The bishops of three Orthodox churches in Ukraine agreed on the founding of an independent national church in Kiev on Saturday. This reports the agency Interfax.
At the synod in the oldest church in the city, the St. Sophia Cathedral, also took part President Petro Poroshenko. "From you and only from you depends the future of Ukraine, our freedom, our state and spiritual independence from Russia," he told the bishops.
The Ukraine wanted and could no longer belong to Russia under Canon Law. In view of the military and political encroachments from Russia, the country also wants to cut itself off religiously from Moscow. According to Reuters Epifani has been elected to the head of the new church, the only 39-year-old Metropolitan of Pereyaslavl, Poroshenko with.
In front of the cathedral in Kiev, several hundred people with Ukrainian flags expressed their support for a secession from Russia. The police secured the center of the capital with about 4000 security forces.
Because of the church founding in Ukraine, there has been a bitter dispute for months between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. The ecclesiastical and political consequences of this deep division are not yet in sight.
Moscow sees Ukraine as a traditional church territory
The Moscow Patriarchate sees Ukraine as its ancestral church territory. Metropolitan Onufri, head of the Moscow Orthodox faith in Kiev, spoke on Saturday about an attempt to divide the church. "There is already a national church, we have enough, we have much more than we promise to those who take part in this synod," he said. Therefore, among the 200 or so participants in the congregation, there were only two bishops of the Moscow-faithful church.
In contrast, the supreme authority of the worldwide Orthodoxy, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul, wants to recognize an independent church in Ukraine. His employees have worked out a statute for them. On January 6, he wants to hand over the decree on church autonomy (autocephaly) to the elected head of the Ukrainian church.
In fact, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate, which was founded in 1992, and the smaller Autocephalous Church will in fact merge. Outside remain the dioceses of the Moscow Patriarchate, but count more priests, churches and monasteries. Conflicts are opening up around important Orthodox shrines such as the famous Cave Monastery in Kiev.
The impending loss of Orthodox believers and communities in Ukraine is being complained about in Russian politics. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny blamed the leadership of President Vladimir Putin for leaving Ukraine on Twitter: "What was created hundreds of years ago destroyed Putin and his idiots in just four years."