“Interpretation of these facts [the church schism in Ukraine] given by the summit participants was exactly the same as that of the patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. And those who started that division, that unrest in Ukraine should understand that well. This schism will not be supported by the Orthodox world,” the patriarch told reporters following a visit to Chambesy, Switzerland, where the heads of the Orthodox Churches met to discuss preparations for the Pan-Orthodox Council.
The patriarch reiterated that there is only one way to overcome the Ukrainian schism: “It’s through negotiation, and achieving results, on the basis of the holy canons.”
“Ukraine has the only Ukrainian Orthodox Church recognized by all Orthodox churches, and therefore, if people want to be in communion with the ecumenical Orthodox faith, they should reunite with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the basis of the canons that exist in the ecumenical Orthodoxy. There is no other way, and there is no other message to Ukraine from the patriarchs today,” he said.
