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Russian Church highlights Orthodoxy’s identical predicaments in Ukraine, Montenegro

According to the clergy, both countries' authorities are seeking to use the church to their advantage

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MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. The Russian Orthodox Church sees similarities in the circumstances surrounding Orthodox Christianity in Ukraine and Montenegro and doubts the viability of the schismatic projects in those countries, Rev. Alexander Volkov, spokesman for Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, told reporters after a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Holy Synod is the governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church in the period between the Bishop’s Councils, which are convened at least every four years. The Holy Synod consists of its Chairman (the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia), nine permanent members and five ad hoc members from among the diocesan bishops.

"The authorities of that country [Montenegro - TASS] persevere in their attempts to create their own, kind of ‘ethnic’ Orthodox Church controlled by them. In light of the developments in Ukraine, this situation acquires particular significance. I would like to stress that the support for the fraternal Serbian Church expressed by the Russian Church signifies the protection of worldwide canonical Orthodoxy from any encroachment by politicians seeking to use the church to their own advantage. As we see, this is happening not only in Ukraine but in Montenegro as well," Volkov explained.

He also questioned the viability of these schismatic projects. "In Ukraine, Montenegro and other places where hotspots of clerical tensions exist, local authorities always rely on schismatics. Politicians bank on non-canonical organizations, making such schemes in any part of the globe essentially unfeasible right from the start," he stressed.

Volkov added that in its statement the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church raised concerns over the Montenegrin government’s actions aimed at undermining the unity of the Serbian Orthodox Church and expressed fraternal support for the Serbian church, "especially its members who live and serve in Montenegro, and remain loyal to canonical Orthodoxy."

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