Montenegrin cleric: The OCU is not canonical, it has no apostolic succession

Apostolic succession is one of the conditions for the Church’s grace. Photo: media.foma

The rector of the Cathedral Church of St. John Vladimir in Bar and archpastoral vicar of Bar, Archpriest-stavrophore Slobodan Zeković, explained to Serbian media why the OCU (Orthodox Church of Ukraine) cannot be regarded as a canonical Church.

“On this matter I can only repeat the clear and repeatedly expressed position of our local Serbian Orthodox Church: the only canonical Church in Ukraine is the UOC, headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine,” the priest stated.

All other structures in Ukraine, he is convinced, cannot be considered the Church: “All other so-called ‘church’ communities in Ukraine, although they use the epithet ‘Orthodox’ in their official names, are nothing more than schismatic organizations.”

“They are not, and cannot be, canonical, since they have not preserved apostolic succession. Consequently, they have neither valid baptisms, nor valid ordinations, nor any of the other Holy Mysteries,” Fr. Slobodan noted.

The cleric underlined that such a deficiency cannot be overcome by any administrative decree, but only through deep and sincere repentance and a return to the canonical order of the Orthodox Church.

Concluding his thought, Fr. Slobodan added: “Until then, they remain wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

Earlier, the Montenegrin priest had declared that the UOC is today the most persecuted Church in the world.

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