Sunday, July 13, 2008

Notion “Rus” to be Defined at Ukrainian Orthodox (UOC-KP) Council

12.07.2008, [12:02] // UOC-KP //

Kyiv—The celebration of the 900th anniversary of St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv is to start on 11 July with the opening of a national sobor (council) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate (UOC-KP). At a press conference on 9 July 2008, the head of the UOC-KP, Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko), stressed that during the sobor an “amendment will be made to the notion of ‘Rus.’” Patriarch Filaret said that “we should finally dot all the ‘i’s on what ‘Rus’ is, where it was situated, where it is and what it is.”

The UOC-KP head stressed that he understands well why this idea is so actively opposed by the Russian Orthodox Church, “for which it will be a fiasco.” He expressed his conviction that historic documents and chronicles will allow the truth to be established in this politicized matter.

Patriarch Filaret stated that he, personally, does not consider the 1020th anniversary of the baptism of Rus-Ukraine a great jubilee. In his opinion, it is just another event in religious life. “It is not even the 1050th anniversary. We were prepared to make this step for the sake of unification of all the branches of Orthodoxy into one national church,” noted Patriarch Filaret.

In his opinion, the celebration is closely connected with the main church event of the year, the 900th anniversary of the foundation of St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, to which Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople is invited. He will head the foreign patriarchal delegation. According to Patriarch Filaret, the heads of the churches of Jerusalem, Alexandria, Crete, Armenia, Georgia and other national Orthodox churches have also been invited to the celebration.

RISU note: “Rus” or “Kyivan-Rus” is the name of the historical territory and medieval state dominated by the city of Kiev from about 880 to around the middle of the 12th century.

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