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UOC-MP Orthodox of Simferopol Distance themselves from Moscow Deacon

28.09.2006, [10:44] // UOC-MP //

Simferopol – In connection with a press conference of Deacon Andrii Kurayev, professor at the Moscow Spiritual Academy, which took place on 6 September, the press service of the Simferopol-Crimea Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) stated that the deacon’s conclusions about interreligious policy and the situation in southern Ukrainian Crimea do not reflect the official position of the UOC-MP. RISU’s Ukrainian-language site posted the news on 27 September 2006.

“Certain ideas of Fr. [Deacon] Andrii (in particular, the words that there is no wise policy in Crimea and the interdenominational one is no exception; also, the theses about the situation in Crimea which contain incorrect and offensive statements about the Crimean Muslims, and so on) reflect the personal opinion of Deacon Andrii and are not the official position of either the Simferopol-Crimea Eparchy or the Ukrainian Orthodox Church or the Moscow Patriarchate, in general. It is regrettable that some conclusions which contained expressions offensive to the representatives of other religions were heard from the mouth of a religious minister,” reads the text of the press service of the Simferopol-Crimea Eparchy of the UOC-MP.

“Over the last 15 years the Simferopol Eparchy has been striving to build relations with all traditional religious groups on the Crimean peninsula on the basis of mutual understanding and a wish for interethnic and interreligious peace in Crimea, paying special attention to relations with the Spiritual Administration of the Crimean Muslims, one of the largest traditional groups,” reads the text of the statement of the press service of the Simferopol Eparchy of the UOC-MP.

Source:

• http://orthodoxy.org.ua/uk/node/3758