As we have recently informed , in reference to the information on the web
site www.cerkva.info, according to which the Superior of the Monastery Ceteţuia Negru Voda
(Bishopric of Argeş and Muscel) protosingel Modest visited the residence of
"Patriarch" Philaret (Denisenko), the Department for External Church
Relations of the UOC turned to the Romanian Patriarchate for explanations. Following the oral explanations of patriarchal
counsellor father Michael Tiţa the official written answer signed by patriarchal vicar
Bishop Cyprian
came on June 28, which we bring to your attention below:
HIS BEATITUDE
THE MOST BLESSED VOLODYMYR
METROPOLITAN OF KYIV AND ALL UKRAINE
Your Beatitude!
We beg to inform you hereby that we were sorry to hear the news published at the web pageof the so-called "Kyivan Patriarchate", concerning the visit of the protosingel Modest Gini of the Monastery Ceteţuia Negru Vode to "Patriarch" Philaret (Denisenko), therefore we present you the following explanations:
Upon examination of this case and the request to father Modest to make account of his actions, he wrote that in the course of his pilgrimage to the sacred places of Ukraine together with two other Romanian
clergymen, the Ukrainian guide accompanying the group showed them to the Kyivan
churches, occupied by the schismatic group of the so-called "Kyivan
Patriarchate". In one of such churches the Romanian clergymen were invited to visit the "Patriarch of Kyiv", i.e. Michael
Denisenko. According to father Modest,
none of the Romanian clergymen made any statements on the church situation
in Ukraine
and no one made any greetings on the part of the Romanian hierarchs, all the
more so on the part of the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
In this connection we are going to send the instructions to all the diocesan administrations
of Romania that the pilgrims
visiting Ukraine should be
properly informed on
the church situation in Ukraine
in order to avoid such incidents in future.
We also think it necessary to express once again the position of the Romanian Orthodox Church in
support of the canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine (under jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate), whose First Hierarch is Your Beatitude.
We wish You good health and Lord's grace and assure you that our support of reunification of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine has not changed since the times when the
Romanian Orthodox Church was presented by the hierarchs and clergymen at the
religious events in Kyiv and Kharkiv.
By instruction of His Beatitude Patriarch
Daniel,
Yours respectfully,
† Cyprian,
Bishop Câmpineanul, Vicar of Patriarch Daniel
of Romania
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