MOSCOW, November 15. /TASS/. A struggle is underway to coerce Ukrainian Orthodox bishops into taking part in a certain "unification" council, which is expected to elect the head of the new independent church created by the Patriarchate of Constantinople and Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion, told the Romfea Greek church news agency.

"What is happening today is the first incident in the history of Orthodox Christianity when autocephaly has not been requested but rather being imposed instead. What’s more, it is being foisted through force and undue pressure. The canonical church’s bishops are required to take part in some 'unification council,' whose convocation was initiated by schismatics in order to legitimatize their scheme. It is amazing and sad that the Patriarchate of Constantinople sided with the schismatics instead of supporting the canonical church, which unites millions of believers, includes 13,000 parishes, more than 200 monasteries and is present throughout Ukraine, including in those areas not under the control of Ukrainian authorities," he explained.

According to the cleric, the prospects for convening the council, which should bring together representatives of the breakaway Kiev Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, are "pretty vague."

"Neither the canonical church nor the schismatics are particularly enthusiastic about convening it. Different figures were cited on the potential participation of canonical bishops in that predatory gathering - from 10 to 25. So far, we have seen only two canonical bishops who disagreed with the collective opinion shared by the canonical church’s bishops expressed in the decision of its Bishops’ Council [the Bishops’ Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate held on November 13 - TASS]. There is no guarantee that they will take part in the ‘unification council.’ The reckless characteristic of that event is obvious to everyone," Metropolitan Hilarion stressed.

On November 13, the Council of Bishops of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church held its meeting in Kiev Pechersk Lavra (the Kiev Monastery of the Caves). However, the planned meeting with President Pyotr Poroshenko did not take place there. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church announced after the meeting it did not recognize Constantinople’s decisions on Ukraine and said it was severing full communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church also spoke out against joining the process of granting autocephaly to Ukraine’s church and said it opposed its name change.