190 priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church demanded to give Patriarch Kirill under the church tribunal

190 priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate demanded to give the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill under the church tribunal. The corresponding application was published by Archpriest Andrei Pinchuk on his Facebook page. The church tribunal in question is the cathedral of the Primate of the ancient Eastern churches.

“For many centuries in the Orthodox Church, there is a tradition of applying to the court of such a cathedral in case of serious conflicts. The Cathedral of the Eastern Patriarchs has repeatedly considered claims against the highest church dignitaries. In the history of the Russian Church, there was also a precedent of appeal to the court of eastern patriarchs. In 1666, it was the eastern patriarchs who condemned the Moscow Patriarch Nikon, depriving him of the patriarchate and episcopal dignity. Nikon was left with a simple monk and sent to repent to the monastery, ”writes Pinchuk.

Ukrainian priests decided to file a lawsuit due to the support of Patriarch Kirill of the Charity War of Russia against Ukraine. Among the accusations made against him, the preaching of the doctrine of the “Russian world”, which does not correspond to Orthodox teaching, and “moral crimes”: the blessing of the war against Ukraine and its complete support. Pinchuk also mentioned that the Patriarch ignored the appeals of the UOC with a call to oppose the war, and on March 13 he handed the Commander -in -Chief of the Russian National Guard Viktor Zolotov the icon of the Mother of God and blessed the Russian military. When Zolotov called the Armed Forces “Nazis”, the Patriarch did not express any objections.

Pinchuk emphasized that the position of the UOC complies with the laws of the Russian Orthodox Church:

“Back in 2000, the foundations of the social concept of the Russian Orthodox Church were adopted. This document approves Christian patriotism. At the same time, Patriarch Kirill (as well as numerous bishops and priests in Russia) directly violate the norms of the basics of the social concept. In particular, this document clearly says that the Church cannot assist the state and cooperate with it if the state wages an aggressive external war. ”