MP: Constantinople makes the proclaimed OCU its offshoot

Ex-speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Vladimir Litvin

Constantinople made the recently proclaimed OCU its own branch. This was stated by the former head of the Verkhovna Rada, MP Vladimir Litvin, in an interview with 112.ua channel.

“Please note that Patriarch Filaret did not announce the dissolution of the UOC KP and he will not do this,” the politician emphasized. “Given that the status granted by Constantinople to the proclaimed Church (OCU — note UOJ) is much smaller, Constantinople, which used to have no parishes, made it its branch, a subdivision, having suddenly received de facto tremendous opportunities and great influence. We will just see what religious buildings will fall into direct submission to Constantinople.”

Litvin also said that the wording of the recently adopted draft law No. 4128-d, which regulates the change of religious subordination, will allow the heads of RSAs to administratively reassign parishes in favor of the OCU.

Vladimir Litvin became one of the signatories of the appeal to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine with the demand to repeal Law No. 2662 (number of the registered bill No. 5309 – Ed. note) on renaming religious organizations, which the Verkhovna Rada adopted on December 20.

Earlier, Metropolitan Sofroniy of Cherkassy and Kanev stated that Constantinople had established a fully-controlled Greek church in Ukraine .

Read also

OCU: Filaret did not want UOC-KP to exist after his death

The OCU insists that Filaret wanted the Kyiv Patriarchate to cease to exist after his death.

UOC primate blesses vehicles for evacuating the wounded from the front

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry performed the rite of blessing for nine vehicles purchased with donations from faithful in Ukraine and the Czech Republic.

Lawyer warns of planned seizure of UOC Ascension Church in Kyiv

The head of the religious community of the Holy Ascension Church in Demiivka has been unlawfully replaced, according to a lawyer.

UOC bishop comments on situation around Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi

Metropolitan Meletiy said court rulings transferring Bukovyna’s main shrine to the OCU are unlawful.

SBU detains antisemite calling to tear down banners for Jewish holidays

In Zakarpattia, authorities exposed an online agitator who used social media to incite religious hatred.

OCU: Those ordained by Filaret after the Tomos are not bishops

The OCU maintains that hierarchs of the UOC-KP, unlike those aligned with Dumenko, are non-canonical schismatics.