Translated by Ollie Richardson & Angelina Siard

12:16:09
01/07/2018

riafan.ru

At the time when the Kiev metropolitanate became a part of the Moscow patriarchate, the territory of Ukraine was much small than it is now. This was reported by the head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Hilarion.

The Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Hilarion reminded that after the Baptism of Rus’ according to the decision of the Constantinople patriarch, the Kiev metropolitanate was included in the structure of the Moscow patriarchate. At the same time, he added that a term of inclusion wasn’t included.

He also highlighted the fact that at the time when the Kiev metropolitanate became a part of the Moscow patriarchate, the territory of Ukraine was much less than it is today. Back then “neither Odessa, nor Donetsk, nor Crimea” was a part of Ukraine.

“The current Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow patriarchate is a completely different territory than the one that was attached back then. It is precisely this Ukrainian Orthodox Church that is the only canonical local Church of Ukraine,” he stressed.

As a reminder, Ukrainian politicians demand from the Constantinople patriarch to approve the idea of the creation of a church that is independent of the Moscow patriarchate [note: this plan has now failed; the Constantinople patriarch recently rejected the idea – ed].

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