Romanian Church: Clergy of Romanian communities in Ukraine belong to UOC
Vasile Bănescu, spokesperson for the Romanian Patriarchate. Photo: basilica.ro
Priests of the Romanian communities in Ukraine do not belong to the Romanian Patriarchate, but mostly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, reports basilica.ro, citing the spokesperson for the Romanian Patriarchate Vasile Bănescu.
According to the spokesman, Orthodox Romanians in Ukraine, including priests, " have the duty to conscience to adapt in a wise Christian, honest and realistic way" to respond to the "tragic reality" that exists in the country today.
"It is essential to preserve and cultivate the Christian conscience, fidelity to the truth of faith and the moral values born of it," Bănescu said.
At the same time, he stressed that the Romanian Orthodox Church advocates respect for the rights of the ethnic Romanian minority, preserving its linguistic, religious and cultural identity in all countries, not only in Ukraine.
As noted by basilica.ro, according to the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, in Ukraine, there are more than 120 Romanian Orthodox parishes, located mainly in the northern part of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Eparchy of the UOC.
As earlier reported, Romanian politician Gelu Visan harshly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Romania TV because of the repression against the UOC. In particular, Visan accused Zelenskyy of planning to close "100 Romanian churches".
Read also
OCU explains why beggars are driven away from St. Michael’s Cathedral
A cleric of Dumenko’s structure admitted that beggars are not tolerated at the OCU’s main monastery because of their “high incomes” and the desire not to damage the site’s image before foreign tourists.
UOC Chancellor: Venerable Anthony founded a monastery, not a reserve
Metropolitan Anthony said that the attempt to turn the Lavra into a state preserve is, in essence, an attempt to lock living Orthodoxy behind a door.
Dumenko discusses countering hostile influence in spiritual life with PO head
The heads of the OCU and the Presidential Office touched on state-church relations and “spiritual security” in wartime.
Albanian Primate speaks about ways to resolve OCU problem
Archbishop John is convinced: disagreements between Moscow and Constantinople can only be overcome through love and dialogue, but not through choosing "sides".
National Memory Institute and SBU open exhibition on UGCC liquidation
An exhibition on the repression of the Uniates has opened in the capital, while state officials search for historical parallels with the present day.
OCU "priest" “allows” parishioners to use priest’s cassock for sex games
Ruslan Usmedinsky said that using a priest’s cassock as a prop for role-playing games can strengthen relationships between couples.