Filaret spokesman: The aim of negotiations with ROC is Local Church of UOC-KP

The sole purpose of the dialogue with the ROC is the Local Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate in Ukraine to be recognized by other Churches. This was said by KP press secretary Archbishop Yevstraty Zoria in an interview published on the UOC-KP’s official website.

He added that the UOC-KP proposes Riga or Vilnius as the venue for the meeting of the Commission for negotiation set up by the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.

"We are only talking about recognition. Recognition not only by the Moscow Patriarchate, but also by all Orthodox Local Churches... Obviously, if the Moscow Patriarchate agreed to such a scenario, it would be much easier for Constantinople and other Local Churches to take a step towards recognition. And that's why we are not talking about the fact that we expect a gift from Patriarch Kirill and the ROC as a whole. We see this as part of a large pan-Orthodox process of recognizing the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church if the ROC is ready for it. If it is not ready, then we will find sufficient to be recognized by the Mother Church of Constantinople," the KP press secretary said.

The Council of Bishops heard a written appeal from the former Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Filaret to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and the Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church on November 16, 2017. The letter contains a request for the restoration of Eucharistic and prayerful communion with Christians in the Ukrainian church schism, and on the abolition of "all decisions, including on reprisals and excommunication... for the sake of God's".

The Council accepted the document "On the Appeal of the Former Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Filaret", which reads, "Today's duty and those who are in the Church, and those who seek to reunite with it - in the hourly feat of mutual love and self-denial, in order to overcome long-standing alienation, trusting in the mercy and goodness of the Lord and our God Jesus Christ, the mediocrity of enmity destroyed. The decisive rejection of violence and the seizure of churches, the refusal of mutual accusations and reproaches, mutual forgiveness of old grievances to each other – these are the healing means of self-sacrifice and love of Christ, with which alone can the unity of the canonical Church in Ukraine be restored."

To conduct further negotiations with the UOC-KP, the Council established a commission chaired by Metropolitan Hilarion of the Volokolamsk ROC, consisting of seven members, including three hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church: Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary; Metropolitan Theodore of Kamenetz-Podilsky and Gorodok and Metropolitan Mitrofan of Lugansk and Alchevsk, as well as deputy head of the DECR of the UOC, Protopriest Nikolai Danilevich.

The Holy Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church was held from November 29 to December 2, 2017 in Moscow.

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