Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA
The meeting of the Synaxis of Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne was held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Istanbul, September 1-3. This meeting, which is held every three years, included more than one hundred bishops of the Ecumenical Patriarchate from throughout the world. At the beginning of the Synaxis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gave an address. https://ec-patr.org/%e1%bc%90%ce%bd%ce%b1%cf%81%ce%ba%cf%84%ce%ae%cf%81%ce%b9%ce%bf%cf%82-%e1%bd%81%ce%bc%ce%b9%ce%bb%ce%af%ce%b1-%cf%84%e1%bf%86%cf%82-%ce%b1-%ce%b8-%cf%80%ce%b1%ce%bd%ce%b1%ce%b3%ce%b9%cf%8c-3/ The following are some of his observations:
A major problem in this connection is the anthropological and moral confusion about the essentials of life, even among Christians. It is self-evident that we are concerned with the division of Christianity and how it will be transcended. It is our duty to compete in the arena of ecumenical dialogue.
It is considered certain that the peace of religions is of decisive importance for the peace of peoples and cultures and that the way to this is the sincere inter-religious dialogue. Today there are two enemies of this dialogue: a) fundamentalism, i.e. the absolutization of my own truth and the demonization of the other, which fuels intolerance and violence “in the name of God”, and b) the acceptance of everything and the denial that there is “truth”, i.e. the so-called “postmodern nihilism” of “anything goes”.
It is noteworthy that the positions which present the Orthodox Church as essentially negative towards the ecumenical dialogue and indifferent to the meeting of contemporary culture and new ideas, as introverted and ethnocentric, are expressed under the walls as praise and as a testimony of authenticity of orthodox opinion, while from outside with a critical attitude and stigmatization of the “closed” Orthodoxy, according to them. The characterization of the Holy and Great Synod of the Orthodox Church by fundamentalists as “ecumenical”, while some outsiders believe that the Synod did not dare to take the necessary decisions in the face of contemporary great challenges, is a clear proof of this. This criticism fails completely when its object is the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the one vigorously fighting for the stability of Orthodoxy and its common witness in the world.
The Holy Great Church of Christ is well aware of its pan-Orthodox responsibility and, also, the manner of its application and exercise. The recent developments in Orthodox relations have made it clear that the unity of Orthodoxy is threatened when the role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is questioned….
At the end of the Synaxis, a concluding statement was issued. https://orthodoxtimes.com/the-holy-synaxis-of-the-hierarchy-of-the-ecumenical-throne-has-concluded/ (English translation of text) The Synaxis “explicitly condemned this ideology [Russian World] and the transformation of the Church into a secular institution, as well as its use to promote state interests and the ongoing war in Ukraine following the unprovoked invasion of a sovereign state by the Russian Federation.” A letter was read from Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria concerning “the canonical encroachment of the Moscow Patriarchate on the canonical territory of the Church of Alexandria and the resulting schism and scandal among the People of God in Africa.” The Synaxis “condemned these non-canonical actions of the Russian Church” and “expressed its unwavering support for the Patriarchate of Alexandria and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.” The Ecumenical Patriarch stated that the official celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the convocation of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, Bithynia, will take place at the end of May 2025 with the participation of Pope Francis.
The special delegation, appointed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to investigate ways to improve religious relations in Ukraine, has completed its visit to Ukraine. As described in my last report, the delegation met with the heads of the OCU, UOC, UOC-KP, and the UGCC. https://www.unifr.ch/orthodoxia/de/dokumentation/anderson/ (25 Aug. 2024) They subsequently met with Roman Catholic Bishop Vitalii of Kyiv and Zhytomyr on August 26 for three hours. https://www.facebook.com/vitalii.kryvytskyi/posts/pfbid02SNupvGk46JgFxx2S7w1WC4dPhx5WT4G1p6qymYLo9UYhjDYrgv39YRsjcLMsUeA8l?rdid=7LNpg3MNT7xG0k9C There was a separate meeting with the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas. https://www.uocc.ca/meetings-of-the-delegation-of-the-ecumenical-patriarchate/ Metropolitan Ilarion had a private meeting with Metropolitan Oleksandr (Drabinko), a hierarch of the OCU who had previously been a metropolitan of the UOC and as a priest, had been personal secretary to Metropolitan Volodymyr, the previous primate of the UOC. https://www.facebook.com/oleksandr.drabinko The special delegation met on August 28 with the St. Sophia Brotherhood, an organization of priests and laity from both the OCU and the UOC who seek better relations between the two churches. https://sofiyske-bratstvo.org/vidbulas-zustrich-sofijskogo-bratstva-z-chlenamy-delegacziyi-vselenskogo-patriarhatu/ Undoubtedly, the delegation or one of its members met with a number of other organizations and persons as well. The delegation had a meeting with President Zelensky and Viktor Yelensky on August 28. https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/volodimir-zelenskij-zustrivsya-z-predstavnikami-vselenskogo-92885
At the Synaxis, Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon gave a report on “The Ukrainian question and Orthodoxy in the Baltic countries.” It is extremely likely that he included in his report the visit of the special delegation to Kyiv. However, I have seen no information as to what he said on that subject.
I have also seen no official report or response from the UOC with respect to the meeting of Metropolitan Onufry and other UOC bishops with the special delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The UOC is not a monolithic organization and has a broad spectrum of views, including a very conservative wing and a more liberal wing. On August 23 Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhye, one of the most conservative and outspoken hierarchs of the UOC, told his diocesan assembly that a relationship with the Ecumenical Patriarchate will “dramatically aggravate the situation.” He stated that “our transition to the omophorion of Constantinople means only one thing – we will move further and further away from the Orthodox faith, following the Phanar’s course towards unity with the Vatican.” https://hramzp.ua/newsitem/sostoyalos-obshhee-sobranie-dukhovenst). On the other hand, Prof. Sergii Bortnyk, who teaches at the UOC’s Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary and who is an employee of the DECR of the UOC, has written an extremely interesting article entitled, “Legislative ban on UOC as a chance for reconciliation of Orthodox Churches in Ukraine.” The article has been posted in English at https://publicorthodoxy.org/2024/08/28/legislative-ban-on-the-uoc-and-reconciliation-in-ukraine/ Dr. Bortnyk believes that the present time, with the impending ban of the UOC, may be an opportunity for churches to make changes that in normal circumstances would seem to be impossible. Prof. Bortnyk’s article is certainly worth reading.
There does seem to be a somewhat different atmosphere prevailing now in Kyiv. On August 23 there was a televised discussion lasting for 80 minutes between Metropolitan Kliment, head of the Information and Education Department of the UOC, and Metropolitan Oleksandr (Drabinko) of the OCU. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=776k8CcFVXU The subject was: “’We are not Moscow priests’ – priests of UOC-MP and OCU on the law banning the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.” It is really amazing that metropolitans of the two churches were even talking with each other. It is even more amazing that they were very polite to each other.
Draft Law 8371, which passed by the Rada on the second reading and signed by President Zelensky, has now become “Law 3894.” The complete text of Law 3894 is posted at https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/3894-20#Text . This is a very important link. The Google translation tool works well with the full Ukrainian text found at this link, and one can use the tool to translate the full text into any language. One can also use the search engine at this link to find any word or phrase in Law 3894. Law 3894 was officially published on August 24, 2024. The clock on the effective dates begins to run from this publication date. Accordingly, all of the provisions, except for those relating to enforcement in the courts, will be effective September 23, 2024. The provisions relating to court enforcement become effective nine months after the publication date or May 24, 2025.
There continues to be concerns expressed about Law 3894. On August 24, the World Council of Churches (WCC) issued a statement that “the WCC is deeply alarmed by the potential for unjustified collective punishment of an entire religious community and violation of the principles of freedom of religion or belief under a new law approved by the Ukrainian Rada on 20 August 2024.” https://oikoumene.org/resources/documents/wcc-statement-on-the-new-law-passed-by-the-ukraine-rada-on-20-august-2024 On September 3, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem published a strong condemnation of the new law. https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/blog/2024/09/03/statement-by-the-patriarchate-of-jerusalem-on-recent-legislation-in-ukraine-affecting-freedom-of-religion/ The condemnation included the following: It is in this spirit that the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, along with many of our fellow Patriarchs as well as other Heads of Church, condemn the passing of a new law by the Parliament of Ukraine on 20 August to ban the worship UOC churches. Such a blanket punishment of countless faithful men and women does not promote unity, nor does it promote peace. A representative of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has stated that the Office has now received a copy of the new law and is in the process of analyzing it. The results of the analysis will be published. https://ria.ru/20240903/ukraina-1970281307.html
Stephen Schneck, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), sent a message to Voice of America shortly after the passage of Law 3894. https://www.voanews.com/a/ukraine-s-zelensky-considers-ban-on-russia-linked-religious-groups/7752255.html https://www.voanews.com/a/ukraine-s-zelensky-considers-ban-on-russia-linked-religious-groups/7752255.html The message stated: “The most recent version of the law does not fully address prior concerns about the law’s potential to impose collective punishments on entire religious communities. It also introduced new problematic aspects that could compromise the protection of freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression.” Immediately after the meeting with the special delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Dr. Viktor Yelensky, the head of DESS, travelled to Washington, DC to meet with various organizations including USCIFR. https://dess.gov.ua/relihiyna-dyplomatiia-u-dii-vizyt-ukrainskoi-delehatsii-do-ssha/ However, Law 3894 will stand or fall based on the actual wording of the new law. No amount of explanation by Dr. Yelensky or anyone else can change the actual wording.
From August 10 to 29, Metropolitan Konstantin, the Moscow Patriarch’s Exarch of Africa, made a long visit to Kenya. The program for the visit is described at http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/6155838.html. Metropolitan Konstanin also gave an interview to TASS. https://tass.ru/obschestvo/21716789 He stated that the “number of priests who identify themselves as members of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in Africa has already reached 236, with more than 100 of them in Kenya.” During the visit, he ordained three priests. Only five of the 236 priests are Russian-speakers. On the last day of the visit, Metropolitan Konstantin celebrated Liturgy for the feast of the Dormition at the Russian Embassy in Nairobi. The very close bond between the Moscow Patriarchate in Africa and the Russian Foreign Ministry continues.
On September 3, the Estonian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate and the Pühtitsa Monastery filed separate lawsuits with the Tallinn Administrative Court. The statement issued by the law firm can be read at https://sirel.com/mpeok-ja-puhtitsa-naisklooster-poordusid-kaebustega-halduskohtusse/. According to the statement, the purpose of the lawsuits is “to eliminate the illegal consequences caused by the statement of the Riigikogu [the Estonian parliament]on 06.05.2024 ‘Declaring the Moscow Patriarchate as an institution supporting the military aggression of the Russian Federation’ and to exclude them [the Church and the Monastery]from the list of supporters of military aggression.”
Peter Anderson, Seattle USA
