Belarusian Church asks to suspend granting autocephaly to Ukraine

Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus

Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, has called on Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to suspend the process of granting autocephaly to the Ukrainian church, reports "Interfax".

At a press conference, which took place on Friday in Minsk, he emphasized that Patriarch Bartholomew’s actions could cause division in the global Orthodox Church.

"Our statement was made in such a way as to call on Patriarch Bartholomew and the Synod of the Constantinople Church to rethink the decisions being taken and to do everything possible to recall, stop this process, which is now taking on the clear forms of a church schism in the entire global Orthodox Church," said Metropolitan Pavel.

"To somehow sober up the hotheads, it was decided to suspend our service with Constantinople bishops, suspend our participation in all events chaired by representatives of Constantinople," the exarch stated.

"This isn't a break yet," he said. "It's a call, an attempt to ask Patriarch Bartholomew to suspend this act, which may lead to a schism," Metropolitan Pavel warned.

"We regret what is happening in Ukraine," he noted.

Earlier, the Synod of the BOC expressed its full support to the His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine – the canonical Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and called on the clergy and flock of the Belarusian Church to pray for correction and repentance of those who provoke church disorder and schisms.

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