Cleric of Constantinople: The Church in Ukraine is subjected to violence

Priest Andrey Kordochkin. Photo: FROK – Studio YouTube screenshot

Fr. Andrey Kordochkin, currently a cleric of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople – who was suspended by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2023 for his anti-war stance – commented on the religious situation in Ukraine in an interview with FROK – Studio.

According to him, the issue of autocephaly should have been handled “differently,” since the result of granting the Tomos to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) was that “instead of uniting Orthodox believers in Ukraine, it practically created even greater division.” Referring to the use of force by Ukrainian authorities against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), Kordochkin emphasized that church schisms “cannot and must not be overcome by the efforts of the state. They must be overcome by the will of the people – by the will of the faithful.”

“The current situation in Ukraine is, of course, not one of religious freedom, nor of equality in the rights of believers, of Orthodox Christians of different jurisdictions. It is, rather, a case of significant state interference in Church affairs,” said Fr. Andrey. “I believe that in this case, responsibility lies primarily with Ukrainian state authorities, rather than with any church structures.”

“As a priest, as a Christian, I cannot in any way approve of violent actions against churches or monasteries,” he stated. Kordochkin acknowledged that communities should have the right to transfer to another jurisdiction, but emphasized that such decisions must be made by the faithful themselves.

He called the “forcible seizure of property – including from monastics for whom a monastery is truly their home – unacceptable.”

Speaking about the use of coercion in Ukraine, the priest stressed: “We are now entering an era in which the issue is not merely about canonical legitimacy, but also about moral legitimacy.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Viktor Yelensky assured the SBU of the high level of religious freedom in Ukraine.

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