proza.ru
The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) has suspended the joint performance of divine services with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, TASS reported. The organization took this decision during its Synod of Bishops meeting.
According to ROCOR, this was the result of Patriarch Bartholomew activity who sent his representatives to the territory of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). In addition, the ROCOR participation in the episcopal assemblies was suspended.
The UOC Synod appealed to the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew with a demand to withdraw his Exarchs from the canonical territory of Ukraine.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) will no longer name the patriarch of Constantinople during the services. Patriarch Kirill said this at the special meeting of the Russian Orthodox Church Holy Synod. It was devoted to the possible Ukrainian Church autocephaly.
The meeting resulted into a decision to initiate a Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church to discuss the situation in Ukraine with the heads of local Orthodox churches.
Patriarch Kirill notes that the ROC will resist the Constantinople plan as it did in the 1920s. He recalls that the church was in difficult conditions that time.
As Russkiy Mir reported, according to representatives of the Russian Church, the actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople are caused by the desire for historical revenge as well as the will to establish a new center of world Orthodoxy. Relations between the ROC and the Church of Constantinople will terminate if autocephaly is received.
The ROC is confident that the autocephaly which the Constantinople Patriarchate intends to provide to the Ukrainian schismatics will cause tension which may result in violence and aggression.
Russkiy Mir
