The self-proclaimed Kiev Patriarchate has no chances for being recognized by the world Orthodoxy, head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Mitrophan of Lugansk and Alchevsk believes.
"To stay in unity with the Russian Orthodox Church in the early 1990-s (of the 20th century - IF) it was the choice of the majority of church people. So in Ukrainian case, the so-called UOC KP is not unrecognized autocephalous church, but only a schism. It means that this structure has no chances for recognition, the metropolitan was quoted as saying.
He pointed out that there were moments in history when some Churches proclaimed autocephaly, but were not recognized for sometime. The Bulgarian, Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches were in such state.
According to the hierarch, the main difference between official recognition of these Churches and the 'Kiev Patriarchate' is that "those Churches enjoyed consensus of people and clergy in acquiring autocephaly."
"The whole Church or, at least, its majority wished its autocephaly, while in Ukraine this question resulted in schism," he said.
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