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Vatican won't question relations with ROC to build ties with new Ukrainian church — source

The diplomat recalled that Pope Francis always pointed to unity of Catholic and Orthodox Christians

VATICAN, December 18. /TASS/. Maintaining good relations with the Russian Orthodox Church is a priority to Vatican so they will not be questioned following the establishment of a new Ukrainian church, a senior Vatican diplomat told TASS on Tuesday.

"Vatican understands very well and the establishment of ties with the non-canonical Ukrainian church will jeopardize relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. Vatican will be guided by its priorities aimed at maintaining good relations with the Moscow Patriarchate," the diplomat said, adding that Pope Francis always pointed to unity of Catholic and Orthodox Christians.

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Canonical Ukrainian Church ousts two bishops who took part in ‘unification council’

When commenting on a message Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia sent to heads of the world’s Churches, the United Nations and OSCE secretary generals and the leaders of France and Germany, drawing their attention to violations of the rights of bishops, priests and parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the diplomat confirmed that the Pope of Rome had received such a message. He added that a written response may follow.

On December 15, Kiev hosted the so-called ‘unification’ council held under the supervision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and brokered by the Ukrainian authorities. After the council, Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko, who had attended the schismatic gathering, declared the establishment of a new church, the Autocephalous Local Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Epiphany of Pereyaslav and Belaya Tserkov, who had earlier served as a bishop of the non-canonical Kiev Patriarchate, was elected as its head.

The canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate declined Constantinople’s invitation to the event, stressing that both the ‘unification council’ and the newly-founded church were illegitimate. Only two bishops from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church were present at the council: Metropolitan Simeon of Vinnitsa and Bar and Metropolitan Alexander (Drabinko) of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky and Vishnevoye. The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church deposed them both for taking part in the December 15 gathering.

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