Polish hierarch: There is only one gracious Church in Ukraine

Bishop Paul of Hainowka. Photo: Wikipedia

The representative of the Polish Orthodox Church, Bishop Paul of Hainowka, said that there is only one gracious Church in Ukraine, which has apostolic succession. And this is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine.

Commenting on the attitude of the Polish Orthodox Church to the Ukrainian “autocephaly”, Vladyka Paul stated that the position of his Church remains unchanged, “because the science of the Church does not change.”

Bishop Paul recalled that "at the II Ecumenical Council of 381, the Symbol of Faith was adopted, in which there are the words "I Believe in One Catholic Apostolic Church".

The Polish hierarch stressed that in accordance with the Symbol of Faith in Ukraine there is only one Church: “This is the only Church where there is the grace of the Holy Spirit, there is a succession of apostles, grace in the Holy Sacraments.”

That is why, said Bishop Paul, the Polish Church supports the UOC, because "we know what a difficult situation is now for the Orthodox in Ukraine".

Also, the representative of the Polish Church compared His Beatitude with the first martyrs of the Church: “The martyrs did not renounce Christ, even going to death. And Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine keeps the faith, is faithful to Christ to the end.”

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the Council of Bishops of the Polish Church declared that apostates deprived of priestly ordination could not constitute the true Church.

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