UOC Chancellor comments on possible visit of Phanar head to Ukraine
Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) of Boryspil and Brovary, Chancellor of the UOC. Photo: facebook.com/MitropolitAntoniy
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is opposed to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople’s arrival to Ukraine, said Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, the UOC Chancellor, in the Church and Society program on the Glas TV channel.
Metropolitan Anthony believes that the arrival of the head of Phanar to Ukraine may cause new confrontations in society. The President should have taken into account the situation that has developed in Ukraine, the UOC Chancellor noted.
“The words of Vladimir Zelensky that Patriarch Bartholomew cares about peace in Ukraine sound quite dissonant,” Vladyka said.
Because if he really cares about peace in Ukraine, then we should find at least a single case where Patriarch Bartholomew, knowing the situation in Ukraine, could have somehow prevented what is happening. I mean the seizures of our temples, raider seizures, illegal re-registration. All this happened precisely due to the actions – let me reiterate – illegal actions of Patriarch Bartholomew toward Ukrainian Orthodoxy."
The Chancellor of the UOC recalled that Patriarch Bartholomew had illegally invaded the religious situation in Ukraine.
“And this interference led to opposition, to the forceful seizure of temples belonging to our Church, to the beating of our parishioners, our priests,” he stressed.
Therefore, our position is unambiguous: we are opposed to Patriarch Bartholomew coming to Ukraine. It’s easy to foresee that his arrival will not serve peace in Ukraine, but may become a new impetus for more large-scale confrontations."
According to Metropolitan Anthony, the president must make sure that an external visit does not lead to a new round of confrontation between believers in Ukraine.
“The fundamental thing about it is what the UOC has repeatedly stated: we must learn to live according to the Constitution, which explicitly says that the state is separated from the Church. Therefore, any interference by statesmen in the internal life of the Church contradicts our fundamental law,” summed up the UOC hierarch.
As the UOJ reported, Vladimir Zelensky invited Patriarch Bartholomew to Ukraine during his visit to Phanar.
Read also
In Podgorica, multi-thousand procession held on city's patron saint day
Thousands of believers walked in a procession through the capital of Montenegro, honoring the memory of Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Streaming.
Persecuted UOC parish in Zeleniv reads Great Canon
A Bukovynian Orthodox community, deprived of its church in 2024, conducts Great Lent services in an adapted facility.
Patriarch Bartholomew warns against unacceptable peace for Ukraine
The head of the Constantinople Church stated that to achieve peace in Ukraine, the leaders of nations must take the "narrow path of justice."
MinCulture opens Lavra's Near Caves only for groups and by reservation
The Ministry of Culture's statement says that "the opening of the Near Caves for believers is not only a long-awaited and outstanding event in church life but also a sign of the indestructibility of our faith".
Metropolitan Onuphry reads Great Canon at Intercession Convent of Kyiv
The Primate of the UOC led the Great Compline with the reading of the second part of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete at the capital's Intercesssion Convent.
OCU “hierarch” selling fake ID documents sent to pre-trial detention center
The Ivano-Frankivsk court has chosen a preventive measure for the OCU "bishop" suspected of issuing fictitious ordination certificates for the rank of deacon to evade mobilization.