Department for External Church Relations
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The Serbian Church re-affirms its position on church situation in Ukraine
His Holiness Irenaeus, Patriarch of Serbia, has familiarized His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, with the position taken by the Serbian Orthodox Church on the Ukrainian church problems.
Below is the full text of the official position formulated by the Bishops’ Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church at its session on May 14, 2019.
With regard to the disputed and vitally important topic of an abnormal church situation in Ukraine that has developed after the well-known decisions and unilateral interference of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Sacred Bishops’ Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church officially and unanimously informs and presents to the general public that the position of our Church on this problem remains unchanged as to its previous official conciliar and synodal decisions, statements and appeals. Accordingly, the Serbian Orthodox Church does not recognize the newly formed pseudo-ecclesiastical structure in Ukraine, headed by citizens Denisenko and Dumenko, but stands in the liturgical and canonical communion only and exceptionally with the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy. It implies that our Church is in communion with all the rest canonical Orthodox Churches.
We repeat once again that our Sacred Bishops’ Council makes another appeal to all to solve and resolve the church problems in Ukraine canonically, in fraternal dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church on the whole and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in particular after a conference on the pan-Orthodox level.
We send the text of our decision concurrently to the Patriarch of Constantinople and to Your Holiness and after them will immediately send it to all the rest Primates of local Orthodox Churches and, in an appropriate form, to the public both ecclesial and secular.
Your brother and concelebrant always faithful to Your Holiness in the love of Christ the Saviour.
+ IRENAUS
Archbishop of Pec
Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci
Chairman of the Holy Bishops’ Council
Serbian Orthodox Church
Patriarch
Sermons
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