Заявления об открытии константинопольских подворий на Украине – провокация раскольников

Some church and secular media have reported recently an intention of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to open its representations in Kiev and Lvov.

Chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Archbishop Mitrofan of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky stated the inadmissibility of such move, as the Patriarchate of Constantinople never sent an official request to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church concerning the opening of its representations.

Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk explained the situation in his interview to ‘Sedmica.ru’:

‘We have not received any official information of such initiatives of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Talking about a possibility of opening the representations of the Local Orthodox Churches in general, it should be noted that they are opened simultaneously according to tradition, which means that if our representation at the Patriarchate of Constantinople is opened in Istanbul, their representation is opened at the Moscow Patriarchate in Moscow at the same time. Thus, it is impossible to talk about any church and political coincidence if we talk about the unilateral opening of a representation.

Moreover, the representations are opened in the cities where the chair of the Primate of a Local Orthodox Church is located. In case of the Patriarchates of Moscow and Constantinople, representations can be opened in Moscow and Istanbul.’

The Patriarchate of Constantinople has not expressed its wish and willingness to open its representation in the territory of the Russian Orthodox Church. Recent information seems to be just a wish of the schismatic or near-schismatic circles to involve the Patriarch of Constantinople in their risky undertaking.’