Source: Ecumenical Patriarchate
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CONSTANTINOPLE (October 11, 2018) Presided by His All-Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Holy and Sacred Synod convened for its regular session from October 9 to 11, 2018, in order to examine and discuss items on its agenda.
The Holy Synod discussed in particular and at length the ecclesiastical matter of Ukraine, in the presence of His Excellency Archbishop Daniel of Pamphilon and His Grace Bishop Hilarion of Edmonton, Patriarchal Exarchs to Ukraine, and following extensive deliberations decreed:
1) To renew the decision already made that the Ecumenical Patriarchate proceed to the granting of Autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine.
2) To reestablish, at this moment, the Stavropegion of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Kyiv, one of its many Stavropegia in Ukraine that existed there always.
3) To accept and review the petitions of appeal of Filaret Denisenko, Makariy Maletych and their followers, who found themselves in schism not for dogmatic reasons, in accordance with the canonical prerogatives of the Patriarch of Constantinople to receive such petitions by hierarchs and other clergy from all of the Autocephalous Churches. Thus, the above-mentioned have been canonically reinstated to their hierarchical or priestly rank, and their faithful have been restored to communion with the Church.
4) To revoke the legal binding of the Synodal Letter of the year 1686, issued for the circumstances of that time, which granted the right through oikonomia to the Patriarch of Moscow to ordain the Metropolitan of Kyiv, elected by the Clergy-Laity Assembly of his eparchy, who would commemorate the Ecumenical Patriarch as the First hierarch at any celebration, proclaiming and affirming his canonical dependence to the Mother Church of Constantinople.
5) To appeal to all sides involved that they avoid appropriation of Churches, Monasteries and other properties, as well as every other act of violence and retaliation, so that the peace and love of Christ may prevail.
At the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the 11th of October, 2018
From the Chief Secretariat of the Holy and Sacred Synod
1 Comment
The current Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has failed the Americans in America belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church (GOA) for decades and declined the very self-rule that now Bartholomew is moving unilaterally in disregards of Orthodox Canon Law to interfere with the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. This schematic self-willed effort to break up the strength and spiritual revival that has occurred in Russia and around the world after years of atheistic persecution is wrong and needs the voice of the Women meeting in the Pan Orthodox groups this week to say, NO! The persecution by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, who has never to this day recognized the Tomos and Autocephaly granted by the Russian Orthodox Church to the faithful in America in 1970, so they could be united both spiritually and administratively, puts first the lusts of materialism, greed, and political power over any bond of Christian love and unity in Christ.
By so denying the American people their Orthodoxy Unity recognition for 2 generations and more it is time we the Orthodox Women say “NO”! We have seen our Orthodox Christian faith in recent years be the catalyst for rebirth, for revival, for hope denied, for spiritual food for the hungry around the world, and out of the ashes of churches destroyed and burned to the ground under atheistic Communism in the Soviet period. We are not willing to suffer set backs in our missionary work, in our United Orthodox Christian families, in our localities where Monasteries and Charitable organizations have given birth to OCEC, OCMC, and IOCC. These Orthodox Christians groups united through the power of the Holy Spirit and the work efforts and leadership of women in America to educate our children, reach out to the unchurched and spiritually hungry, and to feed those who are starving and dying when a dollar a day can make a difference in their lives are the backbone of our continued work in UNITY for Orthodox Christians in America..
We the Americans who saw Unity of our Orthodox Faith in America denied, and repeatedly buffeted by nationalistic and foreign power concerns for too many years must use this time for change in America and UNITE our Orthodox Church and say NO, now to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in its showing its green-eyed jealousy of what prayer, and suffering through martyrdom can do to whiten and purify souls that were denied their very consciousness through a former atheistic government that failed in its cruel, vicious and life blood sucking attempts to steal the souls of the people from our Savior and King Jesus Christ. Now for the people in America to be subjected to further actions to divide the Orthodox Church than to unite it in America, by the very same Ecumenical Patriarchate Bartholomew who has been given monies to create a climate of war and to disrupt the unity of Orthodox Christians believers in the Ukraine by the United States CIA, would be to bow down before another form of a Nebuchadnezzar demanding obedience and worship of money and politics of worldly power over Unity of Orthodoxy in America.
It is a call to action for Orthodox Women to be the voice of unity and to do it today.
Mother Elizabeth (Carol Bacha)