The decision not to commemorate the new Archbishop of Cyprus, George, was taken by the Holy Synod of the Church of Russia, which began its work today, stressing that these are “the consequences of the commemoration by the newly elected Primate of the Church of Cyprus, the head of the schismatic structure operating in Ukraine.”
As the website of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for Foreign Affairs reminds us, at its meeting on November 20, 2020, the Holy Synod of the Moscow Church announced that it is ending the commemoration of Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus and the Eucharistic communion with him, due to the recognition of “one of the schismatic groups in Ukraine and the commemoration of its head.”
It says that after the passing away of Archbishop Chrysostomos, the new Primate of the Church of Cyprus continued to commemorate the “leader of the Ukrainian schismatics” (Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine).
“Therefore,” concludes the communiqué of the Russian Church, it states that it will not commemorate Archbishop George of Cyprus as well as those hierarchs of the Church of Cyprus who entered or will enter into ecclesiastical communion with “schismatics”.
Also, in his opening speech, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow referred to the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, referring to the “mockery of the very principle of human rights and freedoms.”
The reason was the decision of the Ukrainian authorities last week to announce the end of the lease with the state that allowed the Ukrainian Church of the Moscow Patriarchate to use a part of the monastery free of charge, with an order to leave the site by March 29.
The Patriarch of Moscow stated that “nothing good will come of this,” adding that “the entire Soviet Union with its atheistic power, with its orientation towards anti-religious work, was trying to uproot the Orthodox faith and close the monasteries. We know how it all ended.
Atheistic authority was abolished while the Church remained as it was.”
