Alexis II: "Ukrainian Church Eagerly Desires Return of Schismatics

30-07-2008

29.07.2008, [20:04] // Inter-Christian relations // - Kyiv-The Canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) eagerly desires the return of schismatics, said Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow and All Rus. "Our Church eagerly desires that its children, who unwisely went far away, should return to the parents' home. But it should be carried out according to the unshakeable canons of the Church," said Alexis II at Ukraine Palace in Kyiv at a celebration for the 1020th anniversary of Baptism of Rus.

According to the Patriarch, it is possible to avoid further divisions only through such conditions.

According to unian.net, the head of the Russian church reminded that in 1992, the Ukrainian Church was granted the right of self-government comparable to the rights of autocephaly (independence) and "successfully carries out its ministry in the complicated conditions of the development of the Ukrainian state."

The patriarch thanked the heads and representatives of the local Orthodox Church of the world who came to Kyiv to participate in the celebration of the 1020th anniversary of Baptism of Rus."

At the same time, Alexis II noted that "those who seceded from the Church seek to use even the smallest crack in that solidarity to show support for one or another local Church...All this, first of all, harms the schismatics themselves, as they are given a chance to justify their sin instead of repenting," added patriarch Alexis.

The Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Volodymyr, thanked the Patriarch for his visit, joint prayers, and celebration of the jubilee of the Baptism of Rus and asked him to come to Ukraine more often to get acquainted with the needs of the people and share its joy.

During the conclusion of the events at the Ukraine Palace, the patriarch was given a large bouquet of orange roses from the Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
http://www.risu.org.ua/eng/news/article;23795/