MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/. Provocations against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) are aimed at discrediting the UOC in the eyes of believers and arm-twisting its bishops into taking part in the so-called "unification council," Chairman of the UOC Legal Department, Archpriest Alexander Bakhov, said on Tuesday commenting on provocations against clerics and congregation.
"Different forces have taken actions aimed at cranking up pressure on Ukrainian Orthodox Church bishops. A series of pickets and illegal actions outside the diocesan administration buildings and at the residences of UOC bishops have been observed. We also see that information on the church’s bishops, their place of residence, and travel is being systematically publicized in order to draw attention to their activities and try to discredit us in every possible way. Taking into account the fact that these actions are systematic, simultaneous and far-reaching in scope, they are aimed at exerting pressure on bishops and forcing them to take part in the so-called unification council," the UOC Information and Education Department quotes him as saying.
Bakhov stressed that these actions violated the constitutional rights of most believers. "By organizing such project as the ‘unified local Ukrainian Church,’ the state ensures the right to freedom of conscience for a certain segment of Ukrainian citizens. On the other hand, the state violates the rights of another part of Ukrainian nationals who are members of the [canonical] Ukrainian Orthodox Church," he stressed.
According to Bakhov, it is essential to respond to these provocations through legal means only. "The interior minister earlier promised that he would not allow clashes on religious grounds, but we see that just the opposite is happening. We need to prevent that, to control the situation. In the event of activists’ wrongdoings, one should get in touch with the law enforcement agencies: call the police, file a complaint with the police and record all the incidents," he added.
Church crisis in Ukraine
The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople decided at its meeting held on October 9-11 to proceed with granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church. It revoked the 1686 decision on transferring the Kiev Metropolitanate under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate and announced plans to bring it back under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. It also reinstated the heads of two non-canonical churches in Ukraine, Filaret of the Kiev Patriarchate and Makariy of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church, to their hierarchical and priestly ranks.
On October 15, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church said in response to that move that full communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople was no longer possible.
On November 3, Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople signed a cooperation agreement on creating an independent Ukrainian Church. The ceremony was held in the patriarch’s residence in Istanbul.