Today, the all-church council (pomisnyj sobor) of the Kyivan
Patriarchate took place at St. Volodymyr in Kyiv. Three bishops attended
- Metropolitans Filaret and Ioasaph, and Bishop Peter (Ioasaph's
vicar). Note that Ioasaph's eparchy is in the Russian Federation.
This council restored the Kyivan Patriarchate, thanked the Ecumenical
Patriarchate for trying to resolve the Ukrainian issue, declared that
the EP's tomos does not apply to them, and dismissed the tomos
as subordinating the OCU to the EP. Of course, the sobor noted that
Filaret is the primate of the KP, referring to his election as patriarch
in 1995.
On the one hand,
only 2 bishops and a handful of clergy and laity attended this sobor,
indicating the limited interest among those who adhered to the
dissolution of the KP on December 15 and formation of the OCU.
On the other hand, the sobor nominated two candidates for the office of bishop. Clearly, the participants do not care about the perception of strength in numbers and will pursue their agenda regardless of threats and opposition. The sobor also invited all clergy and parishes belonging to the OCU to join the KP.
The media office of the OCU issues a statement claiming that Filaret violated the canons and requesting clear clarification on the position of the sobor. It seems that the KP's intent is not clear, but crystal clear - this is an attempt to eradicate what was done in 2018-19.
One can expect that the OCU will now apply canonical sanctions on those who participated in the sobor. Will this development damage the OCU? Or will the OCU emerge stronger, through "addition by subtraction"?
One thing is certain - Filaret's withdrawal from the OCU frees its young and largely unknown leaders to chart the course for its internal life and mission.
Another thing is certain. The body of Christ in Ukraine remains wounded. We just don't know if this is a fresh wound, or the kind of pain that comes from the slow, arduous process of healing.
On the other hand, the sobor nominated two candidates for the office of bishop. Clearly, the participants do not care about the perception of strength in numbers and will pursue their agenda regardless of threats and opposition. The sobor also invited all clergy and parishes belonging to the OCU to join the KP.
The media office of the OCU issues a statement claiming that Filaret violated the canons and requesting clear clarification on the position of the sobor. It seems that the KP's intent is not clear, but crystal clear - this is an attempt to eradicate what was done in 2018-19.
One can expect that the OCU will now apply canonical sanctions on those who participated in the sobor. Will this development damage the OCU? Or will the OCU emerge stronger, through "addition by subtraction"?
One thing is certain - Filaret's withdrawal from the OCU frees its young and largely unknown leaders to chart the course for its internal life and mission.
Another thing is certain. The body of Christ in Ukraine remains wounded. We just don't know if this is a fresh wound, or the kind of pain that comes from the slow, arduous process of healing.