Politologist: Poroshenko decides to go down in history by creating "local church" at all costs

Politologist Kost Bondarenko speaks about the situation of the church schism in Ukraine and the President trying to solve it in his own "new" way by putting pressure on the UOC and the politicians who are associated with it in his interview to Pershyi Kozatskyi.

"The schism is a tragedy of the Ukrainian people. Politicians are trying to play, in particular, on the disagreements existing in the Ukrainian Churches. Canonical community with the Moscow Patriarchate resulted in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church being persecuted in Ukraine now. There are many politicians who believe that the Church, which is connected with the Moscow Patriarchate, has no right to exist in Ukraine. This violates the Constitution of Ukraine," stressed the analyst.

He said that the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko decided to go down in history by creating a "local church" in Ukraine.

"He understands that until the Kyiv Patriarchate is headed by Filaret, a person who is under the anathema in one of canonical churches, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate cannot be the basis for the formation of this local church. He understands that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the only canonical one, has its own trends: there is a group of his people who say it is necessary to create a local church, who do not quite recognize Metropolitan Onufriy’s policy; there is also the Autocephalous Orthodox Church," explained Kost Bondarenko.

"At some point someone told Petro Poroshenko: the main problem on the way to unification of these Churches is Vadim Novinsky, because he is one of the sponsors of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. And if you remove Vadim Novinsky from the game, everything will go like clockwork: assign Drabinko Metropolitan receive the blessing, Filaret retires, formal obstacles for the unification of Churches disappear, and you go down in history as the man who created a "local church," said the analyst.

The politologist stressed out that the prosecutor's attack on the people's deputy Novinsky "is in line with Poroshenko’s ambition to create a" local church." All of these actions are a direct interference in the Church affairs and a violation of the Constitution of Ukraine.

Pilgrim group from Kyiv Theological Seminary visits Mount Athos

KTS students are making a pilgrimage to the holy sites of Romania, Greece, Mount Athos and Italy.

UOC cathedral celebrates its patronal feast in Ternopil

The service in the cathedral of the Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia was led by Metropolitan Serhii of Ternopil, concelebrated by four hierarchs.

MinCulture marks centenary of Soviet-era reserve at Lavra's Refectory Church

Representatives of the Ministry of Culture presented awards to the Reserve's employees on the occasion of the anniversary at the Refectory Church of the Lavra.

Conference to mark 1700th anniversary of Christianity adoption held in Georgia

In Georgia, representatives of the Church and the state noted the defining role of Christianity in the country's cultural development.

MP urges to ease pressure on UOC for sake of peace

Oleksii Honcharenko proposed compromises on language, historical memory, and Church issues as part of efforts to achieve peace, saying those who wish to attend the “Russian Church” should be allowed to do so.

Court takes 17th-century church in Staryi Pochaiv from UOC community

A commercial court overturned a 2018 registrar’s decision and stripped the UOC’s Ternopil Eparchy of ownership of the 17th-century church.