KIEV, December 14. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in the Vinnitsa Region (in west-central Ukraine) has forcibly brought Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) bishop, Metropolitan Agapit of Mogilyov-Podolsky and Shargorod to Kiev, allegedly for a conversation with Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko, Chairman of the UOC’s Legal Department, Archpriest Alexander Bakhov, wrote on his Facebook page on Friday.

"Remember, I said UOC bishops would be brought to the [unification] council under escort? Today, Metropolitan Agapit (Bevtsik) of Mogilyov-Podolsky and Shargorod was forcibly transported to Kiev by the SBU’s Vinnitsa regional branch," he wrote.

Earlier on Friday, head of the UOC Synodal Information Department, Archbishop Clement, stressed that the UOC’s bishops had earlier decided against recognizing the ‘unification’ council, and, if any of them take part in that event, that should indicate that pressure was exerted on them. He noted that 83 bishops had put their signatures on the document stating that was not a legitimate church event and stressed it would be strange after that statement was approved that they would act contrary to their stance. "That would only show that pressure was put on them," he pointed out.

Church crisis in Ukraine

On December 5, Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko announced that the so-called unification council to create the Ukrainian autocephalous church independent of the Moscow Patriarchate would take place on December 15. The council is expected to elect the primate of the new church, who will later be handed a Tomos of Autocephaly.

Poroshenko said that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople had sent letters to bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church "inviting them to take part in that historic event." However, bishops from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), taking a cue from Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine, upon receiving these invitations promptly returned them to their sender.

In October, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople decided 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.

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. That being said, the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church made a similar decision.