Book Review
The Ecclesial Crisis in Ukraine and its Solution According to the Sacred Canons by Metropolitan of Kykkos and Tylliria Nikiforos, Cyprus
Holy Trinity Seminary Press. 2021
His eminence Metropolitan Nikiforos of Kykkos, a hierarch of the Church of Cyprus has published an important work on the Church crisis in Ukraine. His eminence addresses several aspects of the Church crisis. His eminence discusses the history of the Church of Ukraine and how it was transferred from the Patriarchate of Constantinople to the Russian Church in 1686. His eminence does a masterful job regarding the history of the Ukrainian Church which was until 2018 part of the Russian Church without controversy.
Other aspects of the Church crisis that are addressed include the delicate matter of how a Church achieves autocephalous status. His eminence rightfully emphasizes the importance of the authority of the universal Church through an ecumenical council to establish an autocephalous Church. His eminence points out that the Ecumenical Patriarch may only act to recognize a Church as autocephalous if it has been approved by the universal Church.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate insists that it has the right to hear appeals from throughout the Orthodox world. His eminence asserts that the Ecumenical Patriarch has no such right. Furthermore, his eminence makes clear that the Patriarchate of Moscow was fully justified in breaking communion with Constantinople.
His eminence addresses the issue of who is the head of the Orthodox Church. Jesus Christ is the head of the Orthodox Church and not the Ecumenical Patriarch. His eminence also emphasizes the importance of the conciliar tradition of the Orthodox Church.
As with many other writers and commentators on the Church crisis, his eminence makes reference to the well known geopolitical interests that have served to trigger the events that brought about the crisis. Unfortunately, this issue is mentioned only in passing and is not addressed. Regardless, this is a very important publication regarding the Ukrainian Church crisis coming from one of the most important bishops in the Greek speaking world.
His eminence makes references to church history and canon law, and affirms the righteousness of the Orthodox position which is held not only by the Russian Orthodox Church but by most of the Orthodox world. This is a publication that is solidly Orthodox and which will hopefully contribute to awakening the Greek Orthodox world from its slumber.