UOC Chancellor: Fighting UOC is fighting Ukrainian statehood

Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich). Photo: a screenshot of Anatoly Shariy's YouTube channel

The forces that are fighting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are actually fighting the Ukrainian statehood, said Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich), the UOC Chancellor, Metropolitan of Boryspil and Brovary, in a comment for Anatoly Shariy's YouTube channel.

The hierarch noted that the Great Cross Procession, which took place in Kyiv on July 27 on the occasion of the 1033rd anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’, gathered hundreds of thousands of people from different regions of Ukraine. It was especially pleasing to see a large number of young people.

“There were representatives of different territories – the east, the west, the north, the south. That is, we have once again testified that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the only Church of the Ukrainian people that unites our state and our people. And we, of course, do not understand the forces that are fighting with our Church. Because, in fact, those who are fighting the UOC are fighting the Ukrainian statehood,” he said.

According to the hierarch, the main idea of the cross procession is to remain faithful to Orthodoxy, and this is a synonym for the identity of the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian nation.

“Because, if we look at history, for many periods when parts of Ukraine went to different state formations, the main struggle was precisely with Orthodoxy in order to assimilate, to make it either Uniates or some other. And the people rebelled, remembered the roots, the choice of Prince Vladimir, and defended themselves as representatives and fellow-heirs of that choice,” explained the UOC Chancellor.

Earlier, Metropolitan Anthony explained that the UOC is the only Church in Ukraine that leads the succession from St. Prince Vladimir.

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