The UAOC Blames Kiev Patriarchate for Disrupting the Process of Unification

The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church blames the Kyiv Patriarchate for failure of the negotiating process on the unification of two churches. According to the UAOC, the leaders of the UOC-KP did not agree to any proposal put forward by the Council of Bishops and the Patriarchal Council of Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and thus, has brought the dialogue to a standstill. This is stated by the press service of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church on 14 July.

"Unable to reach the goal of acquiring the UAOC, the Kyiv Patriarchate ceased the negotiating process, as it was in 2011, blaming our Church for disrupting the unification. But such methods are unacceptable in merging the Churches," state the authors of the document.

"The UOC-KP did not agree to any proposal put forward by the Council of Bishops of the UAOC and the Patriarchal Council. The only thing they suggested, as a compromise, is to increase the quota of the UAOC at the Ecumenical Council twice - up to 164 delegates. However, such a quota maintains their twice as much advantage and therefore is unacceptable for our church,” the document says.

"And yet, despite this uncompromising position of the Kyiv Patriarchate, which brings destruction to the dialogue, the Council of Bishops requested the Commission for the dialogue between the Churches on unification to continue negotiations for the purpose of agreeing proposals, because the Commission is created to discuss and agree on final drafts, "- said in the statement.

Now, the Commission of the UAOC is assigned to carry out negotiations on unification in the extended format – the UAOC, the UOC-KP and the UOC. The authors of the document are sure that only the union of all branches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church put an end to the division.

"Only the union of all branches of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, on what we should be working in deed, not in name, taking into account the specifics of each of the parties, can actually put an end to the division. This unified , formed on the basis of brotherly love and harmony, but not as a result of a win-lose agreement, will be a real spiritual support of the Ukrainian state, and will not bring new disintegrated processes and confrontations," representatives of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church believe.

The authors of the statement also insist on maintaining each and every diocese and deanery (dean) of the UAOC within their present boundaries: "The Council of Bishops and the Patriarchal Council, with the unanimous support of the clergy and church members of all dioceses (certified by the minutes of their meetings), rejected item 7 of the journal of the Holy Synod meeting of the UOC-KP of 12.05.2015”. "This position is clear both from the ecclesiastical point of view, and purely human," the UAOC hint at the raider disposition of the Kyiv Patriarchate.

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