UOC spokesman – to Zoria: Don’t ascribe your desires to Met. Vladimir

«Иерарх» ПЦУ Евстратий Зоря. Фото: Укринформ

Certainly, His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan) dreamed not of such autocephaly, you shouldn’t ascribe your desires to him, commented Archpriest Nikolai Danilevich, deputy head of the UOC DECR, on the FB post of OCU spokesperson Eustratiy Zoria.

In it, Zoria claims that the creation of the new church structure allegedly became the fulfillment of His Beatitude Vladimir’s dream.

“Today is 5 years since the demise of Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan). His Beatitude was a supporter of the unity of the Ukrainian Church and took important steps to achieve it. During his lifetime, he failed to see the embodiment of his aspiration, but on December 15, the dream of His Beatitude became a reality – appeared the united Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which received the Tomos of autocephaly from the Mother Church of Constantinople,” the spokesperson for the OCU wrote on his Facebook page.

The deputy head of the UOC DECR noted in response that His Beatitude Vladimir was a man of the Church and unity, not a schism.

“The Kingdom of Heaven to His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir! But surely, His Beatitude did not dream about such autocephaly since in the early 1990s already went through everything that his Church is experiencing again but on a large scale – all the consequences of autocephalous aggression that we see in Ukraine. His Beatitude was a man of the Church, a man of unity, and not a man of schism,” the cleric reminded.

He stressed that Metropolitan Vladimir would have acted on the day of the creation of the OCU just as the current Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, did with his Church.

“You shouldn’t ascribe your desires retrospectively to the ever-memorable His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir. You did not know him closely. Only, perhaps, mainly in stories about him and in a few short meetings. We knew because we were near him because we are his Church. You are not his Church…. Therefore, do not disturb with your speculation the memory of His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir and do not use his name in your ideology,” Archpriest Nikolai addressed Zoria.

“Reality shows that even your Filaret didn’t dream of such autocephaly. And you knew him, and you know him very well, so speak about him while he is still alive. And do not touch the dead. Just pray if you want ... I'm sorry. I understand that I am writing things that are unpleasant for you but I cannot be silent about this,” the deputy head of the UOC DECR concluded.

Alas, Zoria did not hear Archpriest Nikolai.

"Do not tell me, please, who about, what and how to write!" he answered.

Earlier, Zoria said that transfers to the OCU slowed down due to the aggression of the UOC believers.

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