ROСOR Synod declares full support of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy
Claims of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to the world jurisdiction is a new threat to the Church of Christ, the ROCOR hierarchs noted.
The Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, which was held on December 6-10, declared the full support of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy, as well as the clergy and flock of the UOC. This is stated in the message of the Synod of Bishops, published on the ROCOR website on December 8.
“Following the disappointing events in light of the illegal actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, accomplished with the help of the powers that be, the Synod of Bishops declares its full support to His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kiev and All Ukraine, archpastors, pastors and flock of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and expresses its agreement with all decisions of the UOC Council of Bishops, held in November of this year," the document says. “While fervently praying before the Kursk-Korennaya Icon of the Mother of God, we fraternally join the conciliar prayer, offered these days by the canonical Church of Ukraine, for Her Primate, meekly celebrating the 28th anniversary of his archpastoral service, wishing His Beatitude good health, good cheer and spirit, and the all-powerful help of God.”
Also, the hierarchs of the Synod of the ROCOR note that the claims of the Constantinople Patriarchate to having universal jurisdiction constitute a new threat to the Church of Christ.
“The Patriarch of Constantinople and those with him began to show disregard for the generally accepted idea in the Orthodox Church of his position in relations with other Local Churches as ‘first among equals’, while trying to prove that his position should be perceived as ‘first without equal’. Based on this false and anti-canonical view, the Patriarch of Constantinople considers it possible to invade the inner life of any of the Local Orthodox Churches, violating the principle of conciliarity that has guided the Church since apostolic times,” the document says. The ROCOR Synod recalled that back in 1923, the Patriarchate of Constantinople had arbitrarily severed the unity of the Orthodox by introducing a “new calendar” that violated the congregational prayer and the liturgical life of the Church.
