Karekin II on autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church: Armenian Apostolic  Church does not support the separation of churches

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.