ArmInfo.The Armenian Apostolic Church does not support the division of churches. Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II told reporters in Novosibirsk when answering the question whether the Armenian Apostolic Church recognizes a unifying council in Ukraine.
"The Armenian Apostolic Church is a supporter of canonicity. And in this regard, one can never welcome steps that are aimed at the division, dismemberment of the church," Karekin II said.
Archbishop Yevstratiy (Zorya), speaker of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, has already responded to this statement of the Catholicos of All Armenians: ''Karekin II stated that the Armenian Apostolic Church does not support the division of churches and is a supporter of canonicity. Some Ukrainian and Russian media interpreted this statement as a condemnation of the provision of the Tomos to Ukraine. Where is there any note about Tomos in the statement of Karekin II? I'm not even talking about the fact that the Armenian Church does not belong to the number of local Orthodox churches, but to the number of ancient Eastern churches, and, accordingly, to the issue of Tomos, canons of the Orthodox Church, etc. - has only an indirect relationship. Ukrainian journalists who "creatively" refine Russian propagandists about this are obviously not even aware of this, "Zorya wrote on his Facebook page.
To note, on October 11, the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate adopted a number of decisions concerning the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In particular, the decision of the Constantinople Patriarchate of 1686 to transfer the Ukrainian church to the administration of the Moscow Patriarchate was cancelled; the anathema imposed by the Russian Orthodox Church was removed from the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate Filaret; he and the head of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Macarius returned to canonical status.
The decision of the Synod, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, called the provision of autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The official Tomos, the ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew, will present to the head of the united local Ukrainian Orthodox Church elected at the unifying council. On October 15, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church broke the Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Council of Bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate made the same decision on November 13.