C
ChristMyLife
Guest
Ukrainian Orthodox brethren need all of our prayers.
Today, two of the three Ukrainian Orthodox Churches (the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kiev Patriarchate and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church - UOCKP and UAOC. There is also the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate which is seeing dwindling numbers and support) met in a Unification Council.
The two Churches have agreed to combine into one Church, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). In January, once the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (EP) grants the “tomos” of autocephaly, the OCU will become the 2nd largest Eastern Orthodox Church in the world (the top 3 will then be the Russian Orthodox Church with 150 million souls, the OCU with 25 million and Romanian Orthodox with 23 million.)
Kiev is the historic center of Slavic Christianity, the true heartland of Slavic Christendom. This 2nd largest of the Eastern Orthodox Churches will be in full communion with the most important Orthodox Church, the EP.
But it seems the Eastern Orthodox communion of Churches is splitting… Aside from the issues between the Serbs and the Macedonian Orthodox Church and the Russians and Belarusian Orthodox Church (the Macedonians and Belarus’ have over 5.5 million believers), there is also the ongoing disputes and lack of communion between the Churches of Antioch and Jerusalem, and now also this powderkeg in Ukraine.
Even the Holy Mt Athos is now involved, with Russia saying some pretty nasty stuff about it.
Anyway, it seems the Eastern Orthodox communion is crumbling… There is so much infighting, intrigue, lack of communion and division, one barely knows what to think or even where to start in order to formulate the thoughts about what to think…
I am thinking there’s a real possibility the Primatial Orthodox Church (the EP) and the 2nd largest Orthodox Church may try to get the Macedonians, Belarusians, and maybe the Antiochians to split away from the rest of the Eastern Orthodox (who from then on will be de facto under the Moscow Patriarchate, which will finally realize its ambition to become the ‘third Rome’).
I also wonder if there’s any possibility the OCU and EP may seek reunion with Rome.
This is a very precarious and interesting situation…
So let’s all pray especially for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and our great friend and ally His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew, for the newly created Orthodox Church of Ukraine and its newly selected Primate Metropolitan Epifaniy, for the Russian Orthodox Church, for all the canonical Eastern Orthodox, for the large Churches in Macedonia and Belarus seeking recognition from their fellow Orthodox Christian brethren, and for Jerusalem and the Antiochians.
Let us also pray for an end to all heresy and schism, and that all Christians may be One in the Unity of the Holy Spirit,
Amen.
Today, two of the three Ukrainian Orthodox Churches (the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kiev Patriarchate and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church - UOCKP and UAOC. There is also the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate which is seeing dwindling numbers and support) met in a Unification Council.
The two Churches have agreed to combine into one Church, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). In January, once the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (EP) grants the “tomos” of autocephaly, the OCU will become the 2nd largest Eastern Orthodox Church in the world (the top 3 will then be the Russian Orthodox Church with 150 million souls, the OCU with 25 million and Romanian Orthodox with 23 million.)
Kiev is the historic center of Slavic Christianity, the true heartland of Slavic Christendom. This 2nd largest of the Eastern Orthodox Churches will be in full communion with the most important Orthodox Church, the EP.
But it seems the Eastern Orthodox communion of Churches is splitting… Aside from the issues between the Serbs and the Macedonian Orthodox Church and the Russians and Belarusian Orthodox Church (the Macedonians and Belarus’ have over 5.5 million believers), there is also the ongoing disputes and lack of communion between the Churches of Antioch and Jerusalem, and now also this powderkeg in Ukraine.
Even the Holy Mt Athos is now involved, with Russia saying some pretty nasty stuff about it.
Anyway, it seems the Eastern Orthodox communion is crumbling… There is so much infighting, intrigue, lack of communion and division, one barely knows what to think or even where to start in order to formulate the thoughts about what to think…
I am thinking there’s a real possibility the Primatial Orthodox Church (the EP) and the 2nd largest Orthodox Church may try to get the Macedonians, Belarusians, and maybe the Antiochians to split away from the rest of the Eastern Orthodox (who from then on will be de facto under the Moscow Patriarchate, which will finally realize its ambition to become the ‘third Rome’).
I also wonder if there’s any possibility the OCU and EP may seek reunion with Rome.
This is a very precarious and interesting situation…
So let’s all pray especially for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and our great friend and ally His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew, for the newly created Orthodox Church of Ukraine and its newly selected Primate Metropolitan Epifaniy, for the Russian Orthodox Church, for all the canonical Eastern Orthodox, for the large Churches in Macedonia and Belarus seeking recognition from their fellow Orthodox Christian brethren, and for Jerusalem and the Antiochians.
Let us also pray for an end to all heresy and schism, and that all Christians may be One in the Unity of the Holy Spirit,
Amen.
Last edited:
