Archbishop Job (Getcha): There will be no Exarchate of ROC in Ukraine

Archbishop Job (Getcha) of Telmessos

According to the canons, there can be no Russian exarchate in Ukraine. This was announced by the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the World Council of Churches, Archbishop Job (Getcha) in an interview with the BBC.

“According to the canons of the Church, there cannot be two parallel Churches in the same territory,” the hierarch noted. “If it is as some may say that whoever does not want Ukrainian autocephaly may remain as a Russian exarchate or it is not clear what is simply against canons.”

Archbishop Job stressed that there should be only one Orthodox Church in the territory of one state, and this autocephalous Orthodox Church should unite everyone. At the same time, he noted that in Ukraine "there can be no repetition of Estonia’s scenario."

Also in his interview, the Phanar’s hierarch stressed that the Ecumenical Patriarchate can not only grant but also revoke the status of autocephaly of another Church.

Earlier, Petro Poroshenko said that the state will respect the choice of those who decide to remain in the church structure, which will maintain unity with the Russian Orthodox Church. The head of the UOC KP Filaret also said this, explaining that those Ukrainians who do not agree with the autocephaly will not lose their right to freedom of religion but their dioceses should operate under the name of “Russian Church”.

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