UOC-KP "hierarch" banned by OCU "synod": Never been a member of this gang

"Metropolitan" Joasaph of Belgorod and Oboyan. Photo: cerkva.info

On his Facebook page, “Metropolitan” Joasaph of Belgorod and Oboyan of the UOC-KP commented on the decision of the “synod” of the OCU to ban the “hierarchs” of the UOC-KP from priesthood.

According to him, the decision of the "synod" of the OCU is "another insanity of a bunch of usurpers evoking sad laughter." The “hierarch” indicates that a person who is at least a little familiar with church law will only be amused by this piece of paper about the deprivation of his holy dignity.

“They do not have the moral strength to understand that with this promulgated decision they have confirmed to the whole world what I wrote to them at the very beginning of their lawlessness, and what is very important for me is that I HAVE NEVER BEEN A MEMBER OF THEIR GANG (emphasis added in the original – Ed.), blasphemously referred to by them as the ‘holy church of Ukraine’ (OCU as spelled out in the tomos of autocephaly – Ed.),” he wrote.

Even on a formal basis, according to the “hierarch”, he is not subordinate to the OCU:

“According to their fake 'documents' – the statute, the Tomos – after all, it is written in them in black and white – the jurisdiction of the OCU is exercised only within the borders of Ukraine.”

"Metropolitan" Ioasaph emphasized that the very election of Dumenko as a primate was deceitfully held through several bishops' councils. The so-called "unification council" and the adoption of a statute there, which automatically put the Diaspora outside their jurisdiction, was also fraudulent.

In his address, the “hierarch” reminded the “synod” that earlier, at the local council of the UOC-KP, they had decided to withdraw from the OCU and resume the activities of the Kyiv Patriarchate.

For participation in this council, by the decision of the synod of the OCU, "Metropolitan" Joasaph Shibaev and his "vicar" Peter Moskalev were expelled from the episcopate of the OCU. But neither the "metropolitan" himself nor his "vicar" ever belonged to the "episcopate of the OCU".

“It seems that the common sense, not to mention the moral side and the Canons, is alien and vague to them. A bunch of moral cripples can behave just like a crazy, mean, and deceitful gang. This is what happens when ignoramuses and immoral persons are at the helm of what they call a church,” the “hierarch” said.

In conclusion, "Metropolitan" Joasaph Shibaev appealed "to Epifaniy and Co". He wrote that the decisions of the "synod" were strange and anti-canonical.

“Since you didn’t give me that dignity, it’s not for you to remove it. First, you yourselves need to be defrocked for the grossest violation of not only the Canons of the Church, but also the very moral norms of the Law of God,” he stressed.

In a statement, the "hierarch" turned to Filaret with a proposal to create a synodal commission to study and publish "the usurpation of power by a handful of opportunists from the OCU."

“Let them give an answer about their crimes committed in front of the whole world. And let the names of the new Maxims Cynics and Herostratuses be imprinted for history,” he concluded.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that "Metropolitan" of the UOC-KP Joasaph Shibaev is sure that the OCU "will go down in history as a predatory church".

Read also