“Of course, we are watching very closely and with great concern how relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate are developing. At the same time, of course, we hope that all the interests of the Russian Orthodox Church will be respected,” he added. The Constantinople Patriarchate has destroyed itself as that kind of centre.”The Kiev Patriarchate now plans to hold a special council with the smaller Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and willing clerics from the Moscow Patriarchate to form a unified, national Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Russian Orthodox Church has warned that violence is likely to erupt in Ukraine when, as it predicts, people there try to seize monasteries and other church property controlled by the Moscow Patriarchate. Ukraine has increased security at key religious sites, and last week the Kremlin warned that it would “defend the interests” of Russian church believers if they faced any danger.

Source: The Irish Times October 16, 2018 17:26 UTC