Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia sent a letter to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople regarding the situation that has developed around the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This is reported by the Information and Educational Department of the UOC with reference to the official website of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Expressing deep pain in connection with the Russian-Ukrainian war, His Holiness the Patriarch noted that “in addition to the above, we are concerned about the circumstances in which the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is now.”

His Holiness explained his appeal to the Patriarch of Constantinople by saying that “the government of Ukraine, which leads the country during the war, has its own position on this issue and does not take into account deep religious considerations.”

He recalled that “the vast majority of clergy, hierarchs and parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church showed devotion to their country during this war, and their unanimity also contributed to the strength of Ukraine.” According to the Primate of the Georgian Church, the fact that there are “those who have a different position” “does not change the overall picture.”

“It is also extremely important that, according to the decision of the Synod, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry separated from the Russian Church and took some steps to start negotiations. It is also important that the desire of this Church to observe the canonical rules in any church matters is due to the conduct of its representatives of the spiritual way of life, which has been recognized for centuries and does not necessarily mean obedience to another church, ”he noted.

Patriarch Ilia II drew attention to the tense situation around the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and “adversity with other churches and monasteries.”

“We can say for sure that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church found itself in a very difficult situation from many sides,” he stressed.

Addressing Patriarch Bartholomew, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia noted that “you could help reduce tension, for which, in our opinion, it would be necessary to create conditions for peaceful coexistence at the first stage, and subsequently take a peaceful step towards mutual rapprochement.”

“Now the Orthodox world is facing a number of serious challenges, and under these conditions, any positive step would be very valuable. I would like to conclude this letter with the words of the Holy Apostle Paul: “Strive to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). May the Lord grant peace to Ukraine and the whole world,” the appeal says in conclusion.