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Metropolitan of Minsk: situation in Ukraine can result in schism of Universal Orthodoxy

Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavl appealed to His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew 'to stop this'

MINSK, October 5. /TASS/. The developments involving the Ukrainian Orthodox Church can lead to a split of the entire Universal Orthodoxy, Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavl and Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus told reporters on Friday.

"It is necessary to stop the process related to the events involving the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, which can result in the schism of the entire Universal Orthodoxy," he said. The head of the Belarusian Orthodox Church called on the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople to prevent that. "I want to call on Patriarch Bartholomew and the Constantinople Church’s Holy Synod to think over this decision once again or overturn the previous decision, stop the process, which is spiraling into the church schism of the entire Universal Orthodoxy," he said.

"This is an attempt to once again appeal to His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew to stop this (process)," Metropolitan Pavel added.

According to the head of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, the issue will be on the agenda of the upcoming meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in Minsk on October 15. Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia is expected to take part in the meeting.