French diplomat: Situation in Ukraine might worsen if church gets autocephaly
PARIS. Oct 16 (Interfax) - The granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine might worsen that country's political crisis, a French diplomatic source told Interfax.
"There is a risk that autocephaly for the Ukrainian church would worsen the situation in that country," the source said.
This situation might have a negative effect on the political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine, but hopefully the situation will be settled peacefully, the source said.
On October 11, the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople rehabilitated the leaders of the unrecognized Ukrainian Orthodox churches, announced the opening of a mission in Kyiv, and abrogated an ordinance dating back to the 17th century that put the Kyiv Metropolitanate under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate did not recognize these decisions, nor did the Moscow Patriarchate itself, which declared the discontinuation of full communion with Constantinople on October 15.