UOC Primate: The bestowal of Tomos will cause schisms within Orthodoxy
His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine
If the Tomos on recognition of the schismatics by the Patriarch of Constantinople is granted, it will cause new schisms, of a larger scale and deeper, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine said in an interview with “The Pastor and the Flock” magazine.
According to His Beatitude Onufry, if Tomos is granted, there will be schisms, affecting not only Ukraine but the entire world Orthodox Church.
“According to the Orthodox canons, the dearly respected Church of Constantinople does not have the right to give autocephaly to the Church, which today is not within its jurisdiction,” explained Met. Onufry. “The title of “Mother Church”, which is very often applied today, does not give the canonical right to interfere with the spiritual life of the “Daughter Church”, which long ago separated from the “Mother” and de facto leads its independent spiritual life. If you take into account the fact that the Mother Church itself suffers from its own very deep schism, as a consequence of which the Eastern Byzantine Empire turned into a country which now professes Islam, it will be appropriate to recall words from the Holy Gospel: 'Physician, heal thyself'! (Luke 4, 23)"
A physician, who "is seriously ill himself and thus not in a position to treat others but still does, this will only create greater lawlessness in the form of a global schism within the Orthodoxy," the Primate stressed.
Also, Met. Onufry said that people should live A Godly life and fulfil the commandments, which for Christians is "the path leading to eternal life".
"On this path, you find your personal autocephaly, i.e. the freedom from sin. And perhaps we will also meet the local Church, but it will be completely unlike the one some politicians are trying to build. It will be filled with love, peace and joy about God. This will be not a political Church, but the Christ's Church," the UOC leader said.
Read also
Activist targeting UOC lawyers wears clothing with Nazi symbols
Davyd Pshenychnyi, a radical who opposes the UOC, was photographed wearing clothing by Svastone, a brand that describes itself as pagan.
TRC mobilizes 24-year-old UOC hieromonk on his way to study in Athens
Hieromonk Viktor (Denysov), a student at a university in Athens, said he was taken off his flight and brought to a TRC and is now serving with the 8th Special Operations Regiment.
Shevchuk thanks Catholic cardinal for visit to Russia
The UGCC head called Catholic Cardinal Matteo Zuppi’s visit to Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia an extremely important step.
‘Won’t find a girl better than you’: UGCC clergy dance on church porch
In Ternopil, UGCC clergy danced to a wedding song on the steps of a church and tossed candy into the crowd.
Metropolitan Onuphry consecrates Church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian in Kyiv
On the feast day of the “She Who Is Quick to Hear” Icon of the Mother of God, the UOC Primate consecrated a Kyiv church dedicated to the Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian.
‘This is not how freedom is done’: Met. Theodosiy on secret Phanar report
The Cherkasy hierarch said the Constantinople cleric’s report on the 2018 “council” shows that the fate of “autocephaly” was determined not by the canons but by the authorities and security services.