Του Παναγιώτη Αντ. Ανδριόπουλου
Το μόρφωμα που αποκαλείται «Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία της Ουκρανίας» υπό τον Μητροπολίτη Ονούφριο, που έχει μεν αυτονομηθεί από τη Μόσχα λόγω του πολέμου, αλλά το Πατριαρχείο Μόσχας εξακολουθεί να το θεωρεί δική του υπόθεση, αντιμετωπίζει πια σοβαρά εσωτερικά προβλήματα.
Συγκεκριμένα, στο διαδίκτυο έχει δημιουργηθεί μια πλατφόρμα με υπογραφές κληρικών και λαϊκών σε ένα κείμενο με 10 κρίσιμα ερωτήματα.
Όσοι υπογράφουν ζητούν από την παράταξη Ονουφρίου να ξεκαθαρίσει τη θέση της αναφορικά με τον πόλεμο που βρίσκεται σε εξέλιξη, αλλά και με το Πατριαρχείο Μόσχας.
Από τα πιο καίρια ερωτήματα που τίθενται είναι τα ακόλουθα:
Ποια είναι η τρέχουσα κατάσταση της «Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας της Ουκρανίας»; Αναγνωρίζει τον εαυτό της ως εντελώς αυτοκέφαλη, αυτόνομη ή αυτοδιοικούμενο τμήμα κάποιας Τοπικής Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας; Ζητούμε επίσημη ερμηνεία αυτού, αφού δεν υπάρχει άλλο καθεστώς στο Ορθόδοξο Κανονικό Δίκαιο, εκτός από αυτοκεφαλία, αυτονομία ή αυτοδιοικούμενα τμήματα και δομικές υποδιαιρέσεις άλλων Τοπικών Εκκλησιών.
Η Ιερά Σύνοδος της Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας της Ουκρανίας έστειλε στη Σύνοδο της Ρωσικής Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας επίσημη δήλωση ή πράξη πλήρους αποχώρησης από τη Ρωσική Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία; Δημοσιεύστε αντίγραφα τέτοιων εγγράφων.
Έχουν αποχωρήσει επίσημα ο Προκαθήμενος και άλλοι ιεράρχες της UOC από τη σύνθεση της Συνόδου, των Επισκόπων και των Τοπικών Συμβουλίων, της Διακοινοτικής Παρουσίας και άλλων εκκλησιαστικών-κανονικών οργάνων της Ρωσικής Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας; Εάν ναι, παρακαλούμε να δημοσιοποιήσετε αντίγραφα των δηλώσεων στη Σύνοδο της Ρωσικής Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας σχετικά με την επίσημη αποχώρηση (και όχι απλώς προσωρινή αποχή της συμμετοχής) της επισκοπής της Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας της Ουκρανίας από όλα τα διοικητικά όργανα της Ρωσικής Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας.
Καταδικάζει η Ιερά Σύνοδος της Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας της Ουκρανίας τις δηλώσεις του Πατριάρχη Μόσχας Κυρίλλου περί υποστήριξης και δικαιολόγησης του πολέμου της Ρωσίας κατά της Ουκρανίας, καθώς και τη φονταμενταλιστική ιδεολογία της «ρωσικής ειρήνης» που προωθείται από αυτόν, η οποία κατά πάσα πιθανότητα είναι αιρετική και μη ορθόδοξη; Όλοι περιμένουμε όχι μόνο μια τυπική, σιωπηλή ή αόριστη «διαφωνία», αλλά την καταδίκη σε επίσημο εκκλησιαστικό επίπεδο στην UOC αυτών των δηλώσεων και ιδεών ως μη Ορθοδόξων. Ζητάμε να δημοσιοποιηθούν επίσημα έγγραφα για να επιβεβαιωθεί αυτό.
Καταδικάζει η Ιερά Σύνοδος της UOC την παράνομη προσάρτηση από τη Σύνοδο της Ρωσικής Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας ορισμένων επισκοπών και ενοριών της UOC στα κατεχόμενα από τη Ρωσία ουκρανικά εδάφη; Εάν ναι, δημοσιεύστε επίσημα έγγραφα σχετικά.
Ακολουθεί ολόκληρο το σχετικό κείμενο στα αγγλικά, με τις κατάλληλες παραπομπές, καθώς και διαφωτιστικό βίντεο.
Clergy and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) demand the hierarchs to provide answers to 10 questions regarding the status of their Church and withdrawal from the Russian Orthodox Church
Clergymen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) have published TEN QUESTIONS to their Synod regarding the status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its full withdrawal from the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). The collection of signatures under the appeal is underway. Dissatisfaction is growing, ordinary clergy’s patience is running out, many have had enough of the UOC leadership’s lack of a clear stance.
The appeal has been shared on the “Voice of the Clergy of the UOC” FB page: https://www.facebook.com/golos.duhovenstva.upc, as well as on the “Viche” YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/d9yqOJrUfjE
In two days, about 500 priests of the UOC-MP and more than 600 laity of the UOC MP have already signed an appeal to the Synod of the UOC-MP. In total, more than 1100 signatures have been collected.
10 questions to the hierarchs and Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) from its clergy and laity.
“We, the clergy and faithful members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, are deeply troubled by the latest events, which have been happening around our Church because of the russian federation’s unlawful war against Ukraine and, in particular, the lack of clear and consistent explanations from the Holy Synod of the UOC.
We would like to ask ten questions, the answers to which would reassure the clergy and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as well as foster the change of attitude of the Ukrainian society towards the UOC. By means of this appeal, we are addressing our questions for the consideration of the hierarchs and the Holy Synod of the UOC, hoping to receive clear and specific answers to them:
1. What is the current status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church? Does it recognize itself as fully autocephalous, autonomous, or as a self-governed part within the structure of some other local Orthodox Church? We ask for an official explanation on this, because there is no other status in the Orthodox Canon law other than autocephaly, autonomy or self-governed parts and structural divisions of other local Churches.
2. Does the Holy Synod confirm the decision of the full withdrawal of the UOC from the ROC? If yes, what official documents certify this withdrawal? We ask for copies of such documents to be made public.
3. Has the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church sent an official statement or an act about complete withdrawal from the Russian Orthodox Church to the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church? We ask for copies of such documents to be made public.
4. Have the Primate and other hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church officially withdrawn from the Synod, the Council of Bishops, the Local Council, the Inter-Council-Presence and other ecclesiastical-canonical bodies of the Russian Orthodox Church? If so, we ask you to publish the copies of official statements addressed to the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church about official withdrawal (and not just temporary “termination” of participation) of the UOC episcopate from all governing bodies of the Russian Orthodox Church.
5. Does the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church consider as null as void the decision of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church from October 25-26, 1990, which determines the mandatory blessing of the newly elected Primate of the UOC by the Moscow Patriarch (clause 3) and the mandatory permanent ex officio membership of the Primate of the UOC in the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (clause 8)? If so, we ask for the official documents that confirm this to be made public.
6. Does the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church consider as null and void those clauses of the Charter of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow dated October 28, 1990, which proclaims the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to be canonically dependent on the Russian Orthodox Church and states that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is in communion with other Local Orthodox Churches specifically through its connection to the Russian Orthodox Church, and has to abide by the decisions of the Councils of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church? The Charter of Alexy II renders the Ukrainian Orthodox Church covertly dependent on the Russian Orthodox Church, and the new edition of the “Statute on the governance of the UOC” confirms this dependence by mentioning this Charter in clause 1 of the Statute. If the Holy Synod of the UOC considers these articles of the letter as null and void for itself, we ask for the publication of official documents that confirm this.
7. Does the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church consider as null and void for itself the “Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church”, in particular its Section X, which determines the subordination of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Russian Orthodox Church and its governing bodies? In 2017, the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as member of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, unanimously voted in favour of this statute. If the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church considers as null and void for itself the “Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church”, which was previously endorsed by them, we ask for the publication of official documents that confirm this, in particular, an official decision and a letter to the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.
8. Has the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church sent Peaceful Epistles to the Primates of all Local Orthodox Churches on the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church, and has it began negotiations with the other Local Orthodox Churches regarding the recognition of the full autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the regulation of its canonical status? If so, we ask for the publication of official documents that confirm this.
9. Does the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church condemn the statements of the Patriarch Kirill of Moscow about support and justification of russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as the fundamentalist ideology of the “russian world”, which he propagates and which is by all indications heretical and non-Orthodox in nature? We are all waiting not just for a formal, tacit or undefined “disagreement”, but for the official church level of the UOC to issue a condemnation of these statements and ideas as non-Orthodox. If the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church really does condemn them, we ask for the publication of official documents that confirm this.
10. Does the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church condemn the unlawful annexation of a number of eparchies (dioceses) and parishes by the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, and does the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church condemn the unfortunate cases of collaborationism among individual bishops and priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church? If so, we ask for the publication of official documents on the matter.
Honest and unequivocal answers of the Holy Synod to these questions would reassure the faithful and the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and would foster the change in attitude towards the UOC in the Ukrainian society as a whole.
If there are no official documents regarding all or some of these questions yet, we ask to bring them to the next meeting of the Holy Synod of the UOC in order to develop an official position in this respect, or to publish the reason for the refusal to submit them for the Holy Synod’s consideration on the official website of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Unfortunately, the provisions of the “Statutes on the government of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church” do not provide any answers to the questions posed regarding the ecclesiastical-canonical connection and dependence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the Russian Orthodox Church, which have existed for the entirety of the past 30 years. The lack of clear and consistent answers to these and other questions during russia’s war on Ukraine, is causing even greater distrust towards the UOC leadership.
We hope that the members of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, if they truly wish to represent the Church of the Ukrainian people, and not the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, will accept these questions with pastoral care and provide exhaustive and unambiguous official answers to them”, – reads the appeal.
Signatures under the appeal of the clergy and the faithful to the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, are being collected here: https://forms.gle/EdkT9ndo5PKG44Nx7
