UOC hierarch: Met. Vladimir thought it wasn’t right time for autocephaly

Metropolitan Sofroniy (Dmitruk) of Cherkassy and Kanev. Photo: news.church.ua

Metropolitan Sofroniy (Dmitruk) of Cherkassy and Kanev said that His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan) repeatedly said: the time has not yet come for autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

“Every time I met with Metropolitan Vladimir, I pressed on him, I told him (about autocephaly – Ed.),” the hierarch said. “And each time he told me: ‘Don’t be so hotheaded, the time hasn’t come yet.’"

Vladyka recalls how he asked His Beatitude Vladimir not to wait for another time because he was respected by the whole Orthodox world, and if he did something in terms of autocephaly, then “most of our bishops” would follow him. However, he received one answer to all the requests: "It is too early."

Earlier the UOJ wrote that, according to Metropolitan Sofroniy, it follows from the Statute of the OCU that Constantinople formed in Ukraine a completely Greek-controlled Church.

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