Paul Goble
Staunton,
November 2 – If Moscow continues to interfere with the march of Ukraine’s
Orthodox to autocephaly, it could lose not only its church in Ukraine – there is
no Russian church there now legitimately, a representative of the Universal
Patriarchate says – but even have its own autocephaly taken away and watch as
Belarus gains autocephaly as well.
In
an interview to BBC’s Ukrainian service, Archbishop Iov of the Universal
Patriarchate in Constantinople, says that the Moscow Patriarchate, having lost
its position in Ukraine, could easily lose more if it continues to interfere
and refuses to accept the decision on autocephaly for Ukraine that only Constantinople
is entitled to make.
If it does not stop and does not accept the inevitability
of Ukrainian autocephaly, Iov continues, Constantinople will have to consider
other steps, including even the possibility of stripping Moscow itself of the autocephaly
Constantinople gave it in the first place (bbc.com/ukrainian/features-46069420
in Ukrainian; nv.ua/world/geopolitics/konstantinopol-rpts-dolzhna-vernutsja-k-edineniju-so-vselenskim-prestolom-inache-primem-opredelennye-reshenija-2504540.html
in Russian; cf. actualcomment.ru/konstantinopol-ugrozhaet-rpts-otzyvom-avtokefalii-1811021627.html).
“We hope
that Russia will reflect upon this and return to unity with the Universal
throne for the Universal throne does not want to break relations with it. But
if this situation will continue for a long time, of course, the Universal
throne will be forced to take definite decisions in order to guarantee the
unity of the church,” Iov says.
Taking
autocephaly away from Moscow would be a “nuclear option” and it very unlikely;
but Constantinople has the power to take that step. More immediately, Iov
pointed out, it has the option of granting autocephaly not only to Ukraine but
also to Orthodoxy in Belarus, something that would further limit Moscow’s influence
especially now that it has lost Ukraine.
Moscow is clearly losing this church
battle, something that will have serious consequences for Patriarch Kirill in
the first instance – he could even be forced from office – but also for his
church and for the Russian state it serves.
Constantinople isn’t intimidated, and Moscow religious and secular has
to decide just how far it will go given that the stakes against it are becoming
so large.
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