Polish Church Council criticises Ukrainian authorities over UOC ban
PAOC Bishops' Council in 2019. Photo: the Polish Church website
On 24 October 2023, the Council of Bishops of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church met to make a statement on the UOC ban by the Verkhovna Rada, reports the PAOC website.
In the statement, the Polish bishops stated "the need for the unity of the Church, which was violated by the non-canonical position of the Church in Ukraine."
"The Holy Council of Bishops of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church received with great misunderstanding the information about the delegalisation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by the state authorities. The Council of Bishops pays particular attention to the fact that the Church of Christ has an ontological dimension and is not subject to human legal regulations. It is guided by Jesus Christ himself, our Saviour," the Council’s statement says.
The bishops call “for intense prayer for peace in Ukraine and the Holy Land, where fighting has begun and innocent people are dying".
As reported, according to a Polish bishop, Orthodox Christians in Ukraine are carrying the cross of Christ today.
Read also
TRC abducts cleric of Bancheny Monastery but releases him after believers' rally
Hundreds of believers gathered at the gates of the TRC in Chernivtsi. Military commissars released the abducted archimandrite of the Bancheny Monastery.
Persecuted UOC parishes in Bukovyna celebrate Sunday of Myrrh-Bearing Women
UOC communities deprived of their churches held services for the feast of the Myrrh-Bearing Women.
UOC donates equipment worth UAH 200,000 to Okhmatdyt
The Odesa Eparchy of the UOC has completed a large-scale campaign to raise funds for young patients’ needs, the UOC Information Center reports.
Pope prays with Anglican female bishop, calls Christians to unity
Leo XIV received Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally at the Vatican and said divisions must be overcome.
OCU spokesman: St. Nicholas did not take part in First Ecumenical Council
Zoria called the participation of St. Nicholas of Myra in the Council of Nicaea a product of later perception – saying the saint was “definitely not there.”
Hungary nationalizes UGCC monastery and hands it over to local Uniates
Hungarian authorities nationalized the UGCC monastery in Máriapócs and transferred it to a Hungarian Greek Catholic structure, evicting the Basilians.