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Ukrainian Orthodox Church rejects idea of joint autocephalous church - Council of Bishops

KIEV, November 13. /TASS/. The Council of Bishops of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church has said it will not join the Ukrainian autocephalous church the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is seeking to create.

"The Council of Bishops stresses that the process of granting the so-called Tomos on autocephaly is factitious and is induced from outside. It does not reflect the internal church necessity," the Council said in a statement passed after its meeting on Tuesday.

Moreover, the document points that Tomos "will not bring a real church unity and will only widen the gap and aggravate conflicts in Ukraine."

"In this environment, we deem it impossibly to involve the episcopate, clergy and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in these processes," the statement says.

Apart from that, the Council of Bishops ruled to stop full communion with the Constantinople Patriarchate.

"Full communion of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is now impossible and will be stopped," the document says.

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