Montenegrin priest: There is only one canonical Church in Ukraine – UOC

Fr. Slobodan Zekovic. Photo: UOJ in Serbia

Priest of the Serbian Orthodox Church Slobodan Zeković, the rector of the Church of St. Jovan Vladimir in the Montenegrin city of Bar, publicly declared his support for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its primate, Metropolitan Onuphry. The statement was made on August 11 during an address to the faithful after the Divine Liturgy, writes the UOJ in Serbia.

"Ukraine has been suffering in a bloody war for years, and we deeply sympathize with the suffering of people around the world, especially when Orthodox peoples suffer," noted Fr. Slobodan.

He unequivocally spoke about the church situation in Ukraine: "In Ukraine, there is only one canonical Orthodox Church, and that is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, headed by Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv."

Regarding the OCU led by Epifaniy Dumenko, the Serbian cleric called it schismatic. "Priests and believers who belong to the community of Epifaniy Dumenko cannot partake in the churches of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Because our local Serbian Orthodox Church considers that community schismatic," he stated.

The statement was made in the context of explaining the rules of participation in church sacraments. Zeković emphasized that the Holy Sacraments in the Orthodox Church can only be received by those who are baptized in the canonical Orthodox Church.

The priest noted that many people from Ukraine live in Montenegrin Bar, and the issue of church affiliation has practical significance for participation in services.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Patriarch Porfirije discussed with the Ukrainian ambassador the government's errors towards the UOC.

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