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The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, hitherto affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate, breaks with Russia

2022-05-27T22:12:32.628Z


The Moscow branch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine declares its “full independence” at the end of a council devoted to the war in the UK


An upheaval.

The Moscow branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, hitherto affiliated with Moscow, announced Friday to break with Russia.

"We do not agree with the Muscovite Patriarch Kirill regarding the war in Ukraine," the Ukrainian Church said in a statement.

While hitherto subordinated to Russian Patriarch Kirill, who has made clear his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin's offensive against Ukraine, the Moscow branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has pronounced "full independence and autonomy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church", at the end of a council devoted to Russian "aggression" against his country.

"Stop the Bloodshed"

“The council condemns war, which is a violation of the commandment of God, and expresses its condolences to all who suffer because of war,” the statement added.

The council also calls on Ukraine and Russia to "continue the negotiation process" and find a way to "end the bloodshed".

Read alsoIn St. Michael's Church in kyiv, the prayers and bitterness of the Ukrainian Orthodox at Sunday mass

According to the Church of Ukraine, its relations with its Moscow leadership have been "complicated or non-existent" since martial law was declared in Ukraine.

The spokesman of the Church of Ukraine specified that the council had insisted on “its total rejection of the position of the Kirill patriarch concerning the war”.

"Not only did he not condemn Russia's military aggression, but he also found no words for the suffering Ukrainian people," he said.

The second Orthodox schism in Ukraine in a few years

This rupture is the second Orthodox schism in Ukraine in a few years.

Part of the Ukrainian Church, represented by the kyiv Patriarchate, had already broken with Moscow in 2019 over the role of the Kremlin in the country and pledged allegiance to Patriarch Bartholomew, based in Istanbul.

It was not specified on Friday evening whether the priests of the Moscow branch intended to do the same.

Friday evening, the patriarchate of kyiv had not yet expressed itself on the decision of the council.

"Since the Russian Orthodox Church has not received an address from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, we cannot react to the information given by the press and on the internet", commented the spokesperson of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vladimir Legoida.

And to add to pray “for a quick peace and an end to the bloodshed”.

The invasion decided on by Vladimir Putin and Kirill's support for the war had placed the Ukrainian Church, still attached to Moscow, in an increasingly untenable situation.

Hundreds of his priests recently signed an open letter calling for Kirill to be tried by a religious court over his views on the conflict, as Ukraine is central to the Russian Orthodox Church, including some of the most prominent monasteries. are located in this country.

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2022-05-27

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