Romanian Orthodox Church wants to create its own canonical structure in Ukraine: OCU responds
Kyiv • UNN
The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine stated that only it has canonical jurisdiction in Ukraine, rejecting the decision of the Romanian Orthodox Church to create its own structure in Ukraine.
Recently the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church decided to establish its own structure in Ukraine. At the same time, the Holy Synod of the OCU stated that only the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has canonical jurisdiction in Ukraine. This is stated in a statement following the meeting of the Holy Synod, UNN reports.
Details
Taking into account the decision of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church of February 29, 2024, concerning Ukraine, after discussion, it was unanimously decided to send letters from the Holy Synod of the OCU to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and His Beatitude Romanian Patriarch Daniel outlining the position of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine
It is noted that one of the fundamental principles of the canonical order and structure of the Orthodox Church is that each local Orthodox Church has exclusive jurisdiction within its canonical territory.
Also, the Great Council of Constantinople of 1872 established that the basis for the formation of the canonical structures of the Church cannot be based solely on the tribal, phyletic principle, which does not unite Orthodox believers but divides the one Body of the Church and creates schism.
Among other things, the letters emphasize that in accordance with the canonical order and the definition of the Tomos of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, only the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has canonical jurisdiction over the entire internationally recognized territory of Ukraine, including that recognized and friendly by the Romanian state, and no other
Addendum
The OCU said that the church cares about all its believers regardless of their ethnicity. In particular, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in 2019 decided to "establish the Orthodox Romanian Vicariate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Orthodox Church of Ukraine) for religious organizations (religious communities and monasteries) in Ukraine with a predominant number of ethnic Romanians.
The Holy Synod expresses the hope that all issues that require regulation will be resolved by the Romanian and Ukrainian Local Churches in the spirit of brotherly love, canonical order and the definitions of the Tomos of autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine
Context
Last month, on February 29, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, at its meeting chaired by Patriarch Daniel, decided to establish its own structure in Ukraine.
In particular, the Holy Synod decidedto "bless, encourage and support the initiatives of the Romanian Orthodox communities in Ukraine to restore communion with the Mother Church, the Romanian Patriarchate" and to jurisdictionalize them in a "religious structure called the Romanian Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
Recall
The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine calls on the Verkhovna Rada to adopt as soon as possible draft law No. 8371, which prohibits the subordination of any Ukrainian religious organizations to Russian religious and state centers.
