Department for External Church Relations
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Polish Orthodox Church states that there must be no haste with regard to the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in order not to deepen the schism
The Polish Orthodox Church confirmed it position expressed at the Bishops’ Council on 9 May 2018.
Consent of all the Local Churches is needed in order to grant the autocephaly to the Ukrainian Church, and a hasty decision can deepen the schism, the Polish Orthodox Church has warned. This position was expressed in a letter sent by the secretary of the Chancellery of the Polish Orthodox Church, Fr. Jerzy Dororzkiewicz, to RBK in reply to a request to present his opinion on the issue of autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the website of the Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church reports.
Referring to the minutes of the sessions of the Bishops’ Council of the Polish Orthodox Church of 9 May 2018, Fr. Jerzy Dororzkiewicz emphasizes that “autocephaly is granted by the Mother Church after reaching agreement with the Primates of all the Local Churches,” and that hasty actions can deepen the schism in Ukraine. “The current situation in Ukraine is such that all the Local Orthodox Churches must take care of it,” the letter reads.
The representative of the Polish Church also notes that “there are several schismatic churches in Ukraine which must show repentance and return to the canons of the Orthodox Church. Only then the discussion on the issue of granting autocephaly will begin.”
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