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21.05.2007, [10:19] // Orthodox // RISU.ORG.UA

Odesa – Bishop Ahafanhel (Pashkovskyi) of Tavria and Odesa (Ukraine) of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA) is negative about the union of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) with the ROCA, which occurred on 17 May 2007. In particular, he said: “In fact, this agreement does not solve anything. This union will not resolve any of the principal issues which, starting from Soviet times, have divided the Russian church.”

Bishop Ahafanhel expressed his concern that the ROCA will, in fact, become an annex to the Moscow Patriarchate. He stated: “This is not something we have strived for, at least not in Ukraine, as it means we will have to be part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate [UOC-MP]. Here in Ukraine, we would like to remain the church of Rus, whose aim is to unite people of different nationalities who are willing to be brought up in the spirit of the spiritual tradition of Rus.”

But representatives of the UOC-MP treat the “Act of Canonical Communion” of the ROC and the ROCA as spiritual union, in the first place. In his commentary on the act, Patriarch Alexis II, head of the ROC, said: “This means that the ROCA will have its own hierarchal synod, call its own hierarchal sobor [assembly], appoint priests to parishes, and will be independent in the administrative sphere but, spiritually, it will be united with the [UOC-MP].”

Bishop Ahafanhel explained that one of the reasons why he opposes the union is that “in 1927 the Moscow Patriarchate went under the subordination of the Soviet government and continues to justify the Soviet period in its history.”

The ROCA in Ukraine has 30 parishes and one women’s monastery.

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