Drabinko blames Putin for non-recognizing OCU by Jerusalem & Cyprus

"Hierarch" of the OCU Alexander Drabinko. Photo: YouTube

The “bishop” of the OCU Metropolitan Alexander (Drabinko) believes that in their position on the non-recognition of the OCU, the Jerusalem and Cyprus Orthodox Churches fulfill the will of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He made such a statement in an interview with “1 + 1” after returning from Greece.

“As I understand it, in the world we will soon have recognition from all the Local Orthodox Churches that are not dependent as I was told. They say: what can we do? You should ask Putin rather than us why other Greek-speaking Churches, such as the Cyprus and Jerusalem ones, have not recognized yet,” the hierarch of the PCU.

According to him, changes to the pilgrimage programme were allegedly made to avoid provocations from Russia.

“They saw our previous programme that we gave. We gave it specifically not quite accurate. We clearly realized that there would certainly be opposition,” he said.

Earlier, the Primate of the Cypriot Orthodox Church, Archbishop Chrysostomos II of New Justinian and All Cyprus stated that he did not agree with either the Phanar or Moscow.

The metropolitans of the Greek Church were in no hurry to concelebrate with the “hierarchs” of the new church structure due to the fact that they did not agree with their recognition. “Like ordinary crooks, Ukrainian schismatics say that they visited the St. Nectarios Monastery where the Divine Liturgy was celebrated on the day of his memory, as well as a monastery in the Agia Marina area. To show that they as pilgrims visited Aegina, they posted a photo of the St. Nectarios Church on their page. However, they were not there,” noted the Ουκρανικό online edition.

Later, a group of the laity in Greece wrote an open letter of protest to the hierarchs regarding the OCU.

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