UOC–KP Orthodox Head “Visiting Flock” in Donetsk, Says Bishop

Published by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church –Kyivan Patriarchate, May 28, 2005

Donetsk– The Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate (UOC-KP) “has no claims to any church or other property of [the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP)] in the region of Donetsk. [Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko), head of the UOC-KP] is only going to visit his homeland and his flock.” So wrote UOC-KP Bishop Yurii (Yurchyk) of Donetsk and Mariupol, responding to an open letter recently released by UOC-MP clergy and faithful protesting Patriarch Filaret’s planned visit to eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. RISU received a copy of the bishop’s letter, addressed to UOC-MP Metropolitan Ilarion (Shukalo) of Donetsk and Mariupol, on 25 May 2005, the text of which follows.

“On the eve of the visit of the head of the UOC–KP to Donetsk, we regret to learn of certain people calling your church to protest against the visit of Patriarch Filaret of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine to our region,” wrote Bishop Yurii. “In addition, certain forces are spreading information about our eparchy having claims to active churches and other property of the UOC–Moscow Patriarchate in Donetsk, and about the alleged political character of this visit, thus trying to provoke a wave of your dissatisfaction and protests.

“As ruling hierarch of the UOC–KP Eparchy of Donetsk, I want to assure you that our church has no claims to any church building or other property of your church in the region of Donetsk. Patriarch Filaret’s visit to Donetsk has no political motives. He is only going to visit his homeland and his flock.

“The forces that are spreading false rumors only want to use you for their own political motives.

“Ukraine’s Constitution and other legislative acts grant all faithful the right to their own world-view and to free profession of their faith and to prayer in their churches.

“Our eparchy in the Donetsk region has almost 100 parishes and thousands of faithful. But even if our church had a smaller quantity of communities and faithful, they would still have the right to welcome their leader and pray with him. The freedom to profess one’s faith does not depend on the number of faithful of any given church. Patriarch Filaret comes to visit exclusively his faithful and his parishes. There are no conflict situations on a religious basis in our region from our side, and we hope that such situations will not be created by you artificially.

“At the end of my open letter, I want to remind you that Our Lord Jesus Christ ever calls all of us in His Gospel to love even our enemies. Let us therefore remember that we all bear the name of Christians and profess one Christ, crucified for our sins!

“With love in Christ.”

So ends the letter of Bishop Yurii.



Volume 7 Number 22 - Tuesday, May 31st, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY