Polish hierarch: What happened in Ukraine is the tragedy of Orthodoxy

Archbishop Abel of Lublin-Chelm together with the Primate of the UOC in Borispol

What happened in recent weeks in Ukraine is a great tragedy and a big sorrow for world Orthodoxy, said Archbishop Abel of Lublin-Chelm in an interview with the UOC Information and Education Department, commenting on the recent actions of the Constantinople Patriarchate in Ukraine.

According to the Polish hierarch, the position of the Polish Church remains unchanged in this matter.

“The Orthodox Church cannot approve of these schismatics, who seem to have been found in canonical communion,” said Abel. “And this position was declared by the Primate of our Church, the His Beatitude Sawa, Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland, on behalf of the fullness of our Church: without repentance, schismatics cannot be joined to the mystical Body of Christ of the Holy Church of Christ.”

Commenting on the statements of Archbishop Daniel of Pamphylia that the Polish Church will change its point of view, Vladyka Abel noted that in Poland they do not take these words seriously.

“… the canonical discipline, the dogmatic discipline will in no way allow us to change our position. Once again, we emphasize loudly and everywhere that without repentance, a schism cannot be joined to the Local Churches of world Orthodoxy,” concluded Archbishop Abel.

As the UOJ reported, Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland did not congratulate the newly elected “Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine” Epiphany, because he considers him a secular person. Metropolitan Sawa reminded that, according to church canons, only the Church from which they fell away can return the schismatics to the bosom of the Church.

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