RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Autocephaly opponents take issue to court

COURT ACCEPTS LAWSUIT ABOUT POROSHENKO'S LACK OF RIGHT TO INTERFERE IN CHURCH AFFAIRS

RIA Novosti, 1 October 2018

 

A district administrative court of Kiev accepted a lawsuit from the public nongovernment organization "Supremacy of Law" with the request to find that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko lacks authority to intervene in the activity of the church. Consideration is scheduled for 13 October.

 

Poroshenko is trying to obtain recognition of uncanonical religious structures and the creation of a united local autocephalous church in Ukraine.

 

Previously, the Constantinople patriarchate appointed its own exarchs in Kiev "within the context of preparation for granting autocephaly." In addition, Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew declared that he intends to grant autocephaly to Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church [of the Moscow Patriarchate—tr.] called such actions intrusion onto the canonical territory of another local church and called Patriarch Bartholomew to cease his interference and urged the "exarchs" of the Constantinople patriarchate to leave Kiev.

 

"The plaintiff asks the court to establish the absence of competence (authority) of the head of state to interfere in the activity of the church and of religious organizations, specifically by means of signing and sending an appeal to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for granting a tomos (ukase—ed.) concerning the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, which then was supported by the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada by a corresponding resolution," the website of the court reported on Monday.

 

The court accepted the lawsuit and scheduled a session for its consideration on 13 October. (tr. by PDS, posted 1 October 2018)


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