Bishop Luke speaks about joint strategy of Phanar and Vatican in Ukraine

Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol. Photo: Bishop Luke's Telegram Channel

Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol. Photo: Bishop Luke's Telegram Channel

In an interview with the Georgian media outlet Point of View, Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol expressed concern over the Ukrainian authorities' plans to suppress the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). According to him, the government is following a specific scheme aimed at destroying the UOC and merging it with the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine.

"They are trying to do this employing a common scheme: they intend to destroy the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, incorporate its remnants into a schismatic council, and then unite this structure with the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine," the Metropolitan stated.

The UOC hierarch also noted that the current situation in Ukraine is part of a broader strategy backed by the Vatican and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He claims that the goal of this strategy is to create an alliance between Orthodox and Catholics, based on the Ukrainian precedent. "If this task is accomplished, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Vatican will use the 'Ukrainian precedent' to prove that an Orthodox-Catholic union is possible and feasible without altering the fundamental principles of their teachings," added the head of the Zaporizhzhia Eparchy.

As previously reported by the UOJ, Metropolitan Luke proposed strengthening and expanding the "Amman Format."

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