In the temples of Abkhazia, services have been temporarily suspended until the status of the Abkhaz diocese has been determined. This was announced by Priest Vissarion (Apliaa), the head of the diocese registered in the self-proclaimed republic as the Abkhaz Orthodox Church. At the same time, according to him, the temples remain open to parishioners.
“Today's clergy, who have been released to their specific dioceses, let them raise the question to their bishops there, so that the bishops raise the question to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill what to do next. It is impossible to be in such a situation for thirty years like this … Therefore, I have now suspended (services in churches – ed.)”, – the priest said.
According to RIA Novosti, he also noted that he did not suspend services in the main cathedral in Sukhumi. “I served in it both before the war and after the war, so the cathedral has canon law,” – he added.
Vissarion (Apliaa) hopes that the Moscow Patriarchate will resolve the church situation in Abkhazia by defining the status of the Abkhaz Orthodox Church.
“The canonical status of these priests (ordained by the ROC – ed.) Must be determined. The most important thing is that they must return here with the status for the Abkhaz Orthodox Church. We cannot be part of the Georgian church, we were not part of the Georgian church and we will not, ”he said.
