The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople convened in Istanbul on 9 October 2018 and has reached its decision on autocephaly,or independence,for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.It will be announced in a press release tomorrow,11 October.*
For several weeks,it has been made clear by hierarchs of the Patriarchate that autocephaly has been the preferred option of His All-Holiness Paatriarch Bartholomew.Last Sunday,His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey,who is a member of the Holy and Sacred Synod of Constantinople,published an encyclical letter to his flock informing them that autocephaly was about to be conferred to Ukraine.This intention had been frankly shared with key Orthodox Church leaders in a series of high level meetings.There were also meetings with Ukrainian government officials,particularly President Petro Poroshenko,who is up for re-election.
Analysis:Public opinion polls show the majority of Ukrainians favour autocephaly;but the revanchist Putin regime in Russia and the closely allied Patriarchate of Moscow have sternly rejected the proposal,which would significantly weaken their power and prestige.*
There is little doubt what the announcement will be;but you can never be entirely sure until it is actually made.There could be a nuanced approach that would dissatisfy many Ukrainians,such as granting autonomy now and autocephaly at some point in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment