KDAiS teacher: Not a single Church called the situation in the UOC a schism
At the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, held on May 27, 2022, amendments to the Statute were adopted, which fixed the changed position of the UOC, but there can be no talk of any split, explains the head of the Department of Church and Practical Disciplines of the KDAiS historian Oleg Nad’.
The historian noted that after the Council of the UOC, some theologians started talking about a schism, but he considers such statements unfounded. “Not a single Local Church has called a schism (the situation with the UOC – Ed.),” he stressed. Oleg Nad’ called "the first and main evidence" the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church does not officially mention the word "schism" when speaking about the decisions of the Council. None of the meetings of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, which have already taken place several times since May 27, “has ever indicated that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is in schism,” recalled the head of the KDAiS department.
According to him, the essence of the amendments adopted at the Council was that “everything that concerns the ROC” was removed from the Statute of the UOC. “The Statute contained a fairly large number of paragraphs that directly related to the Russian Orthodox Church. Of all these paragraphs, one was left in the section, the first one, that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, in addition to the Holy Scriptures, Tradition, dogmas, rules of the Local Councils, is governed by the Blessed Letter, which was issued by Patriarch Alexy II in 1990,” emphasized the KDAiS teacher. According to this Letter, "the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is self-governing and independent," he noted.
Currently, the Statute of the UOC has been submitted to state bodies for state registration, and the final version of its edition is unknown so far, Oleg Nad’ added.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to Metropolitan Bogolep of Alexandria and Svitlovodsk, the Council in Feofaniya marked the beginning of a new stage in the life of the Church.
Read also
Priests and laity of Rivne Eparchy donate blood for children with cancer
In Rivne, the UOC clergy and laity have donated blood for children undergoing treatment for cancer.
Kyiv seminary students meet with People’s Artist Larisa Kadochnikova
Students of Kyiv’s theological schools spoke with the legend of Ukrainian cinema, who shared her memories of filming "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors".
Bancheny Monastery reports provocation
The UOC monastery in Bancheny has reported a provocation by unidentified individuals.
Romanian Church to hold joint prayer for peace in Ukraine
On the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine, special prayers for an end to the hostility will be offered in all churches of the Romanian Patriarchate, both in the country and abroad.
Armenian bishops call on authorities to stop Church persecution
At a meeting in Austria, hierarchs of the Armenian Apostolic Church reaffirmed their faithfulness to Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians and called on the authorities to stop the persecution of the clergy.
Italian media: Ukrainian authorities persecute the country’s largest confession
The Italian outlet L’Identità reported on mass searches, the arrests of clergy, and the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it describes as the largest Church in Ukraine.