According to the statement that followed the Holy Synod, the Romanian Patriarchate anticipates that the problem of Ukrainian ecclesiastical unity is not fully resolved at present, because the Tomos granting autocephaly was accepted only by the Ukrainian Orthodox people who were not in communion with the Moscow Patriarchate.
Also because in Ukraine there is a large Russian population having a direct relation to the Moscow Patriarchate.
The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church reiterates its stance that, through dialogue, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Moscow Patriarchate identify a solution to this ecclesiastical dispute by preserving the unity of faith, by respecting the administrative and pastoral freedom of the clergy and faithful in this country (including the right to autocephaly), and by restoring Eucharistic communion. In the event of an unsuccessful bilateral dialogue, it is necessary to convene a Synaxis of all Primates of Orthodox Churches to solve the existing problem.
The Holy Synod also mentioned that “for a concrete and correct decision of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, at a forthcoming working session, the Synod will consider with priority that there are 127 Romanian Orthodox parishes in Ukraine, especially in Northern Bukovina, which are under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate. A real consultation is needed with these Romanian Orthodox people, who are concerned with preserving their ethnic and linguistic identity.”
The Synod considers that “it is necessary to obtain written assurances from Ukrainian ecclesiastical and state authorities that the ethnic and linguistic identity of these Romanians will be respected, and that these Romanian Orthodox will have the possibility to organise themselves within a Romanian Orthodox Vicariate and to be able to cultivate spiritual relations with the Romanian Patriarchate, in order to be supported by sending liturgical and theological books in their mother tongue, that is, in the Romanian language.” Here, it should also be noted that a Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate has been operating in Romania since 1990.
At the end they added that “the Romanian Patriarchate will ask the Ecumenical Patriarchate to clarify the problem of the non-canonical hierarchs and priests in the West, who belonged to the former ‘Kiev Patriarchate’.”
