Russian Catholics hope ties won’t be affected by inter-Orthodox tensions

Catholic News Service ^ | Oct 2018 | Jonathan Luxmoore

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As plans to establish an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church encounter complaints from Russia, Catholic leaders hope ecumenical ties will not be affected.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who holds honorary primacy among the world’s 14 main Orthodox churches, plans to grant autocephaly, or independence, to Christians in Ukraine, many of whom have been linked to the Russian Orthodox Church’s Moscow Patriarchate. Calls for a single independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church intensified after Russia’s 2014 forced annexation of Crimea and military intervention in eastern Ukraine.

Some observers have cautioned that Catholic-Orthodox relations could be set back by inter-Orthodox feuding.

Victor Khroul, , a Moscow University professor and former Catholic newspaper editor, said Catholics in Ukraine already were having trouble organizing social and charitable projects, as rival Orthodox leaders refused to work together.

“The best stance for Catholics now, both individually and ecclesially, is to maintain their distance from each side, while praying these Orthodox conflicts will be healed in a spirit of unity, love and justice,” he said.

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Best wishes to everyone involved in a complicated situation. Gloria a Jesucristo, Rey de Reyes, Senor de Senores.