Representatives of Local Orthodox Churches from all over the world support the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and condemn the activity of the Ukrainian schismatic groups
16.09.2001 · English, Архив 2001
REPRESENTATIVES OF LOCAL ORTHODOX CHURCHES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD SUPPORT THE CANONICAL UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH AND CONDEMN THE ACTIVITY OF THE UKRAINIAN SCHISMATIC GROUPS
Metropolitan Chrysostom of Carthage, Orthodox Church of Alexandria: “I represent His Beatitude Peter VII, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa. We have come to the holy Kiev Lavra of the Caves, which was visited by the Alexandrian Patriarchs Nicholas and Parthenius and which is to be visited by our new Patriarch Peter. The Lavra has always been a center of Orthodoxy for the Russian and Ukrainian people and will remain such for ever and ever.
The schism is a problem not only for the Ukrainian Church but for entire Orthodoxy. There must be order in the Church. We have come to testify to the canonical unity with the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev. We know not of others, but him. If somebody else is called primate or metropolitan in Ukraine, it is not our problem, as we, the Orthodox Church, recognize only Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia and Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev.
Bishop Niphon of Philippopolis, Orthodox Church of Antioch: “The first bishop of the Kievan Church, Michael, was a Syrian. We have a special feeling for His Beatitude Vladimir, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
We are delighted with the fact that hierarchs from all the Orthodox world have gathered here today to celebrate the anniversary of the Lavra and to witness to the holiness of these people. I am proud to represent here His Beatitude Ignatios, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, the primate of the oldest Church in which the name “Christian” was born. Ukraine is a blessed country. We are united with it and its people by one Baptism and one faith.
We recognize only the Church headed by Metropolitan Vladimir and we persistently stand up for the canons of the Church. Schism is a game invented to divide the people, for what divides the Church also divides the people. We pray that the Church and the Ukrainian people may be one, because the Ukrainian people deserve only love”.
Bishop Andrew of Saragejoi and Gurdjaani, Georgian Orthodox Church: “Bishop Gerasim of Zugdidi and Taish and I represent His Holiness and Beatitude Iliya II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. After the 10 year-long interval I have come to this holy monastery with deep emotions. Just as Kiev is the mother of Russian cities, so the Lavra is the mother of all monasteries in old Russia. The rebirth of the people begins precisely in such spiritual centers.
Georgia and Ukraine are also united by the fact that St. Andrew the First-Called preached Christianity in our countries. By God’s mercy, the honorable head of St. Andrew is now in the Lavra, which is something we in Georgia can still only dream of. Our countries are also united by holy Mount Athos from which the founders of monasticism came to Georgia and Ukraine. The holy martyr Vladimir, the Metropolitan of Kiev, was an Exarch of Georgia.
We recognize only the Church of Metropolitan Vladimir. The Lord Who preserves His true Church will settle all the division, because it is impossible that there should be divisions among the one people. The Ukrainian schismatics visited Georgia, but the Georgian Orthodox Church will never support any schism because it is always a deception. I have had an opportunity to go for a walk in Kiev, a city familiar to me. I dropped in St. Vladimir’s Cathedral, I wanted to pray there. But it is unthinkable that this shrine no longer belongs to Orthodoxy, that it is now without grace and that an Orthodox cannot even pray in it. It was very sad and unpleasant and I left in haste”.
Bishop Basil of Zvornica and Tuzla, Serbian Orthodox Church: “Our Church has a great love for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This Church has gone through golgotha, and we anticipate her resurrection together with the resurrection of the whole Ukrainian people. The Spirit of God has gathered representatives of all Local Churches at the shrines of the Kiev Lavra of the Caves so that we may pray in unity with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and all Orthodox Christians.
Division is a work of the devil. Schismatics should come to Christ, bow and say: ‘O Lord, forgive us our sins and accept us as Your faithful servants’. There is no other way.
I thank His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir and the rector of the Kiev Theological Academy for having given an opportunity for five of my students to study in it. I am delighted that the formation of the spirituality of these future pastors is accomplished under the vaults of the Kiev Lavra of the Caves”.
Metropolitan Nafanail of Nevrokop, Bulgarian Orthodox Church: “When a child, I read over and over The Paterikon of the Kiev Lavra of the Caves. When I studied at the Paraclete Monastery in Greece, I read the writings of Starets Parthenius about the saints canonized by the Church. And now I thank God Who has given me to visit this holy place where ascetics shone forth with their holiness and now help people who need God’s help.
We ourselves experienced a schism. Therefore, His Holiness Patriarch Maxim blessed us not only to attend the celebrations but also to express his support and love to His Beatitude Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine. A schism is a falsehood which cannot last long. The saints of the Kiev Lavra of the Caves will help to drive this falsehood away. The schismatics dream of being recognized, but it is impossible. If a Church tries to interfere in the affairs of another Church without being asked, then it is uncanonical and alien to Orthodoxy. The schismatics have no other choice but to come back through repentance to the Church that has been founded by Christ”.
Bishop Basil of Trimiphuntos, Orthodox Church of Cyprus: “We have come at the invitation of the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and we joyfully participated in the celebrations devoted to this great anniversary. Here, as tradition holds, St. Andrew the First-Called walked at the dawn of Christianity. And the fact that his holy relics have come to your old Monastery of the Caves is another testimony to this historical fact.
The division in Ukraine is a big and serious problem which is to be settled by a body or council which is competent to do it. At the invitation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, this council can be attended by representatives of other Local Churches. The way of solving this problem should be strictly canonical”.
Metropolitan Ioann, Albanian Orthodox Church: “We are aware of the complicated situation in Ukraine. We have come here to support the canonical Church of Metropolitan Vladimir, and we hope that all the Orthodox in Ukraine will be faithful to it. This Church is a blessing for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.
I have heard much about the Kiev Lavra of the Caves and have always dreamt of coming here, because this shrine belongs to Universal Orthodoxy.
We recognize only one Church in Ukraine, and we have come here to have communion only with this Church. We have come not to some part of the Church, but to the whole Plenitude of the Church. For the Church is always one”.
Archbishop Abel of Lublin and Holms, Polish Orthodox Church: “The Kiev Lavra of the Caves played a great role in the growth of monasticism in what is today’s land of the Polish Local Orthodox Church. The Suprala Lavra of the Annunciation, which is a stronghold of Orthodoxy in Poland, was founded in the 13th century by monks from the Kiev Lavra of the Caves. I am happy to have the blessing of the Primate of our Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Sabbas, to represent the Orthodox in Poland at these festivities.
The fact that representatives of all the Local Churches of Universal Orthodoxy have gathered here is a testimony to our conciliar unity and to the fact that we are the One Catholic Orthodox Church. We are disturbed by the situation in Ukraine and pray that the Lord may give the gift of repentance to all the schismatics, “Philaretans”, “autocephalists”, so that they may come back to their paternal home. The way of healing the schism lies through repentance, repentance and repentance.
We have good close relations with the Patriarch of Constantinople, but I can say with responsibility that if Constantinople interferes in the internal affairs of the canonical Church in Ukraine, the Polish Church, her entire episcopate, will be the first opponents of Constantinople.
Bishop Ioann of Mihalovci, Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia: “My diocese is 19 kilometers away from Uzhgorod. We are very close with the Ukrainian Orthodox historically, in blood and religion. We are children of the one Orthodox Universal Church. The faithful of my diocese have come here by bus for the Lavra’s celebrations. Though the faith was brought to us by Sts Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles, we still use the liturgical books published in the Kiev Lavra of the Caves. It is a shrine for Ukraine and for Russia and for Slovakia and for Czechia. The liturgical language of our Church is Church Slavonic. We also preach in Slovakian and Carpathian Russian. The service in Church Slavonic is a true pearl of old Orthodoxy, and those who do not want to understand it do not want to understand God either.
We also had a period when the uniates and schismatics were ferocious. They took away our Church, and we had to pray in caves, cemeteries, homes and garages. They thought that together with the churches they would succeed in robbing the people of their faith. But the people held to the Orthodox faith, and we have built new beautiful churches.
The schism in Ukraine must be overcome only on the basis of Holy Orthodoxy and the canons of the Church. Those who have fallen away have fallen away. Our Church recognizes only His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church”.
Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa and Canada, Orthodox Church of America: “I have come with the blessing of His Beatitude Theodosius, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada. Among the illuminators of North America was His Eminence Arsenius who came from the Kiev Lavra of the Caves. Many believers in northern Canada come here on pilgrimage, and this relationship is strong because there are many Ukrainian immigrants in Canada.
A schism is always is a tragedy. We in Canada also had problems with a schism, but thanks God we have healed it. If it so happens that some Church recognizes the schism, this will not solve the problem but will rather lead to a new schism. Therefore, this way is impossible. Schism is temptation. The schismatics should repent, and we should not reject them. The Lavra and your whole country is a holy land, and the Lord sends you trials which you can overcome. The Ukrainian problems should be solved in Ukraine”.
Archdeacon Job, lecturer at St. Sergius Theological Institute in Paris, the Archdiocese of Russian Parishes in Western Europe, Patriarchate of Constantinople: “For the Orthodox believers in France and for all the faculty and students of our theological institute, the problem of the schism in Ukraine is a troubling issue. We share the theological and dogmatic viewpoint that in Ukraine the one canonical Church is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has the status of broad autonomy and self-government.
A schism is an ecclesiological heresy because its representatives think they are above the conciliar awareness of the Church and they can themselves settle certain internal church issues. This is absolutely impossible from the canonical point of view. That fact that the schismatics pronounce the Orthodox Creed is insufficient and does not suggest anything. What is also necessary is to be in this Church, that is, to be in the Eucharistic communion with other Local Orthodox Churches, which is what we demonstrated in Kiev. But they are not in such communion with any of the Orthodox Church in the world.
A sad sign of schismatics is their aggressiveness, the desire to assert themselves by any means in some lawful Church. They send their delegates to other countries and try by deception to present themselves as a canonical Church. But one cannot enter the Church of Christ the Saviour through deception”.
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