Romanian priest: Bishop Longin is persecuted for refusing to join the OCU

Romanian priests came to the Ukrainian embassy in Bucharest to support Metropolitan Longin. Photo: UOJ

On November 17, 2023, during a rally at the Embassy of Ukraine in Romania in support of Metropolitan Longin, Romanian priest Cosmin Tripon, in an interview with local television, stated that Ukrainian authorities are persecuting the UOC hierarch for refusing to join the OCU, according to the UOJ correspondent.

"At present, in Ukraine, there is a certain policy purusued by the government; there is a conflict between the Churches. But we, Romanian priests, and even our Patriarch, support Metropolitan Longin, who is under the leadership of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry," said the priest.

He noted that "the state policy of Ukraine forces priests to join the non-canonical, unrecognized church led by schismatic hierarchs."

"Metropolitan Longin suffers because he does not want to join the non-canonical church, and he is unjustly persecuted. Partly, there may be a national component involved. He is an ethnic Romanian, and there are many Romanians there who are forcibly Ukrainized due to the nationalist policy of the Ukrainian state. But this is only part of the problem. Metropolitan Longin is being punished for steadfastly defending the true Orthodox faith, which is why we are here now," said the Romanian priest of the Romanian Church.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a rally in support of Metropolitan Longin had begun in Bucharest.

Read also

In Vinnytsia Eparchy, religious procession from Brailiv to Pochaiv canceled

The procession was canceled due to the authorities' directive.

In Valley of Jehoshaphat, UOC believers prayerfully venerate Marian apparition

After the service, prayers were read for the blessing of the crosses, which pilgrims traditionally bring on this day to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.