian society and politics (including the leaders of the Uniates and the SCUshniks) curses Zelensky in advance for the Normandy war, the synod of the UOC (MP) reminds: “On Sunday, December 8, in support of the peacekeeping initiatives of the Ukrainian state to resolve conflict in Donbass, in all churches of the dioceses of the UOC they will offer special prayers during divine services for the successful implementation of the peace process and the advent of peace in eastern Ukraine.”
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